Air dam/ splitter/ undertray 1986 Mercedes 300sdl parts scrounging

[freebeard]

I went with 2ea 5-gallon cans as a range extender. Will you pump the boat tank into the regular tank or use a T-fitting in the supply line?

I wish I could run 2" of clearance on the Superbeetle. I had to raise it up to clear [most] bump strips at 3 1/2".

[razordave]

My air dam is currently held on with zip ties, so between the mounting method and material choice/ cost I don't worry much about contact with speed humps, driveways, etc.

I'm considering cutting both the factory bumper and the addition to make one with a lower profile and better function.

There is an engine oil cooler in front of the drivers front wheel so I think I'm going to remake what seems to be missing ducting and move my gutter contraption to the passenger side where there is nothing. I'm a little worried about ducting air from one side to the other at freeway speed as well so I may move the exhaust to that side as well.

[razordave]

I'm not entirely positive on the auxiliary tank, a tee would work just fine, but the factory fuel supply line is undersized per Bosch so I planned to add an inline pump just outside of the tank.
I may add a pump for each tank and possibly a check valve so the tanks don't share fuel too much.

[aerohead]

Feysal Ahmed reported a 1% drag reduction for a 3" clearance dam,compared to a 6" clearance dam.Don't know what 2" will do.
Also,I think that if you could shield the exposed sections of front tires,that this would help you.

[razordave]

I lost track of my shenanigans for a while. I removed the air dam temporarily to work on bracketry to hold the splitter and in turn hold the air dam more securely.

I ran into some problems with the transmission fluid cooler lines rotting and had to install an auxillary cooler.

I also intercooled the turbo diesel engine and installed an egt probe/ gauge to ensure I don't melt everything together.

During this stretch of performance oriented upgrades I also went over the brakes and shocks, opting for the least expensive new replacements.

I'm not entirely sure what is next, I put the grille back in and am considering resizing the opening there and in the front bumper along with a version 2.0 of the old air dam. I'm thinking I'll close up the old holes and maybe open up the center section and duct to the cooler pack.


Went dumpster diving and scored some coroplast, began building what I interpreted as a bonneville spoiler/ trunk deck extension, this is what it turned into for now. I was going to run vertical gates from the rear window gasket back to this, but couldn't decide how much of a taper I wanted. Would it be best to compound taper these?
https://imgur.com/a/Txqn4TA

say the red and orange are the pieces I already mounted, and green is what I want to add, should they be "level" vertically or angled top to bottom? also, what height would be most advantageous?
https://imgur.com/a/opmZWJF


cooler pack
https://imgur.com/a/hjn41Jm

[razordave]

The wind tunnel in Untertürkheim – an installation with history - Daimler Global Media Site

There is a w126 in this gallery in a wind tunnel, I'm not sure if this is the long wheelbase model like mine and I'm not really sure these views even assist me?

I found somewhere a photo of another w126 being tuft tested. It may have been in a wind tunnel as well. The chassis seemed to have good flow attachment characteristics.

I'm sure there has to be room to improve on 42 year old designs.

[aerohead]

There's a Master's Thesis by Feysal Ahmed online,who researched airdams.
What you've done (if sealed completely) would basically have the lowest drag,although you'd have to be extremely careful not to knock it off the car.