Guys, and fellow Healey nuts, here's one more project paper....this time on my Works style wing (fender) vents.

stevesaustinhealey project paper on side vents

I'm not quite done building the stainless steel mesh backing but it's far enough along that you'll get the idea.

Cheers,
Steve
1963 BJ7 Works Rally replica w/mods

Great looking vents, your right, the mesh really makes it look more finished& you don't see the inner structure. If my wings weren't already on the car I'd be tempted. cheers Genos2

Hello HealeyPassion, very nice job on the vents. A little bit of thought goes a long way.

Yes it's attention to detail that the Competitions dept didn't really have time for. Especially as they knew it would most likely get trashed the following week.

I'll bet that wheel well support bracket would look good with some lightening holes punched into it.

I didn't have time to look at the rest of your website but will later.

Best Regards,

bundyrum.

Hello Steve,

I looked over your website and all I can say is wow!!! I can't wait to see your car when it's finished! I'm planning on adding air conditioning and couldn't help but read through your entire (VERY detailed) write-up. I was thinking about an under dash evaporator, but now I just might go with one like yours.

Thanks for the great information.

Frank Powell

Thanks Frank! I'll be fitting body panels shortly, probably next week. I trial fit the front shroud and front fenders (okay, wings) today and everything is looking pretty good. So now I'll pull them all back off and do a bit of finalizing of some stuff that's going to be covered. The devil is in the details.

Cheers,
Steve

I too am planning custom fender vents. Note that the front edge and top edge follow the lines of the fender cove. The "gills" will also be curved to follow the front edge of the vent.

At this point, I only have them IN "White Paper",



although I have built the wooden form to make them.



I should have them in metal in a couple of weeks. Things sometimes go slow when you are retired and have an RV.

Tim

Tim...and anyone else doing side vents,

I see you are doing the design work with your fender off the car....while I think that's fine....when you get to the stage of tack welding the vents in place I would encourage you to remount the fender. Now it may not be alot, but the fenders I've mounted have had to be pushed pretty hard to get the top and bottom bolted in (this increased the curvature)....they were definitely stressed. The point being that if you weld them on unstressed (on a table or saw horses) it may be really difficult to mount them back up later. Also, your side vents look quite a bit larger than mine so that could make it even worse. You probably know all this but not everyone does. I think I'll edit my website project paper to include this heads up.

Cheers,
Steve

Steve, Thanks for the heads-up. I'll keep that in mind.

Using the wooden form, I'll wrap a strip of steel around the center slug, then drive it down inside the cutout with about 1/4" sticking up. Using a ball pein hammer, I'll roll the 1/4" (or so) down flat all the way around.

Then cut the angled slots and install the pre-made gills.

Part of the plan is to contour top of the wooden form to match the inside of the fender. That should minimize the "flat-to-contour" stress that you are warning about.

Then, flip the rig over and build the other side.

I'll let you know how it goes.

BTW, the top edge of my vent is 13", the front edge is 9". I've got all that "Monster Heat" to let out . What do yours measure ?

I'm torn between tacking the vent to the inside of the fender and "somehow" rolling/finishing the edge of the cut hole OR putting a step-flange around the cut hole and installing the fent from the outside. YOUR thoughts ?

Anybody else want to chime in on this wing vent topic ? I'm sure that we don't have ALL the answers.

Tim

Tim, the measurements for mine, taken from the farthest left to right is 14 3/4" and top to bottom is 8". Picture taken yesterday after initial fit up of fender....plenty of block sanding to do before final paint.

I really don't have an opinion on the final welding approach as I think either could work fine...mine has the step flange on the back and welded on front edge.

Steve

Steve,

I really like the way you beveled the upper corner of the footbox to allow for more airflow out of the vent. The only problem with me doing that is that I have just installed the one of the coilpacks for my distributorless ignition system on the front face of the footbox.

I just went and looked and I can move the coilpack inboard, to be under the round hole in the brace. Looks like I need to get to work changine my coilpack mounting brackets.

Good Job !

Tim

That's gonna be a tight fit. You'll probably need to trim either the slug or the cut-out.


I'd suggest getting a rawhide hammer. It won't mar or stretch the metal as much.



Good idea if you don't have access to a shrinker/stretcher


I'd go with option #2. With the seam on the flat part of the panel, any kind of filler you might use will be more durable than if it was applied to an edge (gasp, BONDO!) The step-flanging will tend to warp the panel. Make sure your vent is the correct contour and strong enough to tame the fender. Might need a little shrinking there to, maybe not.

Hi Greg,

>>>You'll probably need to trim either the slug or the cut-out.

Actually, the saw kerf was the same widdth as the thickness of the steel strip, but I have also sanded the ID of the die and the OD of the slug to make for a smooth fit.


>>>It won't mar or stretch the metal as much.

I don't think that marring will be much of a problem and the part of the metal strip protruding MUST stretch, especially around the corners. That is what will hold the shape of the triangle.

>>>Good idea if you don't have access to a shrinker/stretcher.

I have a stretcher/shrinker, but the flange is not the area to match. Especially on the vertical front edge of the triangle, the center of the front edge needs to be "taller" than the upper & lower corners to follow the vertical contour of the fender surface.

If the vertical contour of the fender is not followed, the flat flanged triangle will try to force the contoured fender to be flat. THAT is what Steve was warning about...

The way around that is to contour the top of the "die" to match the fender contours fefore the flange is rolled over.

>>>With the seam on the flat part of the panel, any kind of filler you might use will be more durable than if it was applied to an edge (gasp, BONDO!)

You are probably right that it will be easier to cut and step-flange the hole and fit the vent from the outside, then fill the step-flange with filler.

I try not to use Bondo on steel. In my early days at "Car-ing", I became pretty good at using lead to do bodywork. Nowadays, I use 60/40 bar solder, a good paste flux, and a torch. I don't get too much practice any more, but I think that I still have the "touch". It's like riding a bicycle....

That said... This whole project has been a "challenge".

Tim

Hi Tim,

You're a better carpenter than I. I always have problems cutting the sharp corners, so I'd probably have wound up making the form in two pieces.



Yes, the folding of the metal will stretch it, what I was referring to was the actual hammer strikes. A rawhide hammer head flexes to spread the load of the hit. Maybe less dents would be a more accurate description. The flange sounds like it will be the finished edge, so the smoother the better.


I was following the logic there, where I was thinking of shrinking was the front middle of the inside of the vent. Here is a diagram of what I'm talking about below. I'm not saying my suggestion is better, just my thoughts.
It sounds like you have both thought it through and know what you're doing.

Mornin' Greg,

>>>You're a better carpenter than I

NOPE ! But I have a good friend who is quite a woodworker. He does wood for me... I do metal and electrical for him.

>>>The flange sounds like it will be the finished edge, so the smoother the better.

Good point. Taken !

>>>I was thinking of shrinking the front middle of the inside of the vent

Another good point. I like YOUR idea better than MINE ! Looks much easier too.

>>>It sounds like you...know what you're doing.

Not acutally, but I fumble through things and sometimes get lucky. (Sometimes NOT !)

I'm gonna' be in Laguna Hills for the next couple of weeks (7/17-8/1). My map says that it is only 61.4 miles from Mom's to Ocean & Colorado. Any chance of meeting up ? I'd LOVE to see your car.

Tim