[DeTomaso] GT5 Air Dam - scraping damage and rock ships

Tue May 15 15:38:48 EDT 2007

Hi Charles:

I believe the GT5-S air dam is, in fact, significantly higher and 
further back than on the GT5. Mine is not only low, but it protrudes 
forward, compounding the problem of approach angles.

Despite my formative years having been gleefully spent wrecking a 
series of cars by emulating the Dukes of Hazard, all the damage I 
have caused to my Pantera air dam has taken place trying to enter 
steep driveways or gas station approaches. The wonky parking lot at 
the PI Hotel at Monterey last August didn't help, either.

- Peter

At 12:08 15/05/2007, Charles McCall wrote:
>Curious Peter... The GT5-S air dam is steel, which is perhaps less forgiving
>than fiberglass. Or perhaps not - it is perhaps a little more flexible and
>therefore doesn't break, but in any case I have only touched once or twice
>in my years of ownership. You haven't been watching too much "Dukes of
>Hazard", have you=?=??? :-)
>
>That being said, I *have* banged up the rocker panel right in front of the
>rear wheel from a very closed curve in the mountains with elevation change
>where it touched at speed. Kind of scary. But I haven't touched the front
>air dam.
>
>I'll have to measure clearance when I get a chance and see if it is the same
>as yours. I'd imagine so.
>
>Oh, and I screw up my parking brake about every other year, since that is
>the low point of the car going over speed bumps...
>
>-----Mensaje original-----
>De: detomaso-bounces at realbig.com [mailto:detomaso-bounces at realbig.com] En
>nombre de Peter Havlik
>Enviado el: Tuesday, 15 May, 2007 9:03 PM
>Para: Tomas Gunnarsson; MikeLDrew at aol.com; detomaso at realbig.com
>Asunto: Re: [DeTomaso] GT5 Air Dam - scraping damage and rock ships
>
>Thanks, Thomas. Yes, I had thought of using curb feelers, but they would
>inevitably be visible and look incongruous on a sports car. I associate them
>more with Grandpa's '59 Buick.
>
>Good thought, though.
>
>- Peter
>
>At 11:21 15/05/2007, Tomas Gunnarsson wrote:
> >Peter,
> >
> >Have you considered getting some curb indicators like the ones you see
> >on old classics? You could probably either mount them behind the dam so
> >that they protrude the correct amount forward/down or modify them to
> >suit your needs.
> >
> >http://www.mooneyesusa.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=755&osC
> >sid=019383a018ac2e10913fa81db56cf9f0
> >
> >Tomas
> >
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: "Peter Havlik" <phavlik at pris.ca>
> >To: <MikeLDrew at aol.com>; <detomaso at realbig.com>
> >Sent: den 15 maj 2007 19:36
> >Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] GT5 Air Dam - scraping damage and rock ships
> >
> >
> > > Mike:
> > >
> > > I take your point, but I'm still wondering if there is not something
> > > I can do that will give me an audible warning just before I start to
> > > scrape. I'm not intending to make the air dam stronger, because I
> > > agree it should have as much flex as possible.
> > >
> > > The rubber (or Teflon or aluminum or whatever other sacrificial
> > > material) strip will start to scrape first and, because I'm usually
> > > going slow when approaching gas station entrances or steep
> > > driveways, I should have more than enough time to stop before the
> > > fiberglass hits or starts to bend much. That's my theory, anyway.
> > >
> > > Also, I have to wonder just how cheap a GT5 air dam is to replace.
> > > First of all, from the look of it, not all aftermarket air dams are
> > > the same as the factory ones (and the factory ones are prohibitively
> > > expensive - if you can find one). Second of all, one still has to
> > > pay for installing and painting the new air dam, which is not cheap
> > > either. And, at the rate I'm going, this will be an annual event!
> > >
> > > I just can't believe that no one out there is having the same
> > > problem as I am, and that there isn't some kind of a solution. We
> > > have enough engineers, fabricators and general geniuses on this list
> > > that I'm convinced the answer is out there somewhere!
> > >
> > > - Peter
> > >
> > > At 10:06 15/05/2007, MikeLDrew at aol.com wrote:
> > >
> > > >In a message dated 5/14/07 13:11:58, phavlik at pris.ca writes:
> > > >
> > > ><< Second, I would like to modify the underside of the air dam so
> > > >that some sacrificial material starts scraping first before the
> > > >brittle fiberglass contacts the pavement. Has anyone done this, or
> > > >know of some other solution to the problem? I just want to hear a
> > > >warning scrape before I damage the fiberglass. >>
> > > >
> > > > >>>Well, keep this in mind--fiberglass is cheap, and by
> > > > >>>definition,
> > > >sacrificial, whereas what it is attached to is expensive.  Mad Dog
> > > >made the mistake of reinforcing his air dam to make it very strong;
> > > >when he
> > subsequently whacked
> > > >it, it transmitted the force to the car and bent his front
> > fenders!!!!  So be
> > > >careful of what you ask for....
> > > >
> > > >I suppose you could put some sort of rubber strip etc. at the
> > bottom of the
> > > >air dam, but it won't change anything.  You will just hit the
> > > >rubber strip first, then still hit the fiberglass under the same
>circumstances.
> > > >
> > > >The real solution, of course, is to (DUH!) stop crashing into
> > things!  Plan
> > > >ahead, approach driveways with caution, and if the approach to a
> > > >given gas station looks too steep, it probably is--just go around,
> > > >or go
> > to a different
> > > >station.
> > > >
> > > >I am in the process of fitting a GTS mini air dam to the front
> > of my car.  It
> > > >will have substantially greater clearance than you GT5 air dam has,
> > > >of course, but it will require circumspection nonetheless since my
> > > >car is fairly low.
> > > >I have deliberately mounted it in a manner that will let it snap
> > off, rather
> > > >than warp the car, in the event of impact.  Fiberglass is
> > > >cheap--metalwork isn't!
> > > >
> > > >Mike<BR><BR><BR>**************************************<BR> See
> > what's free at
> > > >http://www.aol.com.</HTML>
> > > _______________________________________________
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