Astro Cargovan Headlight Cover
 

Hello Aero modders,


First time posting, but have lurked for quite some time. Just trying to do some cheap mods on my work van.

Was thinking of covering the headlight opening with some clear acrylic (plexiglass) to round out that area, and smooth out the air flow. Will this be an improvement, or is this area just dead anyway?

This isn't my van, just a pic from the net, but I have the same style front end. I do have a lower extension on the front spoiler that is below anything hanging down from the body.


Thanks

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...asy-31787.html

Although on a vehicle where very aero composite headlights and more a aero grille are available as OE and should be plentiful and cheap as both aftermarket and used, I'd just swap those in.

http://static.cargurus.com/images/si...pic-25028.jpeg

Could probably get everything you need at a pick-n-pull for the same $ and less time as the fab job

I'm a regular at the local Pull-a-part, but just the headlight assembly's would be quite a bit more than 2 pieces of plastic. Then I'd have to mess with the wiring, and I hate electrical. The grills are actually the same, just chromed.

Heating, and bending the plastic is easy, plus I have some. I'm just looking for opinions on whether it would be beneficial is all.

The headlights, "Headlight-Composite, Regular" are $18.99 each at my local yard, part of a national chain. Lowe's has .080 acrylic in 24" x 18" sheets for $11.97. I'm sure it'd take that much excess to bridge the gaps, have mounting flanges, and accept the compound curves required. If you didn't buy a tool, hardware or glue for the project there's $14.04 in savings. Unlikely. But I get the headlights with all hardware and the bulbs etc at the yard for one money.

Just FYI the 5x7, 4x6, and 7" sealed beams share connectors with H4 and 9003 bulbs so no re-wiring to do.

My local yard is a Pick-n-Pull. I have their points rewards card thing ("toolbox" club, I think it's called) and get emails about their half-price days. That'd make the OE upgrade even cheaper than DIY covers.

No doubt it's an aero benefit. That's why GM did it.

You'll never be able to detect any improvement.

^atypical positivity^

Surely a good sign

Truth.

it's been proven that the real benefit is at the rear.

Well...
The greatest opportunity for improvement is at the rear but that doesn't mean front-end work is a waste of time or that benefit there is fake as opposed to "real". :)

70+ sqare inches of awful up front is worth improving IMO (5x7 headlight = 35 sq in x 2 = 70 plus all the gaps and edges nearby). Every bit of air you help get over/around the front is that much more opportunity for improvement in the rear.

Yeah, you can improve the front, but unless you're bored there's no real reason to mess with the headlights. Work out your grille block and air dam first, cover the rear wheels, put wheel covers on the fronts and then start on a kammback. Since it has barn doors on the rear, mounting shouldn't be a huge issue.

You're going to see the greatest gains at the back, but from experience, it is the most difficult mod to do. Check out this for ideas...

So, the grill block would be more effective than smoothing the headlights?

I thought about wheel covers, but these are 16" rims. ID of the rim is about 17" Any good threads on covers this big?

17" Aluminum Coupe Pizza Tray $4.03 each

http://www.amazon.com/New-Star-50776...0453386&sr=1-3 $10.80 each

http://www.amazon.com/Update-Interna...0453434&sr=1-6 $4.51 each

http://www.amazon.com/Johnson-Rose-C...453534&sr=1-12



like the end of Happy Birthday..."and mannnnny mooooooore"

Thank You.

Yes, the air going into the grille tumbles around the engine bay and causes all kinds of ruckus; the same is true of air going underneath the van, hence the air dam suggestion. Headlight covers, you might say, are the high-hanging fruit.

We have lots of threads on grille blocks and air dams for large vehicles, so search around and you'll have plenty of reference material!

$4.03 each, 24/lot, $96.72 + shipping.

yeah that's a restaurant supply company, not likely they see many orders for only 4 trays LOL webstaurantstore was just my first idea to check. Amazon had more to choose from

All the amazon examples should be more conducive to ecomodding. For the record I've done business with that company and they're good people.

If you're serious about pizza trays as wheel covers it'd be worthwhile to speak with the owner/manager of a local pizza joint (mom & pop place especially) and see about buying old trays or chipping-in on their next order. Lots of people used to buy used oyster trays from my bar. Enough that we started selling new ones outright and I got our logo put on them just for that purpose.

beneficial
 

I ran across a mid-80s CAR and DRIVER and they mentioned that an Audi of the day,with flush headlamps DID show a drag improvement over the bucket.
The ASTRO has vary ample edge radii at the top and sides where the flow would be bleeding off to,and I agree with Frank that you might not see a 'showing' at the gas pump.
You're at Cd 0.38.The Pontiac Trans Sport was around Cd 0.30.The 1991 GM HX3 was Cd 0.258 I think.I'd want to study the differences