Just joined, love the site

[GasSavers_timely]

Hey im a college student from Burlington VT. I drive a 96 toyota tercel; which after some pointers from you guys i have gotten as high as 55 mpg (from what i found online it usually gets low thirties)
I am interested in making some aerodynamic mods and possibly some more engine mods(have already removed power steering and AC)
Any advice on how to make a front air dam etc would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks - Timely

[GasSavers_maximilian]

With the snow we get here, I wonder how low you could make an air dam. Have you considered a belly pan?

[dkjones96]

How did you remove the power steering? Just disconnect the pump or did you remove the unit completely?

Oh, and welcome!

[Jay2TheRescue]

I guess in Vermont you could get away with it, but here in Virginia I would never consider removing my a/c. I make sure the a/c works in all of my vehicles.

[GasSavers_timely]

I removed the unit, pipes and all from the vehicle for both the power steering and the AC. They were being run by the same belt so i was able to get rid of that belt altogether

I had not considered the snow in the winter, thanks for the heads up. I am not sure what a belly pan would be. Do you mean some paneling that covered the underside of the car to smooth it out? I had considered this as an additional option but from my readings on the site decided that the air dam might be all i need. What do you guys think?
Thanks for the warm welcome.

[GasSavers_BEEF]

a belly pan will yield you better results overall but the amount of time and labor involved in putting one on is more than your average guy wants to do.

I did the extended airdam and was a bit dissapointed though I didn't really measure it to see where it needed to be. I just kind of put it on. it scraped really bad too when I first put it on and I have trimmed it many times. I may have done better by just putting on a belly pan.

one material that a lot of guys like to use here is coroplast. it us corrugated plastic like the political signs on the side of the road. if you go to a custom sign shop, they will usually sell you a piece pretty cheap. I got a 4x8 foot piece for about $20 whe I originally was going to do a belly pan but decided that it was too much work so I donated my piece to a good cause (another user here) and just did the airdam.

if you do decide to do a bellypan, beware the exhaust system. it will melt coroplast pretty easy. not sure if it catches on fire but if it did, that would really suck.

[GasSavers_timely]

Thanks for the advice and info, sounds great. I have already taken the measurements i need for the belly pan and have looked up a sign shop i could buy the coroplast from. One issue i am running into tho is coming up with a cheap idea on how to attach the coroplast to the underside of my car. Would a standard nut and bolt with washers work? im worried i might need a more flexible do-dad to attach the coroplast :-\ what have people done in the past?
Thanks again, Timely

[GasSavers_maximilian]

I've heard stainless steel self tapping screw mentioned.

[GasSavers_BEEF]

I personally would use plastic pieces like the ones that hold interior together.

I am opposed to metal screws because they will eventually fall out and if it doesn't get your tire, it will get the next guy. those are just my feelings.

on my airdam, I used a piece that presses in and has ridges so that it won't come back out. you simply drill the appropriate hole in both pieces and press it through. also, if you want to take it off, you just use a pair of dikes as the plastic is fairly soft.

a buddy of mine just said that self tapping screws aren't that bad. I still feel like it is a flat waiting to happen.

[GasSavers_maximilian]

Maybe some thread locking compound?