MG MGB and MGB GT Tech Talk
After a parking curb incident with my current valance (got hooked on the rebar holding the curb) I was thinking about an ST air dam instead of the stock valance. After reading the thread about the quality and thickness of these I was wondering if anyone could recommend a source of a good one. Obviously I'll have to be more careful with the curbs from now on!
-Kent
I got mine from Moss long before Chris Roop and Tony Barnhill were dealers for them. You could get one through either of these guys and get a better deal than ordering direct from Moss.
You think you had an incident with your oem valance? Wait till you put a spoiler on that's several inches lower and made out of fragile fiberglass. You'll be hitting every parking curb and all the low spots in the road. IMHO I'd stay with the factory valance. Those spoilers are really just for looks and, to me, they make the front end look too heavy.
Shawn Escue
Front end looks heavy? Non-functional? Hmmm. I will have a chrome bumper on this within a week or two and that will help the front being all black, but I don't quite agree on your thoughts. I am positive this spoiler gets more air into the radiator. And the car sits low enough in the front that it is not possible to put a floor jack under the spoiler anymore. But I would say the car has a much more agressive look (not to mentin the V8 power). Just depends on what kind of look you are wanting.
There is a V8 in the future, this is part of the reason for the change. I'm aware of the clearance issues, was just wondering if anyone had found a better supplier.
I had a special edition spoiler on my GT. It was made of a flexible plastic rather than fibreglass like the ST spoiler, so no damge from parking lot curbs. It looked really good as well.
Rich
The ST is functional. It is lower. It WILL get damaged more than the factory one.
The ST is reasonable quality. It is fiberglass and will need some work fitting. Some trimmimg may be needed (did on mine, very minor). Surface had some air pockets holes in that needed to be filled (not a big deal). Fiberglass is tough.. it will flex and bend.. a bit..might crack .. with all the curbstops and everything else I have hit..it is still together (cracked, torn, etc) but it is complete. Easy to repair..even for a DIY person too.
Looks is in the eye of the beholder. I have not heard a lot of negative comments about the ST spoiler in the cosmetic dept.
The LE spoiler is plastic. I believe you need the factory valance with that model. Not sure how well it takes paint. I do not belive this valance has any performance gains like the ST one. Not bad looking IMO, but do like the ST one better myself.
That being said..on my GT..most likely going to go with the Sebring front and rear panels :) But do love the ST spoiler on my RD ..even with all the cracks and damage... might get another one..to work on one while i drive on the other :)
Correct the Special edition spoiled needs the valance behind it. I am sure it would be paintable with the proper prep. It is not as efficient as the deeper ST spoiler, but I did notice an improvement in downforce at high speeds. The LCF was greatly inproved too!
Rich
Here's a '74 with the spoiler and mine without. I think the spoiler looks great on this car and really does give the car a more agressive stance. On the other hand, as much as I like the look I don't think it would look "appropriate" on my car because I chose to go with a more "classic" look to the car. I've always liked the look of a front spoiler on the GT.
Dont' knock the ST spoiler if you havent tried it. Craming one into a prking curb is a matter of choice or having your head where the sun doesnt' shine.
One night I had a construction zone marker cone flip from under a trailer truck at 60 MPH and I hit it. It hung up under the car as I got stopped as quickly as I could. I got out expecting to rip off what was left of it, but there was no damage at all. I managed to pull the cone out, checked the air dam and took this picture the next morning and found only nothing, not even a scratch.
I believe the ST spoiler (not a spoiler but an Air Dam) is functional.
Its purpose is to force air (wind) to go around the car where it is smooth
and not go beneath the car where it is not smooth and thus turbulence is
created which causes drag which causes more fuel to be used.
Just look at any modern car - they all have them because wind
tunnel technology has proven they work.
My gas mileage has increased a little with the air dam
and the car is more stable at high speeds.
Of course, with the top down, I create lots of turbulence anyway.
Hey Mike.....how about a bigger picture of your car, so we can see that spoiler better.
Looks nice!
I plan on fabbing my own when I get bored enough.....but not until then!
Not sure what year you have, but Tim at MorSpeed has a modified fiberglass front bumper that would replace CB & valence. I bought one & the quality and thickness is all good.
http://www.morspeedperformance.com/parts.cfm
BumbleB74 Wrote: