Aloha!

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

You could start to consider some weight reduction at the truck. I'm sure there's a lot of dead weight that can be stripped down, and maybe replacing some body panels with fiberglass (at least for the front clip is easy to find some aftermarket alternatives, including some single-piece ones which seem to have a better aerodynamic performance due to the absence of gaps between hood, grille, bumper and fenders).

[chickmagnt311]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

You could start to consider some weight reduction at the truck. I'm sure there's a lot of dead weight that can be stripped down, and maybe replacing some body panels with fiberglass (at least for the front clip is easy to find some aftermarket alternatives, including some single-piece ones which seem to have a better aerodynamic performance due to the absence of gaps between hood, grille, bumper and fenders).

I'm actually in the process of sealing up some of these areas, using insulation foam tape for the gaps. It's a long process, with school and work, I'm down to 1 day off a week, that which homework takes up most of that time. I'm also planning on re-visiting the underbody paneling that I did then remove (mileage dropped 2mpg-but I have a sneaky suspicion that winter fuel was suspect).

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Instead of coroplast I'd suggest you to use plywood for the underbelly pan, since it's more resistence to impacts and less prone to suffer some deformations due to the thermal radiation from the exhaust pipe. It's even often used to make custom underbody protection plates for off-road racing vehicles.

[chickmagnt311]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

Instead of coroplast I'd suggest you to use plywood for the underbelly pan, since it's more resistence to impacts and less prone to suffer some deformations due to the thermal radiation from the exhaust pipe. It's even often used to make custom underbody protection plates for off-road racing vehicles.

The coroplast is free for me. Though I do have to do something different around the exhaust pipes. I was starting to smell the burn, not too mention the floor starts to get quite warm too.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by chickmagnt311

The coroplast is free for me. Though I do have to do something different around the exhaust pipes. I was starting to smell the burn, not too mention the floor starts to get quite warm too.

Free is not exactly the best way to do everything, sometimes we need to spend a little more to get it properly done. But even if you decide to do it with plywood next time, nothing prevents you to use some wrap-around thermal insulator at the exhaust pipe.

[chickmagnt311]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

Free is not exactly the best way to do everything, sometimes we need to spend a little more to get it properly done. But even if you decide to do it with plywood next time, nothing prevents you to use some wrap-around thermal insulator at the exhaust pipe.

I agree that the coroplast is not the best way, however, as I'm still in the prototype phase, I plan on going the cheap route until I find out what kind of gains I can get and then weigh if it is worth to upgrade the materials. As for the exhaust, I have to dig around I think I have a roll of header wrap laying around that I forgot I had-Thanks for the idea.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

For mock-up purposes the coroplast can be effective, but be careful about it.