Another truck aero cap idea...

[BamZipPow]

Ended up pulling the extra air dam...MPGs dropped over 2 tanks.

Working on revamping my aero cap's front access doors so they open like suicide doors vs the gull wing setup I have now. This will allow me to easily access the cab cover fer deployment. Still working the the gap cover...need some highway road signs to use as my material of choice...

[eco_generator]

Originally Posted by BamZipPow

...need some highway road signs to use as my material of choice...

Hmm, easily found along any major highway, go for it!

[BamZipPow]

Originally Posted by eco_generator

Hmm, easily found along any major highway, go for it!

Well...I meant "used and not needed any more" highway aluminum signs. I need some contacts in the local DOT...

[eco_generator]

Originally Posted by BamZipPow

Well...I meant "used and not needed any more" highway aluminum signs. I need some contacts in the local DOT...

Well, I guess if you are going to be all legal about it...

Sometimes you would be surprised what you can get by just asking. They probably have outdated and possibly damaged signs laying around that they would just give you. Just gotta find the right person to ask.

[BamZipPow]

Current setup...


Template overlay...


I painted the side panel so you can see how much the hatch curves to match the template. Gonna revamp the hatch center stretcher support so I can git it to curve easier. My current center support is a vertical 1x2 wood strip vs a horizontal strip. The other 2 stretcher supports are horizontal and shapes very easily. With the vertical support...it was hard to curve but it was already warped a little so it was a close natural fit. Time to move on...

Picked up a sheet of FRP from Home Depot. Gonna take a shot at making my gap cover and side access doors. I should have enough material to redo the side skirts as well...

[BamZipPow]

Here's the technology I came up with to allow the gap cover to adjust to the curve in the cab. It might still need some refinement as my experience grows. At least I won't have to worry about this gap cover flying away...











I still have to install some bungee cord and a straight bar. This bar will be an easy way of releasing the tension from the bungee cord so I can lift the gap cover up when deploying the cab cover. The tension provided by the bungee cord will keep the gap cover from being lifted up when traveling at speed...

[aerohead]

I love the parallelogram movement as she opens and closes.Double that,and it's how I plan to do my front wheel skirts.Carry on good sir!

[KamperBob]

BZP, you sure are putting a lot of effort into cab/cap gap elimination. I hope you get MPG return on your gap filler investment. I'd worry about it wearing paint off my truck cab. One reason for box/cab gap is frame flex/twist during use. May the force be with you.

[BamZipPow]

Originally Posted by KamperBob

BZP, you sure are putting a lot of effort into cab/cap gap elimination. I hope you get MPG return on your gap filler investment. I'd worry about it wearing paint off my truck cab. One reason for box/cab gap is frame flex/twist during use. May the force be with you.

The gap cover really isn't fer MPG returns...it's fer the rain to not run in between the cab rear window and the aero cap. Never liked the fact that there was really nothing out there to prevent that. I'm not sure if my previous gap covers showed any MPG differences or not...I'm sure any changes were buried when I was making "improvements" to the other aero mods at the same time. I did notice that when I had the side access doors off, my MPGs did drop...but that was mixed in with short drives.

I learned early on about the cab/bed flex. I've tried to incorporate my experience into my designs where possible. Even my side skirts have been designed fer the flex. If you noticed...the gap cover is attached to the aero cap this time instead of the cab. I do have to build a different support setup fer the rear wheel skirts that won't be attached to the side skirts.

I bought some silicone based weather seal (peel and stick) that will be used on the gap cover. It will be attached to the gap cover to hopefully seal out water and provide a softer contact point on the cab and the cab cover when deployed. I will be laying down a sacrificial strip to make sure the seal/cover doesn't wear into the paint. Thinking about a strip of tape fer now...will eventually move to something like the 3m paint protection film later.

Working on a connected hinge setup fer the top cover today as well as the side access doors. The connected hinge will allow me to open the top gap cover from either side with ease. Been brainstorming possible solutions from suicide type doors to sliding doors. I still have to heat form the top gap corners so it conforms to the cab shape.

[hemitheroadrat]

My local metal scrap yard has tons of old road signs of different sizes and shapes you might contact a few in your area and see which ones the dot uses. In my area useable metal sells for about .30 cants a pound however aluminum may be higher.