Front Air Dam is scraping
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 205
Likes: 0
From: Saugus Ma
Front Air Dam is scraping
My 1986 sits very low in the front and scrapes all the time whenever I go over any small incline. Is there a way to lift the front end a couple of inches without causing any problems? Thanks Jerry
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 2,308
Likes: 1
From: Portsmouth VA
Re: Front Air Dam is scraping (AGENT 86)
the air dam is trimming itself... lol jsut leave it. it'll be ok. thsoe are relatively cheap to replace anyway even if you have to do it every few years.
you would not want to raise the front end, that is bass ackwards. everybody else is trying to lower there cars...
all you have to do is approach inclines and declines at an angle, and then you won't scrub or at least will scrub much less. just takes some getting used to and awareness of the road. :cheers:
you would not want to raise the front end, that is bass ackwards. everybody else is trying to lower there cars...
all you have to do is approach inclines and declines at an angle, and then you won't scrub or at least will scrub much less. just takes some getting used to and awareness of the road. :cheers:
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 22,267
Likes: 3
From: Dallas TX
Re: Front Air Dam is scraping (Jerry D)
yeah, takes some time getting used to like it did from me going from an SUV to a vette. You can order the front spoiler kit for 92-96 for $40 from Mid america .. not sure on the '86 though. I would guess it's the same part, but who knows.
Pro
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 571
Likes: 0
From: Redmond WA
Re: Front Air Dam is scraping (Jerry D)
Damn, mine scrapes getting out of my driveway. It's funny, it rarely scrapes on the way in but always on the way out, and I turn the wheel the same for both. Just get used to it and try to minimize it.
Sam
Sam
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 205
Likes: 0
From: Saugus Ma
Re: Front Air Dam is scraping (LT4Sam)
Hi Sam
Yeah mine is the same no scraping going in up my driveway but backing out is nasty. I tried different angles so I guess I'll have to get used to it and just take it slow. Thanks Jerry
Yeah mine is the same no scraping going in up my driveway but backing out is nasty. I tried different angles so I guess I'll have to get used to it and just take it slow. Thanks Jerry
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 2,168
Likes: 16
From: Phoenix AZ
Re: Front Air Dam is scraping (Jerry D)
They must have done something to the front spring in '86 because they all appear to sit a little lower in front. I put a Z51 front spring off an '85 on mine and it sits level now and doesn't scrape nearly as bad as it used to. Rides and handles great, too. I had put the rear Z51 spring in too but removed it because it was waay too stiff. If you look at spring rates through the years GM kept softening up the rear spring (softest was in '96) so I wouldn't worry about mixing springs from different performance packages.
Also, GM made several air dams over the years too and if you replaced yours with a longer one (the Z51 air dam is the longest) that may have contributed to the problem as well.
[Modified by vetracer, 12:25 PM 4/26/2003]
Also, GM made several air dams over the years too and if you replaced yours with a longer one (the Z51 air dam is the longest) that may have contributed to the problem as well.
[Modified by vetracer, 12:25 PM 4/26/2003]
Team Owner
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 24,337
Likes: 25
From: San Diego , CA Double Yellow DirtBags 1985..Z51..6-speed
Re: Front Air Dam is scraping (vetracer)
Maybe you should lower the rear more. When I dropped my rear 1.25" I think the front air dam went up like 1/4" or so.