I have a 7 and in the middle of making my own plenum cover. I really did not like the SJ cover, poorly shaped to cowl, rough on the outside, smooth on the inside, required a modification to allow a high mounted oil cooler, and the inlets did not align. So - - I decided to make my own. Lot (^3) of work.
Having said all that, many, have made it work. I decided to take the risk with a new cover rather than other things of remaking the SJ.
Here is a picture of the piece cut,shrunk, stretched, and finished for a buck and the mold for the real thing. I am waiting on fiberglass supplies to move forward.
Early stage inlets:
I'm still building, but I've got the plenum and will be getting the cowl. Conventional wisdom here that I've read is that it saves you the boatloads of time otherwise spent sanding, filling, and finishing the Vans cowl......All in all it's one of those areas I'm more than willing to spend the money to save time, and most likely gain efficiency, on something I otherwise would be pulling my hair out on.
I'm still building, but I've got the plenum and will be getting the cowl. Conventional wisdom here that I've read is that it saves you the boatloads of time otherwise spent sanding, filling, and finishing the Vans cowl. The plenum helps with cooling. There also seems to be quite a bit less baffling work that needs to be fabricated. All in all it's one of those areas I'm more than willing to spend the money to save time, and most likely gain efficiency, on something I otherwise would be pulling my hair out on.
Bwaaaaahahahahaaha!
Oh grasshopper, you have indeed drank deeply of the holey Koolaid
Looks like a project Bill! Did you use one of the Smooth-on rubbers to make your mold?
I built my plenum by hand using Vans baffles as the sides. A buddy used the Sam James system. I don't believe he saved any time. James should be a little embarrassed by the plenum fit and finish in my mind. A professional with a mold should be much closer to actually fitting out of the box.
Engine cooling is excellent and the cylinder temperatures are uniform and cool.