1981 Front Valance

[Ludigdrums]

Another View...

 

[KC-21]

Well, after looking at everyones pics, I now know that mine has been reworked too but not to the point that I can't get it back to original. I don't even have the lower (rubber) 2 piece spoiler parts and I am looking for replacements, any suggestions????
The cheapest I have found is in Ecklers catalog, both pieces for $89.99, to me, that seems to be expensive for a couple of pieces of rubber but I've found that to be the case with anything that says "Corvette"!
Oh Well, I guess that's the way it is, it's my Baby, so it deserves the best!!

KC

 

[mikejpss]

KC-21- I remember seeing them on a website for ~$70, problem is- I dont remember which website it was. Must be the beer that does that
Give me a few minutes , sayyyyy , till Wednesday :eyerole and I'll try to find the website... Think it was "Willcox" or something like that...
Mine were taken off and bead-blasted, look like new again. Go figure. Mike J.

 

[KC-21]

Thanks Mike,
Cruisin' season is almost over here in the northeast so this will be another winter project so take your time with finding the website, if worst comes to worst, I'll wait till "Corvettes at Carlisle" next year to get them.

Thanks
KC

 

[Yoda]

I found them in:

• MidAmerica (book 132G) page 3-65; part #601-101 "1980-82 Front Spoiler, lower, stock (GM), 2pcs @ $149.99"
• Corvette Central (book 3D) page 31; part #333072 L (left) and same #with R (right) "80-82 Front Lower Air Deflector Extension (L or R) @ $56.95 ea."

 

[mikejpss]

KC-21
finally found it, after much searching- which means you owe me a beer ....

Go to Willcox Wholesale Corvette Parts home page and type in "spoiler" on the search bar. You will be taken to eBay's site where Willcox has 2 sets of these spoilers up for bid starting at $65, or a "buy it now" price of $70. This is for a set of 2 pieces.
These are good people to deal with ,I have had no problems from them thus far.
Let us know how things come out
:Twist
Mike J.

 

[KC-21]

Hi Gang,
I got my lower valance pieces and figured I'd tear everything apart and put my lower spoiler on top of the "hook" where it belonged...........NOT! If I did that then I can't even come close to getting everything lined up and I'm about 3 inches from getting the mounting screws in the bottom of the radiator bracket. I put everything back the way it was and put the lower rubber pieces on. It doesn't look bad at all but man is it low, I have about 3 inches of clearance if I'm lucky. Look out roadkills!

KC

 

[mikejpss]

KC-21
The spec sheet for the 81 says there's only 3.5 inches of ground clearance for our model, so you're close.

Go back and look at the pics on page 3 of this thread, I posted 3 pics of what its suppose to look like when the front hanger is bent back to it's correct position.
Re-read all the postings again and you'll figure it out. Sounds like you're very close to having it in the correct position.
The "tang" that gets bent out of shape is not very hard to reposition, having a clear pic of it before hand can steer you in the right direction. I had the same problem as you did, and it took a couple of days to figure it out and rebend the tang correctly.

In any event, good luck- email me if I can help you.
Time for another beer....

 

[KC-21]

Thanks Mike,
Have a beer for me too!!

KC

 

[herron]

yes sir, your're making sense- sounds like the same problem, however, i can not understand how you made an adjustment to the metal bracket and still have the bracket "hold it tight". This is why I'm asking for a pic, to see what the standard is suppose to look like. The metal plate/bracket (on mine) has a metal hook-like piece on the rear of the bracket. This hook-like piece was (when I bought the car) underneath the valance, holding the valance up and obviously, too high up. Still confused as to how this metal hook plays a part....
Now I hope that I"M making sense.
Man, a couple of close up pics would surely help.
Mike J.

I realize this is an old thread, but I just found it (just joined) and wondered if anyone still has a picture they could post to show me how that front spoiler/valance is supposed to look? Mine's draggin' too!

 

[bill81vette]

there used to be some pics in here at one timebut I think Rob erased them last time the forum crashed,anyway,here are some of my '81.please note that it should be sitting on the valalnce itself NOT the air deflectors as shown on mine,Mine does however sit level like this so MAY want to try it.another '81 had its hook on the valance and he was having trouble with cooling b/c the air was not being deflected properly in thru the radiator.
hope this helps

 

[herron]

Air Dam / Spoiler / ?

I'm still not sure we're talking about the same thing. Triangular fiberglass-looking piece that goes across the front, underneath the front end? Not sure what I'm looking at from your picture (forgive me, I'm new at this). Have not crawled under there, or had the car jacked up, yet, but I can see that this piece is loose (tends to droop in the center). Is this the piece held by the bracket? I thought this was held on by a bolt on either end. (?) :confused

 

[bill81vette]

the triangular thing should be urathane not fiberglass,as is your bumpers if iys original,so if you prrk to clse to the sidewalk,(nosein)you wont break the fiberglass,if you look at the pic here I pointed to where the valance or air dam is the pic I took in my previos post was from undernearth and behind the air dam.

 

[herron]

the triangular thing should be urathane not fiberglass,as is your bumpers if iys original,so if you prrk to clse to the sidewalk,(nosein)you wont break the fiberglass,if you look at the pic here I pointed to where the valance or air dam is the pic I took in my previos post was from undernearth and behind the air dam.

Thanks, Bill. We are talking about the same thing. Only question I now have is why, if those brackets are in the back, does the front of the air dam on mine droop like it does? :confused

I can see I'm going to need some jack stands to crawl around under there and figure out what's what. My old knees can't take too much more squatting and bending!

 

[herron]

Bill:
I see what you're talking about...and I have identified the problem...I think. Apparently, from some of the other threads I've seen, there is supposed to be some sort of metal bracket, or hook, that the front of the air dam rests over, which is what keeps it from drooping down. It looks as though that has been broken off (the previous owner must have hit a curb hard...or repeatedly).

I will have to add a new hook somehow. I'm wondering if I can drill through and bolt a bracket of some kind that the dam can rest on...or have someone who can handle some small welding add a new piece of metal I can bend to hold up the air dam?

BTW, mine still looks like fiberglass!

 

[herron]

BTW, mine still looks like fiberglass!

I looked at your pix again, and just realized why you have urethane...it's a bottom portion that is totally missing on mine! The upper portion is fiberglass, but the lower, black portion is missing on mine! (so is the metal hook). It took me a while to figure out why yours looked like it was deeper than mine and had a hole in it!

Can that urethane part be purchased separately? I assume it just bolts on? BTW -- Anyone had any luck welding on a new bracket hook? :eyerole

 

[bill81vette]

the upper portion should be urethane(oem) the bottom portion (black) is rubber!
some time the metal hook get rolled up behind the steel bumper(impact bar) and just needs to be moved back down and reset into postion.

good luck!!

 

[WONKABOY]

VALANCE PANEL

KC-21
finally found it, after much searching- which means you owe me a beer ....

Go to Willcox Wholesale Corvette Parts home page and type in "spoiler" on the search bar. You will be taken to eBay's site where Willcox has 2 sets of these spoilers up for bid starting at $65, or a "buy it now" price of $70. This is for a set of 2 pieces.
These are good people to deal with ,I have had no problems from them thus far.
Let us know how things come out
:Twist
Mike J.

I'm getting ready to change my "very cracked " valance panel too , but i'm not going to add the lower spoiler pieces because that's the reason it broke in the first place the spoiler grabs the low pavement (slow or not) and still put stress on the fiber glass and after many stresses "like people " it begins to crack!!!!

 

[WONKABOY]

lower valance

This is my wife's '81. She ordered the car and took delivery of it in October of '80 (early St Louis car). As you can see the paint is scratched off a little but it isn't bent. This is all original and has never been damaged.

The first picture is a 3/4 front view. You can see the tab protruding horizonally back through the slot in the rubber spoiler extensions. The valance is supported by this but there is no bolt. or hole for one. If the bolts are correct on the cars so equiped there must have been an engineering change somewhere during the production run.

I'm getting ready to change my lower "cracked" valance panel too , but i'm not putting back on the spoiler , that's the reason it cracked anyway slow or not the scraping put's stress on the fiberglass and over the years stress leads to "cracking" just like in people!!!

 

[herron]

the upper portion should be urethane(oem) the bottom portion (black) is rubber!
some time the metal hook get rolled up behind the steel bumper(impact bar) and just needs to be moved back down and reset into postion.

good luck!!

No such luck, Bill. The hook is gone. I can see the back of the impact bar where it sheared off...and I'd be willing to bet this front spoiler is fiberglass, not urethane...must not be original. It also seems to be missing ALL the bolts in back that hold it in place! (I can see where one looks like it is sheared off in the hole!) I don't know why this didn't fall off when I drove it home from the previous owner!

Anyone know what kind of fastener/bolt these were...or better yet, where's the best place to get the right ones with buying a whole new spoiler? :eyerole