1gen Neon Kammback/Hatch conversion

[TOOSTUBBORN2FAIL]

Looking forward to this. After my audio related testing (which may take a while), I'm going to start finalizing the aeromods on the neon with fiberglass. Front bumper, wheel skirts, kammback, and undertray.

[Xist]

Interesting how I had not seen any ideas like this until this thread, now we have several discussing it.

[2000neon]

Here what I came up with for mine.



Hinged open:

[Xist]

How did you attach it? What improvement did you see?

Here is 2000Neon's build thread: http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ods-20741.html and the wheelcovers are coroplast circles attached with zip ties.

[Xist]

So, I had gone to bed, but sleep is a tricky thing for me. I definitely wanted a good night's sleep, I have my last final in nine hours. Having studied for six days, I failed my first final, earned a D on the next, really hope that I did well on Monday's, and that I do well on Wednesday. I am trying to improve my grades, but they are only going down!

So, I had better get to the point!

I had long about how one would do something like this. 2000Neon attached his with rivets and perhaps NoD would be up for it, or perhaps using bolts, but many of us prefer temporary modifications. I read through WeatherSpotter's build threads, but he has a hatchback.

Perhaps it was because I thought about carrying around a windshield by those suction cups, but I thought about the need to seal an addition to the rear window. You can attach weatherstripping, but would there be a way to attach it by suction?

While I like the idea, I do not see how you could achieve that while retaining rearward visibility.

The other thing is that I have had the idea of cutting a trunk lid in half. If you make a hatch, you could attach it to the bottom half and use your stock taillights. If you remove the top of the trunk (this would be a hatchback, after all) and you have a vertical window above the rear of the trunk, you could hinge that, put it on struts, and have some access to your trunk.

NoD and I discussed that this was kind of like making an aerocap, but more complicated. Maybe you could have the trunk fold down, like a tailgate, the window fold up, like on a topper, how would you reach your trunk?

What if you had a slide-out shelf?

[baldlobo]

i think i know a way to keep it attached without putting holes in the roof; just putting them in the trunk sheet metal instead.

Hinge the trunk lid so it does another 90. also known as a trunk flip-flop kit; it would keep the kammback away from the window.

[Xist]

Originally Posted by baldlobo

i think i know a way to keep it attached without putting holes in the roof; just putting them in the trunk sheet metal instead.

Hinge the trunk lid so it does another 90. also known as a trunk flip-flop kit; it would keep the kammback away from the window.

Good idea. I have been thinking about something like that. I remember seeing stuff like that a year ago. They said that you could purchase everything from the hardware store.

I believe the first claim far more.

You would just need to make sure that it sealed to the C pillars, etc.

That sounds much better than my "reaching into the duckbill" idea.

I got out of bed for that?!

[Xist]

For what it is worth, I looked into the "flip-flop trunk" idea. I do not think that it is a clever name and I hate flip-flops, but it might do the job.

First, I sometimes forget that people in this forum usually write better than those outside. I developed a headache deciphering bad English.

I only saw one kit, this is the place that sells it the cheapest: Flip Flop Trunk Conversion Kit . They bad-mouth other kits, but I did not see any! I found comments about people thinking that it looked cool until they saw how it worked, and then everyone allegedly shouted "rice."

Sure...

Here are instructions for doing this with little cost. I think that the only real cost is of a few washers: How to: Flip-flop trunk - SRT Forums - SRT4, SRT6, SRT8, SRT10 & Dodge Forum

I read comments on both techniques that the edge near the rear window did not seal afterward, which would definitely be a problem.

This would certainly require a modification were one to do this and build a Kammback, hatch, or whatever. The weight and distribution thereof would be very different.

[Smurf]

How about a sheet magnet, like the magnetic bumper stickers? Would that seal around the C-Pillars?

[Xist]

Originally Posted by Smurf

How about a sheet magnet, like the magnetic bumper stickers? Would that seal around the C-Pillars?

Sorry, I must have missed this.

I would not trust a sheet magnet to stay in place on its own, let alone carrying a load, and if you are mounting a Kamm-back to the trunk lid, I really wonder how well it would seal to the C-pillars, roof, and rear window.

That could easily become a parachute!