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Old 11-19-2011, 03:58 PM   #8 (permalink)
aerohead
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plan-taper

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sven7 View Post
Modding the Probe and reading about other success stories here has made me really want to improve my truck's 14-15mpg. Just driving it to car shows and whatnot isn't bad but last summer I daily drove it for two months while working on my Rabbit so the gas costs got painful for this college student.

Anyway, I'm just going to post up some ideas to see what you all think. It would be cool to make this over winter break so it'll hit the ground running next spring The cap would probably be made of painted plywood and hinged at the top for easy access. You can see the panel gaps in the 3/4 view. It's got to still be functional so it'll probably have to slot into the stake pockets for easy removal.

Of course the truck would get a belly pan and very small air dam as well, because honestly the twin I beam and underbody are a complete aero mess!

Anyway, 2 minute Photoshops...


Aero Cap? by Tyler Linner, on Flickr


Aero Cap? by Tyler Linner, on Flickr

Perhaps a curved top to emulate Hucho's template?

Aero Cap? by Tyler Linner, on Flickr

Would it be good to taper in plan view too, or will the edges of the box negate this? Could I make a window in it? Out of what, plexi?

What kind of gains have others seen with aero caps?

PS- for those who are wondering it's a 352 V8 with 3 on the tree. Hardly economical.
Both the original Dodge/T-100 aeroshell and Poco-Loco which serves me today have plan-taper and provide a 13% mpg savings versus 10% for the straight-sided Ford/Texas Tech aeroshell.
It's a more challenging fabrication but will pay the biggest dividend at the pump if your willing to take it on.
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