Rover is an early '90 build (vin number <6000, came with a smooth-fin 1.6L diff) and doesn't have the hole either. I'll measure and cut it in the shell myself.

 

The big thing is cutting holes or modifying the hood is not allowed per SCCA CSP rules I believe.

 

I'm thinking of going really nutty and trying to fabricate something real close out of aluminum. My Idea is to make a wood form block very similar shape and pound two halves of aluminum intercooler piping to shape lots of welding grinding and shaping and try to come up with something that doesn't look too much like hammered dog dodo. I do have some past experience making formed aluminum body panels with intricate details involving welding aluminum with an Oxy-acetylene torch that came out nice so I do have an Idea of my capabilities. This would not be a process adaptable to production however going to take some hours of labor.

Hydorformed aluminum is another production Idea however.

Bob

 

With the update/backdate rules in CSP, shouldn't you be able to "update" the radiator core support to a '91 and give yourself that hole?

 

Yeah, I suppose you couldn't claim that as an update/backdate. Maybe as a package conversion. If it was done well, it wouldn't be protestable since it would be very hard to tell.

 

Possibly I don't know. Honestly I think only a jackass would protest that and probably a lot of the faster nationally competitive guys would let them know they were a Jackass I would hope. In theory allot of the Canadian stuff is not even legal. There are some differences in the early Canadian 1.6 cars and USDM. I think some of the rules were written for Honda civics where Canadian cars specs could save like 40 lbs.

 

I didnt think any 90's chassis had that hole. Thats what Joe said about their (JoeFis) intake, in 91 they introduced abs and thus needed the hole for the abs washer bottle. The little piece of plastic with the perforated hole in it already existed on the 90 for the passengers side hole though for some reason (turbo piping plans?).

 

Mine was a 90 it has the hole and I have two other 90 shells and they both have the hole.

 

Aluminum version coming along.

 

Personally i like that better.

 

How did you make the wood pattern? Mill?

 

I see chisel marks. Looks hand done.

 

I wasn't sure if those were the result of beating aluminum against it.

 

I did look at your cad model graciously provided. I stripped the Inside surface off it and printed it out in projection views. then glued it to a block of wood. cut it out with a sawsall and sanded the final shape with a belt sander probly not perfect but relatively close and mimicked some of the features that sort of run 45 degrees to the projection plane where it fits over the rad. Welding, pounding, die grinding piecing I got aluminum cut from 2.5" aluminum intercooler tubing shaped around it. ended up smaller pieces to get it shaped close to the pattern. Yes it is beat up by pounding aluminum against it.

labor content is massive. the two haves are welded together nicely now fits very well with very little room to spare. got to weld on the inlet and outlet sections of straight round yet. I plan on splitting the aluminum tube and expanding it out so the round parts will be 2.5" ID rather than 2.5" OD. the 2.5" silicon elbows still stretch over the slightly larger than stock tube but the ID will of the whole system be constant.

 

I think you are going to have a really hard time fitting 2.5 elbows over your part. Assuming the wall thickness hasn't changed much and is still close to 2mm you are going to have a 67.5mm OD part. For my carbon stuff I have been using 1mm wall thickness, so 65.5mm OD and fitting 2.5" elbows over requires WD40 and a good effort.

 

I tested it, seamed doable. It's .065 wall aluminum. The od ends up no larger than the rolled bead of a normal. intercooler pipe and I currently have one forced onto a skunk2 wich is 69mm I belive.

 

Not too difficult to get the hose over tube expanded to be 2.5" ID .065" wall aluminum at all. Hose clamps will not be required. Less weight. the body of the thing is thicker aluminum but I have .065 straight for the straight sections. The Mandel bent tube aluminum I started with is I think O condition so its soft and easy to form. the straight section of .065 is T6, much harder to bend at least til I weld it and screw up the heat treat.

 

Psh thats nothing. On my jeep i fit 3.75 hose on a 4" ID pipe without any lube.

 

Now wrap it in carbon fiber vinyl so it looks baller.

 

Ive been filing down all the welds. most of them looked like dog doo stats stops tacks anyway but I put a decent looking continuous welds down holding the two halves together. I'm debating weather I want to file and sand the whole thing with finer grit and make it all look smooth or leave the final welds down the sides. Or if I cover the whole thing in heat reflective stuff it just won't matter.