Another truck aero cap idea...

[kach22i]

You are going to need to keep the hazard lights on all the time if you go though with this.

I love it, keep on truck'n.

[ECONORAM]

BZP, you might use the hitch ball mount as a support for the boattail. Depends upon how heavy you expect it to be...

[BamZipPow]

Originally Posted by ECONORAM

BZP, you might use the hitch ball mount as a support for the boattail. Depends upon how heavy you expect it to be...

I plan on using the hitch frame as a support frame fer the lower frame work of the boat tail. It will probably be made out of 2x4 studs so it can be stiff enough to handle the air pressures. It will be solidly bolted in place so I won't have to worry about it separating and becoming a kite.

It will also provide the lower support fer the boat tail as I believe the 1"x2" wood strips won't be able to handle the air pressures back there based on my previous experience on the aero cap.

I still have a lot of brainstorming to do. It's just an idea to mull over as I don't believe it will be ready to go fer my March trip.

[BamZipPow]

Aero cap got a bad case of Coroplast termites...


Got the entire aero cap pulled apart to git rid of the termites.


Making a template from Tyvek so I can transfer it over to some galvanized flashing to build the horizontal parts.




Gonna try some 1/2" Foamular on the sides or top and see how far that goes. Gonna cover the Foamular with some Tyvek CommercialWrap (since I have 2 full rolls left) instead of painting it. I know from my testing that the Tyvek should hold up easily fer 18 months.

[MetroMPG]

Termites! Hate 'em.

Was that UV damage? But it looked painted.

[BamZipPow]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Was that UV damage? But it looked painted.

Yup...UV damage (sun termites).

This was some old political signs. Not sure if the side I had out was UV protected or not. I did paint it with some flat black when I installed it to see if it would stop any UV degradation or not. Obviously...it didn't. I even tried some Tyvek tape and painted over that, too! That piece and the hatch piece are the only ones that have broken down so far.

I have noticed that my oldest Coroplast hasn't broken down at all...and it's originally black. It has faded over time but it's still hanging in there without becoming brittle.

[BamZipPow]

Did some more thinking last night and came up with a different approach on the 2x3 side support beam.

Instead of laying it down, I stood it up. This would allow me to angle the beam to better match the cab angle without a lot of cutting and shaping. Brackets on the backside would allow me to angle the beam as well as eliminate the vertical holes through the horizontal piece...which reduces the potential fer water leaks.
Support brackets...





Beam angled to match cab angle...




I'll still have to paint the 2x3 beam since it will still be exposed to water. This should reduce the amount of water rot until I move on to the next version.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by BamZipPow

Yup...UV damage (sun termites).

This was some old political signs. Not sure if the side I had out was UV protected or not. I did paint it with some flat black when I installed it to see if it would stop any UV degradation or not. Obviously...it didn't. I even tried some Tyvek tape and painted over that, too! That piece and the hatch piece are the only ones that have broken down so far.

I have noticed that my oldest Coroplast hasn't broken down at all...and it's originally black. It has faded over time but it's still hanging in there without becoming brittle.

I worked for a fella in Lubbock during college who restored fabric and wood aircraft.After the Dacron was doped he applied the 'Hindenburg' aluminized undercoat before the color coats went on as an absolute UV block.
Many of the EAA homebuilders at Oshkosh told me that they do the same thing with their ultralites.
When I did sport parachuting we were instructed to get the Nylon canopy out of the sunlight as quick as possible to extend their service life.
Quick! Run for your lives! Solar termites are everywhere!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[BamZipPow]

Did a quick reassemble of the old parts back on the new configuration to see what needs to be addressed. Wow...I really slopped this aero cap together...just not as bad the first time.

Picked up some aluminum angle today so I can lose some weight from the hatch. Hopefully it will pan out.

I figure I should be able to use some spray adhesive to attach the template to the flashing and then trim and bend accordingly. It should prove to be an interesting start into metal work.

[BamZipPow]

Finally cut some 1"x3" pine so I could brace the rear supports. I picked up a pair of some beefy braced shelf brackets to assist in distributing the vertical load. I will eventually put in some T-nuts so I can bolt the brackets in place as the pan screws/zip tie are just temporary. This will also allow me to pull them in case I need all the clearance to load something.