Frodee Built Front Spoiler - 1973+ A-body

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go-fish

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@Frodee laid this front air dam by hand with a heavy fiberglass mat and epoxy resin, which is 20% stronger. The coating is a durable bed liner/ undercoating type paint. I was fortunate enough to be a test fitter and I feel fortunate and happy to bring this to everyone else's attention.
If you have a 1973-1976 A-body listen up. You can get your copy of this extremely well fitting and sturdy front spoiler by just contacting @Frodee . Follow along for my install notes and the 1" bumper tuck I did on my 1973.
*Very Important: 1973 bumpers and brackets are slightly different than 1974 bumpers and brackets. 1974 actually had two versions due to bumper shock availability in the 1974 production year. So, your results WILL vary but throughout all these quirky differences this spoiler fits them all. Backets may need to be trimmed to length or bracket holes elongated.

First, I received the spoiler in the mail and it was packaged very well. Initially, I just test fit the spoiler and hung it in place. It looks good.
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Notice that bumper sticking out?


Next, I put the brackets on and fit the air dam. I realized the brackets were all 1" too short. Fred built one for his 1974 and copied it for mine. I started to suspect his bumper had been tucked in, as it is a popular and easy customization for these years. This is where results will vary because many people remove the crash bar, many remove the bumper shocks, some have stock rides. The spoiler shape is the same but all these elements have to be factored in for bracket length.

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Notice the wedge holding my radiator up so I could put the bracket's bolt through an existing hole in the lower core support. I simply took the radiator bolts out and shifted it up. No need to loosen anything else. When you get the bolt in you can lower the radiator and bolt it back up

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Instead of making one inch longer brackets I decided to use this as the excuse to finally move my bumper back. 1" is the most you can move the bumper back before if hits paint so this would be perfect for me. 1973, crash bar removed, tucked 1".

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Before and After's are always cool!

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LOOK! You can see asphalt between the bumper and valance before!

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Gap?



Slight trimming was required in the slots that the bumper tabs go in. A rotary tool comes in handy. Another area that I had to trim due to the 1" tuck is at the very center/top of the spoiler. It interferes with the vertical hood latch bar on the core support. If you do not tuck your bumper you do not have to trim the center.

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Notice above. this is looking directly up from the bottom of the radiator core support and radiator. Look past the bracket.
The spoiler had to be contoured around the hood latch bar with the 1" bumper tuck. Bad pic because the bracket is covering what I'm talking about but you can see the trimming on the top flange of the spoiler between the bolts that hold the support bar.
 
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When the weather permits I'll get an update on performance but this thing is so sturdy the way it's braced and it's construction. It certainly looks like it will plow through the air.

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Top view through bumper

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Look at the symmetry!

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Outside view.

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Equal!

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Clears a jack!

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Thank you for a nice review and I'll make the brackets longer so everyone has a choice in tucked or not bumpers.
 
Brackets look good. Angle's good. Main length is good. On the top part of the bracket (not the end with the body clip) is where the length could be added.

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Forgot to mention. Look at the top of the spoiler. I put a sheet metal screw there on each side.

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Thanks, @Frodee . Inquiries on getting one go to him. It's a straightforward product but if anyone has any questions on installation hit me up. Report on durability, functionality, and effectiveness will be forthcoming. Just from handling it I can tell you this is the strongest fiberglass part I have ever had on any car.
 
Excellent post and description of the installation process and issues that you encountered. I have no doubt that Fred makes a good quality product, nice to see it from a customer standpoint.
 
First road test complete! The car felt more stable and it seamed as though the hood didn’t lift like it usually did.
This thing definitely works.
I cruise at 65 but occasionally go on blasts up to 90. Maneuvering the car at high speed, to the left and right, felt more stable and more confident. It certainly contributes to the overall package of performance.
And aesthetically, it looks great!

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First road test complete! The car felt more stable and it seamed as though the hood didn’t lift like it usually did.
This thing definitely works.
I cruise at 65 but occasionally go on blasts up to 90. Maneuvering the car at high speed, to the left and right, felt more stable and more confident. It certainly contributes to the overall package of performance.
And aesthetically, it looks great!

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Haven't tested mine out yet been to cold and salty roads here. Your car defiantly makes that spoiler look good.
Thanks for the feed back. :thumbsup:
 
While it does look cleaner, I never realized how much I enjoy that splash of body color between grille and bumper until now.
 
Fred does fantastic work. He modified my Valiant Valance to accommodate barracuda turn signals.
I'm debating whether to talk him into chin spoilers.

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Great write up and it looks good!

Off topic but what size BF Goodrich’s are you running the the Duster?
 
Great write up and it looks good!

Off topic but what size BF Goodrich’s are you running the the Duster?
They are 225’s. It would be helpful to have a little more camber like maybe having offset control arm bushings from Moog.

An update on the spoiler, it clears my low profile HF 5 ton Jack. With my ride height it also clears most parking curbs but you’re a troglodyte if you aren’t backing in to parking spots!

For low-low ride heights I would simply recommend driving up on som 2x8 boards which should get you the clearance for floor jacks.

I do feel a performance advantage over no air dam.
 
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