Vent window air inlet DIY
 

I have access to a laser cutter at school so I decided to make my own vent windows. I had to choose between the NACA air inlet, or the project-g snap cap thingy. It took a while to find the same round vent that those have so thought I'd post it up.
<br /><a href="http://www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/ap/airinletkits.html" target="_blank">http://www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/ap/airinletkits.html</a>
<br />I'll also post the NACA duct I use whenever I find one.
<br />Getting these.
<br />https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/pr...p?Product=3627
<br />After I throw together the vent window in CAD I'll post it up too!

These will be sweet, and getting them to be exact side to side will be awesome.

Do NOT under estimate the importance of blocking them off though. They will be too cold at PIR in March/September morning sessions, and the drive there.

I am very interested to see how this turns out....

Awesome! I have a laser cutter at school too and was thinking about doing the exact same thing. If yours turn out well I'd definitely be interested in your cad file so I can cut myself a set.

<p>Thinking about going with the pop out window instead. After figuring out I should be using lexan, and that cutting lexan with a laser cutter yellows the shit out of the cut I think I will be using a hole saw and laser cutting the outer edge. deezums pulled his vent windows and is doing some measurement now.</p>

I think I've got something workable, I'm gonna cut a chunk in cardboard tomorrow to check how close I am. I'm thinking I'll wait for my pop-outs then, so I can use the cardboard templates to find the best placement. It took all my best data logging tools, but this is what I've got.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1434429510

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1434429510

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1434429510

I'm thinking of using the flat pop outs that fit in 3 1/4" round hole, I forget who, but drilling for a long locking cotter pin seems like a perfect DD solution.

Lexan isn't the best for burning, sometimes it makes corrosive or poisonous gas, other times it just always cuts like garbage. I'm trying to figure how I might be able to cut a template then use a router and bearing to cut lexan, because anything, naca or popout, would be easy then.

I've got a DXF if anyone wants, no guarantees on how accurate it is!

I've got Project G Vented Windows and LOVE them. They're a life saver with no AC. Given the time and effort to pull this off I feel like $80 is going to be tough to beat by building them yourself.

Nah, I've got the material already, plus a laser cutter, and the two popouts can be had on ebay for $25 bucks.

Even if I had to pay for lexan, I'd be at $20 bucks total or thereabouts for two, with 5 minutes of laser cutting time.

Sans laser cutter, yeah I'd buy the expensive acrylic ones. Otherwise I'll make my own from safer lexan.

Vent windows are $97.99 after shipping, plus tax if you live in cali. Easy peachy, like 1/3 the cost.

Lol @ 80 being tough to beat. These materials are cheap.

I did some "nesting" and two windows fit inside the 300x500mm cutting area, barely!

So a 12x20 piece of lexan for two windows, home depot conveniently sells 12x24 sheets for $15 bucks which is cool because I have acrylic, not lexan.

I found a neat trick over on the spec miata forums. A pint glass and some sandpaper makes a excellent mandrel to perfectly circularize and enlarge the hole to fit the duct snug.

Now I'm thinking screw the hole saw, I'll just sand through the yellowed cut with beer glass.

I think I've got something that will work, unfortunately I don't have enough laser power to cut lexan. I cut two different hole positions, now I wait for the snapvents.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1434607604

What's the best method for removing the glass?

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1434728532

http://clubroadster.net/vb_forum/86-...e-windows.html
I know CR.net, but deal with it. Sometimes there is useful stuff there. :loser:

Remove side window and front vertical window track. Then the window just slides out with its seal.

That's what I was after.
I guess I should have remembered that after taking apart a few doors over the winter.

This is awesome.

Humming. Does your waterjet place do vent windows?

My waterjet place does whatever I send them. Styrofoam, ceramic tile, balsa, you name it! They only stock Aluminum, 304 stainless, and A36 mild though. I have to provide the material for anything else, which isn't too big a deal, I just drop it off after I place my order, they return me parts+scrap. If they have had a bad experience with something in the pass, they'll warn me in advance it may not work out and offer to do a test cut free of charge. Acrylic would cut fine.

We need lexan, acrylic likes to break into little pieces.

In my experience plastic cuts fine if you remove the top plastic protection sheet, otherwise it lifts it and makes a mess on starts. I used to use hardyboard backer sheets so the jet doesn't damage the backside if a cut happens to cross a table slat.

Lexan then, no problem. Send me the CAD file, I'll get a quote on it!

Badness, I sent you a pm

So I test fit a window even though my snapvents haven't shown up yet. They were supposedly delivered friday, I'm hoping my neighbors got them by mistake or something and I'll be able to get them tomorrow morning.

My profile seems about spot on, the vent placement seems pretty tight too. Close enough to the mirror to maybe get a extra buffer without loosing too much visibility.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1434951059

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1434951059

I'm able to pull and install vent windows by pulling the front window track (two top screws, upper and lower 10mm) rolling the weatherstripping off the door, and pulling the outer lower window trim because it fights you when you try and slide the fat rubber nubs on the way in. If the window is down it won't fight you too much.

So these little guys toss a decent amount of air with no snapvent. I finally managed to find mine this afternoon, they were delivered a good 4 blocks east lol. I'm really liking this placement instead of a higher or forward position. It's really not blocking much, the mirror is kinda in the way as is.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1435018082

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1435018082

I'm not sure how, but I nailed the fitmet size while blowing clean past it. I was using a crummy pair of calipers, but my laser overcut the hole a good 30 thousandths or so. These are a bit hard to turn, they aren't rattling loose any time soon. Any tighter and they would likely crack the acrylic window over time, I'll be cutting my next pair slightly larger.

I'm gonna cut my "final" pair of windows this afternoon, just because I have more acrylic material. Humming is working on getting a quote for lexan windows, which would obviously be much preferred!

If anyone wants a cheap temporary acrylic window hit me up, I've got enough for at least 4 or 5 more sets.

It's looking like the waterjet cut lexan windows would end up costing about the same as the project-g ones, for now I'm only going to mess with acrylic. Later I'll post my file on thingiverse or something, if you were determined you could print my pattern in much the same way as I made the file, then just trace and cut it yourself from home depot lexan. If you wanted naca ducts you could easily modify the template to your liking, too.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1435121154

I've got a couple more pairs of acrylic windows for $25 shipped/pair if anyone else would like some. As you can see there's some scrap material left, anyone have any cool ideas? Keychains/timing tools, whatever...

Which window vents did you end up going with? The window fit perfect by the way. I also had a friend inquire about some. I believe he sent you a PM if you are still making them.

There's an eBay link farther up a bit for the snap vents. Also your friend pmed me and I totally forgot to tell him to pm deezums. I'll reply today.

I'm an idiot and didn't realize there were two people in this thread making these. I think I just sent you some seller feedback by mistake. I found the link now. Didn't notice it was hot linked my first read through.

Yeah, I don't actually have access to a laser cutter anymore lol.

<p>Can you elaborate on how you pull it deezums. I have my inner door panel off right now and there are about 4 million screws.</p>

There's two screws that hold the front track, at the top of the door and at the bottom, then there's two screws at the top of the vent window under the weatherstripping. I pull all those then just slide the whole front track up and out, leave the window down in the door.

So who am I buying these from now?

You could buy them from me if you want, but I don't have the actual snapvents so you need to order those on ebay.

Be warned these are acrylic. So flimsy as fuck and shatter when they break. But cheap.

Yeah, there is that still. The windows will bounce a bit as you snap the vent in and out, I don't think it's enough to ever pull the window from the rubber gasket though.

I test broke a few pieces and I wouldn't want any broken acrylic shards in my face, they can be rather sharp just not a lot of mass.

Or $55.

MiataRoadster vented wing windows - MiataRoadster - High-performance customer service...and parts for Roadsters

This is why i was confused about someone trying to reproduce things. Bill's prices are silly on some things. This is not one of them. :giggle:

Still $5 cheaper, bills site there dont quote shipping on windows so it could be even more than 5 bucks.

I think they turned out great! Vents should be here tomorrow.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1435774053

Lol. Had no idea bill had them for 55 for both. Thought it was 55 each.

OK good, his are acrylic too. If they were lexan I would be jealous.

For sure, i'm not saying what you guys are doing ISN'T cheaper and if you like tinkering, it's fun.

My shipping for AWR motor mounts, vent windows, and delrin diff mounts was $35. $20 of that was drop ship from AWR (had i known this, i would have ordered them somewhere else). So... $15 for windows and diff mounts.

I really don't like how high the miataroadster vents are, and I don't really care about my sticker placement that much...
I will buy them from you Deezums.
PM inbound.

Waitwaitwaitwait... MKTurbo has awesome decals but MT does not? I mean, the turbokitty is "okay" but I really like the older banner ones :cry:

I have a set of these I bought from a classifieds add a while back, I really need to get around to installing them. I'm glad to see you guys pushed ahead with the DIY, I think they look great.

Also, $30 for a single, $56 for a pair in Lexan from Advance Autosports (I believe these are the ones I bought used)

.... Goddamn you, G. I like that design better, plus... Lexan.

<p>Damn it.</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>For some reason I thought those were the same price as the NACA ones.</p>

That said, i'm still mad at them. Their NB airbag delete cover is one of the jankiest things i've ever paid money for.

Haha

Unless I find someone else to waterjet cut lexan I think those would be the way to go. I don't like that forward placement of the vent though...

And if you are watching humming, this is why you can't expect such a large cut for doing nothing.

I got my MKturbo and miataturbo.net banner stickers free with purchase of diff, I don't even have MKturbo setup, well I do, but not :)

I too much prefer the banner sticker to the turbokitty, so I traced them as well. I can engrave miataturbo.net in your windows if you like, or other erotic things....

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1435781824

Who has vinyl plotter, lol

I have a vinyl plotter.
I can make stickers, but I'll need permission from those in charge before I start cutting.

<p></p><p>False, you need permission from those in charge before you start distributing ;)</p>

I got a patent on the process of cutting a vinyl sticker in the shape of the miatatubo.net logo, so I am in charge and want royalties.

I was talking about my wife... the one who is in charge.
She never lets me play with the sharp objects.

<p></p><p><img alt="" src="https://www.miataturbo.net/images/smilies/bowrofl.gif" style="height:22px; width:27px" title="" /><img alt="rofl" src="https://www.miataturbo.net/images/smilies/rofl1.gif" style="height:15px; width:15px" title="rofl" /><img alt="" src="https://www.miataturbo.net/images/smilies/bowrofl.gif" style="height:22px; width:27px" title="" /><img alt="rofl" src="https://www.miataturbo.net/images/smilies/rofl1.gif" style="height:15px; width:15px" title="rofl" /></p><p>I wish we still had props, that shit was good.</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

Aw, sorry guys. I was just trying to help!

I gave you a price, you didn't like it, no need to get personal. Order from someone else if my prices are so out of whack with everything else out there, which is what you said you were going to do.

ban me for my non-approved vendor status now, I guess?

Figured I'd share this here, cheaper than the ebay seller. $16/pair plus $5ish shipping.

SNAPVENT® - MODEL F325A from Aircraft Spruce

other style vents here:
Inlets from Aircraft Spruce

Just got a spare minute to install mine. Thanks Deezums.

Not a problem! Let me know if they crack on you

Wow! A rare shot of the monkmobile.

That's right, I do actually own a miata.

The vents went in pretty easy, and they don't feel overly tight in the hole, so I'm not too worried about cracking at the cup.
They do flex a good amount though, but that can't really be helped.