Yep I think so too. I am sure there would be better venting , however I
have a lot of stuff under there like the TBI, etc. was an innovative
approach however, may be there is something better than adding fans.
gene
>
>> I met one guy at the rally that said "GMC made a mistake with the wheel
>> liners in the front." If you leave them out there is no heat build up in
>> the engine compartment.
>>
>> I said yah but , ---- how about water, dirt, etc. As I think more about
>> it, I am on dirt roads only by mistake, almost never, and he said the
spray
>> pattern from the wheels does not create a problem. He said to look at
some
>> of the pickups and see they are open in this area !!!
>
>Gene,
> May I cast a dissenting vote here? I can't recall any car or pickup
>which is really "open" to the wheels. My 4-Runner (pickup chassis and most
>of the body) has fender wells that come down within 3" of the frame and
>control arm pivots. Then Toyota added rubber skirts that lapped down past
>the frame, all to keep the water away. This is on a 4WD chassis that sits
>high off the road, so gets less splash than most.
>
> IMHO, this sort of protection is even more important on a V8, whose plugs
>are relatively lower and more vulnerable to wetting, and whose often red-hot
>exhaust manifolds are right in the path of big splashes which can warp or
>crack them, and which, in dry weather, radiate copious heat to the front
>tires. Our distributors, even though high in back, are somewhat vulnerable
>to spash, either with points-ignition (which is notoriously un-waterproof,
>with a tin door in the side of the cap) or with HEI (which needs only a
>little dirt and moisture to start burning new ground paths down its cap). I
>should point out that there is a substantial difference between rain spray
>coming in through the radiator, and almost solid waves of water or slush
>thrown up when one hits a big puddle.
>
> I agree GM did a poor job of venting heat from the engine compartment,
and
>several folks have developed solutions using vents and/or fans. But GM knew
>what they were doing when they put those wheel wells in there. I am not in
>the habit of pulling over and stopping just because it rains or snows or the
>pavement ends, and I wouldn't want to have to.
> My .02. YMMV.
>
>Rick Staples
>'75 Eleganza
>Louisville, CO
>
>
>
Genef -- 77PB/ore/ca
GMC MOTORHOME INFORMATION
mr.erf
http://www.california.com/~eagle/
