Front air dam

Here is fun project that turned out really well. I have a JPS with mild flairs front and back and nerf bars. I obtained a roll of 4 inch wide heavy duty air dam rubber, intended for track and autocross use, from a local racing supply house. Made a complete subframe around the lower front edge of the fiberglass body using 1 1/4 by 1/8 thick aluminum angle. Braced it all from the bumper mounting brackets and attachd the rubber to the lower edge of the angle. All you see from outside is air dam smoothly mated to the body. Cut two small slots in the rubber to get around the nerf bars. Front ground clearance is about 3 inches, but rubber bends when you need more. Visually lowers the vehicle and it probsbly actually works from an aero standpoint. (No, I do not have a camera, designing it was half the fun.)

Sounds neat - actually the 356 front body apron design kinda/sorta acts as a mini air dam.

Hmmm...I was wondering how I could use my Speedster in the winter snows, and now I know. Short drives up and down the laneway should clear it nicely.

Most Aerodynamic Devices are not effective until over 100 MPH. Lower Speeds only relate to Added Drag and Added Drag = Slower.

86 the Wind Shield if you want to go faster under 100 MPH = No Wind Shield equils Less Drag. Less Drag = Faster

The lower Air Dam probably looks "Cool" though - Watch out for the Rice Rockets!

Most Speedsters competing for the National SCCA Championship compete with a small Air Dam. Under Braking the Air Dam is clearanced by rubbing the track.

Keep the Shiny Side Up,

Jack Blake

You're right on Jack. I've often wondered what the actual cD (Coef of Drag)was of a speedster? Lot's of times what "looks" right turns out to be a vacuum sucking leech. I guess I just harken back to the days when form followed (mechanical)function. Personally I think the new Enzo model Ferrari is ugly as sin, despite its aero functionality.

I've been very tempted to duct tape little tufts of cloth all over the speedster and then photograph it on the freeway, just to find out where the air is really going as it passes over the car. What if we found out that the center air grille back there is in the wrong location for good air flow into the engine compartment? Wouldn't that be a pisser? Did the good Dr.Porsche use a wind tunnel in the 50s?

Sometimes a design unaided by a wind tunnel turns into a car with a very low cd. The Raymond Lowey design team working for Studebaker in the 50's and 60's designed probably the two best American wind cheating cars or those decades. The 53-55 Coupes and hardtops and the 63-64 Avanti. They are still being used on the Salt Flats as serious speed record cars, all without those silly attachments like wings that most have.
Sometimes if it looks right, it is right, as they used to say about the Submarine Spitfire and the P-51 Mustang of WW 2.

A windtunnel test of a 356 would be cool, I would think the coupe would post better numbers than the Speedster but of course the Speedster would look better doing it. That counts a lot in my book too. First thing I'm doing when I get my JPS is head for the local truck scales and "weigh" in. Anybody got access to a wind tunnel?

Bruce

See Dr. Thiriar's Speedster book for CD of Speedster and coupe.

Thanks George for the book. I liked your post on Transaxil ratios. What I hate is getting a ratio that won't let you cruse in the 'sweet' spot at the local posted speed limit. 70 here

Doug, Speedsters are special cars that get to go 8 mph over all posted speed limits. If the officer that pulls you over is unaware of this, just tell him I said so.