DIY Radiator Panel / Cowl Cover
 

Well it's the weekend, so naturally it's shitty out.

Not in the mood to drive around in the snow and mess with the MS, I decided to design my own cowl cover / radiator panel / whatever it's called...

All I can say is there's a reason why I'm not an engineer, but I don't think I did horrible for not knowing what I'm doing.

This is just a cardboard 'rough draft' so far. Before i actually cut some metal to make the final product, I wanted to hear from you guys and get some thoughts / suggestions....

looks good. now make one:)

looks good. what material are you gonna use?

I got a sheet of stainless steel from a friend that I plan on using. I'm not sure of the width, it's really thin though.

That was actually going to be my next question.. What should In use to cut the center parts of the metal? I figure tin snips will suffice for cutting the outer lines, but not sure what to use for the holes. Whaddya think?

If you only have access to household tools I'm gonna say use a Dremel.

Also, make the holes slightly bigger than you show here for the piping because the piping will vibrate and eventually the SS sheet will cut into it. Maybe put a coupler on the pipe there for cushion too.

Looks familiar, lmao, I used .o40" CRS for mine...sheet metal is tough to work with by hand (I used a turret press and a press brake at work to make mine) take your time and I'm sure it'll come out good....post some pics when its all done

PS- I've used a jig saw with a smooth cut blade before with good luck....

I would suggest using ABS (much easier to fabricate) but if you already have the material...

I used a jigsaw to make my wastegate bracket, turned out nice. They're cheap at Harbor Freight. For the inner bits, drill a hole and go to town!

Looks good.

Make it a lil taller and put a nice curve on the top edge then radius all the corners. Then it'l look great.

Spray the cardboard black and call it a day



































:giggle:

cardboard could be the definitive material in terms of lightness :bowrofl:

Jokes apart, I think it's going to look good.

3 weeks later....

I've got something close to a finished product.
This sucked alot more that I thought it would!

Ended up buying tin snips, a rotary tool, attachment set and extra diamond bits from harbor freight. I could have bought one of these covers for close to the amount spent in materials, but it was an experience.

The material isn't actually stainless steel, but it was still free :)

Used vacuum hose for cushioning and noise reduction.
Haven't ran the car with it in, but seems stable.

I'll probably end up painting it flat black to hide the imperfections a bit better.

It's nowhere close to Cspence's or any vendors' but It'll do...

Good job, I love the intercooler piping, details please?

Not bad for doing it by hand and once you get it painted it'll look mint....god bless your efforts, I'd prolly had given up myself if I did'nt have the facilities to do it...sheet metal work is a bitch!

Thanks guys.

As far as IC pipes. Those were a bitch too.
Had to cut the rad support & hood to make them fit.
Got the pipes off ebay and cut them to the sizes I needed (using a hacksaw hehe)

My intro thread has the basic gist of what I did if you want some more pics...

https://www.miataturbo.net/forum/t27110/

I like it a lot.
Pics of relief cuts in hood please.

I went the easy way with my panel, I used some reflectix bubble foil. Took about 5 minutes.

Some more awesome metalworking skills comming right up... Hehe