FBOMB90

I'm in the process of repairing/modifying my factory wrap around spoiler. First of all, who the hell made the decision to make this spoiler out of this material? This spoiler must weigh 20-30 lbs and the material is so flexable and porus it's pretty hard to clean and work with. Ok, now that my frustrations are out, lets move on. I refuse to spent the $300-400 on a replacement spoiler so I've decided to modify mine. During the cleaning process, a few chunks were taken out of the spoiler and I'm not sure what to use to fill in the imperfections. The material is so porus and flexable that I assume I can't use bondo or body filler because of how it hardens. I have been toying around with the idea of wraping it with fiberglass but I don't know if the materials will adhere to eachother. If anyone has had any experiences with modifying these spoilers, I would greatly appreciate your input in the matter.

DynoDave43

iTrader: (11)

Subscribed.

The paint is checked on mine, which I understand to be a fairly normal occurrence. I like the fiberglass option, but not thrilled with the price. Would love to hear refinishing options.

FYI...."bondo" remains fairly flexible. I had a piece break out of a fender after an accident, and you could bend it quite a bit without breaking it.

ZsTransAm

I've read a lot of these posts and no one ever has much luck at this. At best the repair looks so so and will probably split apart in a year or so again. If I were in your shoes (and I have been) I'd get a straight across spoiler or try to find a 4th gen spoiler for cheap and modify that.

ZsTransAm

I feel like I should explain why repairing it doesn't work. The spoiler is made of rubber, so there really isn't anything specifically made to fill the holes. Some people have tried bumper repair material but its not made to stick to rubber and isn't nearly as flexible. Under the rubber is a metal frame. As it got older the frame started to rust an expand, pushing out the rubber and cracking it. Even if you patch the rubber, the frame will keep expanding and keep cracking the rubber and will split your repair.

FBOMB90

I should clarify that I have no intentions in painting this spoiler. I am in the process of wraping my car in vinyl and am going to be wraping the spoiler as well. I just want to smooth out the imperfections because the vinyl shows more surface imperfections than you would think. I'm probably going to use either RTV or silicone to fill in the holes. It seems to be the best option for the material I'm dealing with. It will adhere to the surface well enough and stay flexable. I'm still really considering covering the spoiler in fiberglass in order to change the shape and make it smoother though. I just don't know how the rubber material will react to the fiberglass resin. I will be posting progress pics of my modification process in the future. As well as pics of my vinyl wrap procedure. Thanks for the advise given so far, I appreciate any input, good or bad.

1991_RS

The problem with the rubber spoilers is that the material isn't designed to have filler added to it. The nature of the rubber is that it's molded as one piece and then painted. If it is damaged, there is really nothing made to fill it. Most things won't bond properly (same problem with re-treads on tires).

If you don't want to do the fiberglass repro, you might consider doing a 4th gen T/A wing. Requires modifications, but it does work and has a very aggressive look to it. Not everyone likes the look, so it may not be for you.

Check out this post:
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/body...y-paint-2.html

Ron U.S.M.C.

If you could find liquid paint that you can shoot primer over you would be set for filling the small holes and rough surface.
You would dab a little into the small holes then paint a few coats on with a foam brush that will not leave brush strokes and
it would be sandable. You would end up with a nice flat surface.

FBOMB90

Ok, so, quick update. I tried the RTV and silicone and they both seemed to stick to the surface well, until I tried to sand it smooth. Once I started sanding, the RTV and silicone both just deteriorated and peeled off. I talked to a friend of mine that does body work and he suggested trying a plastic/rubber epoxy or hot glue. So, last night I tried the epoxy first. I put it on the wing and spread it out with a bondo spreader to make it fill in the cracks. I checked it this morning and it dried very smooth and remains very flexable without cracking. I guess I'll know more tonight after I sand it. Fingers crossed.

stealtht/a

iTrader: (1)

If you're going to cover it with vinyl the epoxy should do the trick. Not sure how the vinyl will stick to the rubber. You can coat the whole thing with epoxy primer. This should keep the surface intact. Don't use non epoxy surfacer , it will react with the rubber.
The surface of the wings can be fixed, always a somewhat short term solution though as stated before the metal frame rusts and bubbles from underneath. Also rubber isn't very dimensionally stable so it changes shape a lot as it heats and cools, eventually cracking the surface. Vinyl wrap nay be the best solution if you can get it to stick and not bubble.

mjdavis68

iTrader: (1)

Most do a 4th gen T/A spoiler swap instead of messing with the old one

stealtht/a

iTrader: (1)

I don't know about most.
Not a huge fan of 4th gen anything on out cars. None of it really goes with third gen lines.
4th gen wings look pretty silly on any car as far as I'm concerned.
If I had to get something besides thirdgen I'd get the wings west model.

ZsTransAm

Yeah they're a lot more curvy than the lines on a 3rd gen but when its a choice between $400+ shipping for a fiberglass replacement or a $75 or so for a 4th gen spoiler ill take the latter.

stealtht/a

iTrader: (1)

Or replace it with a third gen straight wing, I always thought they looked pretty good.

Jeffs82TA

iTrader: (1)

I have one of these for sale

Twin_Turbo

iTrader: (25)

Does it mount to the same holes as the normal spoiler?

FBOMB90

How much are you asking for that spoiler?

FBOMB90

I'm not a huge fan of the fourth gen spoilers on our cars either. I just don't think it looks right. I'm pretty big on using what I have and modifying it to what I want. I enjoy the fabrication process, even if it fails, it's fun to me.

FBOMB90

This is a picture of my half way progress of the modification.

Jeffs82TA

iTrader: (1)

it mounts to same holes as a 82-say 89 base flat spoiler. O/P would simply need a decklid from a base car that had base spoiler.

Just posted it since after a hell of a lot of work O/P ends up with about the same as this 84 firebird 500LE spoiler. It's pretty light too weighs maybe 15lbs at the most, it is fiberglass and all mounting stuff still intact.

stealtht/a

iTrader: (1)

So are you planning to go armless?
Might be the right idea since the arms are usually the most distorted.

FBOMB90

Yeah, I don't know if you can tell from the picture I posted, but I actually cut the arms off flush with the spoiler, shaved them down and glued them back on. When I had it cut apart, I removed the rusted metal from the center and filled the gap with Gorilla glue. I drilled some pilot holes in the spoiler and the arm ends and used 1/4in finishing nails as dowl pins to resecure them and to add some stiffness. I'm actually really impressed with how it is coming out. I wish I had thought to take pics during the fabrication process but I just didn't think of it at the time. I'll be posting more pics of the contunued progress soon.

osage101170

Awsome. I'm suscribed. Thats what I'm hoping to do with my spoiler. Please include pics when and where you can. Thanks.

FBOMB90

I'll be getting back to the spoiler within the next few weeks. I have other projects going with the car right now that are taking priority. I will be sure to post plenty of pics for the rest of the process though.