Ford Focus Boat Tail design

[HydroJim]

I'm going up to home depot soon just to look at prices and to get a feel for what thickness of aluminum flat bar I will need. There will be a lot of bracing to avoid flexing, but I don't want to aluminum bar to bend in if someone leans on my boat tail! What thickness do you think I will need?

I was thinking 1/8" x 1" would be a good compromise between cost, strength, and weight.

[aerohead]

I'd just do it and see where it goes.Curvature in the tail will add strength on its own.If portions 'tin-can',you can always add some sort of angle section in later for stiffening.
Keeping the weight down will help it survive pot holes or any sudden jolts.
Have fun!

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by HydroJim

I'm going to use aluminum bar. I'll use the bar to build a frame and then attach coroplast to the metal frame. Do you think I should use bolts, self-tappers, or rivets for that?

I had been thinking about using PVC tubing, as it's light, and you can get all sorts of connecting parts - bends, T's, X's .
It'll flex, then spring back to what it was.
There's also all sorts of kit to clamp 'm down.

I've been thinking about glueing a number of L-brackets on the hatch & window with heavy duty double sided tape.

In order to make the hatch still functional, the gap between the car and the coroplast will obviously have to be unsealed permanently.

If it's light enough, you can mount it entirely on the hatch, so the tail moves with it.

Foamed edges may seal it flush against the bumper.


I'll have to settle for a box cavity though - anything bigger is sure to attract unwanted and unpleasant attention.

[HydroJim]

aerohead- I'll be putting some square tubes from the back of the boat tail all the way to the hatch for stability because I'll be lifting the hatch up from the end and I want to make sure this thing doesn't come off so it should be sufficient.

euromodder- I'll probably end up using self tappers or rivets for securing the coroplast sheets because using bolts would require something to be inside the boat tail to hold the other side!

I'm a little worried about the attention aspect also. I like explaining things to people but I'm sure I'll become known as "that weird fuel saving guy" around town. I'll make all the lights DOT approved to avoid cops, but I'm a little worried about vandalism.

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Have any of you guys experienced vandalism with your aeromods? My neighborhood isn't that bad but I'm sure that there are kids that I go to school with who love destroying other people's hard work.

[aerohead]

I have printed materials and kept them in the cab for such events.Just a single sheet.Simple explanations,and the link to EcoModder.com.Those with more than a passing interest will have access to the 'Forum.'
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As far as vandalism goes,no experiences there.A window was broken and GPS stolen at the movie theater once,but that wasn't 'mod' related.
People are who they are and we have no control over their attitudes or behavior.My advice is to just stay on your path and deal with whatever comes your way.The highs will offset the lows.You may end up with more 'character' than you bargained for,but some people would literally kill to have your problems instead of theirs.

[Weather Spotter]

Do not worry about others, I have had a full tail on my car for 18 moths now and 98% of feed back is very positive to neutral. very few people do not like it and those just ignore it.

Where in OHIO are you? we might have to meat up and compare notes

[JethroBodine]

No vandalism here, either. You do get a lot of attention, but after a few practice swings, you'll develop a "rap" that will, hopefully, open a few minds.

[HydroJim]

I'm pretty used to attention from other things so explaining shouldn't be a problem. The only time it's really hard is when the person is an idiot and you have to explain your explanations.

example:
Person- "How does the thing on the back help you save gas?"
Me- "The Boat Tail reduces the drag at the back of the car by allowing for attached airflow and a smaller wake which reduces the power needed for the car to move down the road."
Person- "what's a drag?"
Me- "uhhhhh...ecomodder.com. Just go there."

weather spotter- I'm about 15 miles east of cleveland. google maps says about a 5 hour drive

[Weather Spotter]

Is that 5 hours of hypermiling or normal driving?

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...-up-22429.html

At this point I am planning on going to this meet, how far of a drive is it for ou to come over?

[HydroJim]

That one is about a 4 and a half hour drive. It would be good to take a long trip to see how the mods perform because around that time is when I'll be finishing things up. I just have to make sure it'll fit within my schedule at school.