UPDATE: “Ram Air Mirror” (aka “R.A.M.”)
Hello all, thanks for following along. Been pretty excited about this update. The other day I removed my side mirrors and other trim. I had planned to complete this mod
HERE
After removing everything, I had to get to work the next morning. So, I rode in to Charlotte with the car as-is. During my commute that day, I notice a great deal of air coming through the holes where the mirror was once mounted. However, it was scattered air that wasn’t channelled. It didn’t cool me in any way, and came with plenty of wind noise. One of those holes was larger, about the size of a quarter, and was once the place where the manual mirror adjustment shaft went through the door frame to the mirror (or where electrical connections for cars with powered mirrors would pass through). I got to thinking about what it would look like to channel that cooler passing air into the car, with the hopes of creating an outcome of “free” A/C, similar to the channel vents incorporated into Nascar windows . So, I set out to build upon my ideas, and I think the result came out great. I’ll call this a “Ram Air Mirror” or “R.A.M”.
Supplies list:
Grinder with grinding wheel
Hand saw (fine toothed)
Drill
Dremel tool w/ various attachments
Fiberglass Resin
Bondo
Sanding paper (120, 220, and 400)
Adhesion Promoter and your choice of paint for the mirror bases.
(4) 45-degree 3/4” PVC connecting joints
(2) 3/4” straight compression fittings
An old vacuum attachment
Electrical Tape
Pics always tell the story:
Fiberglass resin drying
Drilling and Dremeling the hole out larger on the mirror base to match the hole in the body.
Test Fit
Glued and wrapped everything in place.
Some paint
Finished/Installed:
Results/Driving Impressions:
The Ram Air Mirror supplements all of the air that used to come out of the left vent on the dash, and is actually much stronger that what I was previously getting there from the electric fan when it would run at full speed. In the cooler mornings, no electric (dash) fan is needed at all. I ride windows up, and there is enough air coming through the Ram Air Mirror to cool me and the inside of the vehicle...i’m actually quite cold 15 minutes into the trip. In the (warmer) afternoon commute home, I still ride with both windows up completely. However, since I have the R.A.M supplementing the air that would have come from the LH dash pod, I have closed the LH vent’s shutters, which now force-channels more air to the center dash vents, which in turn: allows me to use a dash fan speed of setting # 2 versus setting # 4, essentially using less energy. I’m very happy with the performance of the R.A.M. So far, I do endorse the mod to others here on the site.
Up next, I will be making a mount for an electric oscillating fan for the right side of the car. Between the R.A.M. on my left side, and the oscillating aftermarket fan on my right side, I hope to be able to void using the dash fan completely for any cooling duties (except on scorcher days). My hope is that the oscillating fan (when used) will draw less power than the dash fan would have used at full blast. Could be wrong on that though...
More to come on this project soon.
As always, thanks for
eco-tuning in!