Hi everyone, I can't seem to find any information on what hardware to use for the lower filler panel under the radiator and the masticated rubber that goes in front of the radiator. My 68 is missing these things and I don't have the hardware on the car and it does not come with the parts and no diagram online shows what the hardware is. Thanks for your help!

Philip

Are you asking what bolts and j-nuts to use? There are some j-nuts on the valance and the piece in your photo gets bolted to it. Look at the valance and the two end pieces on the bottom and you will see places for the j- nuts.

You will have to drill holes in that fiberglass lower baffle to match those holes.

As far as the hardware for the rubber fillers it was a push in butter fly clip.

Where do you get the butter fly clips?

I searched for the originals but could not find the exact. I have one original and found a close match of of ebay. I purchased some of these

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-HOOD-SEAL-CL...f5b&vxp=mtr


I have a bunch extra since I had to by a bag of them. I can maybe get some pics of the original and these side by side today.

Yes I am asking for which bolts and j-nuts I should use (size, etc) and where to get them. I have the front spoiler kit too, I'm assuming that the spoiler hardware does NOT mount both the lower filler panel and spoiler, is this correct? So that means the lower filler panel bolts in and then the front spoiler bolts onto that and no shared holes, etc for the bolts and nuts?

You are correct Quick Shifter! Lower baffle panel gets mounted first and then spoiler!

Harold, I am guessing that those hood seal clips worked for you?

I had two or three originals on my car that I used for one side...the other side was missing , but I did find some Chrysler headliner clips in the HELP section that did the job.

Philip, If you using a fiberglass valance panel to sheet metal baffle, aka air dam, repro, let us know how how it fits. Several years ago, I tried one and it was about 1/2 inch shorter than the original metal. Hopefully they have corrected that since. Yes, the "J" nuts from ACE Hardware are what I used when I replaced mine that disappeared in the mid-70s. I believe the two on the ends are larger than the ones along the valance.

And not to beat a dead cat, but using a fiberglass panel will only survive one curb bump before shattering. Definetly worth the $$ to track down an original metal one.

If you are putting a snow-plow in front of it, why bother with the panel?

Jim, I dont remember where I bought mine about two years ago, but I used a fiberglass one on my 69 and it fits perfectly, as long as I got all the mounting holes drilled properly...lol I would however agree with 68tpls400 on using a metal one if at all possible. I didnt notice on the ones I saw recently online if they even mentioned if they were fiberglass or metal. Does anyone know if there are any repro metal ones being sold now?

No repop metal ones as far as I know. A few people looked into tooling them, but I don't think they ever got off the ground.

I'll have to get back to you on that. I've not tried it yet but it won't be much longer.

RE front spoilers/air dams.... what type are you using on the Firebirds?

I have been looking at fitting one of these which suggests either screws or mounting brackets ... however discussion on a Camaro site suggests there are two types with one larger/deeper spoiler that should have the braces connected to fenders (centre brace optional), with the smaller/shallow spoiler being mounted using bolts only....

I'm assuming the Classic Industries spoiler is the latter and doesn't need the bracing.... these are made of ABS and 'should' be more tolerant of curb dings.

Ausbird, It's a personal preference. Those spoilers did not come on Firebirds but some people want the look. The baffle discussed before were functional for air flow through the radiator and were equipped on Firebirds with 400 engines and AC.

Thanks for the response Jim. Where I am coming from with the spoiler is the the use of the three brackets seems a bit of an overkill, but they were designed to be used... but there appears there is no issue with flutter or vibration at speed if only the bolts used for mounting?

at speeds over 80 mph , yopu will notice that with the front spoiler you can better 'handle' the car...front end tends to 'float' without it....

heres a blurb on spoilers....and after you read it you will see that both work, but if you use only one , I would recommend the front one...using ONLY the rear is not good.

http://www.camaro-untoldsecrets.com/articles/rpo_d80.htm

I realize that, but with the way I drive, and the front height, risk is minimal. Even though I am putting the front spoiler on, I still need the lower filler panel to close the gap so that the air is forced onto the radiator. The car is running at the 3/4 mark on the temp gauge which seems to be normal but I did notice it creep up about 5 degrees on highway, hence I bought the x-panels, lower filler panel, and masticated rubber panels. I already checked the wp to make sure the divider plate was in there.



There are no repro metal ones out there, I did lots of research on this, ames specifies fiberglass on their site, don't remember what classic listed for materials.



The spoiler I selected was made by OER and comes with all hardware and getting it from JEGS was the cheapest option, they were the only one to carry the kit with hardware and brackets included. I know on classic you have to buy the hardware separate and it was also from OER, same part no. The best deal for that is from JEGS $47.99 for front spoiler and hardware. Looks like the price went up by $2 from a month ago.

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/pts/4269894432.html

not mine. better grab it fast...

That says a lower valance not lower filler baffle.

Oops, guess all these discussions about snow plows had my feathers ruffled!

Be the first to have one of these on the front of your 1st Gen up there in Minnesota.
http://www.wimp.com/trainclearing/

Reminds me of my wife driving down our driveway after it's drifted over. She is really good at burying her four wheel drive in our driveway. I remember when I bought some parts from Earlybird a few winters back. He inadvertantly had them sent to my home instead of my office. The UPS truck got stuck half way up our driveway. It took three tow-trucks with winches to get that thing out of there. He carried all the parts up the rest of our driveway by hand and set them on my porch. Couple of complete doors and a couple of boxes of parts. Must have been 4 or 5 trips back and forth. Bet a few naughty words were spoken that day... We can get an inch of snow but drift 36" deep or more over our driveway the way the wind blows.