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Originally Posted by lacole725
My main concern is the heat from the exhaust. I won't be able to start this until at least next week or the week after. I am testing the result of my rear seat delete and I just don't have the money to buy material right now. I need to find a way to actually get under my car to take some measurements, it sits low to the ground and I am pretty big. So far I have only checked out HDPE, I will check out the others later. I was thinking I could do something in the shape of a skid plate up front to direct air flow, then that would transition to the bigger belly pan, then maybe a skid plate shape in the rear. I just have to check out underneath my vehicle to see what I can do and cannot do. I'm just glad I have a FWD and don't have to worry about a driveshaft or a rear.
On another note, has anyone looked into underhood air flow? Like the small amount of air that would enter through the grille and the gap between the hood and the grille? I was wondering how turbulent the air would be and its effect on the aerodynamics of the car. I have a mostly uncovered engine bay, no shrouds or anything. A Focus oriented company makes a spark plug cover that would smooth out some of the rough spots. It may not make a difference at all. Just a thought.
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When I did an Echo rear underbelly, I was also concerned about heat from the muffler. I used a combination of Coroplast and aluminum flashing. I ran a lightweight and small aluminum angle alongside of the muffler and used that to hold the joint between the coroplast and aluminum flashing stable, pop rivets holding it all together. I'll try to find the link. You might be able to borrow some ramps from a friend or neighbor. Even the plastic ones are getting expensive, IMHO.
I would stay away from underhood tinkering and concentrate on the "low hanging fruit." The German Aerodynamist Hucho studied engine compartment airflow and the gains to be had from "practical" changes are very small. A Grill block is the biggest improvement, but you will need to design something that is easily removable for LA driving. You can probably use a partial block for the cooler months but will likely need to remove it in a hurry for the summer months.