HZ Van

[Robbo]

Well eventually, some time after mid 1979, Holden moved with the time's, and started identifying part's with the names most commonly used.. I experienced an issue with part names about six months after I bought my ute in 79. I lowered my ute so it didn't look & handle like a 40 series landcruiser at the time.

I had finished doing a service and was reversing off the ramp's, unfortunately I came down too quick and the spoiler caught the edge of the ramp and cracked in three places. So back to the selling dealer to make some enquiries about a replacement. I asked the gentleman about a new front spoiler, I had to explain to him the part required, and point it out in the parts manual. It was then known as an "Air Dam."

Today these part's are known as spoiler's, the language all understand. I could never grasp why Holden referred to them in a text book term, when they were aiming a product squarely at the youth market. My spoiler ended up being welded, and looked brand new again for the price of two dozen can's of tooheys draught.

[Taily]

Well eventually, some time after mid 1979, Holden moved with the time's, and started identifying part's with the names most commonly used.. I experienced an issue with part names about six months after I bought my ute in 79. I lowered my ute so it didn't look & handle like a 40 series landcruiser at the time.

I had finished doing a service and was reversing off the ramp's, unfortunately I came down too quick and the spoiler caught the edge of the ramp and cracked in three places. So back to the selling dealer to make some enquiries about a replacement. I asked the gentleman about a new front spoiler, I had to explain to him the part required, and point it out in the parts manual. It was then known as an "Air Dam."

Today these part's are known as spoiler's, the language all understand. I could never grasp why Holden referred to them in a text book term, when they were aiming a product squarely at the youth market. My spoiler ended up being welded, and looked brand new again for the price of two dozen can's of tooheys draught.

Sorry Robbo, I completely disagree with you about your front air dam. it is nowadays referred to as a spoiler as so many people in the industry just got tired of trying to correct a bogan with a skinfull in a pub, so bogan then breeds and what hope does the next generation have? The dealer lost you probably because it was called the correct term in the book rather than the generic "lets call everything ever fitted to a car a spoiler" brigade standard response. The correct term "spoiler" refers solely to what many know as a lip spoiler or just a spoiler (think Bathurst A9X), which had the sole function of interrupting and changing the behaviour of the boundary layer of air at the back edge of the bootlid (ie; spoil) the airflow, and causing a shift and consequent modification of the low pressure area behind a vehicle at high speeds and downforce at low to mid range speeds.

Not to be confused with the tem "rear wing" which has the sole function of downforce and is the typical shopping trolley handle type device usually fitted to ricers and the Plymouth Roadrunner.

A front air dam is just that, a device to disperse air around the sides of the vehicle rather than allow air under a vehicle. What this does is reduce air pressure under a car at high speed which helps keep it planted on the road. The ones along the sills are called skirts and the one under the back bumper a diffuser.