Being that firebirds did not come with front spoilers. Is it helping or hindering the air flow to motor (water temp)? Working on bringing my temp down.
The original announcement for the 1969 Trans Am called the front spoiler a device to aid cooling, but in fact it's the lower baffle pan that aids cooling. The lower baffle prevents the incoming air, coming in through the grilles and valence slots, from bleeding out under the car. The baffle forces that air into the radiator.
The actual front spoiler on the 69 Trans Am is just to keep air out from under the car, which helps keep the nose from lifting at high speeds.
The chin spoiler (69 Z/28 style) is more for downforce, as it is angled forward to scoop air.
Great article. Most MechE's that I work with don't understand what an undertaking that was back in the day. They've grown up with such great modeling and simulation software like ProE that they forget that this was all designed on a board and tested with subscales or in situ.
