Boat tail project based on a single wheel trailer...

[BamZipPow]

Used 2 "L" brackets to make a "U" shaped setup.





A quick mockup of the belly pan...





I still have to install the 90 degree fer the air spring bag valve so it will be pointing to the rear and allow me to hook up a remove fill valve later.

[BamZipPow]

Air valve installed...




Side rail view...


Another quick mock up of the belly pan...

[lortech]

I mean, it would not be so ugly to remove the bed from the truck then install aluminum frame work simular to the ribs of a aircraft to make a boat tail, then install a aluminum skin. It would look so much nicer. The last 5-8 feet of the tail could be built to slide on ball bearing rails to retract during city driving and parallel parking in the city.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by lortech

I mean, it would not be so ugly to remove the bed from the truck then install aluminum frame work simular to the ribs of a aircraft to make a boat tail, then install a aluminum skin. It would look so much nicer. The last 5-8 feet of the tail could be built to slide on ball bearing rails to retract during city driving and parallel parking in the city.

I'll let 'Bam' answer, but I remember that the premise for the project was that it allow for rapid prototyping,plus onroad disassembly in case of an unforeseen failure during testing.
After all the testing is accomplished,performance is optimized, and the design set in stone,then aesthetic considerations can come into play.
To render an OEM 'look' will require many hundreds of man-hours of work and much cost in materials.
You're only going to 'build it' one time.You need to have it 'right' before you begin.

[lortech]

Anyway, yes prototyping is a good point. Can the same be done in software?

[BamZipPow]

Originally Posted by lortech

I mean, it would not be so ugly to remove the bed from the truck then install aluminum frame work simular to the ribs of a aircraft to make a boat tail, then install a aluminum skin. It would look so much nicer. The last 5-8 feet of the tail could be built to slide on ball bearing rails to retract during city driving and parallel parking in the city.

Originally Posted by lortech

Anyway, yes prototyping is a good point. Can the same be done in software?

I guess if that was the goal, one could build an aerodynamic truck platform in many different ways providing you have the resources and skill sets to implement it. The goal with this project (from the beginning of this thread) was to see how viable a boat tail could be made using a single wheel platform since I'm working on a personal minimal financial budget, prototyping is my best approach at trying to achieve my goal while keeping my costs down. What my project looks like isn't as important as working out my mechanical and aerodynamic issues. The majority of my costs have been in the welding of the hitch and swivel suspension. As far as my aero cap goes, I'm already on my 7th iteration.

What are the costs of building everything in aluminum do you project? How many man-hours do you project fer the build? What tooling is needed to complete this build? I'm guessing typical metal working tools like a shrinker, stretcher, planisher, polisher, English wheel with dies, cutting tools, welder, rivets, etc. Seeing that I don't have these tools or the current skill sets to use them, I would have a major investment to acquire them and then learn how to properly use them. I guess it would take me a fair number of tries to complete basic skills under a good instructor before I could git to the level of attempting my aero cap and boat tail projects in a finished form.

I'm sure modeling the single wheel trailer boat tail could be done in software first provided one already has the software, skill to use it, and the time to master it...but I don't have those either.

I'm trying to realistic in my approach to my boat tail project and hopefully I don't come off as being sarcastic or condescending .

[BamZipPow]

BTW, I'm having a blast with this project so far. It's a good challenge fer my skill sets. Hopefully Dark Aero II will be just as fun!

Keep in mind, I've only been working on the single wheel trailer boat tail fer just over 2 years.

[freebeard]

lortech -- For certain values of 'the same'.

would it be easier just to remove the bed and make a new boat tail?

A friend of mine did that in the 1970s. I don't have a picture, but I just made a phone call to see if I can have one to share. I do know that it appeared in the Whole Earth Catalog Supplement, maybe I can get the page and ISBN.

He had a 1954 Ford flatbed truck and took the bed off. The new bed had curved sides (symmetrical, not plan tapered), and IIRC he built a camper floor on that. The curved ribs were sawn out of 3/4" plywood sheets and stringers of 1x2 ran longitudinally.. Basically it was an egg shape cut off on the front and back, plus a notch in the lower front for the truck cab.

The stringers were sheathed with laborously hand-cut tapered cedar shingles. He could grab it and shake it so he ran tension wires between the ribs. That stiffened it up considerably, then he had the inside sprayed with polyurethane foam. The result was a foamie with a embedded cedar skin. He lived in it for a number of years. Last I heard it was up on blocks in the hills above Ona Beach. He had the shingles oriented like a shed roof, but it could as 'easily' been Victorian fish-scale shingles oriented longitudinally.

OTOH If I was doing such today it might be like this:



Very flattened tetrahedrons made from prefinished sheet material, likely PolyMetal or equivalent. It would be constructed very accurately by mathematically defining the edge lengths or by picking dimensions off a 3D model.

I want to do this, not for a pickup truck, but for an electric reverse tricycle.

Edit: here's an example of a fish-scaled car.



Also consider a hoop and canvas prototype.

[BamZipPow]

Gonna try 2 or 3 sheets of ¾" Foamular glued together with Liquid Nails LN-704 adhesive and sandwiched in between an upper layer and bottom layer of Coroplast fer the belly pan. It will be attached to two separate sections of ½" steel square tubing on top of the vertical supports via some Simpson A21 brackets and ¼" bolts. The belly pan will be attached to the bottom of the ½" steel square tubing with ¼" bolts and washers.

According to the application instructions...

Apply adhesive in temperature of 60°F or higher. Press material into place. Lift off for 2-4 minutes, then press back into place.

Recommended for interior installations and all common building materials, including:
• Paneling
• Corkboard
• Molding
• Foamback tub surrounds
• Drywall
• Furring strips
• Plywood/hardboard
• Masonry/concrete
• Foamboard
• Ceramic tile repairs
• Styrofoam® Brand Insulation
• Foamular® Rigid Foam Insulation
• InsulPink® Foam Insulation Board
• Medium density fiberboard

LN-704
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
Base: Latex emulsion
Color: Off-white
Appearance: Smooth gunnable paste
Application Temperature: 40° to 100° F (5° to 38° C)
Service Temperature: up to 120° F (49° C)
Adhesion: Excellent to most common building materials
Bridging Ability: Good; bridges gaps to 1/4" (.64cm)
Shear Strength:
24 hours – 300 psi
48 hours – 350 psi
28 days – 400 psi
R.T. Static Load in Shear: 10 lbs. No failure in 72 hours.
Tensile Strength:
24 hours – 60 psi avg.
7 days – 75 psi avg.
Durability: Resistant to oxidation, 20 year life
Flexibility: Good
Water Resistance: Good
Aging: Good
Freeze-Thaw Stable: Passes 5 cycles
Bleed: None
Staining: None
Odor: Mild Acrylic
Working Time: 30 minutes
Weight Per Gallon: 12.18 pounds (5.8 kg)
Viscosity: 400,000 CPS
Volatiles: 38%
Solids: 62%
Flammability: Nonflammable
Flash Point: Exceeds 200°F (93°C)
Coverage: Using full round 1/4" (.64 cm) bead:
10.5 oz. (310 ml) - 32 lineal feet (10 lineal meters)
Shelf Life: 12 months from date of purchase
MAX VOC: 14 g/L

[BamZipPow]

After doing some more brainstorming, I decided to forgo the Foamular setup and work with just the Coroplast, zipties, spacers, and the steel square tubing.

Framed up and spaced out...


Belly pan installed...


I can install a nose cone in front of the air bag spring to protect it and without worrying about articulation and clearance like the first setup. I still have some more tweaking to do to the belly pan and the side section. I should be able hook up Dark Aero fer a shake down run tomorrow.