GM Front Splitter Woes
 

Recently took my 50th Anniversary RS for a 4 hour run up I95. Halfway up a truck kicks up a rock which proceeds to bounce along until I hit it going 75 and the result is a hole in my lower front splitter and a crack. Being hollow plastic the splitter did not put up much a of a defense. Ever since I got my car I've worried about scratching it on a curb and now this.

My dilemma is do I get it replaced $440 for the part plus labor for the GM part, or do I replace it with something more durable? After market carbon fiber or solid splitter. Anybody have any suggestions or options? Pics Follow:

http://i833.photobucket.com/albums/z...5/IMG_2194.jpg

http://i833.photobucket.com/albums/z...5/IMG_2193.jpg

had to replace mine as well. I like the GM Front splitter seems to flow with the car better IMO.

Or you could go the cheaper route and fill, sand, and paint it. That’s what I’m going to do when mine gets all jacked up.

Yup. I have a small chip and crack very low under the front edge from hitting an ice chunk or something last winter. Not visible from a standing position. I'm just going to bondo it, sand it and touch it up with a satin black paint.

I've been worried about this. I installed mine about 2 weeks ago now and love the look of it, but have been concerned about durability.

You could take it off, fill it, sand it and then vinyl wrap it if you wanted a little more durability out of it.

Thanks for the input, may go with a replacement of the existing one, I do like the look of it. I just thought carbon fiber or a solid splitter would prove much more durable. Concerned about repair work, because of the hole and the additional crack running to each side, as well as I'm not sure what it's made of, might just have to take it to a body shop for an estimate. Cheapest I found a new one for, was $405, and that does not include removal of the old and installation.

Just remove and replace it yourself, unless you aren't physically able to. It just attaches with some bolts and double-sided tape.

I replaced mine recently and followed Glen E's advice. There are several screws, a few rivets, and double-sided tape holding the old one on. That is easy. The tape is trickier. I used braided fishing line to cut the adhesive foam tape. The remaining residue I removed by hand.
Install new splitter without peeling red backing off the adhesive tape. I used plastic push rivets, again as per Glen E's suggestion. The combination of plastic push rivets and the screws is plenty strong. This allows the splitter to be removed more easily.

If your old splitter is just cracked, or you happen to have all the broken pieces, it can be glued with IPS weld-on #16. I experimented with what I had left from my damage, and that adhesive will work.

If I recall correctly, the plastic is straight up ABS. I posted the code in another thread.

here's that thread:
https://www.camaro6.com/forums/showthread.php?t=434909

GM splitter has rivets as well

It's not even a splitter just a chin spoiler and the damn thing is super-brittle. Mine is all jacked up.

I have a replacement one that I will throw on someday when the original one gets too bad to be on the car. Some store on here sells replicas for very cheap and there's nothing special about the GM one's construction to warrant paying the $350 to $400 for it.

Please PM me the info about the replicas.

Please PM me as well, if I'm going to be replacing this thing every couple of years I'd like a cheaper option.

Please PM me too!

An update and a heads up. Over the last couple of weeks I noticed the cracks caused by the hole are spreading. I assume the flexing of the plastic due to air pressure is causing more damage. Temporarily, used spray foam insulation inserted through hole to add internal support until I decide on a replacement. After seeing how fragile the stock plastic is, I'm leaning towards a carbon fiber replacement.