Yorgee Posted June 12, 2010 Share Posted June 12, 2010 Ever since I saw a photo of my car on the freeway with the air dam pushed in because of the wind, I've been trying to reinforce the urethane air dam. I'm not sure if all urethane air dams have this problem, or if later version of this air dam are more rigid. I first tried to simply attach some aluminum brackets on the radiator support to keep the air dam pushed forward. Although it was a solution, there was still room for improvement. The inside of the air dam, along the bottom edge of the front lip, runs a 3/8 extension. I ended up riveting some tabs onto this extension to be able to bolt on an aluminum plate I had previously mounted with hanging brackets. (old version) (new version) (I ended up attaching another one of those brackets on the right side, to hold up the plate.) With the tabs riveted to the air damn, the plate and the air dam can be removed in one piece, and when bolted onto the car, it's extremely rigid. Going one step further...I got a hold of some ABS plastic to make a little lip extension. I thought I'd might as well since there was something to attach it to now. After a few days though, I didn't take into account the heat of the sun, which was making the plastic sheet expand (probably should have got a thicker sheet), distorting the lip. But that's nothing a little fiberglass can't fix. With 2 layers of mat around the border, the 1/8 inch thick abs is now close to 1/4 inch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoneStarS30Z Posted June 12, 2010 Share Posted June 12, 2010 That looks really good, that's something I've been wanting to do as well. Is that the Xenon air dam? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorgee Posted June 12, 2010 Author Share Posted June 12, 2010 Is that the Xenon air dam? Thanks Lonestar. Yes, it is a xenon air dam. At least, it has a xenon brand on the back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LLave Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 holy hell... I wonder if mine does that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoneStarS30Z Posted June 22, 2010 Share Posted June 22, 2010 I gotta find a way to make me something like that, I'm no good at body work lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olie05 Posted June 22, 2010 Share Posted June 22, 2010 When I installed my airdam I left the lower grill on behind it (280z). This gives the dam something to rest against when the wind is pushing on it. I did a track day at 100 degree temps (airdam was soft), and didn't notice any deflection in the pics at 100mph. of course from an air management point of view, your modification is far better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240Z_Master Posted July 15, 2010 Share Posted July 15, 2010 Dang dude, I haven't seen your car in forever... but I've always worried about the air dam deflecting under huge wind conditions... keep it up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datsun 1/2 dozen SD Posted July 19, 2010 Share Posted July 19, 2010 Looks good the fiberglass ones also fold in but break I think you got my gears turning Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoneStarS30Z Posted July 19, 2010 Share Posted July 19, 2010 Where'd you get the ABS plastic from? What'd you use to cut it? Are there any other strong materials you might've used? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junglist Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 Looks good, definitely something I'm going to have to do to mine. How many support pieces do you have holding it like the one pictured in the center? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superduner Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Hmmm i became REALLY intrigued by the ingenuity and functionality of this... however... wondering if BLACK PEXI GLASS or something of that sort couldve worked just as well and easier and less expensive to modify onto. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Netrix Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 Plexi glass shatters I think? ABS is durable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snailed Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 (edited) There are lots of cored products that might be good for this too. I have seen some thin aluminum sheets (~.040") bonded to foam core used for making signs. It's tough, light and very rigid. Not sure how thin you can get it, but I bet you could buy a piece from a local sign shop. Some of these look like what I saw...My link Edited February 19, 2011 by Snailed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blitz21 Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 I was wondering if there's any noticable difference in handling at highway speeds? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMission Posted May 27, 2012 Share Posted May 27, 2012 I just did this mod... used 3/16th abs sheet... cost about 46 bucks at TAP Plastics to get cut in 17x60. I used a plastic 2.5 inch disc with a hole in the middle and ran it around the outside of the lip on cardboard to make the template. I also used some 2'' wide aluminum about the same thickness to bracket it up in the middle, going straight down from the horn mounts. Took a lot longer than I expected and isn't the easiest to do, especially getting the edges right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted May 27, 2012 Share Posted May 27, 2012 (edited) The hotter it gets, and if you're in the Desert SW that means any time it's over 85 when the sky is clear.... the urethane dams get really flexy. One alternative is to make a reinforcement 'skeleton' behind the lower part of the lip using 1/4 or slightly larger metal rod. Trick is to not make it TOO rigid! A simple loop will do to keep the lower portion from folding under. It allows you to dink a parking lot barrier and still bend. Yeah, you got to now straighten the rod because it doesn't bounce back like the urethane does... but it's pretty quick and easy to make. just another thought. I like the splitter-look done here as well. Oh, and for you guys in SoCal looking for ANYTHING plastic, check out S&W Plastics (they are in the book, on the web as well I believe) Anything from ABS, Perspex, Polycarbonate, you name it they either have it in stock or can get it for you! Edited May 27, 2012 by Tony D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewZed Posted May 27, 2012 Share Posted May 27, 2012 The coefficient of thermal expansion is very high for most plastics, especially un-reinforced, compared to other materials. Slotted or oversize holes to allow the plastic piece to move independently is the common way to attach large pieces, to reduce warping in hot environments. This is overkill, but here's an example from a materials supplier, Page 26 - http://plastics.dupont.com/plastics/pdflit/americas/general/H76838.pdf Here's another reference - http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/linear-expansion-coefficients-d_95.html Just a few odd facts to twist up your day... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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