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Old 11-17-2008, 06:23 PM   #17 (permalink)
some_other_dave
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Quote:
Originally Posted by donee View Post
Remember the Porshe 914 is built kidna like the original VW Bettle chasis. So, its already flat along the underside, mostly.
"Mostly" is right. The underside is stamped with stiffening ribs, mostly across as I recall. The area under the front has extra projections, including a tow hook, or a huge hole cut for getting air to and from an air conditioning condensor.

Just aft of the cockpit, things get really dirty. There are, on most 914s, a couple of plastic flaps on the bottom that actually aid cooling. The engine bay is open to the bottom, and the transmission sits aft of that with nothing but the rear suspension and the drive axles next to it. The exhaust has one pipe on each side that stretches straight back to a muffler that goes across the whole width of the car at the back, and then there is the vertical panel.

Finally, the air that cools the engine is sucked in through the engine lid grille (just aft of the rear window), pushed through the engine's cooling system, and dumped out underneath the engine. The two flaps I mentioned help create a little bit of negative pressure under the engine, to help draw air more effectively through.


(PS--Hi, Chris! Good to see you checking this thread!)

-soD
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