Quote:
Originally Posted by orange4boy
Nice work guys.
The template is a good guide, but are you going to tuft test a prototype first?
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That would be a good idea. I'm hoping to test the CAD model, but a good CFD simulation is amazingly complex. Hopefully, I'll be able to figure it out.
I plan to install the tail, and leave it on permanently. So I was thinking about what it would be like to live with a tail.
How will you open the hatch? A tail will bury the lock cylinder and hatch release switch. You don't need the lock cylinder as long as your 12V battery has juice, and the hatch release switch can be replaced with a momentary switch located anywhere. You will still need to pull up on the hatch while pressing the momentary switch. Maybe move the switch to a handle just below the spoiler, and cut a recess into the tail big enough for three fingers to access it.
You will still be able to stand beside the car and load and unload cargo. You lose the ability to unload from behind, though. That will make the lower cargo basket much less acccessible, and getting at the spare tire will require climbing. That's okay, I only do that twice a year, during tire rotations.
I'd like to add a cargo basket, i.e. a "trunk", inside the tail. It could be entirely outside the car, with its own door. Or if you're feeling ambitious, you could make its lid part of the hatch, and cut away the barrier between the car and the new cargo basket.
The new cargo basket should be strong enough for 100lbs of cargo, shifting around as you drive. That would require a much stronger tail than one that is merely an aerodynamic device, but it would be nice to have in a vehicle that has so little cargo space.