Commercially produced aerodynamic pickup bed cap

[Snowmann]

sooooooo, when you making some for a Dodge?
As a truck owner, I would prolly be willing to pay about $1000 or maybe more for one of those. That thing is sweet!

Just by adjusting some driving habits I have gotten my 95 Dodge Ram 1500 with the 318 to get a combined of 16.0. WOOT!

[Bicycle Bob]

I just read this whole thread, and a couple of points come to mind. Vision through near-flat rear windows is bad. If it is scratched plastic, it is far worse. Polycarbonate (Lexan) scratches far easier, and is far harder to polish than plexiglas. If it is flat-wrapped, you can protect it with a layer of Mylar, which is scratch-resistant and cheap to replace, with tinting options.

Personally, I prefer the idea of a Coroplast cap that is light enough to readily hinge to one side and be quickly mounted or removed by one person.

A bit of background on possible investor reluctance: Bruce Myers invented the Dune Buggy. He got a copyright And a patent, and got busy churning them out. After two years, he caught up with the orders, and noticed that he only had 15% of the market. Others had made molds from his early work and gone into business too. So he called the lawyers in. It took a few years, but he wound up broke and divorced. Better to sell all you can, and move on when the market fills. Unfortunately, the development costs are only worth as much as the lead time they give your marketing department.

[elepski]

Well.. in my case.. when they make one for my trim level truck.. i will get it without windows.. I am already setup for rear view cameras.

[Randy_the_Hack]

Originally Posted by elepski

Well.. in my case.. when they make one for my trim level truck.. i will get it without windows.. I am already setup for rear view cameras.

Yeah... I'd probably consider it if the price tag wasn't so steep. At $1800 (), it would take a long, long time for it to pay for itself - even at these prices, that would buy a bunch of diesel - and mine isn't being built currently either. When I get around to it, I'll probably just build something myself. Though I'm not set up for rear view cameras, I could be... then again, I've driven full sized custom vans for about 20 years, so I'm used to not being able to see behind me other than my outside rearview mirrors...

[Lightingbug]

Hey Metro-

Do you know if this lexan cap ahh "greenhouse" is homemade or the brand name if not?

I have a Dakota Quad like in the picture and it would be a prefect fix for me. Late model trucks like mine will probably be near last in line for the aerolid, but it is a great design Bondo! kudos to you!. I would love any info you have on the cap. Thanks!

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Ben - here's the picture I was remembering.



Bed cover & mobile greenhouse!

[MetroMPG]

Hi Lightingbug: it's a DIY job. From the MaxMPG Yahoo group.

[metroschultz]

I saw this today, when I was going back to admire the GeoZilla.
http://www.palmettofurnishings.com/flatart/default.htm
Apparently GeoZilla didn't go as well as planned.
I really wanted one too, but it was out of my financial range.
I don't know if you can use any of this stuff.
Or if you are near enough to get it etc.
Just thought it might help.
Schultz.

[Captain Dan]

Has anyone computed fuel savings by adding a cap vs not? Also, what types of caps are others trying?

[MetroMPG]

Computed for Brett's cap (note calcs were @ $3 / gallon US):

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

I just did some quick calcs, based on driving 15,000 miles per year:

BEFORE: without the cap, at your original "combined" mileage of 16 mpg

• 937.5 gallons = how much gas used to cover that distance
• $2812.50 = cost @ $3.00 / gal.

AFTER: with the aero cap and your improved combined mileage of 17.7 mpg ...

• 847.5 gallons of fuel burned
• $2542.37 = total cost @ $3 / gal.

That's a savings of 90 gallons, or $270

If all the driving is all highway based, going from 18 to 22 mpg the savings become 151.5 gal., and almost $455!

Talk about a good ROI. You'd think truck owners would go for that.

Amory Lovins would sure approve.

[95badbird]

Hey everyone.

just joined the site, and wanted to say something.

Note, the pic I'm about to post is not my truck, but I do have the same exact camper on my truck.

What do yall think about it for better aerodynamics?

The top was made by snugtop, and was called the topgun.





I'll get pics of mine later.