when i dropped the car back down it looks like i have enough clearance.

Camarozz383, the way you did yours is awesome! Turned out great.

Isn't that the reason they were engineered with flexible plastic? I would have to replace a metal one every week.

Thank you very much orangepeeler, glad you like it, hope this helps out someone that is looking for an idea for them selves.

I just made one similar out of aluminum sheet metal. Gonna install it tomorrow and see how it looks.

anyone post up a stock one and a aftermarket one (one you made) i'm looking to make my own but i don't know what would be best, galvanized sheet metal or another based metal. Also dimensions would help too! because i dont want to make it to long and it starts hitting everything, lol.

I really like the solution in this link! It handles the cooling, structural enhancing for the chin spoiler, and provides brake ducting!! I really wish this was a production piece, don't think I have the skills or resources for this. may attempt something when time permits.

http://www.thirdgen.org/techboard/at...cement-019.jpg

very nice, sadly i could only do a third of that since the rest of it has to do with alot of folding and riveting... dont know the dimensions that well.

Does anyone know who made that? Maybe he could throw some instuructions our way, or just make some so we could buy em? He could make some $$$ off of that

I think if you made it in 2 pieces and had a spring loader to connect the pieces you might get by if you hit something it would spring back when you went over a bump or hit something it would spring and then spring back i am going to look into some parts to make it do that. I will prompt you all when i find some parts. and if you all feel froggy enough to fab one since i am in the middle of a transmission swap its the least of my worries right now.

Here I found it. Perfect. Check this out for all those that think it will scrape.
http://www.guden.com/ItemDisplay/Ite...e%20select%20- just find where you want to make it a two piece and bolt it right on. I might even after i am done with my camaro fab one up just to show you all. Even sounds like they can make a design to. Maybe better than the first on in the pic. Get 2 of those i would think this whole air dam fab would work.
http://www.guden.com/Static.aspx?pag...ring_Hinge.asp
this is the same place. This is for Stronger ones if you think it might be to weak on the first link to use.

even to just bolt the hinge on the frame and then put a foil in the front to make it where it dont' spring all the way back and just stops at the angle you need so when it springs it will spring back to the position you had before.

See in the picture where he had to bend the metal. Well dont have to just get a nice solid straight piece. Put the hinges on the frame and then on the metal. and in the front of it put some sort of stopper foil whatever u want to call it. so it dont' spring all the way up. This is possible. they might even be able to make angle ones so you don't have to put nothing in the front. Just one thing make sure the spring is tough. Because don't want the wind to sheer it up. Just strong enough where it holds wind and light duty enough to fold up if you scrape.

im sure it is, but i was answering a question about the metal air dam damaging the car is it bottoms out on it.

i wonder if you could use the springs off of a lawn mower chute?

I bet got the inguenity anything is possible.

I wish I'd seen this thread long ago, I've had a few issues with these airdams. The first issue, I ripped one off, driving through a canyon, because of a small rock slide. I was out in BFE, so I had to do something at the Ace hardware store in the next little town, it was overheating. I had them cut me a length of 1" by 1" angle iron, then they rented me a drill for an hour. Once I got that on, I had them cut me 2 lengths of thin wood to make it 3.5" deep. I installed one, and saved the other for when the first one broke. Took about 2 months to break it, I was trying to keep from breaking it. I can't recommend this, but it got me home.

I plan on making mine like a C5 vette airdam. I will add a 1" vertical flange under the radiator support, with 4 drilled holes. Each pair of holes will have a small diameter steel cable looped thru it and a thick rubber flat airdam. on the backside of the flange, connecting the ends of the cable (completeing each the loop) will be a fairly stout spring. I will probably use actual OEM corvette pieces, as they work pretty good.

The one on my 97 GTP was spring loaded to allow for it to take the occasional hit without damage. I wish I had some pictures to show how everything was installed, but the car left last week. I would say use a couple of hinges that put the pivot point behind the dam and a 2-4 springs that pull the dam forward would result in a similar setup. You could even use the stock air dam if you're creative enough

Has anyone thought about hitting something the air damn comes off and that sheet metal taking out a tire or fuel line, coolant lines , oil pan

no

LOL OK let the cat stakes fall where they may

well its been over a year, hit anything that affected it yet? results are better than conversation.

Has anyone gathered experience in fabricating an airdam out of glassfibre?

It would be rather easy or control or decide on the strength of the various parts of the airdam, and making the lowermost part of the dam thinner would avoid damage to the car chassis mounting points when hitting something.

If it would hit it first breaks the epoxy, and by controling the strength of the dam the thinner parts would just crumble off leaving the rest on the car to be repaired.

Broken off parts of glassfibre do not cause damage to tires, cooling lines or cables because they are light and generally come with frayed edges.

Material cost for a glassfibre airdam would be approx $25.
You would most likely have to insert a bit of sheet metal at the base to prevent the mounting holes fraying out under load.

I consider using this method because in europe a replacement airdam would cost me $150.

On a 1990 camaro RS the ideal size would be 19"x4" I guess. 4 bolt holes should be able to hold it in the wind.

Small update, I fabricated up an aluminium mounting rail, foam core and covered it in glassfibre. I will be able to post pictures of the airdam under the car somewhere start of next week.

Another update, fibreglass does not hold on aluminum very well. The aluminum profile was still attached but the fibreglass left the construction on it´s own. I´m now trying something different

Ya Ya I know this is old as dirt but Im gunna give it some new life in hopes of new designs that anyone has came up with?

Did anyone ever try the "spring loaded" design?

I have plans to use a hinged setup but intsead of springs use straps, much like the straps used to keep wheels from over extending when they are off the ground. Yes like whats on a monster truck lol. Basically use the straps so that it hold it in the position I want and also if I hit something hard enough that it would cause damage to the radiator the straps would fail and the metal piece would just simply rotate back on the hinges causing virtually no damage (fingers crossed). Maybe put some bump stops on it to make sure no damage accures if it happens to fling up towards the car. Another possibility was making it out of fiberglass instead of metal but keeping the open scoop design.

Any new ideas out there?

Yea, look at a LMC catalog for the 85ish s10/15 for $25 they got a front chin spoiler that would make a nice air dam, one even has holes for fog lamps or air duct ports. Just plastic, just cut down as needed. May fit the rear also for a poke through exhaust.


[I still have my cheap junk one, old piece of aluminum drip edge I stomped flat and painted black. ]