SilverHorse-----Racing

Pictures? What, no trust in my taste?

Ok, here's a CAD image for you, it is intentionally plain, at a hard to see / measure angle, and in jpg without dimensions, but I think you will get an idea of the direction we are headed. I'm sure you understand why I have to post it that way...

Tell me what you think - I do appreciate all feedback as always.

Oh - and this is a "flat piece" the production piece will include factory arcs to blend correctly - that's the current part of the project we are toying with.

On Edit - US Patent Pending

Louie

Now I'm definitely putting this on my list!

SilverHorse-----Racing

I guess that's a "yes" vote then ?

Glad you like it.

StangNut

WOW!
I never would have considered putting any vents in my car, (love the 66 Shelby look of the windows) but now...

It looks amazing, Marcello.

(these are going to be flush with the body aren't they? i.e. requiring removal of the window)

rony1976

WOW! YES! Anxiety levels going down a bit.... I really like it! You are superb as far as keeping us updated. Thanks!

05fordgt

Marcello, you are the man!! Now, I definitely can't wait for these now. You can put me down for a set today. That is exactly what I was hoping for. Can't wait for more updates.

Mellow-Daze

Yep, it's understandable.
Newer modern car with air flow vents would be pretty useless..
Not to mention I live in the South so it'd be pretty hot air flowing :|
I don't know though, in the Chevelle when the windows are down it's a pretty nice breeze. We're talking about gigantic windows though.

I've always been a fan of classic cars. I guess that's why the new Mustang caught my attention. Needless to say, the new Dodge Charger looks terrible (my opinion of course). I've also seen the concept for the Camaro... It looks too futuristic for my taste.

Back the the scoops/louvers... That picture of the black more aggressive look, is that an actual picture of what they might look like or a shot of a classic car? I think that's what most people were going for, I don't know why Ford didn't just add that in as an option. Anyways, let me stop rambling!

WarningSLO

Question: I think the design looks good but is it going to be totally flush around the edges or will there be a "lip"?

I ask because the thing I don't like about the silver car from a page or two back is the rounded edge or gap where the new piece meets the panel. Did that make any sense? A "lip" could be more squared off and get rid of the gap.

jayguy

Hmm, interesting idea. The rounded corners are because that's the shape of the stock glass, I'm assuming. But he lip could sharpen them up very nicely.

I'm likeing these more and more, even though my original attraction to the car was partly because these quarter windows were clear, just like the '66 GT 350's. And the timing is right, I get my new one in September, at the end of summer.

Hmmmmmmm.......

rony1976

Marcello, if that's something that can be done, I'm with Chris (WarningSLO), I rather have the edges of the louver outside the oval window opening to be able to make the edges more square/rectangular, to help with the agressiveness of the design. I hope that's what you guys are working on.

StangNut

Yes, the black car is a picture of an actual 65/66 Mustang Fastback.

Jayguy, glad someone else agrees with me. Not only are those windows one of the main reasons I bought my car, but they're the only reason I didn't buy a convertible.

SilverHorse-----Racing

Well, I understand the lip comment, and that WOULD make it look just like the gold photoshop car. Although on close examination, that's a lot of chopping, because the door line is wrong, window glass is too big, quarter glass opening isn't in the right spot or the right size, etc... but I digress.

I just deleted a REALLY long reply (replacing it with another), and here's why:

I like the square look as well, but photoshop and reality are two different beasts. It is not realistic given the sheetmetal and the opening you have to work with. To make the part square, you must have it protrude off the body at least another .150 or so. This makes for a bad part. If you keep the thickness down to the same as the rest of the part, you are inviting it to be caught by even a sponge while washing and having it break off a corner, which is not going to be any fun for the owner - that is my BIGGEST concern.

Compromises... that's what this comes down to. If Ford had given us a squared-up opening, or one with less sheetmetal lip, the design might be a bit different.

Oh, and like I said, remember that the angle I posted is the worst to look at it from - I think installed side view we are on the right track.

So - back in your court goes the ball with this question:

Would you be willing to give up part longevity to get square corners, or be willing to pay possibly more for the part, and still not have a flush fit due to the part having to "climb" out of the recess? Remember that climbing out also entails either rubbing on the factory paint or a secondary 3M seal to keep the two apart, increasing the lift-off from the body even more. And remember too that no matter what, the vent can't get any bigger - it is restricted by sheetmetal, so it will NEVER be able to come to the edge of the piece like the original, unless you want to hack up the factory opening, along with it's associated spot welds.

I've attached a 'chop of what you are asking for - note that where the corners are, you have to not only extend over the sheetmetal, but to make the rest of the part match inboard, you have to make the whole edge thicker, meaning a bigger press and more material per part to make it (and you're not allowed to say the material is irrelevant - it all counts when you are injecting 1,000 of them every run ) You're adding quite a bit of tonnage to the press requirements to do it - more important than the weight of the material itself. You can't make it smaller, because you have to "beat" the front radius, which pushes things out more than you'd really like. And you can't just "meet" the front line of the sheetmetal, because then the body is going to tuck under at the corners and look odd when viewed from anywhere less than 10 ft away. Same holds true for the other three edges, again for the same reason.

Now, if I'm looking at this from the wrong perspective, someone speak up, because now IS the time to make this if we can - I just don't see the way to blend it all together and make it hold up to whatever owners might throw at it, long term. (Of course maybe I should look at repeat sales more closely.... )

Again, I'm trying to balance appearance with making a piece that will survive long-term. While the corners would look nice, they just don't seem to fit into the reality of what we were given to work with.

purplepony

Silver Horse, you just can't get a square peg to fit into a round hole......I understand what people are saying about aggressive square corners, but based on how the side window and quarter glass line up, can't see that being a good design. I'd keep on with the CAD drawing....looks good, and doesn't break up the flow! Besides, it's good to design something "fresh" for a fresh car....not an exact retro re-hash...what fun would that be?

2 questions...... did you go with visability or no visability.....and can you comment on how it will be finished off on the inside.....or is that a trade secret right now?

Redfire 05Gt

I think trying to square up the corners by having the part protrude out over the sheet metal is going to put it back in the same ballpark as the other stick-on louvers, looks wise (albeit it wouldn't stick out as much as the others).
I think I'm more in favor of the totally flush appearance even with the rounded corners.
Now if I was handy with a cutting torch...

Redfire 05Gt

BTW, where do I send my money???

rony1976

Never mind Marcello, I get what you are saying... I might opt for just blending it in at the body shop, to make it look like the Gold car... what are your thoughts on that?

SilverHorse-----Racing

Blending how, to make it appear it is part of the body rather than a window? I wouldn't - expansion rate differences between steel and any plastic are going to make your life miserable long-term. Might look great for a couple months though, but given the temperature swings down here, you're asking for trouble I think.

Money? Send? Well I have this account offshore....

Seriously - no preorder list yet. I don't have the numbers to know where we are at on costs yet, everything is just a guess except the bills I get from the mold shop for the development. But I think we will do a pre-order list of sorts when we do have more information, and there will be some discount to make the wait worthwhile.

StangNut

I agree the squared off look wouldn't look good. It would give you even more space between the vents and the edge.

What do think about putting a small lip around the outside edge even if it followed the curve of the part as it is now? i.e. same shape as the window. This would "define" the part a little more and make it stand out as a seperate piece, very much like the 65 lip does.

If you put it on the outside edge of the part, it could hang out over onto the body. If you put it on the inside of the edge it would basically sit on top of the part and not even touch the body. This could reduce the gap between the vents and the edge.

SilverHorse-----Racing

Well, I thought about the "pinstripe" around the part, but the problem with the new part is that the vents can't meet it, like in the black picture. The only way for them to meet it would be to either:

A) Move it in a lot, which then interferes with the sealing or makes the part real thick right there or,

B) Put it near the edge (like you showed with the CAD), but then it doesn't blend into the vents. You end up with a border that is there for no reason, since it only is there because you are trying to copy something (the factory original seal) that isn't there anymore. It can't overlap the body without sealing to it, because then you run into water entrapment issues and other nasty things.

Something you have to remember is my first car (which I still have) is a 73 Mach 1. It's a nightmare with seals and stuff especially in the trunk area - so I have this aversion to anything that traps water and doesn't have a good way to get rid of it. You would too if you had to cut out and replace the taillight panel on your car...

WarningSLO

Thanks for taking the time to explain what is and isn't reasonable when it comes to manufacturing. Even without the lip I think these will be the best looking louvers on the market. Can't wait!