CARGaerO t'ailer; a hitch-mounted boat tail (Pontiac Vibe)

[JethroBodine]

If you don't have it done by the time I get there, I'll be happy to lend a couple fairly skilled hands. Don't worry, I only "Red-neck" my own stuff.

[slowmover]

Great idea!!

[Tango Charlie]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

OT: but, hey! I like your ecomodder.com decal application. Creative & looks good!

Ha! Thanks! Yeah, I thought it kinda gave it that "race car sponsor" look.

Thanks, Jethro. I do hope to have the tail done by then, though. That's my motivation. The pictures of THREE boat-tailed cars together in one place are gonna be epic!
Couldn't get to it last night, as a friend needed help with a brake job. I hope to hit it pretty hard on Friday, though. It'll be my last 'free' Friday before I start a new job next week.

I'm getting a little nervous about storing the thing. I had a thought of making it so it would fold or disassemble, but I don't have the time or engineering ability to do that. It may be too bulky to hang from the garage ceiling. I may just have to lay it against the house in the backyard and throw a tarp over it. I know you all would say "just leave it on the car!" but I know the wife won't go for that. I've already promised her that it's only for long trips.

[MetroMPG]

I sympathize. Lack of storage led to this ultimate fate of my Firefly's prototype boat tail:



Though mine was mostly cardboard.

[Tango Charlie]

Ugh, I think we all whimpered when you did that.
The 15% you got is still just incredible to me. I'm hoping beyond hope that I might get 10%. *fingers crossed*

After lugging my toolbox to the new job this morning, I got around to working on the t'ailer. As is typical, I didn't get quite as far as I hoped.
On the plus side, I still have tomorrow yet.



I pieced together leftover black coroplast for the forward bulkhead. I'm using Duro super glue. It works pretty good. decent peel strength, and really good sheer strength on the lap joints. I've temporarily taped dowel rods onto the face of the forward bulkhead to keep it somewhat rigid until I install the skin.

[Krayzie]

thats coming along nicely!!

[Tango Charlie]

On Saturday, I was only able to get the diffuser attached. My wife is a wonderful woman and is generally tolerant of my modding projects, but she sees an open schedule like VanGough eyes a blank canvas. So I had to clean up a bit earlier than I had planned.
Getting the lower surface attached, even if it is only with screws semi-permanently, has gone a long way towards stiffening up the structure and keeping the rear bulkhead centered.

[Weather Spotter]

Great progress

If you do not have it done by sept 3rd I can come a day early and help.

What are your plans for MAF? Our family helps supports several missionary's and we know of MAF quit well. One of my brothers looked into serving there, but God did not lead him in that direction.

It sounds like our meet up will be fun

[Tango Charlie]

Thanks, WS! I appreciate the offer. We'll see how it goes.
I am applying with MAF as a Maintenance Specialist. In January we go out to Nampa for "candidacy", which is when we learn where we will be stationed. It could be Haiti, Africa, Indonesia, or WhoKnowsWhere. Exciting stuff. We'll still be in the U.S. for a year or two, going through training, etc.

[Tango Charlie]

Worked on the t'ailer a bit. I finalized the attachment of the diffuser section, and scored the coroplast between the flutes to allow it to curve up around the lower aft bulkhead. I had a roll of aluminum flashing laying around (the stuff MetroMPG mentioned earlier), so I cut a piece of that for an exhaust deflector. It's not real pretty, but it's underneath and out of sight. I guess it turned out OK considering I shaped it with my bare hands, the edge of the workbench, and a framing hammer!



The rear bulkhead was a bit floppy, so I screwed on a frame of aluminum angle to hold it flat. This will be the outer edge of the access opening.



It doesn't LOOK like much progress, but it's necessary stuff that is easier to do now with full access. Once the sides go on, access to some areas will be more difficult.