Metal was a bad idea

[GeekGuyAndy]

So my metal front air dam turned out to be a bad idea. When it did scrape, it ate up the bottom well and made some sharp points. Last night a raccoon ran infront of my car and took out a bunch of brackets that held up the dam. That's only my second collision with animals (first was a deer that ripped off a mirror). I might try to make a plastic one, but I might wait a bit first.

Moral of the story: Don't use metal for a front air dam

[cfg83]

GeekGuyAndy -

Sorry for your mod and the raccoon.

I would report that deer. I heard they steal mirrors *and* mufflers and sell them back to you on the sly.

CarloSW2

[Hockey4mnhs]

Damn deer they got me 2

[Bill in Houston]

Better to have air dammed and lost, than to have never air dammed at all... :-)

[brucepick]

Belly pan firmly attached to lower edge of air dam gives it strength. Probably not enough to stand up to a 'coon though.

Another approach is to build an air dam to a moderate height, maybe good enough to clear nearly any parking lot bumper strip. Then add a strip of plastic lawn edging extending below that. So if you hit something you just bend the edging.

[GeekGuyAndy]

I'm thinking of making a small and more flexible one. 6 of 7 brackets stayed on, so I guess that part held up well, but the metal was ripped in a few places that took the impact. I never did get to find out if it bnefitted or how much, but I hope to rebuild it someday.

[Bill in Houston]

Originally Posted by GeekGuyAndy

I'm thinking of making a small and more flexible one. 6 of 7 brackets stayed on, so I guess that part held up well, but the metal was ripped in a few places that took the impact. I never did get to find out if it bnefitted or how much, but I hope to rebuild it someday.

Sounds like you have a good basis to work from, with the brackets being pretty tough. Can't wait to see the next one.

[ffvben]

metal is bad if it decides to let go and puncture your gas tank or bounce up and spear the driver behind you. plastic can be run over/crushed and if it a raccoon it might bounce right back into shape. I hit a fox once, bent the air dam and just the paint fell off while holding the original shape.

[kitcar]

I wacked a rather large blackbird this past weekend. Did a lot of thumping around under the truck and there was some rocking about but no damage to the vinyl dams and side skirts. At first I thought something fell off.