Bra for my 38s :)

[Varn]

Carbon fiber upper grill block

Not really 38s but my van has a 3800 engine.

I am investigating better areo for my camo van.

I've thinking of stretching dacron fabric over the front of my car to build an areo front shield. The beauty of Polyester fabric is that it shrinks when heat is applied. Making a taunt smooth surface.

Today I got a piece of material stretched it over the front of the van and was amazed at the nice shape that was formed. It connects to the hood and headlights to a great extent. I hadn't treated the car with any mold release. Just a trial run. I am trying to decide whether to remove the plastic cladding and stretch the cloth over a hoop at the bottom. After seeing this I may just make the composite over the existing bumper cover.

My trial reminded me very much of the front end protective bras that were widely used for stone and rock chips. I bet they could be revived with slight modification to their original designs.

From an eco perspective as I interpret them, I don't want to spend more money than I might save. Bad karma.

[Varn]

Well here is my execution of what I was working on. I will need to get it attached. Right now it is just a single layer of 10-12 oz carbon It is still green but will cure in the next day. will need to be attached. I am thinking shoe goo at the bottom and maybe velcro at the top. It needs to be painted to match the rest. It will probably need more layers to withstand the wind.

This van has a duct in the air intake in the bumper. That air is funneled into the radiator, ac and the two trans coolers. Let's see if the van can keep it's cool.


and in profile:

[RobertSmalls]

Carbon fiber / epoxy composite? Epoxy it in place, and leave a gap between the hood and bumper, so that it's still easy to open the hood.

[Varn]

Yes I used, IM carbon fiber and west system epoxy. It is just a wet layup. I didn't bother to use duct tape or other mold release over other areas, my paint rather is ratty. I have 10 yards of some great triaxial stuff I am thinking of putting a layer of kevlar in and then the triaxial weave. I have about 3 hours in the project and would like to test before doing much else.

Good idea bonding it to the hood. There is a safety catch that should be activated manually from under the lip but could be controlled with an extension cable or rod though.

Originally Posted by RobertSmalls

Carbon fiber / epoxy composite? Epoxy it in place, and leave a gap between the hood and bumper, so that it's still easy to open the hood.

[Varn]

Made a 70 mile run this afternoon and the panel hung on fine. Engine did not change temps from normal or overheat in 90 degree temps. Even had to stop at railroad crossing for a few minutes.

Next step is to make it stiffer, glue it on then finish it.

This techique of blocking the upper grill seems to be pretty reliable.

Need to work on my big van. Got 15.8 over 180 miles with it fully loaded without trailer this evening. Most of the trip was in rain with some it it in 40+ mph wind.

I did an estimate of my vehicle fuel usage and I spend 700 on the mini and 1700 on big van This past year. Of course that is just a fraction of what I spend on all expenses for the most part are energy related.

If I can save 5% on vehicle fuel I would save 35 dollars annually on my mini and 85 on my econoline. I had better hope for a 10% savings. If I got 30 mpg to start I would save only a fraction of that.

[Varn]

I had a chance to work on my front air damn.

I have to travel next week on a 300 mile ride and the original fairing was quite flexy. I had enough epoxy to add another layer and a bit more. I was afraid that I would be seeing my original fairing bouncing off the windshield along the highway.

So now I got rid of the slight imperfection where the hood ended. The current fairing is now 3x as stiff. I am still taping it on until I get more epoxy. I want to make it stiffer and perhaps make it wider to prevent damage from some deer strikes. I want to add a few layers of Kevlar then some more 20+ oz of carbon.

I have only put 200 miles on the minivan since I manufactured it and have not gotten a chance for filllups.

One thing that I have been doing is riding my bike to work regularly and to keeping the engine under 1600 rpm. My wife has been the biggest change she had a notion to come up to every intersection on the brakes.

I would bring up another photo but it would look very much like the ones I have posted previously.