The Amocat- 2005 Tacoma

[wdb]

Gonna have to make more popcorn.

[mikeyjd]

I just saw this thread and read through it. I like your air dam. I think it would make a great attachement point for a smooth under panel

Also what is your typical driving route and style. I would love to have your truck. I would have guessed the mpg's would make it into the 30's on occasion, but looking at your fuel log it seems to have capped around 29. I'm guessing you have things in store to break the 30 plateau this summer

[aardvarcus]

Mikeyjd,

My driving route is roughly 80% of my miles driving 50 miles each way to work or other destinations, most of the rest are shorter 5 to 10 mile each way trips out in the sticks. I mainly am on two lane and some four lane country highways, so there is a 55 MPH or less speed limit which I obey. Since I am in east TN, there is not very much flat so you are constantly either climbing a hill or going down one, this is probably the biggest drain on my MPG. I mainly use cruise control, but I do a bit of “hill assisted” pulse and glide, aka coast down hills if they are steep enough. I want to get my aerodynamics better so that I can coast down more hills, right now they have to be decently steep for me to not loose speed.

Yes, cracking the big 30 is the initial goal, I can beat it on single long trips but with the shorter trips the average never keeps up. Winter temperatures have really punished the MPG. I am trying to increase fuel economy, off-road ability, and utility, so many mods are compromises to one goal or the other, with mostly added weight impeding MPG (LT tires, recovery gear, tools, etc). I average engaging 4WD about 2-3x a day to navigate sections of unpaved roads, graveled hills, trails, etc.

The projects on the immediate horizon to break the initial 30 goal are finishing the half bed shell and switching to an electric fan and controller. After that I will be starting on the underbody, I have some thoughts but no decent designs yet. I am trying to design the belly pan underbody panels as light underbody protection, no steel plate as it is not for serious rock crawling but for minor hang ups. I am thinking of using light steel frames skinned with either aluminum or UMHW / HDPE. My biggest concern is overheating, and I will be leaving it open under the exhaust.

Wdb and others,

As for the progress on the shell, I removed the temporary bolts (clamps)from the epoxy work and snapped a few more pictures of the shell on the truck. The epoxy seems to have bonded the pieces together nicely. A rough overlay shows it seems to fit AST-2 well, so my adjustment seem to have worked. I am hoping it stops raining for this weekend, I can only fiberglass outside so rain kills progress.

[mikeyjd]

Originally Posted by aardvarcus

Mikeyjd,

My driving route is roughly 80% of my miles driving 50 miles each way to work or other destinations, most of the rest are shorter 5 to 10 mile each way trips out in the sticks. I mainly am on two lane and some four lane country highways, so there is a 55 MPH or less speed limit which I obey. Since I am in east TN, there is not very much flat so you are constantly either climbing a hill or going down one, this is probably the biggest drain on my MPG. I mainly use cruise control, but I do a bit of “hill assisted” pulse and glide, aka coast down hills if they are steep enough. I want to get my aerodynamics better so that I can coast down more hills, right now they have to be decently steep for me to not loose speed.

Yes, cracking the big 30 is the initial goal, I can beat it on single long trips but with the shorter trips the average never keeps up. Winter temperatures have really punished the MPG. I am trying to increase fuel economy, off-road ability, and utility, so many mods are compromises to one goal or the other, with mostly added weight impeding MPG (LT tires, recovery gear, tools, etc). I average engaging 4WD about 2-3x a day to navigate sections of unpaved roads, graveled hills, trails, etc.

The projects on the immediate horizon to break the initial 30 goal are finishing the half bed shell and switching to an electric fan and controller. After that I will be starting on the underbody, I have some thoughts but no decent designs yet. I am trying to design the belly pan underbody panels as light underbody protection, no steel plate as it is not for serious rock crawling but for minor hang ups. I am thinking of using light steel frames skinned with either aluminum or UMHW / HDPE. My biggest concern is overheating, and I will be leaving it open under the exhaust.

Wdb and others,

As for the progress on the shell, I removed the temporary bolts (clamps)from the epoxy work and snapped a few more pictures of the shell on the truck. The epoxy seems to have bonded the pieces together nicely. A rough overlay shows it seems to fit AST-2 well, so my adjustment seem to have worked. I am hoping it stops raining for this weekend, I can only fiberglass outside so rain kills progress.

It sounds like there are many factors working against you in achieving higher mileage. I'd say 26+ is actually decent considering your useage. Maybe install a kill switch for more accessible EoC on hills? I'll be excited to see your results with the tapered half shell.

[aerohead]

Long ago we tried an inflated boat tail on the T-100.
You can see that we had a rooftop cargo carrier in the bed,along with a half-tonneau,then the tail.
On a 585-mile test we got over 30-mpg.Nothing else was done to the truck.

An 'improved' version would be automatic and you wouldn't have to deal with the extra length in town.Very light weight as well

With a half-tonneau,you'd be at low 30s mpg guaranteed.

[mikeyjd]

Originally Posted by aerohead

long ago we tried an inflated boat tail on the t-100.
You can see that we had a rooftop cargo carrier in the bed,along with a half-tonneau,then the tail.
On a 585-mile test we got over 30-mpg.nothing else was done to the truck.

an 'improved' version would be automatic and you wouldn't have to deal with the extra length in town.very light weight as well

with a half-tonneau,you'd be at low 30s mpg guaranteed.:d

do it! :-)

[aardvarcus]

If my wife were on here, she would be telling you guys not to encourage me with any more projects. That foldable tail is pretty neat. I have daydreamed before about a wing hinged on the top of the tailgate that could close tight against the tailgate, but open to provide an extra foot or two of taper.

I bought a piece of lexan from Lowes for the side windows of the half shell, still waiting for the weekend to do more fiberglass.

I ordered some parts to start putting together an electric fan controller. I already have an electric fan from a newer V6 Camry ready to swap in once I get the controller made. I am not impressed with the quality/reliability of the typical fan controllers readily available, so I am building one from scratch using OEM quality components. The heart of the system will be a Cooper Bussmann RTMR fuse/relay box using an older Porsche fan control coolant temperature sensor. It will have low and high fan speed controls with a override for the AC and manual control using dash switches. I will put up more detail when I actually get it built.

[wdb]

I'm interested in the fan conversion. That roaring thing drives me nuts! Oh and it wastes gas.

[mikeyjd]

Originally Posted by aardvarcus

If my wife were on here, she would be telling you guys not to encourage me with any more projects. That foldable tail is pretty neat. I have daydreamed before about a wing hinged on the top of the tailgate that could close tight against the tailgate, but open to provide an extra foot or two of taper.

I bought a piece of lexan from Lowes for the side windows of the half shell, still waiting for the weekend to do more fiberglass.

I ordered some parts to start putting together an electric fan controller. I already have an electric fan from a newer V6 Camry ready to swap in once I get the controller made. I am not impressed with the quality/reliability of the typical fan controllers readily available, so I am building one from scratch using OEM quality components. The heart of the system will be a Cooper Bussmann RTMR fuse/relay box using an older Porsche fan control coolant temperature sensor. It will have low and high fan speed controls with a override for the AC and manual control using dash switches. I will put up more detail when I actually get it built.

Sounds good. Please be detailed, so I can copy you

[tacotuesday]

I'm definitely watching this closely. I haven't heard of a 4x4 Tacoma consistently getting 30+ mpg without losing quite a bit of truck functionality. This is going to be great