Automatic Hatch Vent

[tlong]

My fabricator friend and me are working up a prototype of an automatic rear hatch vent. It extends existing latch upward 1.5 inches. The console switch is replaced with a dual control, vent or open. Patents being filed. Just another whim. I'm sick of my day job.

Price? Who cares, it's a Vette.

 

[Moonunit 451]

Sounds interesting. How far out is production?

 

[Vettelt193]

how much do you think it will cost?

 

[tlong]

We want to get this idea completely right before any of that. Wait til you see this thing work. It's a winner we hope.

 

[Rain]

we do expect our deep discounts! hahaha Good luck!

 

[Moonunit 451]

we do expect our deep discounts! hahaha Good luck!

Ya, don't forget your buddies when you are a big industrialist

 

[Tuna]

How about top speed testing?
Can it stand 150+ if I forget to close it?

 

[tlong]

Rain, I'm shocked that you would have any doubts. It may be CAC exclusive so brand X would be jealous.

I have practiced being wealthy with the stock market .coms and was pretty civil.

Tuna, you will be our test pilot. HatchMaster will rule!

 

[Rain]

oh, no doubts.. Was simply being polite and hoping to get in on the Marketing Division when the time comes for branding, packaging, and designing the blister pack you will put it it when ya go public.

hint hint

 

[tlong]

We figured the PITA factor of the vent doohickey is large. I like the exhaust volume control and anti buffetting topless mode. Americans like to have remote control everything. A little or all the way open. We are ambitious on this engineering, and trying to make it very very simple. How many vette coupes are there?

Get our drift? You are in, bud. I love my car and anything that makes sense for reasonable cost gets put in.

How many installed the dreaded tb airfoil for the possibility of some performance gain? This actually does something, you can play with it in the rearview mirror in traffic jams.

 

[Rain]

Only thing similar I have found are the trucks, hatchbacks and cars that don't require you to slam your trunk shut. Simply lower the rear hatch/trunk until it clicks, and then its motor guided the rest of the way.

 

[tlong]

That's hydraulic and of course only down, but in the ballpark.

You and the rest of the Vette Nation are just going to have to wait. Y'all can say you heard it here first! We are discussing liability issues with a bulldog attorney. But this America and damn the torpedoes. No guts no glory..and what a thrill seeing our invention deemed worthy installed on the best car in the world.

I have to go lie down, I'm exhausted.

 

[Tuna]

I may have to decline as the high speed tester unless I forget to close it!

I've read or heard somewhere that top speed runs in the C4 coupe should be done with the windows up and roof on to avoid pressure build up inside the rear which might blow the hatch off - not a good thing at 150+ as the rear would then 'lift' and create a real out of control situation.

Now if the hatch is slightly open, the pressure could not built up so the possibility of hatch blow off might not be an issue. Might actually be a safety factor there - hook the hatch lift divice to the speed sensitive volume on the Bose or to the FX3 controller and have it crack open at 100+. Now my engineering background is starting to get in the way!

I'd have to make sure that my weather stripping is securely glued down also!

Anyway, I'd be interested.

PS: would this device interfer with the vanity curtain?

 

[tlong]

Where do you run your car at these speeds? Around here you'd be bustin bricks in the hot sun if caught over 100!

I don't believe in giving up anything when you upgrade. This will have no compromises or downsides. It's for a Corvette.

 

[Moonunit 451]

Where do you run your car at these speeds? Around here you'd be bustin bricks in the hot sun if caught over 100!

Open Road Racing!

 

[Tuna]

Open Road Racing!

Roger that! My favorite place is the Big Bend race in Ft. Stockton, TX.
Then again, I manage to find a few open roads every once in a while where I air out the cars to near top speed. Not often mind you but enough to know what they can do.

Later,

 

[Gorgon]

What's automatic about this device? Sounds like a two way switch to open and close. If you really wanted to make it something any vette owner would want you'd have the two-way switch, but you would tie the open and close signal into the computer speedometer so that it opened around 45 or so and closed around 5 or 10. THAT would be cool

Leon

 

[jester]

I think it's a great idea. I would definately be interested.

 

[Vettelt193]

tlong:

I hate to tell you, but price does matter. If you make an auto hatch vent that costs $5,000 I really don't think you are going to sell any.

Even if it comes out to $200, there is a cost benefit of spending the $200 on the hatch vent Vs. other stuff for the car. Especially considering how much C4's have depreciated.

Just keep cost in mind if you really want to sell it, because in the end high cost will kill sales IMHO.