Side & Rear Window Louvers

[Mavericke]

Yeah no doubt Josh.

I may be off on the thickness that I looked at up at Lowes, but I was pretty sure what I found was 1/4.

I could go witht he same durability and thickness in aluminum, but that material is almost 3x the cost and the louvers would never sell at that point. What I've run into with the factory and aftermarket louvers is that they flap in the wind... especially the plastic ones. The look ok, but the plastic is so thin that they flex alot... the metal ones rattle because they arent solid... and if you set somthing on them - they bend. I wanted to prevent all of this.

I thought about some thinner sheet metal... which could work if I reinforced it with more rails. That would keep the weight and cost down... but again they aren't going to be as durable and like Josh said... much harder to weld.

My guessitmate of weight was about 50lbs.

I havent bought anything yet and Ive only scoped ou the materials in person once... dont worry I plan on making these the most economical and sturdiest way possible with weight in mind of course. Give some time to play with ideas.

[wagonmaster]

i was thinking glass too. i would love to have some for my wagon. if i had some originals to look at i would probably attempt this myself.

[Mavericke]

We thought of that too..... give me another week, ill have some deffinite's for you then.

[68AMXGOPAC]

1/4" plate ??man thats way toooooo thick , thin aluminum like stock.they are just a dress up item.Not doggin ya dude, but 1/4" is outa the realm. Aluminum or even 18 ga black iron will bend well,and roll and form good. even 20 ga. like previously suggested.
  We do appreciate your hard thought  and effort , and not trying to steer the boat from the back seat but........

[IowaEagle]

Yeah, I think 20 ga is plenty strong for an appearance item.

[Mac]

Just so you know, Mav....

My aluminum louvers weigh less than 10 lbs, and the hatch supports have a hard time keeping the hatch up when the weather gets cold...   I have to take them off in the winter...

They also don't flap or rattle in the wind, but they do "clank" a bit when I slam the hatch shut...
And I think the "clank" is due to a lot of the rivets on them being kinda loose....
(even with the loose rivets they don't make any noise while driving...  Unless I hit a huge pothole!!  )

[wagoneerhauler]

I have never seen these louvers in person.  Well not that close anyway but could have if I thought about it.  Anyway, I'm wondering if they don't sit flush with the glass as stated so that they don't scratch and rub the window leaving marks on it over time.  As they car is being driven that might be what would happen from the vibration and bouncing.  This might make noise as well.  Also, if they are made form something in the 20 gauge range how would spot welding be?  Might be an easier and faster way to go if there is room in there for the welder.  If the originals are riveted spot, welding may be even better that that method.

[Mavericke]

Just so you know, Mav....

My aluminum louvers weigh less than 10 lbs, and the hatch supports have a hard time keeping the hatch up when the weather gets cold...   I have to take them off in the winter...

They also don't flap or rattle in the wind, but they do "clank" a bit when I slam the hatch shut...
And I think the "clank" is due to a lot of the rivets on them being kinda loose....
(even with the loose rivets they don't make any noise while driving...  Unless I hit a huge pothole!!  )

Yeah and that is my experience too. Loose rivets... I want to make these without rivets, but to make them a bit more cost effective... maybe.

Ok guyes, I catch your drift, lol... on thre thickness, I think somewhere I said I was "pretty sure" that was the guage I wanted when I looked that them. I'm not good with names and guages and numbers... I just look at it and say "that will work". Whatever thickness it was that I looked at will work fine... from what you guys are saying, I must have looked at a different size. It was much thicker than the aluminum ones for sure... but not as far out there like you guys are guessing, lol... so my conclusion is that we are probably on the same page and I just had a dislexick moment when I looked at the label... and how do you spell dislexick anyways? LOL!! Oh yeah and I was going with steel because its a thrid of the price of aluminum.

Anyways, bottom line... Using common sense, when I looked at the sheet metal... I found steel sheets a bit thicker than the factory alum ones. I want to use it to make them a bit more sturdy. It is not ghastly thick and too much heavier than stock. With that being said, Ill make sure they work on new liftgate shocks before I sell them to anyone.

I have never seen these louvers in person.  Well not that close anyway but could have if I thought about it.  Anyway, I'm wondering if they don't sit flush with the glass as stated so that they don't scratch and rub the window leaving marks on it over time.  As they car is being driven that might be what would happen from the vibration and bouncing.  This might make noise as well.  Also, if they are made form something in the 20 gauge range how would spot welding be?  Might be an easier and faster way to go if there is room in there for the welder.  If the originals are riveted spot, welding may be even better that that method.

These will be solid enough that they will not be flapping or moving at all. To prevet scratching clanging, I will be putting a gasket on the bottom of them.

Dont worry fellers... I got this. I promise you a solid, reliable and REALISTIC set of louvers!

[brattesani]

its been a month, any updates man?  thanks.

[Mavericke]

The only update I have is that I have purchased an aluminium set to compare the the plastic set... I want to pick the bast one to make the molding out of.

The plastic I know doesnt fit perfectlt flush in the window and it is a factory set... I want mine to fit in there as if it were part f the car itself. I have everything needed for this project. My deadline of having it finished by the meet will not be met, but I will have a prototype shortly afterwards because my metal ones get delivered at the meet.

[txjeeptx]

I just picked up an AL rear window louver and a set of plastic side louvers. No mounting hardware for anything. How are things going with repro work. I'm going to try my hand at making the metal version. Too bad it weighs enough to cause the hatch shocks to have trouble keeping it up . . although they are probably on their way to needing replacement.

[JSK]

Hey Mavericke,

Is this project on hold during your recovery period?   (how IS your recovery coming along, by the way?)

[Mavericke]

Recovery is going well. Project was hold to finish my Eagle... then I finished it and then I wrecked it. The it was on hold until I refinished it. Then I finally bought a house.... not its on hold to work on the house and get it liveale, LOL!

It's just.... "on hold" for, uh... awhile? Not sure man. I'm still waiting on delivery for the ones I paid for 3 months ago.... don't ask. They are the metal ones. I want to weigh them and measure them. Then I will go from there. The side window louvers will be easy though... I just need a set to make a molding out of.

[series50]

Found this:


http://tinyurl.com/ylq9qrz


Description:      .125K thick aluminum, TIG welded, ready to paint.
Easy install (no special tools needed)
4 tabs which slide under the chrome trim and lap over the edge of the glass, the top tab is hinged and the bottom is secured with lynch pins.
Several of my louvers have made it to car shows on the back of trophy winners, a few have made to the covers of muscle car magazines.
I make these louvers for ALL years of AMX/Javelin.
Please contact me via email and we will exchange
phone numbers. email is [email protected]
Thanks for looking, Randy and John

[Mavericke]

They look nice... thats for sure. It doesn't mention whether or not he does Eagle louvers... but I bet he would. That price though... ouch. I would never charge that much for mine even if I am forced to make them out of metal.

Hang in there... I should have never mentioned my intent until I had a set done and my life is hectic, but trust me... they are coming. Just let me get nestled into my new shop. In the mean time... if someone wants to inquire about this guys work... I'd be really interested in what he has to say. Maybe even if he doesnt make Eagle louvers and/or will never make them... he may be able to give us some good insight on HOW to make some.