Anyone Make Their Own Air Dam?
#1
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Car: 89 IROC-Z
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Anyone Make Their Own Air Dam?
Mines kinda beat up and was looking at replacememts, but for $35 dollars i could easily make one "i think" lol. So any pics of custom ones?
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Re: Anyone Make Their Own Air Dam?
you might try going to a dirt trak supply place & getting the sheet plastic they use. I riviting it on. It worked for a capri I had. The stuff is fairly cheap too.
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Re: Anyone Make Their Own Air Dam?
No junkyards in your area and nothing for sale on TGO? Should be pretty cheap to pick up a used one.
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Re: Anyone Make Their Own Air Dam?
i was thinking about doing this because the stock ones always seem to curl under the car as opposed to scoop the air. not sure how much that affects its use though.
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Re: Anyone Make Their Own Air Dam?
I made mine out of 1/8 abs plastic and I fabed up some brackets and bolted it into the stock location. I made it hang a little lower and I put a little more pitch on it for more of a scoop effect. I have hit curbs and dips and all kinds of things and it has yet to move it much or damage it not even the oppossum I hit the other night damaged it.
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Re: Anyone Make Their Own Air Dam?
Got any pictures of yours? I was considering doing the same thing with sheet metal.
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Re: Anyone Make Their Own Air Dam?
Something hinged and spring loaded would be nice, so it could scrape/bump stuff and spring back without breaking. Although I can't imagine a way to do it that wouldn't look horrible.
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#8
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Re: Anyone Make Their Own Air Dam?
Great idea Ward! If you could do that it would end all of our air dam problems. Also ive looked at our local yard and they're all shot/missing. The ABS plastic and steel mount idea sounds good, anyone got a pic of theres?
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Re: Anyone Make Their Own Air Dam?
Although I haven't done it yet I was going to go to a sheet metal place and get them to a curve a piece of 18 gauge sheet metal then screw it in place somehow. What do you guys think of that idea? It should be cheap.
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Re: Anyone Make Their Own Air Dam?
Mine rolled back and the supporting bolts were broke off. I made a new one and put it over the old and bolted them together with 1/4 inch bolts. I went to the junk yard with some wrenches and a hacksaw and found a Chevy S10 pickup with the rubber air dam on the front bumper. I used the saw to cut the length I needed, and the bolts are on the outside so it's easy to remove. It also has small braces on the backside that are molded in. Cost, about $2 since I had the bolts on hand.
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Re: Anyone Make Their Own Air Dam?
I will grab pics tommorow I was just adding some support to add some more angle to it. And its a air dam if it works it works and it don't matter if its ugly. Though with my design I could swap the brakets with small barn door hinges and two strong carb return springs. I have just finished my cooling system upgrade and the air dam, ls1 radiator, stock cooling fan with fan shroud, and performance 180 stat with vent hole is keeping the car REAL COOL.
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Re: Anyone Make Their Own Air Dam?
I made a few air dams out of 18 gauge sheet metal. Screwed them on with 1/4 hex head self tappers. Works freaking great!!!!!!! Paints up nice too.
#13
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Re: Anyone Make Their Own Air Dam?
i made this thread many moons ago lol jk. I made one out of some polished aluminum, sorks great.
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Re: Anyone Make Their Own Air Dam?
Good idea putting more pitch on air dam. I would like to bring mine up an inch, and do the same thing. I can't go anywhere w/o dragging the dang thing somewhere. I keep my fans running constantly in the summer probably because the stock air dam isn't doing a great job.
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Re: Anyone Make Their Own Air Dam?
Could you post a pic of the air dam you fabbed? My camaro doesn't even have one I have a few sheets of stainless steel and aluminum lying around, and a bender. I think I'll make one myself if it doesn't look "too" difficult. Thanks
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Re: Anyone Make Their Own Air Dam?
Hmmm, thats a valid point. It would have to be pretty heavy duty if I made it out of metal so that it would hold it's shape.
#19
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Car: 89 IROC-Z
Engine: 370 LSX, LS3 Top End
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Re: Anyone Make Their Own Air Dam?
If it's too strong it would damage your lower rad brace.
Here's Mine (there's still body shop dust over everything)
Here's Mine (there's still body shop dust over everything)
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Re: Anyone Make Their Own Air Dam?
don't bump your head on that when you change your oil, you might decapitate yourself! lol
#22
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Re: Anyone Make Their Own Air Dam?
LOL i already cut my head on it when i was putting the bumper cover on.
It's really thin i'd say 1/8" total, it has a fiber type backing on it. If i hit anything i'm pretty sure it (airdam) would bend/pull out of the two bolts hoding it on. It really forces the air up though!
Thanks for nice words guys.
It's really thin i'd say 1/8" total, it has a fiber type backing on it. If i hit anything i'm pretty sure it (airdam) would bend/pull out of the two bolts hoding it on. It really forces the air up though!
Thanks for nice words guys.
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Re: Anyone Make Their Own Air Dam?
Good idea to not have too much holding it on. That would be the answer if making out of steel. Anybody with a third gen knows those radiator/ engine compartments don't breath well. That's why I used a HO duel snorkle air cleaner with ducts instead of a chromie.
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Re: Anyone Make Their Own Air Dam?
I like the hinged and spring loaded idea... But, as it was mentioned, it might be difficult to make without looking like crap, especially with plastic. But, I have a few ideas, I doubt I'll have anything to show for it for quite a while though. There are other things on the car I should do first...
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Re: Anyone Make Their Own Air Dam?
IDEA
take a stock one, cut it at the corner "L" (where it points down)
take and put a bevel on the edge of each side so it leans like the aluminum one posted above, use west systems g-flex epoxy
http://www.westsystem.com/ss/gflex/ trust me this stuff is stronger than the dang plastic you are bonding it and its made to flex to so it dont snap when you drag. i have used this g-flex before and its well worth every penny and its not to expensive to ball park of $20 depending on where you buy it, but DO get the G-Flex Epoxy Repair Kit, the kit make its easy as can be to work with
now i haven't done this to mine, mine seem to run cool just fine the way it is (im sure that all aluminum rad helps to ) but i feel that this idea would work, and BTW you can sand and paint g-flex
take a stock one, cut it at the corner "L" (where it points down)
take and put a bevel on the edge of each side so it leans like the aluminum one posted above, use west systems g-flex epoxy
http://www.westsystem.com/ss/gflex/ trust me this stuff is stronger than the dang plastic you are bonding it and its made to flex to so it dont snap when you drag. i have used this g-flex before and its well worth every penny and its not to expensive to ball park of $20 depending on where you buy it, but DO get the G-Flex Epoxy Repair Kit, the kit make its easy as can be to work with
now i haven't done this to mine, mine seem to run cool just fine the way it is (im sure that all aluminum rad helps to ) but i feel that this idea would work, and BTW you can sand and paint g-flex
Last edited by 89RS_82Z; 07-06-2009 at 09:08 PM.
#29
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Re: Anyone Make Their Own Air Dam?
Probably way more complicated than it needs to be, but hey if it works and works well, then who cares.
#31
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Re: Anyone Make Their Own Air Dam?
looks nice! can you come cut my grass? i have beer
#34
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Re: Anyone Make Their Own Air Dam?
I could cut grass with it i bet!
I should polish it up just for you guys, then we can have a long discussion about which polish is better lol.
I should polish it up just for you guys, then we can have a long discussion about which polish is better lol.
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Re: Anyone Make Their Own Air Dam?
Going on the 'finding one in a salvage yard cheap' - i grabbed one from a gutted out '93 Buick Regal coupe that works great, so let me vouch for that one. Only needed to drill two holes to fit. And it fits better than one i grabbed from a Cavalier the same year as my Camaro. Best of all, they were both free due to multiple other purchases i made!
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#41
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Re: Anyone Make Their Own Air Dam?
You know i was having a little bit of high temp on my water temp. Just looking at this I am pretty sure Mine is gone and didn't realize it made that much of a difference on cooling. I will be making mine to. and the hinge spring load is a nice idea just need more of a smaller angle b/c think if you hit a dip and you have a 45 degree angle it won't retract. Just a thought of theory.
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Re: Anyone Make Their Own Air Dam?
Does anyone in here realize how the air dam helps the cooling system? It's not meant to "scoop" the air up in front of the radiator, It's designed to create a low pressure zone behind the radiator, essentially "sucking" the air through it.
#43
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Re: Anyone Make Their Own Air Dam?
I don't think, it's designed to create a low pressure area because that would be very unefficient with air getting in from the sides, the wheel wells and openings next to the battery and the other side. its' designed to force air up through the radiator. If you want a low pressure area to suck air through the radiator, build an extractor hood...that's how they work, fast flowing air, detaching from the boundary layer by the big gaping hole and creating a low pressure zone, pulling air through the rad.
What that flap does is create a high pressure area so that air coming in from the front does not leak down under the radiator and reduces flow through the radiator
What that flap does is create a high pressure area so that air coming in from the front does not leak down under the radiator and reduces flow through the radiator
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Re: Anyone Make Their Own Air Dam?
here's mine just finished it today,waiting for paint to dry.I will install it tomorrow
#49
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Re: Anyone Make Their Own Air Dam?
Looks like a bang up job! The only thing I am thinking, is when you bottom out on the air dam, how will it affect your car. I frequently hit my air dam when I go into a driveway, or drive over a speed bump. The plastic factory dam flexes, and springs back.
#50
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Re: Anyone Make Their Own Air Dam?
when you bottom out with a metal one, the dam will bend/crumple and not bend back. Neither of the two shown here would be sturdy enough that they would damage the car if they were hit.