5 MPG to 20 MPG what will it take?

[max_frontal_area]

Originally Posted by RobertSmalls

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...tion-8872.html

There, I fixed it.

This is one of those projects that creeps into the back of your mind every now and then, as you haven't seen any posts on it, and you wonder what ever happened with it.

thank you Robert! i found it just the other day, saved the link, of course not to be retrieved when i needed it ;}

[max_frontal_area]

Originally Posted by SlideWRX

get one of these until you fabricate that sleeping nook. the airdam I mean, not a new truck.


Enclose the bottom of the front end; most of the suspension is hanging out in the wind. preferably add a complete underbody that is smooth.

Even an NA diesel should get better than 5 mpg; fix that thing! The fuel system likely needs a *lot* of TLC to clean it up.

A turbo diesel is like a turbo gas engine; for a given *power* range, the turbocharged smaller engine is more economical for light duty use than the larger NA engine. If you already have the power you need, it really won't give you much fuel economy improvement to add a turbo. You would need to swap out the current engine for a smaller turbocharged one to see big gains from a turbocharged diesel.

How much fabrication are you willing to do to that cube?

Edit: Also, check your alignment. It probably isn't that good.

your kidding. that looks like the top of a camping table ;~| actually i want the flat wall in order to establish a status quo mpg. then i will fit a slanted board, and then a rounded capsule all existing objects i hope to find.
then the duct and if it shows promise i will marry it to a carefully designed
cabover bubble.

yes to front end tray. it has twin i-beam, very busy design. from cab back i am going to clean up the frame and even remove the cradle which housed the slide out moving ramp, delete the 30 gal cube fuel tank in the rear blocking airflow, generally streamline frame members as much as possible, add a tubular rear bumper (it has none) and attempt to give it a favorable trailing edge.
wheel pants for the dualies but instead of side skirts i am going to encourage more air to flow towards the center of the underside to generate mass flow for this hybrid diffuser idea which will hopefully get the duct motivated!

just doing the injectors should bring it up to 10 mpg

a properly designed turbo system can be used for power or economy - your choice. i have some tweaks in mind for my turbo vehicles that will utilize turbos aftercoolers and water injection in a whole new way.

wont alter the cube shape, will add to it though. ideas?

alignment like EVERYTHING else on this vehicle is likely in a state of disrepair.
thanks for the tips

[max_frontal_area]

Originally Posted by Vwbeamer

drove a truck almost exactly like this one for a Job I had in the early 90's and IIRC, it got 11-12 mpg.

Could be wrong, been a while.
First, as everyone has suggested, make sure it's in good working order.
second run a ad on Craigs list.
Third buy a Ford Transit.
JOKe.
Have you though t about lowering it?
I would try to get the truck lower. Also

thank you for the comparison, very valuable. your tuck was likely a DI run by a computer so it would have done better than mine. how much load did you have, and hills?

went to a fair not long ago, visited a big craporate Ford display showing off all their new offerings. as part of one of their displays they offered this DIRECT comparison. 1) Dodge Sprinter 2) Chevy HHR 3) Ford Transit Connect.

tell me please, by which means are these 3 vehicles even remotely comparable
the rubber tires they ride on?
this is NOT a joke!

lowering, no. too much work/money. good idea though! i have found reducing profile helps quite a bit even if frontal area is only reduced marginally!

[max_frontal_area]

Originally Posted by AeroModder

Get a new engine. It'll be more bang for the buck than fixing that one with all the problems you listed.

i do my own work already have parts. actually it will be fun, have some great ideas for the engine already.

have you done anymore work with your wing or kamm?

[max_frontal_area]

Originally Posted by rmay635703

I tend to agree here, I'm all for fixing but a NA diesel with low compression is not the most enjoyable thing to diagnose or repair...

That said HOW much below the allowable spec is it? if its close and you can't afford to fix just add some sort of top tube to the diesel like MMO, 2cycle, Diesel Service or whatever. Your compression will improve a bit. I do know that the Ford NA 7.3 was very reliable for the most part but that was about its only redeeming feature (my father owned a casino bus craftmobile with one). It was not as fuel efficient as other diesel offerings but could run down the road with a cracked block and broken crank if you had to.
Next thing I would offer is if you want the vehicle to be more aero and you could tolerate a loss of area weld and cut the front of the box at an angle (not sure which would be most effective) to the cab, not sure how much it would help if at all. The other possibility would be to extend the rear a bit and add a slope at the proper angle to the rear doors if you could tolerate a lower door height.
Or just lower the hole roof down if you can tolerate less clearance that would do the most with the leave work.
Cheers
Ryan

i see this aero thread has turned into an engine discussion, i would deflect future posts, but believe it or not there is no engine forum on here, strange - no?

Ryan, i dont know the compression values yet. 2 cyle oil will do little for lube.
Power Service lube additive, who refused to pay their part of lab testing during a shootout of lube additives actually REDUCED ulsd*S LUBRICITY.
members of the forum which conducted the test actually had to pick up the tab for power service. pathetic!
yep i had a buddy which had a Ford truck with a broken crank - worked fine.

[max_frontal_area]

Originally Posted by autoteach

OK, buy a bus. Mine gets 12mpg. Just a thought. Cummins, 5 speed, and some aero modding will make it much better.

great idea, there are 2 lovely Mixers shuttling around town featuring side mounted roots type blowers, perfer turbos though. would your backyard big enough to keep it ;~>

[max_frontal_area]

Originally Posted by JasonG

Years back Caterpillar 500s got 5-6 MPG hauling a full load at 70MPH.
I hate to sound down, but fixing up a NA diesel is a waste of money.
For the box, why duct it? If you don't need the space the duct will use, just chop the top level with the cab.

it wont take me much money, i agree it should have had a turbo. the factory turbos which were becoming available a that time were purposely so severely flow restricted to prevent the diesels from showing up Ford*s 460 big block gasser.

the box height is needed, and there is quite a charm to having that much headroom. the truck will double a shop/living quarters at times.
yes, contemporary boxes ride much lower on the frame, but oh well, make the challenge more enjoyable!

[rmay635703]

Originally Posted by max_frontal_area

so, what is wrong with a duct?

Generally it doesn't do much but has a large space and cost penalty, it can even hurt things if it is not implimented perfectly, for the gain I would think it not worthwhile.

[hotroddr]

Love the vehicle! The paint job is awesome! Lowering the truck, an airdam, belly pan and diffuser should help quite a bit. Regearing might help depending on what RPM you are running at your prefered speed. Good luck with the project. I will be following this one. The lessons you learn could be applied to a lot of box trucks that are on the road!