Another truck aero cap idea...

[KamperBob]

BZP, keep up the great work and sharing. Your logic lost me on one point. If tape fails in heat then why should hot glue survive heat? If you used ordinary duct tape, you might try gorilla tape. That stuff is really tenacious.

[BamZipPow]

Originally Posted by KamperBob

BZP, keep up the great work and sharing. Your logic lost me on one point. If tape fails in heat then why should hot glue survive heat? If you used ordinary duct tape, you might try gorilla tape. That stuff is really tenacious.

Thanks, Bob.

Hot glue seems to work well without losing adhesion in direct sun. My duct tape from the winter build started melting off because the color of the tape I was using was black and was absorbing the heat more efficiently. Yes, it was the expensive Gorilla tape, too! The adhesive on the tape seems to git soft and loses significant holding properties. However, I'm finding out that the hot glue seems to lose it's holding properties on metal when the environment gits cool/cold. The ducktail has held up so far but the upper part of the rear wheel skirts are popping off. Didn't lose anything so far but I'm gonna see if I can put some fastener setup on those before I head back home.

I did git my best mileage so far from Ardmore to Wichita...34.93MPG! No detectable head or tail wind, traffic was light.

The few tweaks I made were to the main belly pan support (lowered 3/4"), reversed gurney flap to the extended rear diffuser, foam insulation to the leading edge of the aero cap sides, and the better support on the hatch.

[KamperBob]

Originally Posted by BamZipPow

Thanks, Bob.

Hot glue seems to work well without losing adhesion in direct sun. My duct tape from the winter build started melting off because the color of the tape I was using was black and was absorbing the heat more efficiently. Yes, it was the expensive Gorilla tape, too! The adhesive on the tape seems to git soft and loses significant holding properties. However, I'm finding out that the hot glue seems to lose it's holding properties on metal when the environment gits cool/cold. The ducktail has held up so far but the upper part of the rear wheel skirts are popping off. Didn't lose anything so far but I'm gonna see if I can put some fastener setup on those before I head back home.

I did git my best mileage so far from Ardmore to Wichita...34.93MPG! No detectable head or tail wind, traffic was light.

The few tweaks I made were to the main belly pan support (lowered 3/4"), reversed gurney flap to the extended rear diffuser, foam insulation to the leading edge of the aero cap sides, and the better support on the hatch.

Wow, 35mpg is hard to believe!

I've never had much luck with anything adhesive sticking very long when exposed to the elements. Moisture from condensation if not precipitation seems to soften things. Maybe it's UV but sunlight seems to embrittle tapes. You seem to be getting way more exterior durability than Murphy would ever allow me. It's good to be you. LOL

[BamZipPow]

Return trip from Nebraska to Kansas encountered some severe wind (constant 30mph with gusts up to 50mph) in head and cross winds. Had to stop by a Home Depot to git more Gorilla tape to tape down the duck tail. At least the hot glue kept the duck tail from flying away. I guess my next re-design will have to be soon.

MPGs dived as I was heading South towards Kansas. I'll have the numbers after I input them into my log...

The aero cap held up nicely...there were some instances I thought it would git ripped apart from the cross winds as it wasn't really designed fer extreme winds. Air would git underneath the hatch side lips and try to lift it off the frame. Luckily the added reinforcement with the extra 1x2 strips and glue really helped stiffened the frame.

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by BamZipPow

MPGs dived as I was heading South towards Kansas. I'll have the numbers after I input them into my log...

Bad luck.

But it'd probably have been even worse without your aero cap.

[BamZipPow]

Mileage from Wichita KS to Mahoney State Park NE and then to York NE (strong head and cross winds) was 24.02mpg. The trip from York NE back to Wichita KS dropped to 21.19mpg. Not bad with head/cross winds at 30-40mph and with gusts to 50mph.

I'm working on bolting the trailing end of the duck tail to the aero cap with some ovaling to allow movement fer the hatch when lifted up. The front end is still taped back down with Gorilla tape...

[ECONORAM]

Originally Posted by BamZipPow

Mileage from Wichita KS to Mahoney State Park NE and then to York NE (strong head and cross winds) was 24.02mpg. The trip from York NE back to Wichita KS dropped to 21.19mpg. Not bad with head/cross winds at 30-40mph and with gusts to 50mph.

I'm working on bolting the trailing end of the duck tail to the aero cap with some ovaling to allow movement fer the hatch when lifted up. The front end is still taped back down with Gorilla tape...

Wow. I thought I did good over the weekend; 18+ MPG (30 mph crosswind) going up to OKC from Wichita Falls @70mph, and 14.5 MPG (28 mph headwind) on the return trip Monday.

Did you ever consider using composite lumber for the bumper extension? Would it be too heavy?

[BamZipPow]

Originally Posted by ECONORAM

Wow. I thought I did good over the weekend; 18+ MPG (30 mph crosswind) going up to OKC from Wichita Falls @70mph, and 14.5 MPG (28 mph headwind) on the return trip Monday.

Did you ever consider using composite lumber for the bumper extension? Would it be too heavy?

Well...I didn't think this was supposed to be a contest. Anything over stock is a plus in my mind.

You mean using composite lumber fer my extended air dam panels? I was looking to go with aluminum panels since I got a scrap "wing" from a Freightliner truck...

[BamZipPow]

Headed back home to Houston in a little bit. Gonna be a long drive with little sleep...zzzzzzz.

[BamZipPow]

Ran over a deer carcass in the road and it broke my air dam, the right side skirt, and snapped one of the front wood supports fer the engine bay belly pan. Luckily I had some screws to reassemble/fix everything and nothing got pulled off...made it back home without any other problems/incidents!

Revamped the front frame fer the aero cap. Pulled out the 1x2 wood strips and replaced it with some 2x3 wood studs. Much more sturdy!



Replaced the top front panel with a better design and better support. We'll see how well it does on my upcoming road trip to...South Padre Island.