Well, here's my impossible dream. Since my wife has her car, I have the ok to play with the van.
Besides doing some grille blocking and belly panning I want to do a boat tail. It may be a bit extreme for the sake of economy, but considering the skulls of my children would be in the crumple zone in case of a rear end collision, I want a bit more material for the offending vehicle to push through. And the extra storage capacity would be a welcome relief.
My abilities for building a frame are promising but untested. I'm debating on wood (cheap to free for me, and I can get oak for free) steel (I can weld it) or aluminum (never messed with the stuff frankly) or some combination thereof.
It would be about 1.3 meters in length, with tapers that are yet to be determined. I intend on making it strong and light as feasible. I am thinking a tin or coroplast exterior, or possible fiberglass on a cloth exterior. I have a friend who can work fiberglass, so I may take advantage of it. I would be removing the tailgate entirely, and either removing the bumper, or attaching the bottom of the structure to the bumper mounting points. Of course I'd have to move the lights and plate to the rear, and I would prefer to have rearward visibility. I am considering reusing the rear glass, since it is the type that lifts without the taligate. But i suspect that at the angle it would be, it wouldn't be long enough if oriented as currently installed.
If I could make it look like the rear of the Aero Civic (except for difference in scale) I'd be happy. But strength is also important to me. Any thought, suggestions, hints would be appreciated, as I'm in limbo as to how to proceed. As this van has a smallish v-6 I think 30 mpg is a resonable goal.