I purchased one from Dave, owner of Cranes Corvettes, in December and picked it up in person. I won't post his phone number here, but I can PM it to you if you like.

As you can see in the epics below, I further modified my support using Delrin rails for a skateboard so that the support now slides nicely over pavement and concrete. I used Delrin rather than steel or thick aluminum so that when the support hits pavement, it slides rather than drag (causing the support to be pulled down and under the car as it travels forward), and I am happy to report, it works exactly as I had planned. The rails are also replaceable @ $10/set which is pretty cheap insurance if you ask me.

I purchased my support unfinished and applied a baked on enamel finish (@ 400 deg for 15 min) so it looks like stock except for Dave's logo on the front, which I don't mind at all. Dave's product is much heavier than stock, but very sturdy so in my opinion, its worth the weight penalty. I've seen others on ebay and I can't speak for those, but I highly recommend Dave's product over stock.

 

How thick are the skateboard rails?

 

They are .665' thick x .5' tall x 12" long. Here's a link to what is on mine. Other colors are available, and there are other manufacturers for these as well. I chose Santa Cruz only because that's what I used to skate when I was a kid back in the early-mid 80's.

 

If these rails are .665 inches thick, that's a little over 5/8 inches. Is making the skid plates that much lower to the ground worth the sliding ability of them? Might it not be better to have the extra clearance without them?

After I installed my new skid plate I had my mechanic raise the car on the stock bolts. He told me that he was able to raise the front by only about 3/4 inch. With these skateboard rails, you are effectively lowering the car by 5/8 inches.

 

Sorry, but i have to ask why not just learn how to drive your Vette properly? I've owned 2 over the past 7 years and have never scraped because of parking habits alone. It seems pretty stupid to spend a bunch of money to prevent something that is easily preventable with proper driving techniques. It's no different than driving any kind of lowered supercar.

 

It's not a matter of learning how to drive properly. It's not a matter of parking habits. Have you ever heard of potholes?

Which threads suggest that most broken skid plates are caused by parking curbs. I don't believe it is possible to break them this way.

When pulling in forward, the lower part of the front fascia would hit the top of the concrete curbs and scratch up the paint. Even if you went far enough to hit the skid plate, you would be going too slowly to break the skid plate.

 

Corvette Ed Seriously? You usually make well informed and well thought out statements. Notice that few have said their damage was due to parking problems. Your statement is just silly. Learn to drive your Vette correctly instead of trying to prevent an accidental bit of damage? Perhaps Corvette drivers are supposed to be endowed with special senses that can foresee the future. Easily preventable? **** happens.that one cannot foresee no matter how wonderful of a driver you are. You disappoint me.....
But anyone can have a bad day.. I usually enjoy your posts and insights.

 

I don't think there is any reason to question my skills Ed, but since you did I'd like to say that I've been driving Corvettes since I was 15, and I am going to be 51 this year. I learned to drive in the 81 in 1984, and continued to drive that car until I joined the Marine Corps in 1990, I then picked up the 75 when I returned from Desert Storm in 91, and 8 months ago, I got the 2013. I don't think skill, experience, or access to cars (I still own all 3) is the issue, and I can park just fine, in fact, I always park *** end first, not nose first, so parking blocks are never the issue.

I use my 13 as a commuter and I have a steep approach in my driveway with a step down of a few inches to the gutter, which causes the support to drag all the time (meaning every day), enough to wear through the tube itself, So to stop this from wearing through on my new Crane fabricated support, I added Delrin rails in order to protect the new, sturdier unit, against the constant scraping that eventually would wear through the thicker tubes as well. Does this lessen the distance? Yes. But, the sliding action makes up for this loss. I don't think the .665' will make a difference if you hit something hard enough to bend it, and such an impact would likely snap the rails right off anyway before any bending of the support occurs.

I think this modification will help in many situations where dragging or scraping occurs at low speeds, and that's all its meant for. Everywhere I used to drag - home driveway, the driveway at church, my buddies house in De Luz, and other places like shopping centers, and even the entrance to the parking lot at work - are all low speed (< 1 mph) dragging situations that are unavoidable, and no longer an issue with this change.

Bottom line is that this mod will save your $275 Crane fabricated radiator support from damage that would normally require replacement of the entire support again, and at a cost of less than $20. To be fair, I did not know of the Fangs until I read this thread, and they seem to be the same concept, better engineered for this purpose. I probably would have purchased the Fangs had I known they were available at the time I purchased the support, but I didn't, and I made do. If the rails don't prove to be sustainable due to longevity, I may purchase the Fangs anyway just to see if they are any better. Should that happen, I'll post a new thread describing my findings.

 

The damage shown below was not caused by bad parking habits. The welds at both flanges broke and the curved part also cracked. This was caused by a pothole. I imagine you do not have those in Phoenix.

 

Phoenix is riddled with potholes as was Dallas where I just moved from. They don't just magically appear. Watching the road ahead will help anyone avoid them, and you can even use the Waze app to assist, which will tell you when you're coming up on a pothole.

 

Sir You just wont admit that some incidents are unavoidable will you? That's why they are called "Accidents." Do you have car insurance? If one is such a proficient driver one should be able to foresee any possible situation and avoid it. Why waste money on insurance? You can save a lot of money that way..

 

Constantly concentrating on looking for potholes doesn't sound like an enjoyable way to drive. It also sounds unsafe as you are distracted from watching the cars in front of, and around, you.
How do you look for potholes when you are concentrating on changing lanes? How do you see them when it is dark or when it is cloudy and rainy?

 

You should follow your own advice! This coming from a guy following a truck (tailgating?), when a boulder magically appears from under that truck and you hit it. Had you practiced your "proper driving techinques" you could have saved yourself a lot of money. Get off your high horse! Maybe that boulder can break your fall.

 

I ordered mine from Cranes and it was perfect.. Really happy with it and went in easy...

 

Yes I actually spoke to Dave & had placed the order with him. Awesome service!

Thanks for the heads up on the modification, I’ll look into it. For now the car is stored for winter!