ghost3.7

Okay so after making custom side splitters, I'm thinking I can tackle a front end splitter. After finding no one has done this for a v6 front end, I have some questions. For those who have made a custom front splitter, GT/v6 or whatever, what material is best? Can it even withstand the wind? Not planning to race with it, just have it be straight for cosmetics. So the maximum speed I would be going it 80+?
Planning to start it next week, so any quick help would be appreciated.
If I do tackle it, I will be updating this thread with pictures.

boss man

I have never made one. Just bough an OEM one and a custom splitter for my Boss.
They all used ABS plastic sheeting. I do believe 1/4". Never had any wind problems. Just low clearance at times. Depends how far it will stick out.

redonblackpony

I've seen several guys at the track with homemade plywood splitters. Looks a little cheesy and I wouldn't recommend it. ABS 1/4" plastic or poly carbonite if you can find it 6 foot or longer would work great

Kotenukimen

Laughing my socks off. I have never seen plywood splitters at the track, but isn't it the most stoop ricer idea ever? Please do the world a favor and use plastic at least.

redonblackpony

It's ALWAYS the guy with the foreign car. He he

ghost3.7

Do you know where I can find a big sheet of ABS plastic?

ghost3.7

Also off topic but why isn't my profile picture showing up?? I swear I've deleted it and resubmitted 10 times!!

jsimmons

You might want to consider using something called "Sintra". It's rigid like ABS but weighs about 1/2 of what ABS weighs. It's also more likely to break when you hit something with it, without also taking out the bumper fascia in the process. My advice is to make one, and then make a few extras just in case you break the original.

Find a local plastic supply place. They should have what you need.

If you decide that you don't want to fab one, you can buy generic ones, but be aware they can be pricey.

GatorV6

Lol your go to example of a "stoop ricer" front splitter is Vorshlag's GRM 2011 V8 E30?? You realize these guys are one of the top authorities on road racing the S197? Plywood is perfectly acceptable for a budget splitter. It's not ideal but it's very cheap and perfectly functional.

http://www.vorshlag.com/forums/showt...t=7295&page=11

"What material to use? We looked at aluminum, Alumilite, composite, and even ABS plastic. The splitter on my 2011 Mustang is a 3/8" thick sheet of ABS (from the factory Leguna Seca), and it has held up remarkably well after many many months of street driving, autocrossing, and road course lapping. It only scrapes on an extreme driveway entrance angle, but so far this material has been completely unharmed by the occasional road scrapes, or crashing into cones at an autocross.



So we priced a 4'x8' sheet of 3/8" thick ABS from multiple local sources... but when I saw the $450 price tag I nearly choked. When it comes to splitters, don't discount the low cost, rigidity, ruggedness, wear resistance, and ease of manufacture of PLYWOOD. I picked up a 4'x8' sheet of 5/16" thick plywood, and might even suffer the extra weight of 3/8" if we were to do this again. Splurge the extra couple of bucks and get one that's finished smooth on both sides. I have seen plywood splitters in club racing and pro racing paddocks for years... there is some stigma attached to it, so just call it "carbon-based, multilayer composite!"

Step-by-Step Splitter Construction:


Using plumb bob, mark the outline of the bumper on some corrugated cardboard.


Mark the mounting holes by piercing the corrugated cardboard at any factory holes you can find, while mocked up on the car.


We welded some nuts to open holes in the subframe.


Transfer the corrugated template to the plywood, then cut it to shape using a jig saw. There is a small rectangular hole cut-out to clear the E36 steering rack, which has a slight protrusion.


Paint or stain the wood in the color of your choice...


Here the four mounting struts are shown, bolted in place. Two mount to the front core support and two were hung on some aluminum angle brackets Ryan made.


The bumper cover was notched around the struts and re-installed.


The lower mounting brackets that came with the struts were bolted to the splitter and the lengths adjusted.

The final look worked out great! There is still a gap at the front from the bottom of the bumper cover to the splitter that needs to be covered up. We will use sheet metal to cover the gap from the splitter to the bumper, and I'll show this step in a later post. In the end this will clean up the underside airflow greatly, improve radiator airflow, and should even provide some front downforce at speed."

As I said, these guys are extremely reputable. I would strongly suggest giving this a try if you're on a budget. You can always give it a go later with ABS once you've gotten some experience making splitters. You wouldn't want to mess up with several hundred dollars worth of ABS if you make a mistake.

jsimmons

Does it exceed size and/or dimension restrictions?