The extreme AreoCRX-HF project

[ebacherville]

The rear is shaping up nicely.. got the pillars fiber glassed this weekend and the rear plexiglass in

Here are photos !






I did a test drive after the rear window was in.. normally with my vacuum gauge at a set point on flat ground the speed is at about 50mph.. now 55mph.. seems to made a nice improvement..

As you can see I painted the inside of the glass hatch portion flat black to reduce any glare from the second layer of glazing... thats whats ont he c pillars too.. over sprayed it...

The rear glass is easily seen through however the severe angle does give a slight waviness to it , but in no way makes things in the rear view unrecognizable its just very slight.

You'll also notice i added a center brace to 1 make the glass have a slight bow to it and so that it would not sag or flap.. woks perfectly , its just a 1/2" "U" channel of aliminum

[ebacherville]

Also when I went and picked up the acrylic glass for the car i used the truck and scan gauge.. round trip . 35.6 mpg, 10.6 mpg over EPA highway and that was city and highway combined !!!!


However didn't go over 45 mph to do it.. i was in no hurry and traffic was very very light

[ebacherville]

any one know of some good black sealant that i can use on the plastic window??

Doubt ill find black silicon at the home improvement store.. but ill look

[ttoyoda]

any one know of some good black sealant that i can use on the plastic window??

Doubt ill find black silicon at the home improvement store.. but ill l

http://www.stickwithpl.com/products/...PLProductID=22

This is paintable. Silicone, not so much. I have put autoglass (rear window) in with it and it stayed put in.

[ebacherville]

Originally Posted by ttoyoda

http://www.stickwithpl.com/products/...PLProductID=22

This is paintable. Silicone, not so much. I have put autoglass (rear window) in with it and it stayed put in.

Cool, the plastic ain't going anywhere its screwed in place very well, just wanted to seal it up a bit better..

[ebacherville]

well i filled up this morning since the tail was just finished to get a clean slate for these mods.. and in varous forms of completion the tail was on this tank.. 51.97 MPG

Driving to work today it was quite apparent that the rear glazing on the tail makes a noticeable improvement in MPH at a static place on the vacuum gauge..

There was dew on the car and it was very telling as soon as i got over 35 mph the dew started rolling off the rear glazing in a very uniform pattern.. looked really good to me

Now to drive and wait till I can rack up some more miles to see how the new tail is performing.

[rcpmac]

Originally Posted by ebacherville

any one know of some good black sealant that i can use on the plastic window??

Doubt ill find black silicon at the home improvement store.. but ill look

Use Polyurethane caulk. It is better than silicon which cannot be re-caulked as it won't bond well to itself or any surface that has been previously been in contact with it. Polyurethane caulk is available at Lowes home depot marine supply or a lumber yard and can be found in black.
It is very sticky and is paintable. Black silicone is also available. Check lumber yards. When you caulk an area mask the edges where you want the caulk line to end and use a plastic spoon or putty knife (depending on desired sectional shape,) to screed off the excess. To get a uniform job you want to have everything set up with the goal of filling (overfilling) the joint and screeding it off within a very short time while it is most fluid. The tape should be pulled immediately this lets the caulk edge settle. A bit of strategy and setup will result in a superior job. Sometimes the black version it is labeled as polyurethane roof sealant - it's the same stuff.

http://tinyurl.com/52z478

Once you get the caulking method down consider using it to blend the edges of the other fixed windows.
BTW: Great progress!

[ebacherville]

Originally Posted by rcpmac

Once you get the caulking method down consider using it to blend the edges of the other fixed windows.
BTW: Great progress!

Oh good idea , even though it would only be the two little side windows, the fronts are frameless windows.

speaking of that, I need a new regulator for the drives side....

[ttoyoda]

There was dew on the car and it was very telling as soon as i got over 35 mph the dew started rolling off the rear glazing in a very uniform pattern.. looked really good to me

I think I speak for everyone here when I say that we want you to tape wool tufts over the whole body, go for a drive, and put a video of the tuft movement up on youtube so we can all bask in the glow of your genius.

Also, if later on you get condensation between the plexiglass read window and the original rear window, cut some holes in the metal part of the rear hatch that you can run ductwork to (sump pump hose) from the heater/defroster.

[ebacherville]

Originally Posted by ttoyoda

I think I speak for everyone here when I say that we want you to tape wool tufts over the whole body, go for a drive, and put a video of the tuft movement up on youtube so we can all bask in the glow of your genius.

Also, if later on you get condensation between the plexiglass read window and the original rear window, cut some holes in the metal part of the rear hatch that you can run ductwork to (sump pump hose) from the heater/defroster.

yeah i want to tuft test.. Hardest part is getting a video cam driver.. as for the rear window.. none yet and it was very humid last night.. however i can just punch out the factory glass if it really becomes a problem.. then it will be solved.. probably make for more cargo space too..

Also i was going to move the muffler into the new tail, but after looking at itr , i think its going to become added trunk space.. just need to fiberglass the inside and it will become very useful..

also i need to make a transition piece from the roof line to the hatch to make it correct.. now its a bump where the hatch transitions.. to make the lines right for the areo.. this wont be hard just some time needed to do it..