Ralphy

I need a new air dam (the black plastic fin under the front end that directs air into the radiator) for my 96 Z28. I was wondering if one from a V6 would fit, because there's alot of them around here in the junkyards where I live.

Max 93

I would think they are all the same

shoebox

They are.

A new one is ~$18 wholesale, ~$29 retail. A salvage yard one should be pretty cheap.

GM PART # 10229657

tbehling

is it bad not to have one on?

Injuneer

From my experience, if the air dam is missing, your coolant temp is going to shoot up too high as you increase speed on the freeway. The dam needs to be there to push air up to the radiator at higher speeds. Where my setup normally runs well under 195degF with the dam in place, with the air dam missing I would get 220degF or more at 60-70MPH.

shoebox

Yes, you need it. When you are cruising above a certain mph, the fans don't run. The system relies on air being scooped up and sent into the radiator. If the dam is not there, you will have ever increasing temps. Just ask the guys that put on groud effects that block the air dam. They have to get an air dam that is even lower so it can scoop up enough air to keep the engine cool.

Ralphy

Where can I find one of the lower hanging air dams?

Ralphy

My car has ground effects so I'll need the lower hanging on.

shoebox

I'm sure it depends on the specific ground effects, but I have read of ppl with Wings West effects that said they were supplied with a larger dam.

OldSStroker

Yes. Air dam makes engine run cooler, decreases drag at higher speeds, which improves fuel mileage, and keeps front end down at high speeds. Pretty good for a few bucks, huh?

It doesn't just "scoop" air into the rad. It causes a higher pressure in front of the rad and a lower pressure behind the dam (and the rad). Air likes to flow from high to low pressure areas. Voila!