DIY Front Air Dam and Rear Spoiler
09-11-06, 06:47 PM
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DIY Front Air Dam and Rear Spoiler
For anyone wanting to add the above on a limited budget, with access to a hacksaw, welder and tub of body filler.....
Wanted to add front air dam and rear spoiler to my first gen. Didnt really see anything affordable I liked so a quick trip to the wreckers and with a bit of work got an older Integra rear spoiler to fit - $25 and about half a days work. For the front used the rubber thing that comes as stock as a template and fabricated the air dam from a $20 sheet of steel. Took a weekend and plenty of welding rods. Am fairly pleased with the result
Haven't posted pictures b4 so hope they appear below
Wanted to add front air dam and rear spoiler to my first gen. Didnt really see anything affordable I liked so a quick trip to the wreckers and with a bit of work got an older Integra rear spoiler to fit - $25 and about half a days work. For the front used the rubber thing that comes as stock as a template and fabricated the air dam from a $20 sheet of steel. Took a weekend and plenty of welding rods. Am fairly pleased with the result
Haven't posted pictures b4 so hope they appear below
09-12-06, 09:45 AM
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dont get me wrong, the rear spoiler doesnt look bad by any means, its just not my cup of tea. but you definitaly deserve props for your fabrication skills. those parts look like they belong on the car.
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09-12-06, 10:22 AM
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k - more pics
the front air dam took quite a bit of patience to get right and it is held on with lugs at the top that bolt through the holes where the stock rubber thing goes (so its completely removable) - its about 2" deep, with a 2" lip and 1" cut out in the middle to let air flow over the sump (can let anyone have exact measurements if they want). used high density draft excluder to fill the inevitable gaps where it meets the body - also stops any rubbing of the paint
don't know if its my imagination or not but it really seems to make the car more stable on the highway - i have an 80km trip to work every day and it just seems to sit there at speed better than it did
have also included another picture or the rear spoiler....had to remove and fill the antenna hole and drill 5 holes for the spoiler bolts - very carefully....
p.s. how do you compress jpegs to reduce their size - my solution is to cut a piece off the picture out but there must be a better way?
the front air dam took quite a bit of patience to get right and it is held on with lugs at the top that bolt through the holes where the stock rubber thing goes (so its completely removable) - its about 2" deep, with a 2" lip and 1" cut out in the middle to let air flow over the sump (can let anyone have exact measurements if they want). used high density draft excluder to fill the inevitable gaps where it meets the body - also stops any rubbing of the paint
don't know if its my imagination or not but it really seems to make the car more stable on the highway - i have an 80km trip to work every day and it just seems to sit there at speed better than it did
have also included another picture or the rear spoiler....had to remove and fill the antenna hole and drill 5 holes for the spoiler bolts - very carefully....
p.s. how do you compress jpegs to reduce their size - my solution is to cut a piece off the picture out but there must be a better way?
09-12-06, 10:56 AM
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good work but not my style..i make fiberglass parts all the time try using that its really fun to mess with...if you have any questions about it ask me..i know that body filler gets kinda heavy....keep it light and durable with some fiberglass..i have a design for a few front lips, side skirts,hoods,headlight covers,and wings im creating just for 1st gen 7's ..im going to try to be a rx7club.com sponsor after i make a web site for the parts
09-12-06, 11:45 AM
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it is creative but like others said not my thing, the spoiler makes it look like a mk3 supra...which is cool. The only thing with the spoiler that i noticed is the sides aren't sitting flush but noone would notice really. I know which teg you got it off of so i know how it's suppose to sit but it still looks good don't get me wrong. A for effort and originality 
do you use fiberglass mat or cloth? Fiberglass is very simple to do i know some people go ghetto and use like cloth from walmart...then they have that mat stuff where it's all pushed together fibers, which works good with some things but i prefer a couple layers or fiberglass cloth sorry for the thread jack
do you use fiberglass mat or cloth? Fiberglass is very simple to do i know some people go ghetto and use like cloth from walmart...then they have that mat stuff where it's all pushed together fibers, which works good with some things but i prefer a couple layers or fiberglass cloth sorry for the thread jack
09-12-06, 12:05 PM
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you can resize the pics if you have picture editing software, which im sure you do, since you got the pics from your camera to you compy. anyway, just open the edit picture tab, and you should be able to find resize as one of the options, if not press f1 and it will bring up a help menu and you should be able to search through the programs task and find it.
also, the car probably is more stable on he highway, the stock airdam is an inferior design, as it creates lift at higher speed instead of downforce.
also, the car probably is more stable on he highway, the stock airdam is an inferior design, as it creates lift at higher speed instead of downforce.
09-12-06, 01:06 PM
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Some thoughts on FibreGlass
Thx all for your replies and interest
Some thoughts on fibreglass
I used to work in the boat building business is the UK and you could get several different weights of FG - all woven sheets
This began with tissue - which is just like a paper tissue - very light and ideal for small applications with really tight corners where you needed a really pliable glass - but its not very strong
At the heavier end 2oz FG is about a millimetre thick, pretty stiff and very strong.
From memory there were weights inbetween
One additional thing that was useful was a clear/resinous type body filler with chopped strands of glass in it - stronger than normal filler but it needs a normal filler over the top to get a smooth surface - bits of the chopped glass always stick out the top
I am sure you can get all these at a yacht supplies place - really makes jobs easier and produces better results if you use the right type of FG
Some thoughts on fibreglass
I used to work in the boat building business is the UK and you could get several different weights of FG - all woven sheets
This began with tissue - which is just like a paper tissue - very light and ideal for small applications with really tight corners where you needed a really pliable glass - but its not very strong
At the heavier end 2oz FG is about a millimetre thick, pretty stiff and very strong.
From memory there were weights inbetween
One additional thing that was useful was a clear/resinous type body filler with chopped strands of glass in it - stronger than normal filler but it needs a normal filler over the top to get a smooth surface - bits of the chopped glass always stick out the top
I am sure you can get all these at a yacht supplies place - really makes jobs easier and produces better results if you use the right type of FG
09-15-06, 07:55 PM
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I would be interested in something like that if you produced them.
Mainly because it is removable, it doesnt need to be paint matched, and it keeps all the original lines of the car. Not to mention its functional.
-Greg
Mainly because it is removable, it doesnt need to be paint matched, and it keeps all the original lines of the car. Not to mention its functional.
-Greg
09-16-06, 07:53 AM
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Parallel, not parallel... NEH! If you ever carry out this aero project further, that center section could provide a good tunneling effect for a diffuser. Besides, it adds a personalizing touch. I'm impressed, way to go!
