Got it...

[bert35csi]

Alpina repro airdam that is! Beautifully manufactured in primered fiberglass. Have owned 2 coupes since 1988 and have always wanted one since the first CS was purchased. Prior to the last few years, they have been very hard to get and very expensive. Much prefer the Alpina style to the factory CSL version.

Picked up a spanking new one from H&B BMW over in Berkeley, CA for $300. Considered the Coupeking unit, but, it is just a tad more costly, plus shipping is fairly expensive and problematic due to the size and fragility of the fiberglass airdam. Since H&B is just a short drive from SF, I decided just to get it from them.

There is a slight difference between the H&B and Coupeking spoilers. The H&B unit has the integral contoured brake ducts, while the Coupeking version has just the rectangular openings without the ducts. Personally, I prefer the former style.

H&B has one more airdam in stock, but it has been painted in red. It is new and never been mounted, but due to the paint, it has been discounted to $250, which is a pretty good deal. If there is more demand, H&B will produce more, the parts manager informed me.

Also, checked out their ultra slick 3-piece rims. Available in 7X16" and 8X16" fitments...$750 for the fronts and $800 for the wider rears. These are built to order so I did not see the finished product. I did see a nice set of of the 15" 4 bolt 3-piece rims that was fitted to a 323i though...beautiful indeed. The prettiest feature of these rims is probably the BBS spun stepped polished lips.

Very tempting to get a set...probably will have to sell my professionally refurbished set of staggered Alpinas with new tires (never been mounted to coupe) to finance the purchase though.

BTW, H&B (Hardy&Beck as it was known years ago) did my pre-purchase inspection on my first coupe back in 1988 and maintained it to about 1992. It was in a different location back then, and I have not been back until today since they moved to their present location in the mid 1990's.

 

[Honolulu]

A picture is demanded.... please. Inquiring minds are considering whether this item is made using polyester or epoxy resin, or something else. Nosy buggers like me are also wondering if it's a chopper gun product or hand layup, and if the latter, how many layers of what weight cloth. REALLY NOSY coupe owners who also do a bit of fiberglass work wonder what kind of glass mat or cloth, too.

Wouldn't hurt H&B's business to post a few pics, either.

TIA

 

[rsporsche]

check out their website - http://www.hbspecialists.com/ go to the resto parts section.
the modular wheels are just like the ones execmalibu posted. price Bert mentioned is per wheel. $3100 for a set.

also has a pic of the air dam. for e3 people, there is an e3 dam that is similar to the coupe one for $225.

 

[bert35csi]

A picture is demanded.... please. Inquiring minds are considering whether this item is made using polyester or epoxy resin, or something else. Nosy buggers like me are also wondering if it's a chopper gun product or hand layup, and if the latter, how many layers of what weight cloth. REALLY NOSY coupe owners who also do a bit of fiberglass work wonder what kind of glass mat or cloth, too.

Wouldn't hurt H&B's business to post a few pics, either.

TIA

Will do when I get a chance! :grin: No idea on the construction method or specific material though...should have inquired while I was there.

 

[E911]

I believe the original airdam had the ducts to guide the air... It's my understanding they are/were created on a separate mold and then bonded to the airdam.

I have a couple prototypes and a mold (created from an original) that came with a "lot" of old E9 stuff I bought from a collector- one has the ducts and the other doesn't. The cash of old parts also included a vacuum mold for creating the same airdam in plastic- that would be interesting.

@ Honolulu - what would be the ideal (cost versus quality balance) fiberglass specs?

My sense is you would not want a fiberglass version to be too strong if (when) you catch it on something. I would rather sacrifice the spoiler rather than a very expensive and fragile front clip. One of the prototypes I have was done with this in mind and is wafer thin.

Good info- thanks

 

[Honolulu]

Mostly, in surfboards, I've worked with polyester resin. I know there are a lot of resins generalized as "polyester", belay that for now. Poly resins are generally relatively brittle, which makes them inadvisiable for a part that almost certainly will experience scraping and/or bending. However, poly resins are accessible and cheap. Both resin and catalyst (the latter is methyl ethyl ketone peroxide, quite toxic) volatile, and DO NOT use acetone for skin exposure cleanup; acetone mobilizes the stuff right through your skin. Needless to say, it's carcinogenic. You should wear an activated charcoal (organic vapor) respirator when the resin's wet, and a HEPA filtered respirator during sanding/grinding.

Lately, lighter and strongerepoxies have come to market that are available with varying flex characteristics. I would tend to prefer a flexible epoxy to a stiff brittle polyester. Query your suppliers for data and advice (and cost!). They require very careful attention to resin/hardener mix ratio; most guys who use them in production situations use a digital scale to accurately proportion resin and hardener. The pump that comes on the can is not recommended for best results. Know also that the correct volumetric mix ratio is a little different from the correct weight ratio (!). Very thorough mixing is an absolute necessity. Epoxies are negligibly volatile and respirator use is only suggested during sanding/grinding. Many of them are soap and water cleanup, real nice in comparison to acetone. Epoxy resins generally cost 1.5 times the poly alternative, and the cost factor only goes up depending on your source and resin.

That said, my prescription for a quality job would be multiple layers of 4 or 6 ounce E-glass and an epoxy resin selected for flexibility. The number of layers is something I have little feel for, but I'd go with maybe 4 layers of 4 ounce and see how the part feels once it's off the mold. If you wantted to get fancy, some kevlar tape (spendy) where there is a tensile stress concentration. Number of layers dependent on strength required in the immediate area. but several layers extra in the immediate area of any/all fasteners (hard points where the part cannot flex). Hand layup of glass cloth is much lighter than chopper gun, mat or veil glass. Your choice of compatible gel coat if needed, primer and paint. No finish on back side. Vacuum molding with the additional requirements for a vacuum pump, peel ply, etc. is really only needed when one is operating on a cost-be-dammed basis, aiming for absolute minimum weight and maximum strength.

The mold must be absolutely smooth and free of burrs, scratches, bumps and the like, and adequately coated (sometimes several times) with proper mold release.

Don't let this sound like I'm a know-it-all concerning molding technique/technology. I have not actually done any myself but I've worked with poly resin and glass, making surfboards for a long long time. I'm on a surfboard forum where mold and vacuum techniques are not infrequently discussed, as well as failures of some of the high tech outfits to produce quallity product at a price point that allows them to stay in business. Vacuum molding is where higher quality, lighter weight products are being produced for very demanding applications. Surfboards are made at the ragged edge of weight versus durability, as proven by the typical very short lifespan of most commercial product and frequent snap-in-half events. Those can ruin your day, at $400 per snap plus another 100 to repair.

It must be noted that I'm also frugal to the point of laughability. Almost anything I can do myself, I must and eventually will. Lately this addresses painting my two story, 3000 sq. ft. house. But oh the prep work will be a killer.

thus endeth the sermon

 

[bert35csi]

Some airdam pics

Have analyzed how the Alpina style and the factory CSL spoilers are constructed and how they are attached to the coupe and I believe the Alpina airdam is more practical and beneficial in damage preventions. Measurements from pavement to bottom of airdam are probably the same between the 2 units.

The fact the stock unit is mounted at the very tip/front of the coupe and with the extra longer overhang from tires lends itself more to driveway and curb scrapes/damages. Whereas the Alpina unit is attached further back near the front wheels, thereby, it will lessen the effects of potential spoiler mishaps. Front spoiler damage will happen and is inevitable, but any ways to lessen how often it happens will make most of us very happy.

To get a visual of how this works, draw a picture of the coupe (super-impose these 2 types of airdams mounted) and its front wheel/tire about to enter a somewhat steep sloping driveway. In in addition to the driveway, now depict the typical dip on a crowned roadway as it connects to the driveway. Now, it should become pretty evident of how the CSL unit will contact the pavement first.,

One of my favorite feature about a CS coupe is the crowned panel below the front bumper...very unique and esthetically pleasing. With the Alpina style unit, this unique feature is retained vs the blunt and "dam" appearance of the factory unit. Just love the looks of this aforementioned downward crown along with a fitted Alpina style front spoiler.

 

[E911]

Bert- You're dead on... the CSL spoiler is definitely a plow and is easy to scrape. I actually think it looks better with a bumper than by itself.

The Alpina item, IMO looks better by itself (Yannick's car comes to mind).

 

[Honolulu]

The finish on the back side of the dam tells me it is a fiberglass mat or chopper gun product, likely made using polyester resin, with a primer (soo-so) of gel coat (better) finish on visible surfaces. The apparent presence of a lighter area on the left side brake duct suggests the ducts might have been made separately and patched in after layup of the main portion of the dam.

Matt or chopper gun construction is the typical producton method for commercial molded fiberglass work. It is heavy on the resin, and generally a good deal heavier overall than it needs to be, but with a decent mold, any third-world laborer can turn out saleable product. Compared to the overall weight of the car, it's light in comparison. It will be quite stiff and inflexible once attached, though it can likely be twisted somewhat by hand prior to installation.

That said, I'd like to have one but frugality dictates I make it myself. Sadly the three coupes with airdams that I knew of on-island are gone, so there is no master from which to make a mold. Shipping these oversize parts across the pond adds a bit to their cost. Oh well, I didn't want to scrape driveways anyway.

 

[Arde]

...That said, I'd like to have one but frugality dictates I make it myself. Sadly the three coupes with airdams that I knew of on-island are gone, so there is no master from which to make a mold. Shipping these oversize parts across the pond adds a bit to their cost. Oh well, I didn't want to scrape driveways anyway.

How about mounting a surfboard as an airdam?
Make it removable and you won't need a roof rack for the surfboard.