Installed a Skillard splitter on my 280Z with Type 2 air dam

[Savage42]

Hey guys! Just thought I'd post some pics of my modified Skillard spoiler (designed for Type 1 air dam) that I had  recut to match the Type 2 air dam and decided to go with a subtle 1" lip instead of the huge extension they typically have.  I wanted to eliminate the huge open area the car had with having this front body kit on it, specifically for when I get out to Sebring and expect to hit high speeds on the straights there.  After I modified the splitter, I had it powder coated in bright silver metallic and put it on the car this last weekend.  I think it looks great and should certainly function pretty well.  Just thought I'd pass this on, as Ben at Skillard is looking to make a Type 2 splitter, as there are several differences between both types besides the curvature of the air dam.  Even with the work and cost of having to cut and powder coat it, I still think getting the setup from Skillard is a good deal.  http://skillard.com/products/240z-260z-280z-front-lip-splitter 

 

 

 

 

Now back to finishing the "details" on this car so I can finally go have some fun in it. 

 

https://www.facebook.com/280Z.06/ 

Edited April 4, 2016 by Savage42

[Pillar]

Looks really good!  I like the understated look it has with it only extending 1" out versus the full 3".  

 

How do you have it attached to the bottom of the front air dam? Double-sided tape?  I see the mounting brackets that tie it into the radiator supports and all, I was just wondering if it is held to the air dam with anything, or if it just relies on upward tension from the mounts.

[Savage42]

Typically, there is not actual attachment of the splitter to the air dam.  The upward force can be adjusted via the turnbuckles (pair on each side) and the pair of screws that go into the bottom of the core support.  The bottom edge of the Type 2 air dam wasn't totally flat in the middle, so I actually drilled a single 1/4" hole right in the middle and put a bolt through the bottom with a flat washer, lock washer & nut on there to take away a slight gap between the splitter and bottom of the air dam (just in the middle).  So, that is actually the only attachment of the splitter to the air dam. 

 

I also like the fact that having that plate of aluminum up front will protect the air dam from getting tweaked from hitting a cone or anything else that would easily damage the fiberglass air dam.  Great to get several kinds of functionality out of it. 

[Pillar]

Yeah, I was thinking that if it wasn't attached that it would allow air to wedge its way between the splitter and air dam, as well as the air dam loading up and deforming. This obviously would be worse if your splitter went the full 3 inches out and/or at very high speeds. Is your air dam fiberglass, or urethane?

 

I agree, that a bit of protection from cones is also a bonus (especially if it is fiberglass).

[Rob L]

I love the subtleness of it too.....just peaking out is a nice clean look and not too obnoxious.

[Savage42]

Mine is fiberglass, so having the protection and function is a "win-win" deal.  It is a stout chunk of aluminum, for sure, based on pics I've seen with Ben actually standing on his with a 3" lip.  You won't get much deflection based on thickness and how it mounts to the core support, crossmember and up front via 2 brackets & turnbuckles on each side. 

[260DET]

Does look good and the splitter should be functional. But for race track high speeds there is way too much front air intake area which will result in lots of drag and slow you down. And we don't want that do we.

[Savage42]

I'll have to rely on 450HP & 2500 lbs on race tires to have enough to run down & pass the Porsches, Corvettes and others in the track. We both know that driving has as much to do with it as all-out car performance. Also, very few will drive their cars 10/10ths, but I will. Then again, we aren't racing at DE events and its not racing. It is a street car, after all.

Edited April 7, 2016 by Savage42

[trackzpeed]

I checked these splitters out too..... from the pics on skillards site, I don't think these will fit a 240Z without some pretty heavy mods.  Anyone try it on a 240? 

OP:  very nice work. 

[Savage42]

They mount the same way on all of the S30 Z cars at the bumper mount, tow hook mount, core support and crossmember. The only thing is you need to be running the Type 1 air dam for the current splitter and he is making the version for the Type 2 splitter. It's the air dam that makes the difference, not being a 240 or 280. (From what I've seen).

[260DET]

I'll have to rely on 450HP & 2500 lbs on race tires to have enough to run down & pass the Porsches, Corvettes and others in the track. We both know that driving has as much to do with it as all-out car performance. Also, very few will drive their cars 10/10ths, but I will. Then again, we aren't racing at DE events and its not racing. It is a street car, after all.

Of course but most people start off that way and then look for more and more speed, it's natural. Too much air flowing through the front will, from what I can see of your car, end up going under the car lifting it as well as slowing it down. There was pic around here years ago of someone racing on one of your great speedways who had closed off a lot of the grille opening, apparently it hauled big time and sounded like max fun.

[Savage42]

I may end up making something to close off the bottom portion of the opening, but will wait until I run at Sebring to see what speed I hit (maybe 160) before having to brake hard for turn 17 & even slower into turn 1. I don't think I'll run it at Daytona, so not worried about terminal velocity for sustained periods like I would there. Time will tell.

[RebekahsZ]

By COMPLETELY closing off the front of my car, and with a tailwind, I only increased my terminal velocity 7 mph in the standing mile. Car went 167 with grill totally open and 174 with it closed. Can't say how much credit the tailwind should get. Second day of event had a 14 knot headwind-car went 167 as it did with grill open. Overheating WAS an issue with no grill opening, but a 3"x10" opening solved that. I would like to experiment in future to know how small I can make opening using progressive taping-maybe next meet I can do that. Wish I had a way to measure airspeed instead of groundspeed. Would make this tangent discussion more meaningful. But suffice it to say that the lack of grill closure isn't gonna hamper your fun one bit.

Edited April 8, 2016 by RebekahsZ

[Savage42]

Good to know.  At Sebring, typical speed coming out of turn 16 is around 50-60 mph and the straight is a little over half a mile (.57 mile / 3040 feet) before the braking zone going into turn 17, so plenty of time to get the car moving.  I rode with a guy in his Porsche GT3 at we hit 175 mph when we had to hit the brakes.  Granted, at high speeds, the aero of the Porsche is MUCH better, but I should have an advantage of power/weight to get a better run off the corner and about half way down the straight.  The front straight is a little shorter, but you have more speed coming out of Turn 17, so top speed would be similar.  The benefit of road racing is that we get the benefit of being in the draft, so that would certainly help.  The goal is to make sure I can stay close, as that would be a "moral victory" and likely to irritate them, as well.  ;^) 

Edited April 8, 2016 by Savage42

[trackzpeed]

Agreed on your analysis of s30's. My air dam is a flexible one from MSA, and a type one style, but appears to much lower than the FG version....... I'm toying with my own splitter now using some of the skillard mounting points/design. Again, love your car, nice work.

[RebekahsZ]

I have to say, that I really don't like all that speed. 174 was freakin scary in my car (and I'm hoping to go 26 mph faster before too long). The fastest Ive hauled down into a turn on a road course is about 150 at Memphis which has a 1/4-mile drag strip as the back-stretch. I don't have a working speedometer, so that speed is based on gear and rpm. So much critical shit happening to late brake a car from those speeds! And to think that Im the guy who tightened (maybe?) all the bolts on this POS! I'm comfortable going in a straight line at 150, but the difference in how solid my car is at 150 and how squirrel-ie it is at 170 is like night and day. Please be careful (if that is possible). If I could design a track, the fastest you could go would be about 100 before you had to turn. I like everything about AMP except the fast off-camber section that has all the tire marks leading into the guard rail (I baby that part). I just like my life, my car, and my friends too much. Hoping to compete in an autocross next Sat that last year had a 90-degree turn after a straight section where I hit 75. Just beyond that turn is a 3-foot ditch, a curb and a busy street. If there had been a safe-zone beyond the cones, Ida hit 80 easy. Hoping the rectify that section this year.

Edited April 9, 2016 by RebekahsZ

[Savage42]

I hear you on many points. My wife is hesitant to ride in my Z because I built it myself. (Guess they need to be built in factory by robots). It certainly takes more skill driving and stopping one of our cars at high speeds without the modern aids like ABS & traction control, but that is what also makes them more fun. I ran this '74 Dodge Challenger Petty Kit car at Daytona on the road course and was right near 200 mph on the straights. Without a front spoiler, having a huge "school bus" steering wheel and steering box made for super speedways, it was a handful. Oh, the rear drum brakes were also less than ideal, but it was still a blast. I will keep you posted on how the Z performs on track in the coming months.

 

[trackzpeed]

Not to beat a dead horse but...... As I continue to examine the core support height, I believe the 280's support sits lower than the 240. My core support is darn near the same height as the bottom of my turn signal lenses. If you drop a 280 radiator into a 240, it will sit lower than the 240 core support as well. Sorry if I'm jacking your thread..... Your install and car look great/inspiring, just trying to clarify attempted use of that splitter on a 240Z. Thanks and good luck at the track. Jim

[Savage42]

Would have to check work Bem at Skillard on that. I know he has sold quite a few of them to S30 guys with the Type 1 air dam, can't imagine they all went on 280Zs, but you never know. I'll pass that inquiry along.

[260DET]

280ZX is rock solid at high speed using basic aftermarket type aero, plus a splitter/undertray combination. The S30 is harder to get right right but its quite possible if bodywork, suspension and aero devices are all combined to work together. With the LS3 my 280ZX should reach around 260kph (~160mph) at Bathurst road circuit later this year.