Skid Plate For GT-5 Air Dam?

I thought about it when I installed my mini spoiler. It is very light weight and anything that hits it will break it away from the car. I considered a steel bar under it. Then figured it would do more damage to the lower nose if it hits. I like your first idea of making it removable. I have seen one pantera with air bags that lift it over the tough spots.

Well,

That 'cow catcher' is just plain going to get dinged and chipped, and probably cracked, if you do any sort of driving with it. Just not a practical item, IMHO.

I know Larry Stock of Pantera Parts Connection uses one on his track/ORR car. After running off the track at Vegas in '04, he built his spoiler up with a massive rebuild. You could probably jack the car up using it! Contact him if you really want to try to use one of these and keep it in one piece. I'm sure he would make another.

And I am pretty sure Hall Pantera still sells the air bag system that will lift you up when you slowly come to the seen problem areas, but it is the unexpected situations that will destroy the spoiler when running at speed.

Larry (Finch, not Stock)

You could make the spoiler out of rubber if the only reason you have it is for cosmetics. Wouldn't work much for downforce, but it would still act as an air dam. I do know that some of the German race cars use that skirting around the edges of the car to block off air flow under the car, while just chunking into little pieces when scrapped over curbs.

...one design I thought of was to have to actual cednter 'blade' movable. It semi-locks in the down position, but can then be raised using a pair of small air actuated cylinders (aprox 2.0" of travel) operating on the engines vacuum source, much like the corvettes headlight buckets work. The vacuum to the cyliders is controlled by a 12 Volt solinoid valve; switched from inside the cockpit, OR if your are 'forgetful', have it switched by a micro-switch on the lip of the spoiler itself, although the micro-switch would NOT fuction fast enough if you were driving 'at speed'. I was going to install this on a Trans-Am, I once owned. The spoiler was a 1/4" thick 'Blade' of aluminum. Very custom and unique! I still have all the parts...

quote:

Originally posted by MARLIN JACK:
can then be raised using a pair of small air actuated cylinders

The Hot Rod vendors have solenoid based systems used to raise and lower license plates. These would probably work well and they would be self contained. It's also an interesting idea to make it out of stiff rubber. There are protype shops that could probably do this kind of thing for you, including a custom molds to make the rubber part.

Jeff
6559

I purchased the Amerisport mini spoiler a year ago, I banged it a couple of times going up driveways until I got used to it being there, then I learned to approach more slowly. I still hit stuff, even going slowly, my car is lowered, its just the nature of the beast. I realize that someday I'll need to replace the spoiler when I rack up 1 hit too many. Its painted black & sits real low, very hard to see the cracks in the fiberglass, lol..........

Off road motorcycles use a very tough plastic for their body work, it can be colored any color you want, it would be the perfect material for this application. It would also make an inexpensive, rust proof, lightweight & DOT approved material for a replacement Pantera fuel tank.

Any VENDORS out there paying attention?

George

I think the old saying "look at your friends with one eye closed" is so that you don't worry about the imperfections. So since we're supposed to drive these cats, no one ever notices, until you look really close. Actually, just go fast enough and no one will even care. Not even you!