arg. Spent most of the day struggling to fabricate a rear belly pan. In the end it is mounted secure and clear of the rear axle, exhaust, etc.
Worst part was having to work under the car like this. Tiny garage, no ramps, wtf.
Anyway, Here is what got put together. Only addition today was the 1/16" aluminum sheet. From the rear:
From middle of car:
I was initially pretty unhappy with how the piece has to dip down and then back up to clear the rear axle. Was hoping it could be straighter than that. Got annoyed thinking about how it would create lift and maybe some drag at the front half where it forces the air down.
But then looking at it from the rear of the car:
It doesn't appear to hang any lower than the front skid plate, so maybe there isn't too much penalty? What do you guys think? Would the drag from forcing air down on the front side be equally negated from the subsequent attached (presumably) expansion on the rear side? I am rusty on my fluids/physics.
I took a quick road trip just to make sure it didn't make any "lightning" type noises, from the thin panel flopping around but it seemed totally silent. (it was freakin loud in the garage when shook!) Couldn't gauge fuel economy benefit yet but the handling definitely felt a little different. Hard to say. Once I get a week of commuting in the effect should be clearer.
So, curious if you guys think this will help my FE or not.
Before shot:
