I've been wondering which is more preferred Hood Scoop or Cowl Induction... This is a two part question; First, which do you think looks better, and Second which has more functionality? I'm about to fabricate a induction type for my hood. Although I'm on the fence between making a scoop or a cowl... I have only one hood and only so much supplies... As far as a cowl, I have some front fenders for a 1987 Toyota Celica that I was thinking about butchering and using the top bit of the fenders from their pin stripping up as the sides of the of the cowl.
Probably the only way to get a cowl hood is to buy one,and i think they look better.You can get a fiberglass one ( 5in),bolt on style,for around $500 and they are well worth it especially for racing.
to me it's a...preferred look...my engine sit high enough to need one or the other. I put a hood scoop on first and then went with a low profile..Grabber/cowl hood...would run my...stock Grabber hood...if it would fit...
I vote cowl hood, I like the look.. I have a grabber hood now but as soon as there ready I will buy a maverickman 3" carbon cowl hood...
(IMHO ) As far as functionality goes, I think that’s going to get vague real quick. It all depends on the opening and aerodynamics of the hood scoop. The inlet or snorkel shape and size will affect air density, how much air is available to be forced in. Air itself becomes four times as dense at double the speed. The cowl itself creates a pressure zone, this zone will change depending on the size, shape and closeness of the cowl to windshield affecting it's air density. Looking at the picture below, the ducts have “feed ramps” into the tubes. Some aerodynamic genius (literally) way back when figured out that if he created a low pressure zone right before the inlet, more air could and would be drawn in by speeding up the air on the way in. He actually made air "slippery". Think back in your mind’s eye catalogue of vintage cars, you should be able to pluck out several examples the shape being used prior to the hood scoop. As far as our purposes, for 98% of us, I believe it comes down to individual aesthetic preference. http://image.stockcarracing.com/f/17239458/scrp_0301_01_z+stock_car_air_vents+.jpg
Either choice scoop or cowl I'll be fabricating it myself, if I go with a scoop it would most likely be the Boss 429 style that I currently have on it.
It is generally accepted that cowl hoods work better than hood scoops ... the aero is usually better and base of the windshield is a high pressure zone, so you are tapping into that for some easy ram air. All NASCAR stock cars breathe through the cowl. That ought to say a lot. For appearance ... I think you have to be the final judge there. Your concept of what you want your car to look like. Personally, I am going for a quasi-factory look and for me that means Comet GT scoop. I need a scoop (motor is too tall). I have cool concept for a cowl hood ... just not convinced that it will fit with the overall look of the car, though.
I think cowl hoods are like Camaros, they are everywhere! I like the stock cowls that were on the Chevelles and 69 Camaros but I just don't care for them on cars they didn't come on. The ones on cars that have to have them for clearance get a pass because the coolness they are covering out weighs the cliche hood.
I dont have a clue which one works better than the other as far as performance goes but I dont like cowl hoods on our cars. I mean some comets/mavs look good with them but theyre just not for me. I like the oldshcool style hood scoop makes for more of an agressive look in my opinion. on my car I intend to see the motor sticking through the hood not more hood
Hood scoops/cowl induction/ramair/NACA ducts........................if you are racer looking for the last couple of HP then go for it.................as far as NASCAR goes, they have no other way to get air into the carb/now injection because it has to look like a factory hood, no scoops or cowl induction...............etc. I had a factory cowl induction air cleaner setup on my 68Z28...........but a real scoop would have produced more HP. To make a cowl hood setup work, the edge of the cowl needs to be really close to the windshield, and I love the look of cowl hoods (on our Mavericks I think a 2" or maximum of 3" cowl is the limit, most aftermarket fiberglass cowl hoods for our cars are over 4.5"....and I think they look awful)..............but then you need an open element to make it work or a tunnel ducted directly to the carb to take advantage of the high pressure air at the base of the windshield. Hood scoops ([Aero type] when engineered correctly) will make more HP. Not too many ProStock cars have anything else...........or for that mater any other drag cars...............except turbo cars. I also like the Boss 429 scoop although in wind tunnel tests it's just not that effective for producing HP...................but looks killer. Go with the cowl hood and it should be pretty easy to fab an aircleaner to take advantage of the free air.
As I mentioned earlier I have a couple extra Toyota celica fenders that I thought about using... here is a picture to let you know what I'm contemplating You can see how the top of the fender goes up, in, up, and in again. I was thinking that wouldn't look to bad as the side/riser pieces of a cowl... I still really like the looks of the 429 scoop but I was getting tired of having to plug the hole with a piece of foam every time it rained...
As you can imagine, it rains a lot here in FL.... blindingly hard at a moment's notice. On my first Comet, I had a Cobra Jet scoop, and had the air cleaner somewhat sealed to the hood with foam rubber, but that set-up left me stranded three times one summer with wet ignition. I changed to a short snorkel hood scoop (hey ... it was the early 80s ... OK?) .... problem solved. Use a snorkel when you are under water ... lol. I have an 80s Mustang GT scoop on my green Comet currently, and will be switching to a Comet GT scoop soon. Remembering my earlier experience, I built a lip around the opening that the air cleaner pokes through. I made it out of U-shaped aluminum channel ... not pretty, but effective. I caulked around it with silicone, too. I think it is only 3/4" high. Water sheeting across the hood, into the scoop, gets turned away, instead of dumping on the top of the motor. The air can still flow over the lip and get to the air cleaner. This car has been driven is some nasty rain and never got the ignition wet.
I would shoot for the look you prefer. IF the engine can get some air that is cooler than the underhood temps im a happy guy. I don't worry about any ram type effect for a street car. Its not a factor.
