aero truck project begins

[Chris D.]

Awesome..

You've gotten the bug back up and running for me now!
I dig how seeing other peoples projects lights the fire back under my ass.
I love the cover.. Whats the white materal you used to cover the PVC frame?

as for inbetween the cab and bed, use some of that foam insulation stuff made for water pipes and that mite help? Rollbar padding? Expansion foam?

I'm just the idea guy..
Rather they work is for the engineering department to figure out

[elhigh]

How'd you get paint to stick to the FRP? I'm driving pretty much the same rig and am getting ready to replace my old flush-top cap with an aero like this one. I'll be shooting new paint onto the truck at the same time, so it'll all match up and look stock.

[kevlar]

ok, sit back and try not to laugh too hard whilst I fill you in....... I got some paint from Wally-world for 98 cents a can. I used 8 cans on the truck. The cap and skirts took six more. I used some scotch-Brite pads to scuff up the FRP. I do not know how long it will last, but so far has held up well to two washings and a wet week of highway rain.... Whatever you do, make sure you purchase a spray can trigger! My finger was blistered after the first three cans. This whole thing started last month when I kept looking at this wore down, beat truck sitting in my driveway going to waste. I painted it, drove it, then got the Ecomodder bug!

[bennelson]

Hey Kevlar,

Two weekends ago, I tried playing around with a wood frame with greenhouse glazing over it for an aerocap.

I had problems with trying to get the wood angles to work right. I am not much of a carpenter, and it really didn't work out.

It looks like with your pvc pipes, you were able to make angles work by using PVC T-connections as a swivel.

I see lots of screws in the photos. Did you just use self-tapping screws straight through the FRP into the PVC tube?

Did you have any trouble while heating the panels to bend them? Any over melting, or heating the tube underneith?

[kevlar]

"It looks like with your pvc pipes, you were able to make angles work by using PVC T-connections as a swivel." -

A little swivel and (don't tell the wife) heating of the PVC in the oven to about 110 degrees, then I was able to "form" it to the shape of the cab.

"I see lots of screws in the photos. Did you just use self-tapping screws
straight through the FRP into the PVC tube?" -

I used the self-tapping screws to hold the shape ( careful not to over torque)after I heated it, and pushed it slowly into shape until I could fasten it down, leaving the screws. I then backed up the screws with 1/2 inch saddle straps, nuts and bolts from the inside.

"Did you have any trouble while heating the panels to bend them? Any over melting, or heating the tube underneith? "-

At first, I was heating too quickly and switched to a further, lower heat with a wide flame adapter. If you heat with long, sweeping motions, watch, bend on the line you want, you should be alright. kind of like making the panel rubbery at the line of bend.

[kevlar]

Originally Posted by kevlar

thanks for the input! Now that you mention it, I bet ice shield rubber would work well. as far as the view goes, I haven't yet cut holes to view backward, but plan to in the near future Attachment 716 The original patient.

PVC frame
Attachment 717

I used a bottle torch to bend, heating slowly,following natural drop angle
Attachment 718

Just an update to some questions on this thread.... I have since sold the truck to a welder who reinforced the frame and uses it for hauling. The paint held up great, and the cap never lost shape all summer! :0

[kevlar]

Hi all, I'm Still lurking about once and awhile, but I still have nothing worth modding yet. I hope in a month or so to be getting a '97 Tercel... then the bug will bite again!

[Big Dave]

Once again...re-gearing isshown to be a potent strategy.

[Chris D.]

any long term updates?

[kevlar]

new update to an old thread. The current owner of the truck added a tall rear end gear and still uses the truck regularly between north and southern Indiana and tows a trailer with it. He says he gets a pretty steady 32-36 mpg's out of it.