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 Post subject: making louvers?
PostPosted: December 18, 2017, 7:46 am 
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Joined: June 5, 2016, 7:03 am
Posts: 235
Location: ontario
I am circling louvers and how to make them. I find that there is a great variety of factory made louvers on ebay, etc , but these are not necessarily the shapes or sizes I think I need. Some are also bloody expensive. I have already bought a rolling die set from Eastwood
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9AHvPh1W8Q
http://www.eastwood.com/louver-dies-for ... oller.html

but I am not sure that I will be able to produce decent louvers with this. The die involves rolling beads over 3 and a half inches which is not much, the depth (assuming that it would work) is also limited which would not result in very efficient air intakes. I am hoping to find an affordable punching dies to use under my 20 T hydraulic press, but of course I do not want to spend what professional shops spend on this. I would appreciate your input and advice on this. :cheers:


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 Post subject: Re: making louvers?
PostPosted: December 18, 2017, 8:00 am 
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Joined: January 2, 2009, 1:45 pm
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Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia
Phil,

There is a thread here somewhere on making louvers with a home-make die. A quick search didn't reveal it, but it may have been in a build log. One of Perry's maybe?

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 Post subject: Re: making louvers?
PostPosted: December 18, 2017, 9:05 am 
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Joined: July 17, 2008, 9:11 am
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Location: West Chicago,IL
I think you are thinking of ewhen.

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=17671&hilit=louvers

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 Post subject: Re: making louvers?
PostPosted: December 18, 2017, 10:31 am 
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Mid-Engined Maniac

Joined: April 23, 2006, 8:26 pm
Posts: 6410
Location: SoCal
I wanted to make really big "louvers" for the sides of the chassis. They were so large that there wasn't anyone who made them and no dies were available. Worse, each one was slightly different. I ended up making a template from cardboard, cutting each one out, and bending it to suit. The point is, there are many ways to get what you want!

Image

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 Post subject: Re: making louvers?
PostPosted: December 18, 2017, 2:47 pm 
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Joined: June 5, 2016, 7:03 am
Posts: 235
Location: ontario
KB58 wrote:
I wanted to make really big "louvers" for the sides of the chassis. They were so large that there wasn't anyone who made them and no dies were available. Worse, each one was slightly different. I ended up making a template from cardboard, cutting each one out, and bending it to suit. The point is, there are many ways to get what you want!

Image


Thanks to all for your input.

KB58, I believe that I too will need large louvers and I am tempted to experiment with your approach to cutting rather than punching metal to achieve what I want. I like what you have done on the Midlana. Would you still have more pics documenting your strategy to make these.


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 Post subject: Re: making louvers?
PostPosted: December 18, 2017, 4:25 pm 
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Mid-Engined Maniac

Joined: April 23, 2006, 8:26 pm
Posts: 6410
Location: SoCal
There's a ton of pictures on my site though you'll have to dig way back. A cheat is to Google "Midlana gills"

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 Post subject: Re: making louvers?
PostPosted: December 18, 2017, 6:04 pm 
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Joined: June 5, 2016, 7:03 am
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Location: ontario
KB58 wrote:
There's a ton of pictures on my site though you'll have to dig way back. A cheat is to Google "Midlana gills"


Thanks Kurt,
They look like gills alright. Great design. Great car too.


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 Post subject: Re: making louvers?
PostPosted: January 1, 2018, 8:55 pm 
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Joined: October 24, 2008, 2:13 pm
Posts: 5326
Location: Carlsbad, California, USA
Homemade Tools sent me an e-mail today with another very simple louver press made from scrap steel and it uses a scissors jack as mechanical power.

It's here ==> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG3maxBIICo

You'll still want to look at Ewhen's for the die making part ==> viewtopic.php?f=15&t=17671&hilit=louvers

There is also an example of a wooden form for making louvers by hand (i.e. hammer & dolly type stuff) on page 111 of The Book, 2nd Edition. You've got to be highly skilled or slightly masochistic to take that approach IMHO.

Way back in my build log somewhere there's a reference to louvers built as a separate insert panel. It's a "Cut & Bend" approach that produces a nice, but modern-looking louver very different from the traditional ones primarily featured in this thread. It's more like Kurt's (KB58), but slightly different. I may go that way myself. I'm too lazy tonight to search 111 pages of my log to find it, but have at it if you're interested.

Cheers,

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 Post subject: Re: making louvers?
PostPosted: January 2, 2018, 8:35 am 
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Joined: January 1, 2012, 12:44 pm
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Location: Boise, Idaho
Lonnie may have been referring to this previous thread for my locost but functional louver fab method:

viewtopic.php?f=40&t=18427&hilit=louvers

I'll add that for making crisp bends in small aluminum pieces, this HF 3 1/2" Hand Seamer does a good job.


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 Post subject: Re: making louvers?
PostPosted: January 2, 2018, 9:42 am 
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Joined: October 24, 2008, 2:13 pm
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Location: Carlsbad, California, USA
Yup, there you go, Ron.

Happy New Year

EDIT:

Here is a company in Indiana that make them for various ready-made situations. Looking through their product examples will help understand what you can do with the technique. They have some very creative examples.

Cut & Ben Louver Panels ==> http://zerodecibelmotorsports.com/products/

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Damn! That front slip angle is way too large and the Ackerman is just a muddle.

Build Log: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=5886


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