Another truck aero cap idea...

[richtate]

Hey BZP, I'm going out of town for the next couple of weeks also. Taking the kids to Grandma's.

Have you thought of using Lexan for the center section of the new cap? That way you would still be able to see strait back. Well, don't really know why you need to I guess...

[BamZipPow]

Originally Posted by richtate

Hey BZP, I'm going out of town for the next couple of weeks also. Taking the kids to Grandma's.

Have you thought of using Lexan for the center section of the new cap? That way you would still be able to see strait back. Well, don't really know why you need to I guess...

With the hump in the middle of the cap, I can see pretty good out the back. I guess I could put in some windows if I really needed to...

Be safe on yer trip out there...

[richtate]

Originally Posted by BamZipPow

Be safe on yer trip out there...

You too!

I see that many are doing the side mirror deletes and you haven't, yet-perhaps. As long as you have them you really don't need to see out back via rear view mirror. I haul stuff in my truck all the time and have to use only side mirrors, so it can be done, but if those were removed...

The camera replacement for side mirror looks like a good idea. I was going to get a rear camera for when I back out. When it comes to safety and all the problems with kids getting backed over, I want a camera to see better behind me. I was shocked to hear that a toddler could be hidden behind a pick-up up to 20 feet away and not be seen in the side/rear view mirrors. My neighborhood has lots of young ones...

Have you thought of removing your side mirrors to squeeze out some mpg?

[BamZipPow]

I can fold my mirrors in and have only done it once. I do have internal mounted mirrors that I use to supplement my external mirrors. I don't think I want to delete the mirrors as I do find them handy at times when I need to see.

I'm still looking into putting in rear/front cameras after I git more projects done.

Just got my sides up on the revamped frame...

[BamZipPow]

...and now I have a working hatch!







A rough idea of where a boat tail would extend out to...

[aerohead]

Bam,fun to see the cap fleshing out.And the boat tail length looks about right.
I wanted to emphasize how strong the pressure differential can be on top of the cap just behind the cab.When I was building the cap for the Dodge/T-100,on its maiden journey the top exploded in this area.I had only a single layer of glass on the outside and none on the inside, and she couldn't withstand the forces there.Additional laminations to both sides fixed the problem.Keep your third eye open for that.

[KamperBob]

BZP, looking good.


So the back will be closed off, or open?

Rock on
KB

[BamZipPow]

Originally Posted by KamperBob

So the back will be closed off, or open?

Rock on
KB

It's gonna be open fer now...but eventually it's gonna git closed off with some plexiglass once I git a pattern made up.

I built the hatch longer than the bed fer now. If I have the tailgate open...the extended hatch covers most of it up so I can "camp" without gitting the tailgate too wet. I figure I can cut it down if I need to but I can't make it longer without rebuilding the top.

Keep in mind that one goal was not to build this as a security cap. I just finish putting in two bolts in the hatch rail so it won't come flying open on it's own. I need to work on a better solution than that in the future...

Just installed my custom LED light setup on the hatch that swivel on some Panavise 6" mounts. That way I can point the light where I need it.

[BamZipPow]

Originally Posted by aerohead

Bam,fun to see the cap fleshing out.And the boat tail length looks about right.
I wanted to emphasize how strong the pressure differential can be on top of the cap just behind the cab.When I was building the cap for the Dodge/T-100,on its maiden journey the top exploded in this area.I had only a single layer of glass on the outside and none on the inside, and she couldn't withstand the forces there.Additional laminations to both sides fixed the problem.Keep your third eye open for that.

During my first trip with my first generation aero cap to San Antonio and back, I didn't notice anything trying to pull itself apart...thank goodness!

Hopefully I designed my aero cap with enough structure to be sturdy enough to handle those kinds of pressure differentials.

I just reinforced all my taped joints with...Gorilla Tape!

Maybe when I zip back through...we can meet up again and you can see how far I've progressed...

[BamZipPow]

New configuration...I can now configure my cap to be at different levels.