Help me brainstorm this spoiler idea

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bhays

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Jul 19, 2009
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Indiana, USA
I am doing some pretty extensive mods on my 1982 project and almost have the car down to bare fiberglass. The car is already a convertible conversion and I am doing flares all around, etc. already. Car will be all black with black center rims, etc... going for the factory supercar aesthetic for lack of better words.

I had a Chrysler Crossfire roadster with a speed sensitive rear spoiler that came up at 62mph... I always liked it and thought it was really cool. (Now I have an SRT6 roadster with the fixed wing...miss the speed sensitive spoiler, love the speed)...anyway..
wingdown.jpg
wingup.jpg

This feature is on a lot of cars, Porsche Cayman, Bugatti Veyron, VW Corrado, etc. etc.

I would love to integrate a speed sensitive spoiler on the Corvette. I think I can score the spoiler mechanism from a wrecked Crossfire and I found a couple of different electronic options to give me a signal at a given speed..

The GX1 model of this device gives an external trigger at a set speed
http://www.rx4speeding.com/

The electronics from this device deploy at 55 and retract at 25.
http://www.droptail.com/index.htm

But what to do about the spoiler itself? The idea of this mod would be that there would be a very clean look with the spoiler not at all prominent until deployed as it is with the Crossfire spoiler. The only spoiler really available for the Corvette is the one in the Ecklers catalog which I am not crazy about..
10307.jpg


Does anyone have suggestions on this project. It may simply be too complicated, but it sure would be a cool feature and I am at the stage of my project to attempt it. Anyone got a suggestion for a spoiler to start with? I wonder if it would be best to start with the Eckler's spoiler and take a section out of the center to narrow it, then make a cavity in the bumper (fiberglass and seams filled) for it to recess into when not deployed?
 
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Use the top section you remove for the cavity as the actual spoiler/wing. Just beef it up with glass and high density core foam. You can incorporate Aluminum fastening block inside and use the mechanism from the Chrysler. I've done windscreen farings on raceboats this way.
 
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bhays said:
mrvette said:
Lead on, or is this the blind leading the blind???
:drink:
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You said it!
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Been a junkyard hotrodder for almost 50 years now, always done shit on the cheep, so getting a few junkyard parts of some description or other is certainly the way to go, it's that fabbing of the spoiler itself to fit over/in/on the rear of my '72 that I very unsure of, to say the least...I am rather UNimpressed with my fiberglass skills to say the least....

In the absence of some junkyard parts like that Chrysler, I would think a couple of linear actuators for the motors, or maybe one large one with some linkage on it....or maybe two/four screws in nutz welded to a frame, have to keep it level going up/down...I gave up on redoing my broken headlights into a single linear motor operation, because of all the levers and complex shit...
so sort of the same problem.....:gurney:
 
Fiberglass is a great medium to work with. If you can think it up...it can be molded from fiberglass. ever seen the Micky Mouse statues at Disney. those molds have 128 separate parts.

I've messed with all that sticky/itchy/stinky shit since I was 12....no wonder my brain cells are getting lonely.

I'm more than happy to help. What do you need help with?

Cheers
 
i think youd be better of with a rear bumper that didnt already have a wing. something like what the pre 80 cars came with. if you have the 80 spoiler on there theres really no need to put a wing like that on there.

remember : function over fashion = nice car
fashion over function = rice car
 
Shirley1978 said:
i think youd be better of with a rear bumper that didnt already have a wing. something like what the pre 80 cars came with. if you have the 80 spoiler on there theres really no need to put a wing like that on there.
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Excellent point. I agree 100%. That's why I always hated the spoiler I posted the picture of, it's redundant.

Shirley1978 said:
remember : function over fashion = nice car
fashion over function = rice car
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You said it! There was a real tendency to go nuts with that stuff on these cars. I really can't stand all the fender vents, twin duct turbo hoods, etc. etc. I will only do it if I can figure out a way to do it and have it look factory.
 
I have an 80 that will also be a track day car so I'm also thinking about what to do with the rear spoiler. I wish someone had some images of a big window C3 with stands of wool on it showing the air flow over the rear.

Vancors used to sell a rear with a much taller spoiler but they'reout of the biz so not sure of another source. Most places charge as much to ship as the fiberglass while Vancors (sp?) was great with shipping costs.

I've decided on two options based on feedback from my race friends. Add a 6" extension to the stock spoiler making it out of aluminum or plastic (similar to the old Daytona cobra) and the other option is a real wing sitting about 12" off the rear deck.
 
bhays said:
Shirley1978 said:
i think youd be better of with a rear bumper that didnt already have a wing. something like what the pre 80 cars came with. if you have the 80 spoiler on there theres really no need to put a wing like that on there.
Click to expand...

Excellent point. I agree 100%. That's why I always hated the spoiler I posted the picture of, it's redundant.

Shirley1978 said:
remember : function over fashion = nice car
fashion over function = rice car
Click to expand...

You said it! There was a real tendency to go nuts with that stuff on these cars. I really can't stand all the fender vents, twin duct turbo hoods, etc. etc. I will only do it if I can figure out a way to do it and have it look factory.
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I'm all for what Blackfinn said. Cut a section out of the rear of the car, to incorporate the small lip on the back of the car, and build a pocket for it to sit down into. You can then use the mechanism from any car you decide and build around it. Fibergalss is one of the easiest forms of building materials to work with. To build your box for the wing to sit down into, use some styrofoam (test for resin compatability) to form a box and glass it in. remove the foam with fingernail polish remover, or acetone (the same basic stuff). Be careful not to get it on any soft resin. Start with the pics now, so we can watch the transformation.


BBTank
 
BigBlockTank said:
Cut a section out of the rear of the car, to incorporate the small lip on the back of the car, and build a pocket for it to sit down into.
BBTank
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Are you talking about the lip from an 80-82 bumper or an earlier bumper with an 80-82 lip... just a little confused.
 
bhays said:
BigBlockTank said:
Cut a section out of the rear of the car, to incorporate the small lip on the back of the car, and build a pocket for it to sit down into.
BBTank
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Are you talking about the lip from an 80-82 bumper or an earlier bumper with an 80-82 lip... just a little confused.
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Damn, I'm sorry man, I got a 69 and my brain was on that style rear. Crap, my bad. In that case, cut just in front of the rear bumper, that's just one body line you don't have to try to hide, it's already there.
 
Hello all. I don't own a corvette but I do share in the passion and drive of this modification...that pursuit for perfection.

http://www.motorera.com/corvette/1980/1980/80blue1.jpg

I would almost say, looking at the 1980 rear, I would be tempted to make the spoiler out of the top of the rear bumper itself. BigBlackTank has a good point about incorporating the small lip. With the way it tilts upward (from the viewpoint of the person behind you) it would hide the spoiler itself being completely stealthy until it raised.

In my case, I'm trying to aim towards something like the Lexus LFA since my hatch/trunk sits flat a lot like the LFA does. It's just getting the mechanics of it that has stalled my mod project so far.
 
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