Skid Plate?

97 Bonneville.

My plastic skid plate under the front end and front half of the engine became undone and is scraping on the ground. This happened at 40 MPH and sounded like I blew a radiator hose, but the car was cold and there was no smoke. The bolts rusted away. Is it okay just to amputate the skid plate the rest of the way? What's the purpose? I am guessing at the name "skid plate". What purpose does it serve other than scraping on parking blocks?
Anyone there?

Are you talking about the air dam?

That is there to force air up and through the condenser/radiator.....helps to remove the heat from the radiator/condenser...

Okay, it's an air dam alright.

I took it off. I hope the car doesn't overheat. I keep an eye on the temperature.

No issue in Ill. this time of year, but next summer maybe.

You are very unlikely to overheat the car, so long as the radiator fans are operational. You might find the fans kick-on a bit more often during summertime stop-and-go driving. Otherwise you should not have a problem.

I took it off the rest of the way. Metric hex screws. Also I found that part of the air dam was melted by the belt wheel. so that's were I was getting a burning plastic smell the past 3 years! My bonne still has life and good tires and gets me back and forth to The J-O-B. I found some old oil in my garage. was still clean, said 10W40 on it but was pretty thick when I poured it down at 50 degrees. Is it possible it dried up like an oil painting? It was at leat 8 years old. It was like a thick honey. About a half quart in plastic can so it had to be no older that 1980. I hope my filter don't choke on it.

Only vehicle I ever saw have an overheating problem, because the lower air dam was removed, was a Firebird.....

In the winter, because the firebird was so low, it became a plow with no traction....