5 MPG to 20 MPG what will it take?
 

to those of you who haven't met groovy, well here he is. originally misposted in the "introductions" forum where he got very little attention
i am now in the proper arena hoping to get positive and constructive hints, tips, ideas, advice and inspiration on how to turn this high roof brick into an as efficient as possible roadworthy hauler. much like aerohead and Big Dave
i hope to raise awareness that with careful planing and driving even large vehicles can be efficient.

Thank you to all of you who tirelessly commented on groovys paint, lets talk aero this time!

here are the specs:

1991 Ford E-350 (1ton) dually (4X2), 16" LT tires, 3-speed overdrive Auto
i believe EOD, the cargo box is 8' wide 12' long and 7 1/2' high.
it is powered by a grossly neglected Ford (International Harvester) NA 7.3L (445 cu), IDI (pre powerstroke) diesel engine. i dont know the compression values neither do I have any leakdown data. i have acquired an area specific
ATS aftermarket turbocharger (not the castrated factory one). should the engine prove healthy enough it will be fitted. for now what you see is what you get. i drove it once and it was like watching fuel drain out of a bathtub.
more concerned with getting it home little attention was paid to MPG. previous owner claimed 10, but it was more like 5. the truck was empty!

FYI: i intend to fab an extension to the cargo box which will potrude over
the cab area; think cabover camper. 2 reasons:
1) to provide a small nook for a place to sleep when the truck is loaded to the brim.
2) equally important to provide a spot for an inlet for a through duct which will allow a portion of the air which has spilled over the cab and would normally encounter a flat 3' tall x 8' wide wall to take a shortcut and go through the vehicle instead of around it. on the inside the air vented from the high pressure zone in front of that wall will be channeled into a collapsible duct which in turn is connected to a hole in the rear cargo door where it will be drawn (augmented) into the low pressure zone behind the moving vehicle.

here is an area set aside specifically for discussing ducts:
http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...tml#post204004

the realisation for a grave need for aero improvements came when decending
the north grade of the "grapevine" -- a brutally fast downhill section on I-5 in southern california. a nighmare for truckers a fantastic place to cook your brakes. a gravity racers wet dream. the truck "broke" itself, i tapped the brakes twice, only to aviod traffic!!

I think you are starting with the wrong vehicle. Seriously.

A three speed tranny is a serious handycap. Only getting 5 suggests something wrong in the engine.

5 to 20? It will take more than a duct, I guarantee it.

yes there is something wrong with the engine
 

- it shoulda been a cummins :D

3 regular and one overdrive. gear ratio is not too terrible actually
non functioning glowplug system
low compression
over over overdue injector maitenance
been run low on oil

merit
 

good to see you think there is merit in ducting afterall. aerohead don't think so. yes it will take quite a bit, at this point i am thinking of a combination of things but the execution and more importantly coordination of the sum of them will be critical for success! 20 might be pushing it :p

As a form of street vehicle drag reduction, no, I don't see any merit to it.

Recycle it.
It's obviously beyond economical reuse.
Even if you get it back in decent shape, it won't return decent MPG for only a 1 ton load.

You can try the obvious aero mods. Air dam, side skirts, maybe a partial Kammback
Also, you could put some sort of dome on the top of your cab, to make the box a little more streamlined.

I don't think that ducting will work, though. You need to make your box a little less box shaped.

But be sure to fix your mechanicals first.

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.