getting Rid Of Plastic Shield
Thread Starter
FormerVendor
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 1,027
Likes: 0
From: NW H-Town, TX
getting Rid Of Plastic Shield i was wondering if any of you guys have ever removed the plastic sheild underneath the car by the front bumper thats near the radiator. I waswanting to remove it for more airflow to the radiator. but it begans to get alittle tricky becasue there are the plastic bolts that are keeping it on the car and im really not too sure how to remove it without damaging some paint under there..im a baby to my car so i was wondering what tool i can use to remove it quickly and easily..
On The Tree
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 165
Likes: 0
From: College Park, Maryland
The air dam? Or the routing panel that sorta-protects sorta-does-something-else-and-you-have-to-reach-thru-to-change-lights panel?
Leave the air dam on, no questions asked, because it's necessary to get air to flow to the radiator. Take off some of the other lining if you like (use zip ties afterward on the panels, much easier to work with), but be warned -- better check the route of your air intake, so as to not get water up in there!
As for the tool, a flathead screwdriver and diagonal pliers (snips, dikes, etc) have always worked for me. There ARE specific tools avail from snap on, etc., but i'm not at that level yet.
Leave the air dam on, no questions asked, because it's necessary to get air to flow to the radiator. Take off some of the other lining if you like (use zip ties afterward on the panels, much easier to work with), but be warned -- better check the route of your air intake, so as to not get water up in there!
As for the tool, a flathead screwdriver and diagonal pliers (snips, dikes, etc) have always worked for me. There ARE specific tools avail from snap on, etc., but i'm not at that level yet.
If you do remove it I would be interested to know
whether it really drops your radiator temps any
(which would be hard to know without putting a
thermocouple to it I expect). I don't believe GM
would have invested the $5 in that piece if it
didn't do something. What I think goes on is, the
air dam ("chin spoiler") forces air up, and the
ducting leaves it nowhere else to go but into the
radiator. If you remove it, you may let it just go
over the top, into the engine compartment or
elsewhere, and defeat your intention of improving
radiator airflow in the end.
whether it really drops your radiator temps any
(which would be hard to know without putting a
thermocouple to it I expect). I don't believe GM
would have invested the $5 in that piece if it
didn't do something. What I think goes on is, the
air dam ("chin spoiler") forces air up, and the
ducting leaves it nowhere else to go but into the
radiator. If you remove it, you may let it just go
over the top, into the engine compartment or
elsewhere, and defeat your intention of improving
radiator airflow in the end.
