I've got an 88 trans am. The car is getting hot on the highway and I'm not sure if the air dam is good, broken, or not even there.

There unfortunately aren't many other 3rd gens running around down here, so I can't really check on someone else's car what it's meant to look like, and I've spent about an hour searching the forums & net with no luck.

If someone could have a look at the pic and tell me what they think, cheers

edit- actually, what are those plastic moulding/vent things at the front? One's right in the foreground of the pic.

 

http://www.moderndaymuscle.com/exterior4?b=1

JamesC

 

That bad huh?

1 piece or 3 piece?

 

Sorry, I can't help more--I'm an IROC kinda guy (one-piece for me). You might consider posting again with which set-up your car requires--or trying a search.

JamesC

 

Three piece for the trans am. That's a good price too, Hawks recently jumped their price on that piece to $100. I bought one from them about a year ago at $35.

 

So is mine completely missing (hopefully the pic is semi-clear with what's going on down there) ? Because I can't see anything down there that looks like the 3-piece air dam. There is a plastic thing that looks like the 1-piece.

 

Looks like you've got the old style but the three piece should bolt right in. It will look better and provide better cooling. I installed one on my 85 TA summer before last. If you install it I would recommend that you attach a brace between the three pieces. Maybe hard to explain, but I cut about a 3x3 piece from my old dam and let it span the gap between the new pieces, drilled two holes at each edge of the new dam pieces and used some of the extra fasteners to attach it behind the new pieces.

 

thanks naf, I'll do that

 

Ya, to me it looks like the whole bottom of the dam got cut off. It should be atleast 3 to 4 times longer than it is. I could be wrong though, I haven't seen a bird setup; but I am sure its the same.

 

THIS IS WHAT YOUR T/A LOOKS LIKE ON A LIFT.

YOU, JUST AS I, NEED THE AIRDAM.

 

A pic of my custom stainless steal one that i made, it workes quite well but is bent up too far ATM, I need to bend it back down to colect more air.

Its real simple and cheap to make, you can use any kind of steal aslong as its 2.5mm+ so it dose not bend back from the down force that the air hitting it will cause.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...Image006-1.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...Image005-1.jpg

 

i only run that small piece that bolts right under the radiator and i run cool.. could be other things besides your airdam.. clogged radiator or block.. junk thermostat, waterpump, or fan..

 

The previous owner of my car got one about 2 years ago from GM. I think it was $50.

 

yeah but we are in Australia and the only place that has them is https://www.usgmserviceparts.com and it is $138.00 there.
This is the page:
https://ssl.shoalhaven.net.au/usgmse...3baf9823e274e4

This place is great for replacement parts but for something like the air dam it would be cheaper to make it.

 

Ouch, that's rough. You still have the top lip, a sheet of durable plastic and some epoxy would definitely work if you have some tools and time. I'd do it if it would save me $140. These things scrape the ground all the time anyway, no need for a "nice" piece of plastic.

 

My air-dam is S/Steal @ 600x300x2.5mm.
i bent it at 40* to start with then i bolted it on the car to see how it would work then took it off and bent it more (don't know current angle)

I would say if somone was going to make one like this bend it at 40* or 45* then mount it on the car and go by youre own opionion if it needs to go further or less.

 

INSTEAD OF BUYING A PLASTIC ONE, I AM HAVING A STEEL ONE FABRACIATED. $50.00

IF THIS GOES WELL, I'LL POST THE NAME OF THE SHOP AND GIVE YOU THEIR CONTACT INFO AS WELL AS TELL THEM TO KEEP THE DIAGRAM THEY CREATED TO MAKE MY DEFLECTOR FOR FUTURE ORDERS.

I DEBATED GOING WITH THE PLASTIC ONLY TO THINK I'LL HAVE FUTURE PROBLEMS WITH IT. SO I'M THE GUINEA-PIG AND I'LL POST HOW THIS TURNS OUT.

 

Go Aluminum...

 

Na coz alloy bends real easy, if you were going 100K / 60M+ the air force would just bend it back.
I went with high grade stainles steal because it is light and strong.

 

OK, HAD IT FABRICATED AND HERE IT GOES:

IT IS 34 INCHES WIDE AND 6 1/2 INCHES LONG.

THERE IS 1 1/2 INCHES BEFORE THE BEND AND THE BEND IS AT 38 DEGREES. THIS IS SUFFICIENT ENOUGH TO GET THE AIR-DEFLECTION I NEED WHILE AT THE SAME TIME AVOIDING BENDING IT BY SPEED BUMPS.

12-GAUGE STEEL AND I PAINTED IT WITH KRYLON RUST TOUGH ENAMEL FROM WALMART ($4.00). 12-GAUGE IS NOT NECESSARY AND YOU CAN GO 15 OR 16 AND BE FINE.

WHEN I INSTALLED THIS, IT DIDN'T FIT EXACT. I HAVE IT HELD IT WITH THE 2 END BOLTS. THE REASON FOR THIS IS BECAUSE OVER THE YEARS, SPEED BUMPS HAVE NOT ONLY RIPPED OFF THE PREVIOUS AIR DEFLECTOR, IT PUSHED UP WHERE THE AIR DEFLECTOR CONNECTS THEREBY MAKING IT UNEVEN.

I MAY END UP TAKING OUT THE BOLT ON EACH END AND TRYING TO HAMMER STRAIGHT SO I CAN PUT ALL 6 BOLTS IN OR JUST USE SOME LOCK-TIGHT ON THE 2 BOLTS.

IMMEDIATE COOLING IMPROVEMENT.

I PAID $62 FOR IT BUT THAT WAS IN PART BECAUSE IT'S THE FIRST ONE DONE. THE FOLLOWING HAS SAVED THE DIAGRAM USED TO MAKE IT AND WILL MAKE OTHERS FOR $40 + SHIPPING.

INTERSTATE WELDING & FABRICATION, INC.
1939 SHERWOOD STREET
CLEARWATER FLORIDA 33765
727-446-1449
WWW.INTERSTATEWF.COM

UPDATE:

THE DEFLECTOR ISN'T WORKING -->AS WELL<-- AS I EXPECTED.

I'M CALLING INTERSTATE ABOUT BENDING THIS DEFLECTOR ANOTHER 1-INCH DOWN WHICH I'LL ESTIMATE AT 50-DEGREES. THE PHOTO'S LOOK LIKE THERE IS BARELY ANY CLEARANCE BETWEEN THE PARKING STOP AND THE DEFLECTOR BUT AFTER I MEASURED IT, THERE IS 3 INCHES. AS YOU KNOW ON THESE "LOW-RIDER" CARS, 3 INCHES IS A TON OF ROOM. I DON'T BELIEVE THE DEFLECTOR HAS TO BE ANY LONGER THAN IT CURRENTLY IS AND THE 1-INCH FURTHER BEND FROM THE CURRENT 38-DEGREES I BELIEVE WILL BE SUFFICIENT.

UPDATE:

I AM HAVING ANOTHER DEFLECTOR FABRICATED. IT'S GOING TO BE 2 INCHES LONGER AND 55-DEGREES ON THE BEND. WHAT I NOTICE IS THAT WHERE THE DEFLECTOR IS AT NOW IS ALMOST EVEN WITH THE FRONT NOSE OF THE CAR SO BY EXTENDING IT ANOTHER 2 INCHES AND LOWERING IT TO 55-DEGREES WILL GIVE AN ADDITIONAL GAP FOR AIR TO DEFLECT UPWARDS. AROUND TOWN DRIVING I NOTE A LOWER TEMP WHICH ACCOMPLISHED EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED IT TO DO BUT ON THE HIGHWAY, I'M STILL RUNNING HOT AT 1800 RPM 0VER-DRIVE AND THIS IS THE TIME WHEN THE CAR SHOULD RUN COOLEST VS. AROUND TOWN STOP AND GO. GOING WITH 14-GAUGE STEEL.

 

Didn't realise this thread was still going. Thanks whoever posted the underbelly of the red car up there, that was what I had, bit of plastic that did nothing.

Got the 3-piece from the site above weeks ago, clipped right in. I have about 3 inches of ground clearance at the best of times, but the car is running cool again which is the main thing.

 

What`s the latest on the air dam problem?