Quote:
Originally Posted by Christ
So I need to apologize for something right now.
Honestly, I thought when this thread came up, that the OP was spamming. I mean... the name, the truck, and the ideology behind this forum just don't jive very well at first glance.
Now that I see you're serious, and not just trolling for kicks, let's get 'er goin!
If you're really serious about aero, you won't need the rolling door, and you won't use the truck's full capacity every time you use it, probably one of the best things you could do is make the rear a "pop up" style.
Cut yourself out about a 12* (from horizontal) wedge, with your horizontal line about 3" down from the top, and your 12* line starting from the front of the truck and going clean to the back. Remove that wedge that you've just cut, and you'll have a roof that slants from front to back about 12*, which will help with that HUGE wake you're trailing behind you.
To make sure you still have use of the whole box area, when necessary, you just hinge the front of the roof piece to the front of the rest of the box, and attach canvas to the inside of both pieces, like a pop-up camper. At the rear-most inside corners, some wind-up joists will allow you to open the box all the way up so it can be used to it's fullest capacity.
Before doing the belly pan, make sure to "tuck" the chassis... so that nothing comes down below the bottom of the frame that doesn't have to.
Wheel pants are probably an extreme, but you can always put either some skirting or a couple tool boxes or something in front of/behind the rear wheels, and then just bolt on some flat covers, so that you have "skirts" of sorts, which cover the rear wheel area.
Brake adjustments are a necessity on large vehicles which see severe duty in the braking system. Make sure they're not dragging.
If you're going to block the grille, make sure it's something that you can allow better airflow through the radiator from inside the truck, in case you're loaded, going up a steep hill, and can't pull over when you start overheating.
Anyway - once again, I apologize, and best of luck to you.
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Christ almighty! No, not you Christ ;~>
that was my point exactly an elephant in a glasshouse. a place where prius and geo ownwers squeezing a few extra drops - larger vehicles could drop gallons but somebody first has to make ppl aware of the possibilities.
been puttin air dams on street vehicles for decades now well aware of handling improvements and mpg savings. i wasn't the only one but it was always a fringe thing. racing, windtunnel time, playin with CFD reinforced
what i learned on the street and made it even more plausible when applied to higher speeds. that is just for the aero contingent, there is lots do do under the hood..
when i was on here years ago there were very few diesels but that seems all too different now therfore applause to those that have deceided to choose the proper platform for experimentation!
on spamming, trolling and the like it seems that an ever increasing number of ppl have set out to entertain themselves at the cost of others - a trend of sorts? hope not.
soooooo, cuttin up the back of the rig? i like it, it would get it a bit closer to the aspect ratio of a tear drop. now if i knew i'd keep it it would be worth investigatin. structually hmmmmmmm. the whole back of the box is a rigid steel frame altering it, would cause stuctural compromises. the sides are
plywood laminated with heavy glass cloth. so it needs that frame in the back to keep it all together!
bummer though, come dragstrip day that hinged flap sure would come in handy in an upright position!
the overhead door is quite heavy and if not absolutely needed i might ditch it for a lighter permanent/fixed wood framed version.
this truck will be used for hauling at times therefore keeping it light is of big interest to me. all the aero work and addition of a turbo will also help make the hills.
yes, lots of tucking and swabbing also removal of the fuel tank, relocation of tailights, and i mistook, there is room for wheelpants for the rear wheels
afterall. i will take pics and get dimensions for everything pertinent.
i also want to increase ariflow around the differential bell. for starters i will
try to source a finned aluminum cover if not to be found carefully tack some steel fins to it. what would be a clever way to augment airflow (increase convective cooling) and still gain aero efficiency?
radiator blocks were the "secret" to gettin my rabbit and jetta up to 60 and 70 mpg. diesels like to run hot and guess what, so do gassers.
where did the "cars that run cooler run better" wifestale ever get started,
in a kitchen i suppose?
i always seal the radiators so that no air is spilled around them, then
selectively choke the radiator with vehicle aero improvements as a priority.
i will have to see if i can dig out pics of my beakmobile (1982 jetta) (:>
by the way this car has NO radiator fan. me being me i pulled it off in cocky confidence that it would stay cool with the above mods. it has never overheated in 4 years as long as there is some kind of airflow
some big rigs use thermostatically controlled mini blind style radiator blocks,
pretty slick if you have the room and i might as i will be taking my fanclutch/fan and chucking it into a neigborhood near me.
pontiac/chevy trans sports vans have a promising large dia electric replacement fan.