Stealth Links' Pantera and parts for all to see!
THE FAN-LOADED ENGINE COVER
When I took delivery of my Pantera, it lacked the screen which covers the engine. Since I added a very tall air filter and the MSD Ready-to-Run ignition, the stock engine cover wouldn't work anyway, so I thought, "why not make my own?" After all, I had some foam backing material left over from re-doing my headliner (in black leather) and when I was a kid in school I was taught that the Indians always used every part of the buffalo they killed. Certainly I should follow their example and find a use for that leftover foam--maybe by covering the entire back deck, existing side pieces and all, in matching black leather.
While I was at it, I could also install a couple of cooling fans to keep the engine compartment a little less blistering. Once, when the engine was first re-installed, I almost set one of the air conditioning hoses on fire because it was a bit too close to a glowing header...
I began by rummaging around in some of the carefully stored collections of valuable materials I meticulously maintain in my garage (read: junk piles) until I found some aluminum "C" channel that looked to be about the right length to build a framework. I cut the aluminum into four lengths and using a big vise, I cautiously applied gentle pressure to bend the strips to match the curvature of the existing engine cover pieces. I overlaid the strips with cardboard and pop-riveted it into place, adding a flexible piece of plastic edging for the edge which would end up facing the engine compartment. Using the top of the air filter for a pattern, I cut out the center section of the cardboard large enough to allow the air filter to protrude through, once the cover was in place. To facilitate easier installation and removal, I didn't simply cut a round hole, but extended the opening to the front of the cover forming a "U" shaped opening (actually, if you're standing at the back of the car looking in at the engine, the front of the engine cover is really the back...)
I then fiberglassed both sides of the cardboard and trimmed and sanded the excess fiberglass until the deck was correctly shaped. It soon became obvious that the thin area in the middle created by the air filter hole was not strong enough to give the cover the requisite rigidity so I had to purchase a piece of 1/8" by 1" by 4' piece of steel for reinforcement. I bent it in a "U" shape and riveted it to the inner frame rails, underneath the cover.
Next I had to find a couple of fans to vent the hot air from the engine compartment. I looked at computer-type box fans, but feared they would be far too fragile to work for long. I ended up having to buy a couple of clip-on dashboard-type fans, basically completely disassembling and then rebuilding them. For the fans' "body" I purchased two plastic lawn drainage caps from Lowe's Hardware and cut out the centers. I used metal straps bent into "U" shapes riveted to the plastic frames to hold the motors in place with the help of pipe clamps. Before installing the motors I had to trim the fan blades to fit inside the 6" diameter frames. I also covered the motors with some of the leftover sound-deadener/heat shield sticky-backed material, not only to help protect the little motors from the heat they would undoubtedly soon be experiencing, but also to give the metal straps something a little more "grippy" to which to clamp. I then cut pieces out of the plastic pieces that used to cover the back of the fan motors so they could be used for that same purpose, this time held on with a zip tie each.
After this I had to determine where to place the fans, so I peered into the engine compartment and was relieved to find the fans would work fine placed equidistant from the edge of the cover and the air filter opening, about 4" from the leading edge. I planned on using some chrome exhaust tips to direct the air up and out, and based on the angle the pipe would have, I knew the fan holes would not be round. As it turned out, the largest exhaust tips I could find were only 5" with the correctly shaped tip on one end, but a reducer on the other. I actually had to hack saw the chrome pipe to get the correct shape. Fortunately I was able to use black door-edge protector strips along the bottom of each pipe and chrome versions of the same on the top edge to give them a finished look. The holes for the chrome pipes would need to be oblong, so the 6" fans would at least be fully utilized on each end, although the side flow would have to be slightly restricted.
At this point I realized the "C" channel was a bit too thick on each end of the new engine cover, so using Vise-Grips I broke off the outside edge of each of the outside channels. This would allow the new cover to align better with the existing end pieces, once in place.
Once the holes were cut, I mounted "L" brackets on each side of the holes facing up to be used to attach the chrome pipes once the deck was almost completed and drilled numerous holes in preparation for the many rivets I knew I'd be using to attach the leather covering. I also pre-mounted four bolts around each hole facing downward to hold the fan assemblies in place (I drilled through the fan assemblies at the same time to ensure hole alignment). In addition, I ran wires between the holes, figuring it was easier to do it then than after the leather was in place.
Next I glued the foam backing on the two end pieces and the new cover. Once that was done I attached black leather using a combination of contact cement, rivets and luck. I replaced the original end pieces first, then tested the new cover for fit. Fortunately, it did. I then glued Velcro strips along each edge of the existing end pieces and matching strips along the bottom of my new cover. Since the edge of the covers were held in place by a groove running along the firewall, I figured Velcro on the side edges would be sufficient to hold the deck in place. After all, I'm not planing on four-wheeling in the Pantera anytime soon!
I then attached the fan assemblies, hooked up their wires (being careful to keep the polarity straight--after all, I didn't want my fans to suck), and put an RV electrical connector to the wires on the right. The connector's mate was mounted under the passenger side engine cover and used 10 gauge, solid core wire running under the car to the front, low-temp radiator fan. When the first fan kicked in, I wanted the engine cover fans to do likewise.
Finally, I put the chrome pipes in place, aligned the l brackets and drilled corresponding holes in the pipes. A couple of bolts each kept them firmly attached.
As an afterthought I paid another visit to my favorite junk yard and picked up a piece of black rubber and metal edging that went around the door opening of a derelict pick-up truck. When I got home I cut off the rubber weatherstripping and ran the remaining edging around the U-shaped air filter opening. It matched the same edging that went around the gas filler cut-out on the driver's side end-piece.
It was a little tight getting the new cover in place once all the accouterments were attached. I had to remove the air cleaner to do it, but once in, the new cover fit fine. Best of all, once the first radiator fan kicks in, those two little engine cover fans extricate a lot of the engine bay's hot air. If the assembly holds together during my drive to Las Vegas this May, I'll call the experiment a success...
THE FAN-LOADED ENGINE COVER
When I took delivery of my Pantera, it lacked the screen which covers the engine. Since I added a very tall air filter and the MSD Ready-to-Run ignition, the stock engine cover wouldn't work anyway, so I thought, "why not make my own?" After all, I had some foam backing material left over from re-doing my headliner (in black leather) and when I was a kid in school I was taught that the Indians always used every part of the buffalo they killed. Certainly I should follow their example and find a use for that leftover foam--maybe by covering the entire back deck, existing side pieces and all, in matching black leather.
While I was at it, I could also install a couple of cooling fans to keep the engine compartment a little less blistering. Once, when the engine was first re-installed, I almost set one of the air conditioning hoses on fire because it was a bit too close to a glowing header...
I began by rummaging around in some of the carefully stored collections of valuable materials I meticulously maintain in my garage (read: junk piles) until I found some aluminum "C" channel that looked to be about the right length to build a framework. I cut the aluminum into four lengths and using a big vise, I cautiously applied gentle pressure to bend the strips to match the curvature of the existing engine cover pieces. I overlaid the strips with cardboard and pop-riveted it into place, adding a flexible piece of plastic edging for the edge which would end up facing the engine compartment. Using the top of the air filter for a pattern, I cut out the center section of the cardboard large enough to allow the air filter to protrude through, once the cover was in place. To facilitate easier installation and removal, I didn't simply cut a round hole, but extended the opening to the front of the cover forming a "U" shaped opening (actually, if you're standing at the back of the car looking in at the engine, the front of the engine cover is really the back...)
I then fiberglassed both sides of the cardboard and trimmed and sanded the excess fiberglass until the deck was correctly shaped. It soon became obvious that the thin area in the middle created by the air filter hole was not strong enough to give the cover the requisite rigidity so I had to purchase a piece of 1/8" by 1" by 4' piece of steel for reinforcement. I bent it in a "U" shape and riveted it to the inner frame rails, underneath the cover.Next I had to find a couple of fans to vent the hot air from the engine compartment. I looked at computer-type box fans, but feared they would be far too fragile to work for long. I ended up having to buy a couple of clip-on dashboard-type fans, basically completely disassembling and then rebuilding them. For the fans' "body" I purchased two plastic lawn drainage caps from Lowe's Hardware and cut out the centers. I used metal straps bent into "U" shapes riveted to the plastic frames to hold the motors in place with the help of pipe clamps. Before installing the motors I had to trim the fan blades to fit inside the 6" diameter frames. I also covered the motors with some of the leftover sound-deadener/heat shield sticky-backed material, not only to help protect the little motors from the heat they would undoubtedly soon be experiencing, but also to give the metal straps something a little more "grippy" to which to clamp. I then cut pieces out of the plastic pieces that used to cover the back of the fan motors so they could be used for that same purpose, this time held on with a zip tie each.
After this I had to determine where to place the fans, so I peered into the engine compartment and was relieved to find the fans would work fine placed equidistant from the edge of the cover and the air filter opening, about 4" from the leading edge. I planned on using some chrome exhaust tips to direct the air up and out, and based on the angle the pipe would have, I knew the fan holes would not be round. As it turned out, the largest exhaust tips I could find were only 5" with the correctly shaped tip on one end, but a reducer on the other. I actually had to hack saw the chrome pipe to get the correct shape. Fortunately I was able to use black door-edge protector strips along the bottom of each pipe and chrome versions of the same on the top edge to give them a finished look. The holes for the chrome pipes would need to be oblong, so the 6" fans would at least be fully utilized on each end, although the side flow would have to be slightly restricted.
At this point I realized the "C" channel was a bit too thick on each end of the new engine cover, so using Vise-Grips I broke off the outside edge of each of the outside channels. This would allow the new cover to align better with the existing end pieces, once in place.
Once the holes were cut, I mounted "L" brackets on each side of the holes facing up to be used to attach the chrome pipes once the deck was almost completed and drilled numerous holes in preparation for the many rivets I knew I'd be using to attach the leather covering. I also pre-mounted four bolts around each hole facing downward to hold the fan assemblies in place (I drilled through the fan assemblies at the same time to ensure hole alignment). In addition, I ran wires between the holes, figuring it was easier to do it then than after the leather was in place.
Next I glued the foam backing on the two end pieces and the new cover. Once that was done I attached black leather using a combination of contact cement, rivets and luck. I replaced the original end pieces first, then tested the new cover for fit. Fortunately, it did. I then glued Velcro strips along each edge of the existing end pieces and matching strips along the bottom of my new cover. Since the edge of the covers were held in place by a groove running along the firewall, I figured Velcro on the side edges would be sufficient to hold the deck in place. After all, I'm not planing on four-wheeling in the Pantera anytime soon!
I then attached the fan assemblies, hooked up their wires (being careful to keep the polarity straight--after all, I didn't want my fans to suck), and put an RV electrical connector to the wires on the right. The connector's mate was mounted under the passenger side engine cover and used 10 gauge, solid core wire running under the car to the front, low-temp radiator fan. When the first fan kicked in, I wanted the engine cover fans to do likewise.
Finally, I put the chrome pipes in place, aligned the l brackets and drilled corresponding holes in the pipes. A couple of bolts each kept them firmly attached.
As an afterthought I paid another visit to my favorite junk yard and picked up a piece of black rubber and metal edging that went around the door opening of a derelict pick-up truck. When I got home I cut off the rubber weatherstripping and ran the remaining edging around the U-shaped air filter opening. It matched the same edging that went around the gas filler cut-out on the driver's side end-piece.
It was a little tight getting the new cover in place once all the accouterments were attached. I had to remove the air cleaner to do it, but once in, the new cover fit fine. Best of all, once the first radiator fan kicks in, those two little engine cover fans extricate a lot of the engine bay's hot air. If the assembly holds together during my drive to Las Vegas this May, I'll call the experiment a success...
bravenet.com