Great Steaming Bonnets!
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Original Poster:

3,455 posts

204 months

Tuesday 12th June 2012
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I was thinking about it on my stop start trip to work today in the MGB GT.

I when you're stuck in traffic in an "older" car it heats up. And in wet weather the whole bonnet can start to steam as the water on it's surface is evaporated.

My old cappuccino was especially good at this, but only from a section about 6"x12" in the middle.
The MG doesn't have any lining on the underside of the bonnet so the whole thing gently steams in the mornings.
Which could look odd to the passing tourist..

I quite like the view through the wisps of steam and the rain... Just saying.

spoodler

2,304 posts

184 months

Tuesday 12th June 2012
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'Know what you mean... Another small delight on a Herald or Vitesse is how the rain flicks off the corners of the "V" bonnet.

I have a similar effect on my Austin to your gently steaming bonnet, the smoke from the engine breather curls out from under the louvres inciting bystanders to inform me that my car is on fire, as it's caused by the wear in the (hideously expensive to rebuild) Jag engine it's not such a pleasant experience.


shouldbworking

4,801 posts

241 months

Wednesday 13th June 2012
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back in the day my xjs was crazy for this. You had to wait a few hours after driving the car before you could even think about washing it because it would just evaporate off leaving water marks everywhere (I dont have a stash of purified water for car washing)

MartinQ

797 posts

210 months

Wednesday 13th June 2012
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The Elise is also good. With it's radiator being horizontal, when stationary in rain, steam would start billowing out. It scared the crap out of me when it first happened as I assumed the radiator had gone pop.

barchetta_boy

2,513 posts

261 months

Thursday 14th June 2012
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My Porsche 928 does this. 4.7 litre of V8 getting hot... it is disconcerting when you first see it!

stuarte

1,082 posts

213 months

Thursday 14th June 2012
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Not just older cars that do this. My 2003 MX5 did it with avengeance! The TVR has vents in the bonnet to let the heat escape. Doesn't so much steam as spout two columns of white hot heat haze. Most alarming at times!

GregMac

247 posts

178 months

Friday 15th June 2012
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spoodler said:
'Know what you mean... Another small delight on a Herald or Vitesse is how the rain flicks off the corners of the "V" bonnet.

I have a similar effect on my Austin to your gently steaming bonnet, the smoke from the engine breather curls out from under the louvres inciting bystanders to inform me that my car is on fire, as it's caused by the wear in the (hideously expensive to rebuild) Jag engine it's not such a pleasant experience.
Had the same in a 66 Renault R8, the rain collected in the V until you hit a critical speed when it all flew up and hit the windscreen. First time it happened scared the life out of me!

IroningMan

10,598 posts

275 months

Friday 15th June 2012
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For the full HMS Dreadnought effect you need to combine strategically-positioned bonnet vents with wrapped exhaust manifolds.

Decky_Q

2,076 posts

206 months

Friday 15th June 2012
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Had my radiator pop when in hot traffic along teh Liffy in Dublin in my VX220 and it has left me mentally scarred, anytime I smell steam like form an iron or see whisps of anything around the engine area my heart goes into palpitations!

OldSkoolRS

7,259 posts

208 months

Saturday 16th June 2012
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I know it's not really a classic, but when I first got my Z3 I panicked when I saw wisps of 'steam' come round the bonnet as I drove along...then I realised it was the headlight washers (I'd just squirted the windscreen and the lights were on). I'm always a bit paranoid with a 'new' car but this was a bit OTT even for me. smile

tapkaJohnD

2,000 posts

233 months

Saturday 16th June 2012
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Herald (Vitesse), water, steam...............
I modified my Vitesse with a rear radiator, with water hoses going through the driving compartment. One on the hot side let go as I went through Cascades (!) at Oulton. The car filled with condensed steam, which I thought was smoke and that the car had exploded into flames. So did the marshals, who called a fire truck!
Thanks, marshals! If it had been a fire, you would have saved my life!

John

Yertis

19,707 posts

295 months

Saturday 16th June 2012
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spoodler said:
'Know what you mean... Another small delight on a Herald or Vitesse is how the rain flicks off the corners of the "V" bonnet.
Get this on the TR6 too, the rain sort of accumulates on the front corners of the bonnet then flicks back onto the screen in big 'splots'.

rumple

14,944 posts

180 months

Saturday 16th June 2012
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Classic cars steam because they dont have underbonnet insulation, i removed this on my 330ci and it steams now, as good as any of em.