Air Dam Installation Issue
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 176
Likes: 2
From: Abilene Texas
Air Dam Installation Issue
When I bought the car, both the LH and RH pieces of the air dam were missing. Didn't even know when I bought it that there were supposed to be those pieces there. Well, I just bought new pieces and when I went to install them I found out why those pieces were missing. See the following pics.
[/IMG]
Yep, all three bolt holes on that side have been ripped out. Does anybody have a solution other than saying that I have to replace the whole fascia?
Thanks.
David
P.S. The car (DD) is normally not this dirty; the city is replacing the sewer main on my street, which runs just across the end of my driveway, and it has really made the car dirty where I have to drive over the caliche backfill to get in and out of my driveway. And on top of that we've had rain for the last week and has made it all muddy. My driveway and garage floor don't look too great either.
[/IMG]Yep, all three bolt holes on that side have been ripped out. Does anybody have a solution other than saying that I have to replace the whole fascia?
Thanks.
David
P.S. The car (DD) is normally not this dirty; the city is replacing the sewer main on my street, which runs just across the end of my driveway, and it has really made the car dirty where I have to drive over the caliche backfill to get in and out of my driveway. And on top of that we've had rain for the last week and has made it all muddy. My driveway and garage floor don't look too great either.
Last edited by nassaubluecoupe; Apr 22, 2010 at 12:39 AM. Reason: edit to correct spelling error
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 753
Likes: 0
From: Spring Hill TN
Hi the way i see it you have 3 options...
1. replace the fascia.
2. Drill new holes where the material is still good and put new holes in the air dam to match and bolt it together.
3. Build a reinforcement for where the holes are torn eg a piece of aluminum riveted to the bumper with a new hole drilled in it in the places that are torn.
hope this helps
1. replace the fascia.
2. Drill new holes where the material is still good and put new holes in the air dam to match and bolt it together.
3. Build a reinforcement for where the holes are torn eg a piece of aluminum riveted to the bumper with a new hole drilled in it in the places that are torn.
hope this helps
Racer
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 299
Likes: 2
From: John's Creek Georgia
Hi the way i see it you have 3 options...
1. replace the fascia.
2. Drill new holes where the material is still good and put new holes in the air dam to match and bolt it together.
3. Build a reinforcement for where the holes are torn eg a piece of aluminum riveted to the bumper with a new hole drilled in it in the places that are torn.
hope this helps
1. replace the fascia.
2. Drill new holes where the material is still good and put new holes in the air dam to match and bolt it together.
3. Build a reinforcement for where the holes are torn eg a piece of aluminum riveted to the bumper with a new hole drilled in it in the places that are torn.
hope this helps
Should be easy and stronger than factory!
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 11,150
Likes: 890
From: South Western Ontario
The holes are 1/2 there. You could put new speed nuts over the hole locations so that the nut is clipped on as far as possible. Then use something like these to reinforce it and hold it in place. I have these on my car and they do help. I ran them with the old facia with one of the corner holes pulled out like yours and it held it in place.
I did replace the front facia due to a problem with a stupid driver in a parking lot not being capable of missing another parked car but that's another story.
http://www.zip-corvette.com/ProductD...GR-SR&CTitle=&
I though someone made a metal piece to go above the facia and provide new holes but don't know who or where you'd find it if it did exist.
Peter
I did replace the front facia due to a problem with a stupid driver in a parking lot not being capable of missing another parked car but that's another story.
http://www.zip-corvette.com/ProductD...GR-SR&CTitle=&
I though someone made a metal piece to go above the facia and provide new holes but don't know who or where you'd find it if it did exist.
Peter
Last edited by lionelhutz; Apr 22, 2010 at 10:01 PM.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 753
Likes: 0
From: Spring Hill TN
The holes are 1/2 there. You could put new speed nuts over the hole locations so that the nut is clipped on as far as possible. Then use something like these to reinforce it and hold it in place. I have these on my car and they do help. I ran them with the old facia with one of the corner holes pulled out like yours and it held it in place.
I did replace the front facia due to a problem with a stupid driver in a parking lot not being capable of missing another parked car but that's another story.
http://www.zip-corvette.com/ProductD...L2-SR&CTitle=&
I though someone made a metal piece to go above the facia and provide new holes but don't know who or where you'd find it if it did exist.
Peter
I did replace the front facia due to a problem with a stupid driver in a parking lot not being capable of missing another parked car but that's another story.
http://www.zip-corvette.com/ProductD...L2-SR&CTitle=&
I though someone made a metal piece to go above the facia and provide new holes but don't know who or where you'd find it if it did exist.
Peter
Great solution I did not know they made those, looks like you wont have to fab anything. Get a set of those and Drill them for a few machine screws for support to the old bumper and your sorted.
Good find.
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,847
Likes: 795
From: Longview Texas
This piece was designed to fit below the spoiler lip, but you may be able to use the threaded body clips on the backing strip instead of the bumper to get it to work. I would probably put a metal strip above the bumper AND below the lip of the spoiler, where the spoiler and bumper are sandwiched between the plates.
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 11,150
Likes: 890
From: South Western Ontario
And yes, that piece goes below the spoiler. One other nice thing about it is that you push it into the angle of the spoiler and it holds the spoiler nice and "square" under the body, eliminating the gaps and uneveness.
Peter
Last edited by lionelhutz; Apr 22, 2010 at 10:08 PM.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 176
Likes: 2
From: Abilene Texas
No, that didn't happen. Construction has only been here for a couple of weeks now. When I bought the car 1 1/2 yrs. ago only the center piece was there, but I was new to the Corvette world and didn't know to even notice that the side pieces were missing. Realized they were supposed to be there when we installed the VR CAI and through the education I get on the forum.
