Preventing Air Dam Damage

You must be kidding, Peter!

No matter what you put on to prevent chipping, sooner or later that leading edge will get a nice bite taken out of it. Just keep a marker or piant can handy for touchups. I use bondo, plaster and yes, even old chewing gum.

The warning system I like best is the sound of the the fiberglass nosing into asphalt. After a few time it gets pretty easy to recognize this sound.

The cracking sound that follows is the flexing in the air dam that shows up those nice cracks in the paint around the lower grille.

Keeping it in a trailer is the answer. But if you're going to drive it just do what they do in New Jersey.

Fuggedabadit...

Yes, David, I have become very good at recognizing the sound of my air dam nosing into asphalt, along with the accompanying sound of a grown man crying. Wanting to save bystanders and passengers the discomfort of watching me bawl like a little baby, I have embarked on this quest for a solution.

Have a look at what Goram has done to his car, as shown in the photo below. If the splitter plate were to be made just a bit thicker than the overhanging lip on the front edge of the air dam, I'm thinking that maybe my problem would be solved. Plus, I would clean up the aerodymanimcs of the front underside of the car as a bonus. Oh, and I wouldn't have to carry quite so many kleenex boxes thereby lightening my car and enabling me to go faster...

I don't see how this, Gorhams solution, helps anything at all.

The front chin spoiler needs to be molded from a paintable rubber material.

Ask the vendors why they don't make one.

What does yours look like underneath. I have lots of strength here. I've nosed it on and off a few trailers in my time, dragging the car with it and no damage. It gives a little before it breaks.

On my car, 4460,1/2 the skin under the radiator support got torn off, before I lowered the car. How stupid am I? Don't answer that...

In my view, the bottom of the radiator support can't be protected much at all. The same design hangs the chin spoiler out there too.

Even if the spoiler was mad of silly putty, it would still get beat on.

Unless a flexable spoiler can be made inexpensively it is just anexercise in futilaty.

In fairness to all of the vendors, they have been down this road before. There is really very little alternative.

Crunch that 'glass and bear it. At $100 and change for the fiberglass GTS spoiler, there really isn't much to bitch about. It is still the least expensive route.

Doug ..I dont think its a question of stupid ... us boys in NY have to contend with POOR ROADS .. and it hurts the lower cars MUCHO ..

Panteradoug:

My thought was that if the flat plate shown in the photo of Goram's car could be made of a tough plastic like Teflon, and if it were to be sufficiently thick so as to protrude below the lower edge of the air dam lip, then the fiberglass would be spared. The idea would be to have the sacrificial material start scraping before the brittle fiberglass, giving me enough warning so that I could stop the car before the whole assembly contorted enough to cause the kind of cracking Deeb describes. Of course none of this would help if I hit an obstacle head on -- I'm only talking about the horrible dragging scrape that you get when you hit a driveway approach that is too steep.

Maybe the Teflon splitter plate is not the way to go. I don't know. At this point I'm open to any suggestions (well, short of creating a new air dam out of rubber anyway).

How about this......

If ANY vendor, will manufacture the GT5 spoiler both for the GT5 and for the narrow body cars, in the same plastic material as is used for off road motorcycle body work, I will give them one years FREE advertising in PI magazine. It must be thick enough that it is basically indestructible, doesn't deflect in the wind at high speed, doesn't crumple when it hits something, etc.

Larry, Dave, Kirk, are you guys reading this?

cowboy from hell

Put some hydraulics on that bad boy, like the low riders

no more troubles

Hydraulics add weight in all the wrong places. I'm looking for a solution that will not compromise performance. I could build a DONK, but then I would have to shoot myself.

quote:

Originally posted by Peter H:
...I'm looking for a solution that will not compromise performance...

Theres the answer to my dirt road problem. I won't have to wash the car I can just shake the dirt off.
Richard T.

Hall once marketed a kit that was designed to lift the front end at the push of a button to prevent spoiler damage, I think they discontinued it a few years back


gary #06984

quote:

Originally posted by Peter H:
Hydraulics add weight in all the wrong places. I'm looking for a solution that will not compromise performance. I could build a DONK, but then I would have to shoot myself.

These are 'benz wheels right?

Here's another approach to the problem. The photo is of a GT5 conversion with what appears to be a rubber strip attached to the bottom front of the air dam. In this case, the strip is so thick as to be unattractive and reduce clearance even further, but it does serve to illustrate what I think may be an interim solution for me. Instead of a big rubber lip, I'm thinking of attaching common black automotive door edging to the bottom front lip on the fiber glass. It will be discrete (probably nearly invisible on my black car), and act as a sacrificial guard against scraping. It is cheap, easy to replace, not as brittle and, I hope, will prevent the fiberglass from chipping away because it will slide on pavement rather than snagging. If the concept works, I'll post photos.

The rubber skirt idea has been around a very long time.
It isn't there to protect the 'glass. It is there for aero function.
If you look at the GT race cars they will actually set it virtually on the ground and let the car grind of the clearance that it requires.
The process makes a horific sound on the car but on a race car with open exhaust, who can hear it. It's more that you feel it dragging.

The rubber squeege doesn't really help the fiberglass, it stresses it out more. It really should be fit to a metal skirt and the entire assembly changed daily.

The solution is to mold the entire spoiler from a flexible and compliant material.

The hardest decision to make would be what durameter material to use. Ideally a dual durameter would be the best.

Why there is resistance to the idea is beyond me. If there is a mold existing for the fiberglass it isn't a stretch to use it for hand laid rubber in my view.

You pour the uncured rubber into the mold in a similar way to fiberglass resin.

quote:

Originally posted by Peter H:
...Here's another approach to the problem...

Peter, I think the rubber along the bottom edge looks OK. It looks very oem, nicely finished. Its a nice touch and I'm sure whatever you do will look great.

quote:

Originally posted by PanteraDoug:
...The solution is to mold the entire spoiler from a flexible and compliant material...Why there is resistance to the idea is beyond me...

quote:

Originally posted by PanteraDoug:
...The hardest decision to make would be what durameter material to use...

The answer is cross linked polyethylene, or PE-X. that's the stuff dirt bike fenders & gas tanks are made from.

cowboy from hell

QUOTE]
The answer is cross linked polyethylene, or PE-X. that's the stuff dirt bike fenders & gas tanks are made from.

cowboy from hell[/QUOTE]

Oh course! How could I have missed that one?
PE-X, is the solution. It's the missing link, just like me!

George is right, PE is a great material, but I don't believe it can be moulded without a large machine, and either very high pressure, high temperature or both. The common method is rotational moulding, but it requires a mould (and expensive when it's huge) and the ability to heat the PE pellets to hundreds of degrees for 10—15 minutes during the moulding process. Most rubber moulding has similar constraints, but I am not aware of the hand-laid method, but I suspect that the weight and cost of a rubber part (including the required internal structural reinforcement) would not be very appealing trade-off against fibreglass which is relatively cheap, easily to mould in low volumes with low-tech, low-cost equipment and still fairly impact resistant.

Like Yoda says, patience young Jedi.

Not just anybody could produce a new heavy duty Cleveland block, but Tod Buttermore isn't just anybody. He's a pattern maker. He designed the patterns for his block in his spare time, they cost very little to make financially, just a huge investment in his time. It was an investment he was willing to make because he is fairly certain he will make a profit for his efforts. FRPP, World Products or Dart do not produce the molds like that, they pay patternmakers & engineers tens of thousands of dollars to design their molds . Nobody works for a corporation for free, because the corporation will reap the profits, not an individual.

The ads below are cut & pasted from the internet, proving there are peolpe out there willing to produce motorsport products from PE-X for niche markets at sane prices. You can bet the molds for the products below were designed in house at very little cost, similar to what Tod is doing with his block, otherwise the products could not be sold at the prices advertised.

You never know, somebody may already be investigating making the GT5 spoiler in PE-X. Patience ...
_____________________________________
1971-1974 Dodge Charger

Concours quality reproduction of the full length one piece front spoiler molded in black polyethylene plastic, as original. Superior in durability to incorrect fiberglass reproductions. Correct style mounting fasteners included. Ready to Install. Although originally offered only in 1971, will fit all 1971-74 Charger models. Made in USA.

$160.00-complete
___________________________________


You Are Buying A BMW 2002 FRONT AIR DAM ONLY! Brand New!
Made Of Flexible Black polyethylene which is Very Durable.
This air dam features duct openings for brake cooling.
You can leave it unpainted, but it can be painted with proper prep.
It will fit with our Turbo Flares.
Make your BMW stand out from the rest!
Professional Installation Is Recommended!
Buy it now $195.00
Buy With Confidence! Happy Buying!
Thank You for Looking!
Buy Here & $$$ave
Please, Visit My eBay Store At
~~WWW.STORES.EBAY.COM/EUROSTOPUSA~~
_______________________________________________

70 Challenger Ft & Rear (Go Wing) Spoilers (Value)
For the ultimate value, we have packaged our front (AA231) and rear spoilers (FP005) into a single kit containing absolutely everything necessary to add this rare option package to your car.

Rear Spoiler: FP005
Value priced reproduction spoiler kit includes the following: wing blade constructed of high-density black polyethylene plastic (originally constructed of fiber-reinforced plastic) supplied in primer; FP210 wing to pedestal attachment brackets; (2) pedestals constructed of ABS plastic with steel inserts (originally constructed of zinc die cast metal); gaskets; mounting studs; FP205 underdeck reinforcement brackets (powder coated gloss black); and FP202 adjustment bolts. This is a quality, low priced reproduction wing spoiler--with correct spacing between pedestals--that mimics the overall look of the 1970 spoiler design but is not a concours copy. It is offered for the non-purist who simply desires a wing for his/her cruiser. Requires sanding if a smooth finish is desired. Includes placement instructions. Made in USA.

Front Spoilers: AA231
Concours quality reproductions of the 1970-71 front spoilers molded in black polyethylene plastic, as original. Superior in durability to incorrect fiberglass reproductions. Correct style mounting fasteners included. Ready to install. Will fit all 1970-74 Challengers. Made in USA.

Both spoilers, kit price: $259.00
___________________________________________________

Clarke Manufacturing

KTM 400/450/525EXC and 450XC (2006-2007) 4-Strokes 3.1 gal. fuel tank.
DOES NOT FIT 2007 SX-F
Code: 1468
Price: $195.00

Since I know how much you appreciate my negative input ( ) consider that BMW made approximately 430,000 2002 models (more if you include the 1600 and 1800), and that Chrysler was pumping out more than 75,000 Chargers a year back then. That’s a lot of potential buyers (assuming any of those cars lasted this long).

It's all about potential market/sales volumes when a manufacturer decides if they will get payback on their investment. You probably know exactly how many 351 Clevelands were pumped out originally, but I'm pretty sure that your friend did not decide to make that substantial investment to satisfy the Pantera market alone. There are probably a few Ford guys looking for new blocks.

That said, as our faithful leader, maybe these companies would talk to you and ramp up production of new spoilers based on your knowledge of the owners. They sure wouldn’t talk to an individual owner wanting just one or two.

The guys advertising the parts are small potatoes, they don't have the cash to lay out ten thousand dollars for each mold, especially when you consider they had more than one part made of PE-X in their inventories. The parts advertised are probably inventoried in quantities of 10 to 20 at the most. To inventory more would consume too much storage space.

quote:

Originally posted by Mark Charlton:
...maybe these companies would talk to you and ramp up production of new spoilers based on your knowledge of the owners...

I'm so far ahead of you, you're not even in the rear view mirror.

cowboy from hell

May The Force be with you!