[Sparkeysmall]

Ive been inbetween using 2x4's and ply wood, 1/2" tube tig welded frame and film or fabric. Or some form of metal frame and plastic sheeting.

Ease of use is a must. And beig able to tuck all my welding equiptment underneath would be awesome. The only real problem is my sa200 sits just a tad higher than the roof line with the frame that it sits on now. Id post some pictures of that current setup but i get one bar of 3g where i work (and 10 hrs a day. Im dead asleep when im home.). Currently the welder sits longitudinally. Raised up on a frame to clear the gooseneck ball. Also makes for a pain to fire it up (which im planning to put a catylitic converter and muffler on. When i got the rig setup the exhasut just dumps straight out the top.). I want to modify the frame that all sits in so that the welder sits laterally towards the front of the bed. And run the exhaust for it through the shell. I guess i would have to draw a picture to better show what im thinking.

Anyway having all my equipment in the bed doesnt hurt mpg's too much. And if i could rearrange everything to fit under an aeroshell i could keep it all in there, out of the weather and locked up. I dont have the rig together right now as im not going to need it for a while, i got an indoor welding job at the moment and have no need for it. As well as the fact im scared somebody will rip away the 200' of copper cable just sitting back there otherwise.

So i guess that brings up some issues now that i think about it. Plastic wouldnt like the heat too much. Wood is flammable. So i guess i should make it out of sheet metal. Rear visability wouldnt be possible with the welder back there anyway. And a smooth paint job would look smashing.

Another anyway. Ive been thinking about having the shell extend to just above the windshield. So as to take away that angle. But that would increase frontal area. Doing so would enable more cargo space. And i would think a smoother transition from the windshield to the tailgate would be beneficial.

Ive been researching some on vortex generators. You see em on street rally cars all the time. So what if i put some small ones toward the back of the cab roof (assuming a topper that starts at that corner.)? From what i can tell they increase drag themselves but break up the boundry layer, further reducing drag overall. Perhaps i should build the topper first, get some numbers in, then make some easy to attach/remove (magnetic?) vortex generators to test if they really work. And being magnetic would allow for placement at different areas to find the best solution.

If only i had a wind tunnel.