Hey everyone, This is my DIY install guide for the Velox hood louvers. This thread was created off of my own interest to review the install process for the Velox hood louvers, so yes, it is 100% my own experience and opinions. please feel free to share your own experiences and please ask questions! I want to know what ya'll want to know!
Manufacturers website:
http://www.velox-motorsports.com/
Original thread:
Modular Hood Louver Kit - Velox Motorsports
I ordered my package from
FT86Speedfactory and got them by mail within a week.
Optional:
Rain guards are also available. I did not install these because I don't need them, but they are still useful if you like a cleaner engine bay.
FT86speedfactory.com also has a DIY:
Here.
-------------The down low---------------
1:
BE GENTLE!!!! Trust me, I went a little overboard on my install and I didn't put much elbow grease into it.
1.1: The hood is a soft, thin peace of aluminum and it can easily be warped out of place when making your center punches.
1.2: The louvers are also aluminum and over tightening the bolts can lead to some nasty results. I will go more into detail when we get there.
2: Take your time. It's no race, so don't rush. you can always take out more metal and drill bigger holes, but you cant make them smaller.
3: stay comfortable. I did this on the floor of my garage, on my hands and knees and my back was killing my by the time I was done. Don't forget to take breaks and stretch if you need. or find a better place to sit.
4: keep it clean. Vacuum us debris and other particles as you work so you don't scratch your paint or leave them to end up in your engine bay.
5: Have fun! I only say this because once you start, you cant stop. So please have fun! for me?
---------------The DIY--------------------
Install time: Roughly 3-5 hours.
1: Unboxing:
The packaging was fantastic. Every peace was numbered and labeled appropriately. I was extremely satisfied with the quality of the shipping.
Cat not included...
[URL=http://s300.photobucket.com/user/PitViperFRS/media/Velox%20install/20160325_145922_zps2qk1cfwu.jpg.html]
[URL=http://s300.photobucket.com/user/PitViperFRS/media/Velox%20install/20160325_145939_zpsukt8r0xc.jpg.html]
2: Prep:
Tools:
-Safety glasses and a gas mask (Safety first!)
-12mm socket
-9/32 socket
-Wrench/ratchet
-Scissors
-Electric drill
-Center punch
-Hammer
-11/64 drill bit
-1/16 drill bit
-Die grinder (I used a 90 degree die grinder for the whole process. You may use a straight if you want. Would NOT recommend using a Dremel, it may take you a year!)
-Cutting wheel (you'll only need one... unless it breaks.)
-Blue painters tape
-A large chunk of carpet of lots of towels
Recommended but not necessary:
- Vacuum (Highly recommended. If you don't have a shop vac, use compressed air to dust off the work area and the hood. Then give it a bath with a low pressure, pressure washer before final installation.)
- stepped drill
- Abrasive roll-lock wheels
3: Hood removal:
The removal process can be done with 2 people, but it is recommended to have at least 3 sets of hands to uninstall the hood and reinstall it.
You'll need:
- 12mm socket and a ratchet
- Carpet to lie the hood on
4: Template:
You'll need:
-Scissors
-painters tape
Cut and align the templates to the inside of the hood. One thing that I found on the lables for the templates is that 2 of them are labled for "passanger inside" and "passanger outside" in small text in the bottom corner.
Note to Velox: Make that text a little more obvious please
5: Center punch
You'll need:
-Center punch
-Hammer
be gentle when you punch. It will chip your paint either way, we just don't want to warm the hood and leave bulges, resulting in gaps between the hood and the louvers.
6: Drill your holes
You'll need:
-Electric drill
-11/64 drill bit
-1/16 drill bit
-Stepped drill
I drilled from the inside of the hood. It's a rather fast step in the process.I drilled all the holes with a smaller bit before making my larger holes and using a stepped drill to clean up the leftovers. (go easy on the stepped drill bit. It's thin metal and we just need to clean up the flakes.)
Be sure to vacuum up all chunks as you make your holes!
7: Tape out your lines
You'll need:
-Tape
Try to run a straight line from the outside of each of the inner holes.
8: Make your cuts
You'll need:
-Die grinder
-Cutting wheel
-Abrasive roll-lock wheels
Try to make smooth, straight cuts. the drilled holes are there to be a buffer zone so you don't cut into the remaining hood.
After you've fitted the louvers and found them to fit properly, use sand paper or an Abrasive roll-lock wheel, to clean up the cuts.
Be sure to vacuum up all chunks as you make your cuts!
9: Test fits
You'll need:
-To leave the tape on...
-The appropriate louver for the hole.
Use the louver to verify that there is no overlapping metals and that the holes for the bolts are large enough and aligned properly.
(Yes, I was removing each louver between cuts and re-adding them for the photos.)
10: clean up
You'll need:
-Vacuum
-Trash can
-air gun
-Pressure washer/ hose (if you want to wash off the small flakes before hand cleaning.)
11: final fitment
you'll need:
-The supplied nuts
-9/32 socket and ratchet
hand tighten all of the nuts and be sure to apply pressure to the apposing side of the louver to confirm a snug fit and that the louver is not catching on the hood. The louver should be completely flush by the time you're done.
After hand tightening, LIGHTLY torque down the bolts an extra 1/4 rotation. You may need to fit the socket around the supports for the hood, just push straight down, and the small lip should bend out of the way with no damage to the hood or louver.
-when installing the defusers, be sure to install the defusers with the longer cut channels onto the longer louvers. They will fit one way and each one is made for each louver. So if it doesn't fit, it might not be the right one. The FT86spedfactory manual goes into more detail with photos. Sorry, I forgot to take photos on this step.
----I recommend doing this part with the hood vertical. I stood it up on the back points, with extra cloth padding. This will make it easier to install and much harder to bend the blades of the louvers. -----
As you can see, on the right I over tightened the bolts. This is why you'll want to be gentle. It will warp the louvers and potentially pull out the bolts all together. So be gentle!
EDIT: If you do over tighten, you can always back off the nut and try again.
EDIT: If you're concerned about the nut loosening over time, you may always use lock tight to assure adhesion of the nut to the bolt.
If you pull the bolt through:
you can put the bolt back through from the top and re-tighten the nut. you can paint over it after.
End product:
Product review:
My impressions:
-It's a well thought out and well designed product. I'm glad that Velox went as far as they did to test their product. And from the data I gathered, it is accurate. I've had them installed for a little over a week, in the rain, hail, and pollen that is poring down in Oregon. This is by far, one of my favorite aftermarket parts I've installed.
what changed:
-Engine bay pressure is gone, finally.
-Intake temps at idle went down
-It took longer for the car to warm up on cold days
-Component temps went down in the engine bay.
-My Innovate supercharger temps went down by a few degrees, which was a socking result, considering the locations.
-With the defusers installed, It actually defused enough air that the hood, behind the louvers, stayed wet, after the rest of the hood dried off from passing air. (I wish I got a photo of it. I'll be washing my car this week and I'll try to get a photo of it and post it. It is an awesome result and shows just how efficient they are!
install difficulty:
6/10
-Got to be gentle
-Got to take your time
-Precision is the key, but don't think to hard on it. there's a lot of wiggle room. Just don't over cut, so perform many test fits through the process.
likes:
-Looks great
-Easy to install, for louvers
-They work really well!
-They are modular. (rain guards, deflectors)
-They fit with the natural look of the FRS, in my opinion.
Dislikes:
-They are fragile. They can easily be damaged during install. I know there's not much that VELOX can do about this without taking away from their design, so I'm not holding this against them. It's the nature of the product, and it will be the same thing with other light weight louver kits.
10/10, would buy again!
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Thanks VELOX! And thanks to everyone that read this! Please let me know what I can change in the future for reviews and what you all want to see! It's the only way I'll get any better!
P.S. Send me stickers?