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For anyone who didn’t notice, the project has been stalled out, largely because 1) I have other things to drive, 2) the interior needs replaced and added sound deadening to make it usable, and 3) indecision on rear body mods prevents productive work on interior due to potential body changes affecting the interior.
To get this where I want it, I need to drop the drag coefficient (CD 0.45) significantly (CD less than 0.30). This “project” is supposed to be a “learning experience” so I need to just bite the bullet and start modifying the body. The first cut is the hardest…
I know many of you are tired of my repeated revisions to plans, but my current plan is to:
Prework) Clean garage, remove fuel tank from vehicle.
1)remove the rear side windows and rear doors, separate the D pillars from the side and roof.
2) segment the rear quarter panels in front of and just after the wheel wells, pull the sides in in two stages, a shallower angle over the wheel wells then a steeper angle going back, add contoured filler panels at seams to smooth the transitions, move the rear door frame/tail lights over about 8” each side.
3) separate the roof sheet metal from the roof framing, angle the roof framing down just after the C pillars and again in the center, shorten the D pillars about a foot and re-attach, pie cut the roof sheet metal to transition to the new angles and add new metal where it falls short or wholesale replace the roof sheet metal.
4)Retrofit smaller crossover suv sized rear side windows into the front part of the opening beside the third row. Add a new pillar between the C and D pillars right after this window for added support. Fill in remainder of ex-window openings with contoured sheet metal.
5) cut down the existing rear doors and create one new rear door that fits the new smaller opening or swap one from another vehicle, add small kamm on the rear door to bring it out flush to the bumper above the line of the taillights.
6) A bunch of other adjustments and filler panels because items 1-5 didn’t quite work right, add additional supports as needed to reinforce any modified structures.
7) Prime, Way to much body filler to make it look presentable, Paint
All contours will attempt to follow the AST-II top and side profiles, but may be more segmented than a smooth curve.
Other adjustments to the vehicle (grill, belly pan, tire spats, etcetera) will be needed to hit desired drag coefficient, but the 5+’ of taper will eventually support a <0.30 drag coefficient.
So, let me have your thoughts and opinions on this approach…
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