Gang,

I am working on developing a clear hood louver replacement. The idea came to me when I was looking for a replacement piece as I don't have the original and the cheapest I could find was the aluminum Ralliart piece for $179. Also, I've seen that a lot of people like removing the piece as you can see the motor, however are concerned about heavy rain and/or snow. I made the first prototype out of plexi-glass which was too thin and warped a bit from the heat of the exhaust manifold and motor overall. It did work well though. It looked good and didn't dis-color after 2 weeks of having it on.

I am working on developing a thicker acrylic piece and a lexan piece. I really don't know much about plastics, so if anyone wants to chip in, let me know. I need something a bit more heat resistant but be very clear.

The original piece was a bit rough around the edges, however, fit nicely and had 2 sets of slots in (left and right).

I will get some pics once I have the next proto-type finished and post results once I've tested it for a while.

Who would be interested in such a piece? I am guessing I could sell this piece for around $100 or less.

Also, anyone who knows anything about acrylic and lexan, let me know!

This would be interesting to see...

I dont know alot about plastics but it sounds like you may run into heat problems. Good luck though.

I was a bit surprised by the very little warpage I got on the original piece I made of plexiglass. It only warped a bit on the very left side (left looking from the front of the car).

I think with a bit thicker piece or just a lexan piece I could eliminate this.

I guess I will find out shortly.

Don't forget about discoloration.

I would buy one for $100 as soon as the warping and discoloration issues would be solved. I am looking forward to this!

I took mine out becasue it would cool the engine faster. Well at least i think it does.

As mentioned previously, I experienced no dis-coloring after 2+ weeks with the original piece. Also, it will be easy enough to remove to clean it on both sides every once in a while.