Air Splitter

[dkjos]

Bob,

Can you tell me how the air splitter is constructed for the 427 street car. I'm considering modification to a 427S/C to give it the "street" look.

Thanks,

Dick

[CobraEd]

You'll have to grind off the scoop and fill it in flat. The 427 street car had no hoodscoop.

Ed

[dkjos]

Ed,

I've been talking seriously to Midstates and they do have a mold to do the hood without a scoop. We also may have the routing for an undercar exhaust worked out, as well as some other mods to let my 35" inseam stretch out comfortably in the 90" wheelbase car.

Please give my regards to Blackjack when you talk to him next.

Dick

[CobraEd]

OK, I'll tell him. Good luck with your efforts.

Ed

[Rich]

Dick, why not add the splitter, leave the hood scoop, roll bar, and side pipes and go for the "street converted to S/C" look?

On that subject...does anybody know why Unique put a splitter on their early 427 S/C?

Rich

[dkjos]

Rich,

I noticed on another thread that you work at Boeing. I was at the Trans-Sonic wind tunnel at Boeing Field this past February to inspect and do some training on a new cooling system for the fan nacelle. What a company! They spent a pile of dough to blow cold air on the two guys who go into the nacelle to inspect fan bearings and blades between runs. I will admit it probably does get warm in there what with a 50,000+ HP electric motor running the fan!

It would be too easy to just install an air splitter. I have this compulsion to do things the hard way.

Nice looking Cobra! Can you tell me about the color?

Dick

[Rich]

Dick, I don't know what the color is called or where it's from. A couple of people have told me their Explorers are the same color, but on closer inspection...not even. It's sort of a silver metalic midnight blue.

At work I have a great set of photos of what happens when you don't regularly inspect the fan blades. It's a Chinese 747 that ingested a bird into the nacelle. The nacelle and the blades were badly damaged, but in order to keep flying they secured the fan with wire & duct tape and flew the plane on 3 engines.

Rich

[Bob Putnam]

The splitter is very simple. We roll a gentle curve into a piece wide enough to fill the nose gap, getting wider to match the width inside the nose. Then we do a final ~75deg bend at the front onto which we put the "chrome" strip. The piece is held on by couple of tabs on both sides that are bent down.



And ends up looking like this:

[dkjos]

Bob,

Thank you! As always, you are a true fountain of knowledge and a gentleman.

I seem to remember you mentioning a kayak meet in Minnesota you were attending this summer, but didn't hear how it turned out. I hope we treated you well.

Dick Kjos

[Bob Putnam]

For an old guy, I managed to kick some whitewater butt this year. National champ, Masters (over 40 - I'm 55) 91, 92 and 01. Surprised the heck out of me!