Interior Exterior
Q:
Here's my engine cover with clear acrylic panels instead of the black plastic louvers. Looks even better in person!
Last picture is my panel eliminator - 4 carbon fiber tubes connecting the diffuser.
A:
Pretty cool idea there. I like it.
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wow, that is very cool, how did you do it and is there any drawback to doing this?
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Interesting... How is it holding up to the engine heat? Did you use acrylic with the scratch resistant coating?
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Oops, nevermind.
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See the big hole in the back of car?
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Very cool idea. Are these panels available for purchase?
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See the big hole in the back of car?
Yeah, I was talking about the bonnet. Anyway, looks like the plastic is only on the horizontal part and not the few inches of virtical section toward the rear of the hole in the bonnet. Originally I thought it covered the whole hole.
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Looks great. Definately interested in the details of how you did it.
Was it nesessary to modify the engine cover itself? or did you just remove the louvers?
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Ahhh, very cool. I'm jealous. (about the engine cover, I'm the only one here not a fan of the rear panel removal)
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I'm the only one here not a fan of the rear panel removal
Not the only one...
The clear panel is pretty cool.
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Looks cool, but its just a 4 cyl toyota engine, not much to show-off. Now if it was a ferrari or lambo, thats a different story...
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Looks cool, but its just a 4 cyl toyota engine, not much to show-off. Now if it was a ferrari or lambo, thats a different story...
Yea, that's what I was thinking, but didn't want to say it.
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Yea, that's what I was thinking, but didn't want to say it.
I partly agree, the engine portion on the right looks great being painted and stuff. The tubes don't look as good on the left. Of course it's easier when the designers have this idea in mind before hand, like Ferrari probably did. Would have helped to have the engine centered. But I still think it's cool.
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It is very cool and it does look good. I guess it's just that I know it's only a Toyota 4 cyl......you did a stellar job.
BTW: where did you get the CF tubes for the panel eliminator? Very innovative idea and looks great.
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Looks cool, but its just a 4 cyl toyota engine, not much to show-off. Now if it was a ferrari or lambo, thats a different story...
Maybe there's a market for fake engine covers?
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would swapping out the black hoses for silicone or steel braided lines (for old schoolers) look better?
I like the clear engine cover. i wonder how clear acrylic louvered panels would look.
you must use a baby diaper to clean that thing to keep it from getting scratched, eh?
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Not the only one...
The clear panel is pretty cool.
definitley like the clear cover, but i'm with you two on not having the back exposed.
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Interesting... How is it holding up to the engine heat? Did you use acrylic with the scratch resistant coating?
Engine heat is not a problem, I think there is better air flow with the clear covers. The panels are acrylic with scratch resistant coating - very durable and optically clearer than glass. This is where I purchased the acrylic sheets: http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/product.php?pid=334&
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Looks great. Definately interested in the details of how you did it.
Was it nesessary to modify the engine cover itself? or did you just remove the louvers?
Purchased a cover from Lotus Garage (wanted to maintain the original so I could return to stock if needed). Using a dremel tool, cut the entire vent area out. Four vent mounting holes will require filling/sanding with body filler.
Mount the acrylic panels using T style mounts and screws (I used all SS hardware, see pictures below). I had difficulty mounting the T style mounts using epoxy, bonding to the Lotus body panels is difficult. The best solution was Gorilla Glue, very messy but works great. I covered the entire row of mounts with a layer of carbon fiber cloth (2" seam tape) for extra durability.
Mount the acrylic panels using aluminum L channel. Drilling mounting holes in the Acrylic will cause cracking on rough roads (I know this from experience).
An interesting benefit of the clear cover design is the increased air space between the cover and engine, the OEM lid has deep channels that sit very close to the top of the engine. Overall, the weight is about the same as a normal engine cover.