Full-boat-tail trailer with gap-fillers for Toyota T-100 pickup

[orange4boy]

Beautiful job on those fairings. They look aero-delectable.

Where do you get your salt flat discs. They look like the spun aluminium screw on type. The Honey wants them for her Prius alloys but all I can find are the stainless hubcap style.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by orange4boy

Beautiful job on those fairings. They look aero-delectable.

Where do you get your salt flat discs. They look like the spun aluminium screw on type. The Honey wants them for her Prius alloys but all I can find are the stainless hubcap style.

Actually the cover in the photo is an aluminum serving dish from a second hand store.
I've been collecting caps at flea markets and swap meets for years and am willing to cut them down to fit,although I can cast composite covers off the back side of a MOON,using it as a mold to preserve the originals.
Time will dictate how it shakes out.
You can go to the MOONEYES website and order new caps online.

[aerohead]

Here area few shots of the nose.
If the door looks twisted,it is.The front panels have twist as a consequence of the original hull architecture integrating into "facets."
The jack is off-center to allow close following distance,overall length,and interior space.
Ingress and egress is like that of a space capsule.Arghhhhhhhhhhh!

[Sorrow Six Star]

you are quite industrious... looks like a 70s b movie spaceship! i love it!

[COcyclist]

Aerohead, Looks great so far. I keep watching your progress and I know you will let us know your new gains in mileage when you are finished.

orange4boy, This site has pretty good prices for screw on aluminum disks for your Prius. I plan to get some stainless ones for my winter wheels.

Racing Disc Hubcaps (Pop-On). Scion Hubcaps, Vintage, Kustom Wheel Covers

[orange4boy]

I plan to get some stainless ones for my winter wheels.

Good link for the screw ons. Thx. CIP sells the stainless pop-on ones cheaper though: Cip1.com - VW Parts for your Aircooled Classic / vintage Volkswagen at Discount prices! VW Beetle parts, VW Ghia parts, VW Bus parts, Free shipping.

Now if only someone sold beautiful wheel fairings like Phil's...(covet covet)

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by orange4boy

Good link for the screw ons. Thx. CIP sells the stainless pop-on ones cheaper though: Cip1.com - VW Parts for your Aircooled Classic / vintage Volkswagen at Discount prices! VW Beetle parts, VW Ghia parts, VW Bus parts, Free shipping.

Now if only someone sold beautiful wheel fairings like Phil's...(covet covet)

Over at the DIY Forum there is a thread on "Rapid-Prototyping" I posted which shows the build of the fairings.
They're not difficult but do require a bit of time to get through the process.

[aerohead]

The project languishes.Temps here have prevented any progress for a week now,and time is running.
The belly is complete except for the spring/shackle fairings which will need better temps.
I have a 3/4-in plywood floor completed now.It should easily be robust enough for the battery test in NM.
The nose is sticking out in the rain,rusting.
I can't take the thing off the stands and turn it around until I get the 3M 8500 sealant around all the wheel well gaps and prime/paint the tail.All that involves poison vapors,ie opening up the shop ventilate,and temps are just too low.
The gap-filler panels may not materialize in the little time which remains.
I did buy some high-density foam ( floor pad material to stand on over a concrete slab ) which I may be able to construct an adjustable center gap-seal for both the T-100 and Gilkison's Highlander.We're going to tow the Viking behind both vehicles for the PHEV range-extender test on I-25.
NOAA is forecasting some better conditions.Will see.
I will depart Dec. 26,ready or not,dragging the monstrosity with me.

[brucey]

Looking forward to hearing about it! I've got friends who tow a light duty trailer and they say fuel economy doesent seem to change, so maybe even without the gap fillers it would still show an improvement?

Then again, they ARE towing with a jeep wrangler.

[aerohead]

Foul weather has left me little time to fabricate before the Dec. 26 departure date.
I've been concentrating on weather-proofing the rig and looking at abandoning some aspects of the project and trip until I can actually complete the silly thing.
The sealing is complete.I've got paint on parts of it.I am simultaneously doing body filler,grinding,sanding,shaping,priming,and top coating.
I'll endeavor to work on it right up to departure.
I can weigh it soon and do an all-up weight for which to arrive at a safe tongue weight.And move things around inside to get good stability.
This will also determine how much battery load we can carry for the New Mexico tests.
If I can't "nail" workable gap-fillers,I'll accumulate some data as it is to compare at which time she's complete.
If mpg is disappointing,I may disconnect and leave along the route and continue without.
The nose is not designed to be "seen" by the air and I expect some serious separation at the top and bottom and vorticity due to the V-nose shunting most of the flow to the sides.Rats!
I'm at about 475-man-hours now and materials will exceed $1,500 this afternoon as I purchase more spray paint on the way home.
Al is closing the copy center next weekend for holidays so this will be my last post for maybe 3-weeks when I get back.
If I should generate any useful mpg numbers,I'll try and post from my brother's place in Nevada.
It looks like this could easily be a 1-year project.I have to laugh at nyself for being so ignorant and naive to think I could just slam it all together in a period of 3-months and get it road-tested.
Happy holidays!