Clear Bolt-Ons
Thread Starter
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 2,148
Likes: 4
From: Gainesville, GA
Clear Bolt-Ons Does anyone else think that having clear engine components/accessories would be cool? The first thing I ever saw was the clear differential cover made from polycarbonate. Its as strong as steel (that **** saved my eyes from shrapnel in Iraq btw) and you can make it clear (like sunglass lenses 
). The clear dif cover was supposed to be practical in that you could see any moisture/junk inside the diff without having to ****** it off. Did it work? Not sure.
But how about someone making some clear valve covers? Or some clear coil packs? Or even a clear intake manifold!! You wouldnt really have to stop there, but I think the clear intake would be bad ***. Polymer can be clear, correct? Would it be as simple as telling them not to add the color to the mixture or is there a lot of polishing that would have to take place in order to make it truly clear.
I am not really focusing on any practical benefits from this, but rather a theme under the hood. I mean, when you have a clear lid...
come on.
I want to hear your opinion, good or bad.
). The clear dif cover was supposed to be practical in that you could see any moisture/junk inside the diff without having to ****** it off. Did it work? Not sure.But how about someone making some clear valve covers? Or some clear coil packs? Or even a clear intake manifold!! You wouldnt really have to stop there, but I think the clear intake would be bad ***. Polymer can be clear, correct? Would it be as simple as telling them not to add the color to the mixture or is there a lot of polishing that would have to take place in order to make it truly clear.
I am not really focusing on any practical benefits from this, but rather a theme under the hood. I mean, when you have a clear lid...
come on. I want to hear your opinion, good or bad. Thread Starter
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 2,148
Likes: 4
From: Gainesville, GA
Yeah, stuff would get nasty but you would be able to see stuff working, like the oil skeeting out onto the valve covers. Maybe you could actually watch seafoam enter in the back of you manifold when you pour it down the booster hose. Hell, sales on catch cans might go up if people could see all the oil and crap coating their intakes 
I'm sure that someone who understands how heat and gunk effects the transparency of a plastic could modify the mixture to include some magical substance, like unicorn horn extract for instance, that could help keep it clear under harsh conditions. Maybe the same technology could be applied to coolant hoses or even fuel lines. The old clear fuel filters never really looked nasty 
Clear spark plug wires wouldnt be a big deal. Clear smooth bellows would be cool, as well as a clear oil pan. Sure, you wouldnt be able to see through the oil, but you might be able to see if there's something laying on the bottom of the pan... like part of a gasket or maybe even a sludge sickle. Air compressors have a window for the oil level that doesnt ever really distort much. I've got an 80 gallon industrial RolAir compressor that came from gov deals. It must be 500 years old and its still clear. The compressor gets HOT when you're sand blasting. Still clear.
I'm not arguing that it CAN be done, all I am saying is "wouldnt it be cool?"
I'm sure that someone who understands how heat and gunk effects the transparency of a plastic could modify the mixture to include some magical substance, like unicorn horn extract for instance, that could help keep it clear under harsh conditions. Maybe the same technology could be applied to coolant hoses or even fuel lines. The old clear fuel filters never really looked nasty Clear spark plug wires wouldnt be a big deal. Clear smooth bellows would be cool, as well as a clear oil pan. Sure, you wouldnt be able to see through the oil, but you might be able to see if there's something laying on the bottom of the pan... like part of a gasket or maybe even a sludge sickle. Air compressors have a window for the oil level that doesnt ever really distort much. I've got an 80 gallon industrial RolAir compressor that came from gov deals. It must be 500 years old and its still clear. The compressor gets HOT when you're sand blasting. Still clear. I'm not arguing that it CAN be done, all I am saying is "wouldnt it be cool?"
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i was actually searching clear valve covers last night and found this pic, clear valve covers, clear fast intake, clear lid, and possibly a clear timing cover would be pretty sweet 
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Yeah, stuff would get nasty but you would be able to see stuff working, like the oil skeeting out onto the valve covers. Maybe you could actually watch seafoam enter in the back of you manifold when you pour it down the booster hose. Hell, sales on catch cans might go up if people could see all the oil and crap coating their intakes I'm sure that someone who understands how heat and gunk effects the transparency of a plastic could modify the mixture to include some magical substance, like unicorn horn extract for instance, that could help keep it clear under harsh conditions. Maybe the same technology could be applied to coolant hoses or even fuel lines. The old clear fuel filters never really looked nasty Clear spark plug wires wouldnt be a big deal. Clear smooth bellows would be cool, as well as a clear oil pan. Sure, you wouldnt be able to see through the oil, but you might be able to see if there's something laying on the bottom of the pan... like part of a gasket or maybe even a sludge sickle. Air compressors have a window for the oil level that doesnt ever really distort much. I've got an 80 gallon industrial RolAir compressor that came from gov deals. It must be 500 years old and its still clear. The compressor gets HOT when you're sand blasting. Still clear.
I'm not arguing that it CAN be done, all I am saying is "wouldnt it be cool?"
I'm sure that someone who understands how heat and gunk effects the transparency of a plastic could modify the mixture to include some magical substance, like unicorn horn extract for instance, that could help keep it clear under harsh conditions. Maybe the same technology could be applied to coolant hoses or even fuel lines. The old clear fuel filters never really looked nasty Clear spark plug wires wouldnt be a big deal. Clear smooth bellows would be cool, as well as a clear oil pan. Sure, you wouldnt be able to see through the oil, but you might be able to see if there's something laying on the bottom of the pan... like part of a gasket or maybe even a sludge sickle. Air compressors have a window for the oil level that doesnt ever really distort much. I've got an 80 gallon industrial RolAir compressor that came from gov deals. It must be 500 years old and its still clear. The compressor gets HOT when you're sand blasting. Still clear. I'm not arguing that it CAN be done, all I am saying is "wouldnt it be cool?"
Thread Starter
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 2,148
Likes: 4
From: Gainesville, GA
Hell yeah! He's prolly the man to get something fabbed up. The timing cover would be cool, but nearly impossible to see. Keep the comments rolling. Maybe we'll create some momentum. 
Everyone that looks under my hood always has a comment about the clear lid, and how cool it is. Imagine what people would do with a clear intake manifold or valve covers... even though the coil packs would hide most of it
The clear oil pan would be bad *** on oil changes: "Crap... how much more oil is in there?... Oh let me just look... eww is that a bandaid stuck to the inside of the oil pan?"
Everyone that looks under my hood always has a comment about the clear lid, and how cool it is. Imagine what people would do with a clear intake manifold or valve covers... even though the coil packs would hide most of it
The clear oil pan would be bad *** on oil changes: "Crap... how much more oil is in there?... Oh let me just look... eww is that a bandaid stuck to the inside of the oil pan?"
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 734
Likes: 0
From: south jersey. again
i can see doing the valve covers with out a major company doing them. you could cut the top off of a set, and attaching a plastic polymer on top. what would really be cool is having a clear block, yes i know its impossible. maybe in the future just like the intakes were.
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 605
Likes: 0
From: NC
Yeah, stuff would get nasty but you would be able to see stuff working, like the oil skeeting out onto the valve covers. Maybe you could actually watch seafoam enter in the back of you manifold when you pour it down the booster hose. Hell, sales on catch cans might go up if people could see all the oil and crap coating their intakes I'm sure that someone who understands how heat and gunk effects the transparency of a plastic could modify the mixture to include some magical substance, like unicorn horn extract for instance, that could help keep it clear under harsh conditions. Maybe the same technology could be applied to coolant hoses or even fuel lines. The old clear fuel filters never really looked nasty Clear spark plug wires wouldnt be a big deal. Clear smooth bellows would be cool, as well as a clear oil pan. Sure, you wouldnt be able to see through the oil, but you might be able to see if there's something laying on the bottom of the pan... like part of a gasket or maybe even a sludge sickle. Air compressors have a window for the oil level that doesnt ever really distort much. I've got an 80 gallon industrial RolAir compressor that came from gov deals. It must be 500 years old and its still clear. The compressor gets HOT when you're sand blasting. Still clear.
I'm not arguing that it CAN be done, all I am saying is "wouldnt it be cool?"
I'm sure that someone who understands how heat and gunk effects the transparency of a plastic could modify the mixture to include some magical substance, like unicorn horn extract for instance, that could help keep it clear under harsh conditions. Maybe the same technology could be applied to coolant hoses or even fuel lines. The old clear fuel filters never really looked nasty Clear spark plug wires wouldnt be a big deal. Clear smooth bellows would be cool, as well as a clear oil pan. Sure, you wouldnt be able to see through the oil, but you might be able to see if there's something laying on the bottom of the pan... like part of a gasket or maybe even a sludge sickle. Air compressors have a window for the oil level that doesnt ever really distort much. I've got an 80 gallon industrial RolAir compressor that came from gov deals. It must be 500 years old and its still clear. The compressor gets HOT when you're sand blasting. Still clear. I'm not arguing that it CAN be done, all I am saying is "wouldnt it be cool?"
... unicorn extract. Hey maybe you could figure out how to make a clear window... oh wait Thread Starter
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 2,148
Likes: 4
From: Gainesville, GA
If you do a google images search for stuff like clear valve covers, transparent valve covers, or see thru valve covers you get a few pictures... So its been done. Clear valve covers would be bad ***... but without the coil pack relocation it would be blocked... sorta. The intake manifold is what I want to see thru. Crap... make a clear catch can! I bet people would change their fluids more often if you were reminded by the floating grass hopper in your catch can...
Id be all for a clear manifold and valve covers. If you could make an oil pan in polycarbonate it would pretty cool so you could constantly check your oil condition just by taking a look.
IF there was transparent material that you could make a block out of, that would be insane. Think about being able to watch your pistons, valves, crank and everything move every time you look under your hood
IF there was transparent material that you could make a block out of, that would be insane. Think about being able to watch your pistons, valves, crank and everything move every time you look under your hood