vetteguy75

I going to have installed, on Monday, the Pace Car style spoiler (like the picture) and was wondering how the cooling of the engine was affected? I know the air is pushed up from the ground to the front of the radiator and then the fan pulls (or sucks) the air over between the fins of the radiator so it can keep the engine from overheating.

How will this new type of spoiler affect the cooling?

Frank_Nesta

I have had mine on my 1977 since 1980 and it always did the job.

vetteguy75

When installing the new spoiler, do I leave the stock (small, black strip) spoiler on or do I remove it?

Dodosmike

I bought my car 10 years ago. So I cannot say for certain if it better or not. Mine runs 200*f all day long, even in those hot 1000*f days.

Sucks up alot of crap off the road, I can tell you that much. Make sure you keep the rad cleared out.

Dodosmike

vetteguy75

Thanks for the tip!

doorgunner

Rookie question in case I buy a spoiler: Would it help to put some type of(none-noticeable) screen across the inlet to keep the plastic bags and papers out of the radiator?

Mike Ward

At highway speed the fan is doing virtually nothing. Airflow through the rad is almost 100% due to the car's forward motion.

The stock chin spoiler supplies enough to cool the car to design spec. Additional air is not required.

The sPace Car spoiler is for 'bling' nothing else.

74modified

That front spoiler or air dam can help with airflow through the radiator at speed. Look at most newer cars and trucks and you will see a plastic chin type spoiler under the front. Diverting the air causes a low pressure area behind the spoiler that helps pull air from behind the radiator.
It is not really much use for generating down force or reducing drag under the car, you would need something larger and shaped differently. Will your car see any actual cooling difference? Maybe, maybe not. I have seen cars that lost the front spoiler, cool better when it was replaced.

REELAV8R

Doorgunner has the right idea. Mine has been perfectly clean since I did this.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-t...-radiator.html

vetteguy75

That's a great idea! I'm going to do that!

Frank_Nesta

I have never seen the stock one on once the new spoiler was installed.

Paul L

I tend to agree. The front spoiler does little more than the rear part of the RPO D80 rear package: nothing. Yes, I owned a 1979 L-82 with D80 for many years. In fact I never even liked the look of it!

Frank_Nesta

Since there is no wind tunnel evidence and no thermal testing on what work best the stock spoiler (little black strip) or the front 1979 pace car spoiler or the front part of the RPO D80 package that I know of. I would say from 1979 to today there are no complaints of which works better as long as you have one or the other. So they are at least equal to each other. Of coarse at higher speeds the fan has no affect. That is why there is a clutching fan to reduce drag on the engine do to the fan and the front spoiler is there.

The RPO D80 did go along way in reducing unwanted drag in 1979. The 1980 - 1982 used the same ideas with the new front and rear bumpers.

Personally I like the 1979 pace car front spoiler and the 1980 - 1982 rear bumper. But looks are always in the eyes of the beer holder!

If you like the looks of the spoiler you pictured do it. It will work at least as good as the little plastic strip.

7t9l82

well, i don't know if one is better than the other. i do know that since i have lowered the front end a good bit the car is more stable at high speed . stiffer springs may be part of it. but no matter , i like the looks. any reason id be wrong on this ?

vetteguy75

Thanks for your input! No, you're NOT wrong on this! There's NO RIGHT or WRONG...it's an opinion...something you like or don't like...and that's what makes horse races!! I, too, like the look....I just wanted to make sure the new spoiler would not effect the cooling capacity in a negative way....And I will post pics and give an update on what I find out, when it's completed.

doorgunner

I remembered what other members stated.

The mod looks great, even if it's not very helpful (especially at stop lights, without an electric fan hidden somewhere in there....LOL!)

GUSTO14

Back in the late 70's GM offered a "Lower Radiator Extension" that could be added to the factory poly chin spoiler. It added about 2" to the bottom of the spoiler and was intended to draw additional air into these cars to assist in cooling, especially with A/C...

It is made of multi-ply "mud-flap" type material and comes with two metal reinforcing strips that sandwich the original spoiler between themselves and the extension. Smooth headed bolts go through all three pieces of material and have nuts on the backside. They were very inexpensive, easy to install and very durable and relatively inexpensive to boot.


GM offered them over the counter until about 10 years ago. I believe that LICS still carries them in their catalog. If you obtain a few strips of the material, it would not be difficult to fabricate one. Oh, and they do work to lower temps...

Good luck... GUSTO

REELAV8R

This was a GM product? So was GM then was in a round about way admitting that perhaps the stock chin spoiler was not enough for cooling.
That in fact "additional air" was required under certain circumstances.

Wow! A possible *****, a flaw in the cooling system for late model C3's?
I can't believe it.

GUSTO14

Well perhaps not a *****, or as elegant as the Pace Car Spoiler, but it does add an additional dimension to the front end of the rubber bumper cars...


Good luck... GUSTO

Mike Ward

I believe it was introduced in '73 for big block with AC only, to be installed by dealers IF a customer had issues with the car.

Here's the bulletin.

http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/...r+Conditioning

If the OP's car is not running hot (he's not mentioned anything) then no mods are required.