so i was having troubles overheating recently, mostly due to the fact that my airdam was all warped out of shape and not scooping correctly. i saw somewhere on here someone describe the front of a trans am as a barn door and i think that describes it pretty well and what im thinking is why not cut some holes in the front for better air flow like a camaro? why are there no holes in the front in the first place? has anybody else tried this? im conpletely willing to cut up my front bumper in the name of better temps... i was thinking pull the plastic peice that curves up on the inside of the nose, cut some holes in the front and then build some sort of air dam along the sides and top to guide the air straight to the radiator or something. what do you guys think?

 

Why not get a new air dam? Is something mechanically wrong (to cause higher temps) with your car? There are thousands of birds on the road from stock to highly modified that don't have overheating problems. However if you can do do so it looks good, I would like to see some picts of your finished process.

 

Yeah....Just get a new air dam, or fix yours. If those of us in Arizona/New Mexico/Texas/etc. can have a cool running car in 100+ degree summers, the problem is not in the cars design, but an error elsewhere that needs correcting.

Besides fixing your air dam, you could swap to a cowl induction hood which will help heat escape.

 

Since these cars(Firebirds mainly) were designed without grills or any front opening, they rely on the lower airdam that creates the correct amount of pressure to bring air to the radiator. Along with the airdam is plastic filler piece that leads from the lower airdam towards the upper radiator. You should see this under the hood latch area. If you see the ground then yours is missing.

I agree with what the others have said. These cars have been drove in extreme heat states(Arizona, Texas, etc) and they don't need more openings.

Replace or repair the airdam first. If its warped you can heat it with a small propane torch to get it soft and clamp it between 2 boards(2x4's will work) and let it cool. Do this careful and in small stages till you get it straightened. Any tears can be fixed with 2 part Epoxy from any auto parts store.

If this doesn't help, check your water pump, fan(s), fan temp switch, coolant and so on.

My car used to get hot sitting in traffic or at a drive thru where there is no airflow going to the radiator. I installed a Hypertech fan switch to replace the factory unit and my fans kick on and it never gets above 200 degrees on a hot day.

 

You are truly crazy to cut up a nose cone for a cooling issue, as hard as they are getting to find these days. Do you honestly thing that your car would even still be here today if there was an inherent design flaw with regards to cooling? I'm pretty sure GM would have figured that out in 2nd or 3rd year production and made a different nose if it was necessary - but it's not! You car has cooled itself just fine for the last 20+ years the way it was designed to.

In your case, you mentioned air dam. Fix it, replace it, make one. It's not anything special, just a piece of anything stiff enough to allow air to pass under it and create that vacuum needed. And no, it does not "scoop" air up into anything, it creates a vacuum behind the radiator in which fresh air is automatically drawn to (low pressure area vs. high pressure area).

Check the temps with an infrared temp sensor, are the fan(s) coming on at the right temp? If not, replace CTS or fan switch or relays causing the fans to not run properly.

Do the fans work? Replace fan motors if they don't.

Are you really overheating? Unless coolant boils over into the overflow tank, you are NOT overheating, no matter what the gauge reads. These gauges are for show, not accurate even when they were new - just something pretty to look at.

Please do some research, find out why your car isn't cooling correctly the way is was designed to, and fix the real issue the way it should be fixed! Last thing this planet needs is another hacked up 3rd gen!

 

Like you have stated cutting holes in the bumper will not improve your air flow the radiator, unless you are willing to remove the mold plastic pieces that direct the air into the radiator. I'm talking about the plastic that in the air passage not the air dam. Cutting holes in the bumper and then having to replace the bumper later on would be much more expensive than just getting a new air dam, verifying your fans are working properly, and checking the thermostat.

 

also, the firebird bumper reinforcement, the actual steel bumper, doesnt have holes in it like the camaro ones do, do you would have to cut holes in that too, and only way to really do that it to remove the whol;e front of the car.

FWIW, that "barn door" front end, its actually very aerodynamic. 3rd gen bird have very low drag coefficients.

get a new air dam, they are cheap, bolt right on, and will fix this problem, no point hacking up the car to half-*** fix a simple problem.

 

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FWIW, that "barn door" front end, its actually very aerodynamic. 3rd gen bird have very low drag coefficients.

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True statement. For their years, I believe though 85 or 86, they were the most aerodynamic cars on the road built by GM or Ford.

 

ModernDayMuscle have NOS air dams for a good price, I just purchased one for my 91 nose cone.

http://www.moderndaymuscle.com/inc/sdetail/940

http://www.moderndaymuscle.com/inc/sdetail/941

http://www.moderndaymuscle.com/inc/sdetail/942