Aluminum or Fiberglass wing?

[dads_69]

I'm not sure if this topic has been brought up yet or not, so I need to ask.
Aluminum wing or fiberglass?
Which is more usable for a clone, daily driver and easier to install with less intense body work involved?
I'm purchasing brackets for the wing as well from hotrod98. I've also read, run a cable through fiberglass wing for safety, true or false?
Thanks for any helpfull information.
Mark

[daytonalo]

LOOK EVERYONE HAS THEIR OWN OPINION ON THIS  BUT HERES MY VIEW WHO JUST MADE THAT DECISION. IF YOU HAVE THE FUNDS AND YOU CAN FIND ONE , BUY AN ORIGINAL WING . I BOUGHT A WING FROM DANE AND IT WAS TOO HEAVY IN MY OPINION. I BOUGHT A STINGER KIT AND I LIKE THE FACT OF MINIMAL WORK TO INSTALL. I RAN A CABLE THRU IT JUST IN CASE. LARRY

[BigBlockSam]

howdy
. yea baby!,fiberglass wings are cool. although i've heard stories of them shaking at speeds over !00
me too.      the aluminum is closer to the original wing. alot of people like to prove it's a real daytona by sitting on there wing. i'm a big fuck, i'll break the wing so i won't do this .

[BigBlockSam]

danes wings are cool . the nascar wings were heavier the then the street wings.  when i'm done with my replica. i want to take it on the track. see what it feels like. i race brackets at englishtown but i wanna feel alittle nascar history. the fiberglass wing just won't cut it for me. so sit on it.

[hotrod98]

Larry,
How do you like the Stinger one piece wing? Were they able to ship it by UPS or did it have to go truck freight? 
We're still planning to build fiberglass wings, using Danes wing as a plug, but we just haven't had the spare time to get going on the project. Hopefully by summer. We should be able to sell them for around $800 plus shipping. Later, I'm going to fit one to my 74 charger as well in case anyone wants to build a 3rd gen daytona.

[daytonalo]

THE STINGER WING LOOKS OK , I DRILLED AND TAPPED THEN INSTALLED ALLEN BOLT . THE WING HAS NO SAG BUT NEEDS TO BE BLOCKED OUT AND IT WILL NEED SMALL AMOUNT OF FILLER TO MAKE RAZOR STRAIGHT . IF YOU HAVE EVER HAD A SOLID WING IN YOUR POSSESION THERE IS NO WAY YOU CANT AGREE THAT IT WAYS A TON , I COULDN'T DO IT . THAT IS JUST ME . LARRY

[hotrod98]

Dane's wings outweigh the factory wing by 35 lbs. That's an additional 17 1/2 lbs of weight on each quarter panel when installed. Not really a whole lot, but I realize that every little bit adds up. Personally, I'm going to use them since I already have them. I think my only concern with the f/g wings is durability over a long period of time, but then again we don't drive these cars every day and they aren't exposed to the elements that much.

[daytonalo]

GOOD LUCK , JUST INSTALL AN EXTRA LEAF !

[TomP]

  I wonder how much material could be drilled out of the base of Dane's wing to reduce the weight.  It would probably also be a good idea to have a machine shop drill a single long hole up each support and through the wing itself for a safety cable.  That would have to remove at least a few pounds.

  Weren't the factory wings cast zinc? Isn't that heavier than aluminum?  Or were they cast with a hollow in them and Dane's is solid?

  An additional 35 lbs. in the rear of the car has got to help the weight distribution, offsetting the weight of the nose and all of it's bracing.  It'd be like having the battery in the trunk.

  Comments?

[BigBlockSam]

a single long hole up each support and through the wing itself for a safety cable. 

i don't think that  a solid alumunum wing needs that. when assembled and installed, it's built like a brick shit house. i pulled on one of the uprights and could shake the whole car. if you were gonna run at 200 mph. then yes cable it.

[TomP]

  I'm thinking about running my Daytona Clone in the NORC (Nevada Open Road Challenge) when I get it built.  I'd probably want a safety wire to keep it from flying off and hitting a spectator should something happen.

[hotrod98]

I wonder how much material could be drilled out of the base of Dane's wing to reduce the weight. It would probably also be a good idea to have a machine shop drill a single long hole up each support and through the wing itself for a safety cable. That would have to remove at least a few pounds.

Weren't the factory wings cast zinc? Isn't that heavier than aluminum? Or were they cast with a hollow in them and Dane's is solid?

An additional 35 lbs. in the rear of the car has got to help the weight distribution, offsetting the weight of the nose and all of it's bracing. It'd be like having the battery in the trunk.

Comments?

The problem with removing material from the bottom of the wing is the fact that there are 4 studs that are installed at the base. You would have a limited area to remove weight around those studs. I don't think that the small weight difference would offset the amount of effort that it would take. Remember, there are dozens of cars running around with solid aluminum wings (Dane's not the only guy making them) and I've never heard a single complaint about them on this board or anywhere else. I love the idea of having something that solid on the back of my car. I won't have to worry about the wing splitting, cracking or just plain coming apart. Not to say that anyone's f/g wing will, it's just that I know that the aluminum wing won't. As for the cable, like Rene said, you don't need it. All you have to do is make sure that the allen bolt holding the horizontal stabalizer is nice and tight at all times. Maybe a little lock-tite might be in order.
Tom, since you won't be changing the angle of the wing, you could always add a couple of more smaller grade 8 bolts into each end of the horizontal blade and recess them. That wing won't be going anywhere.

[BigBlockSam]

howdy
  i don't live to for from Pocono raceway. i know they have a driving school there. I'd like to take my Dayton on that track. i think you can follow an instructor around the track. in your car. that would be cool. Rene

[daytonalo]

IF YOU CAN FIND OUT SOME DETAILS LIKE : HOW MUCH , HOW LONG AND IF YOU CAN RUN YOUR OWN CAR WITHOUT FOLLOWING ANOTHER CAR  . LARRY

[Old Moparz]

I've got both the fiberglass wing from Janak, & the solid aluminum wing from Dane. The glass one came in a package deal with a bunch of other Daytona parts I bought & I don't plan on using it. It looks nice, needs very little prep work, it's very smooth, & has the studs mounted in it already. The horizontal portion has some flex to it, & I'd bet once it heats up in the summer sun, it will expand a lot differently from the aluminum, or it may even sag a bit.

I don't think the issue of strength is really an issue for driving, so much as it is for appearance. I sure as s**t won't be sitting on it after spending money restoring a car, but I definitely don't want a sag in my wing. I've seen photos of cars that had a sag & it's noticeable. As for the weight differences, that seems irrelevant since the car is already around 2 tons. That's like deciding you won't bring a cooler in the trunk to a car show because the ice & drinks will add weight.

[hotrod98]

Difference between Dane's wing and an original wing is about the same as setting a 2 gallon can of gas on each quarter. I don't think my quarter's are going to sag, expecially with the braces and wing washers. And, I know that horizontal blade isn't going to sag.
I've heard people say that the braces weren't originally designed to help with the vertical weight of the wing, but they will definitely help.

[BigBlockSam]

that the nascar race wing was a little heaver than the street wing

[2Gunz]

Isnt the wing is supposed to add downforce to keep the car on the ground?


So even if the wing was 150 pounds heavier than it should be, as long as you keep it under 150 Mph or so I think you will be ok.

[hotrod98]

The question regarding aluminum or fiberglass basically has little to do with function as I see it. It's more a question of practicality and duarability since these cars aren't typically going to be driven at high speeds (100 mph or above). Some think that the solid aluminum wings are just too heavy to be sitting on the quarter panels and I guess worry about safety as well. Some think that while the fiberglass wing is nice and light, it may not be structurally sound. The way that I see it is if you have an aluminum wing...use it and if you have a fiberglass wing...use it. People have been using both for years and I've never heard any real complaints. Personally, I think either one will work just fine. Just my 2 cents.

[dayclona]

The question regarding aluminum or fiberglass basically has little to do with function as I see it. It's more a question of practicality and duarability since these cars aren't typically going to be driven at high speeds (100 mph or above). Some think that the solid aluminum wings are just too heavy to be sitting on the quarter panels and I guess worry about safety as well. Some think that while the fiberglass wing is nice and light, it may not be structurally sound. The way that I see it is if you have an aluminum wing...use it and if you have a fiberglass wing...use it. People have been using both for years and I've never heard any real complaints. Personally, I think either one will work just fine. Just my 2 cents.

      Ahhhhhh.....................the great debate,...............as far as the aluminum(solid) wing is concerned,...........just a heavy piece that needs to be properly braced, so as not to prevent any possible damage to the quarters,............I believe all wings should be properly braced underneath,.......you ever see what damage is done on trunk lids just mounting a factory go-wing, without proper bracing!, and that wing is just an 1/4 in scale to a Bird/ Daytona wing!......................as far as fiberglass is concerned,..............as a decorative wing, its ok,...........function,.....keep it under 80 mph! unless you've cabled the wing,......................one drawback on glass wings, and I don't care who makes them,............is eventually the center section sags/ bows,..........the nature of gravity/ heat/ sunlight UV rays acting apon the resins,...........the only way to prevent this would be steel/ aluminum core in the resin center section,.......or replace the glass center section with an alloy center section,................problem 2, most glass wing manufactuerers , mate the vertical section together in 2 pcs,.........although thru various methods,................this later becomes a problem down the road, as the 2 halves that formed 1 vertical, now start to delanimate, crack, seperate, etc,.............due to road vibration, heat/ cold cycle/ sunlite, UV effects, shear force, etc...............................these observations are from experience in knowing/ having these wings...........soild aluminum wings are nothimg new, neither are glass/ composite wings, nor monocoupe steel  contruction wings,...............................................................and as far as keeping under a 100 mph!, that's average cruising speed! when the gang and I hit the road in our wingcars!, that's why we like to run Keisler 5 spds, and steep gears, best of both worlds, blow your doors off at the lights/ street, ..........and kick your ass on the highway!............................don't bother preaching PC on street driving as your talking to a street racer,................speed, is the end result, getting there quicker and faster is what these cars are all about,............you don't subscribe to this! your better off building model kits/ collecting posters/ Barbie dolls

[hotrod98]

Mike,
I understand the speed thing all too well. I've always had a need for speed. I've been racing super comp dragsters since the early 80's and I'm building a new super comp 4th gen firebird now. As for the high speed highway cruising... with my job...no driver's license means no job so I have to keep the speeds down a little. 

[BigBlockSam]

100 mph!, that's average cruising speed! when the gang and I hit the road in our wingcars!,   

[daytonalo]

SIMPLY PUT , WHY IN THIS MODERN AGE WHY CANT WE FIND SOMEONE IN THE FOUNDRY BUSINESS TO MAKE A HOLLOW DAYTONA WING LIKE ORIG . I KNOW IT WONT BE EASY BUT COME ON THEY DID IT IN 69 ? THERE HAS TO BE SOMEONE OUT THER THAT CAN HELP US .  LARRY