Nose ideas?

[wagonman76]

Here is one of the forum sketches of my Celebrity. The front end is pretty much square across with pretty square corners.

I am thinking about some sort of nose for it. It can bolt on to the steel bumper just like the tail supports do in the rear.

Any ideas of something that might do some good?

[RandomFact314]

IDK if this is what your looking for but it would make your front more rounded...

The grill block that goes all the way out to the front of the bumper and clear whatever you want to use to go over the light.

[RandomFact314]

I know this is different but I was bored

[aerohead]

I would encourage you to go to the FLOW-IMAGES (brain-food) Photo-Gallery 3 and look at the Rabbit in the wind tunnel.
It has a front end very much like yours and there is no separation there,although an enormous wake,mostly responsible for it's Cd 0.42.
My 'ideal' nose added almost zero benefit to my CRX,whereas the boat-tail got me above 60-mpg.
Hucho emphasizes,that once we achieve attached flow,there is no point to keep softening.He also emphasizes that improvements are going to come from mods to the back of the car.

[COcyclist]

wagon, I have something similar to the center section of post #2 on my car in the winter. I keep the upper grill blocked year round and don't really realize any difference in mpg with or without the nose. It does seem to function like a hard bra to keep my upper grill from being sandblasted to bits by winter debris. If your upper grill is blocked, I don't see what it would hurt. Somewhere I have seen a Hucho?? drawing of drag coefficients of several nose shapes and lower seems better up to a point.

[Bicycle Bob]

How about using two large, curved panels to give a rounder profile, and have them meet in the middle, opening like lips to adjust the cooling intake size? It could probably be done in Coroplast with some heat-forming at the sides and other careful work, leaving it with enough flex to open or shut.

[basjoos]

Add a nose similar to the one I installed on my car. In addition to lowering the stagnation point for reduced drag, it also gives you space to install a driver adjustible grill block, the rounded shape directs deer up and over the top of the car, greatly reducing the amount of damage incurred in a vehicle-deer collision, and the nose also provides some additional crush space in the event of a collision with something heavier than a deer. It doesn't look like it would be that difficult to install a rounded nose over the existing bumper.

[wagonman76]

Basjoos, would your nose work without a bellypan? I use an airdam because trying a partial bellypan before really hurt FE, the underside of the car is horrible so I do best to just keep the air out from underneath it to start with.

[Ecobalt]

I found a promo ad for the early Chevrolet Celebrity. The automaker noted that they made the windows "more flush" with the window/door frame to improve aerodynamics and reduce noise. So, the automaker has done some design work for you. My hunch is that blocking the grill would be a good first step. RandomFact's artwork upthread is fun.

I drove my Celebrity wagon for 140,000 miles before I donated it to charity. I recall that there was a small black airdam under the radiator. You could secure some flexible L-shaped material and build a lower airdam.

[wyatt]

Originally Posted by wagonman76

Basjoos, would your nose work without a bellypan? I use an airdam because trying a partial bellypan before really hurt FE, the underside of the car is horrible so I do best to just keep the air out from underneath it to start with.

Basjoos' nose is designed with the tip low. The lower front end directs air up and over the car. Less air goes underneath with the nose than did without. An air dam works in the same way, it lowers the stagnation point, forcing more air over or around the vehicle.