Forget modding a car, put an airplane body on a chassis.

[ennored]

Right, it has plates now. But that wasn't his original intention. It's probably plated as a 198X Toyota Van, with no consideration given to it's new body. That'd be very simple to do in most states. He's built a few other racecars since. Not much to do with an old racecarplane, put plates on it and drive it around is about it.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by ennored

It's probably plated as a 198X Toyota Van, with no consideration given to it's new body.

That's a nice thing about body-on-frame vehicles, virtually anything can be done on them.

Anyway, many riced-out econoboxes are fitted with many parts not approved for road use and nobody really seems to care about it

[Xist]

Who abandons a plane?!

[freebeard]

Airplanes, like boats, are high maintenance. Unless someone is willing to step up and and pay to keep them aloft/afloat they're scrap. That said, I'd love to have the hull of a PBY Catalina to make into an electric yacht.

I've been trying to not post this picture in this thread. I give up.

[Cobb]

BOAT= Bust Out Another Thousand.

[Grim]

Originally Posted by Cd

What I want to know is how he drives that on the street legally with the aircraft windshield still in place.
I was under the impression that an aircraft windshield was not DOT certified.

He is a cop though, so he must know a way around it.

I'm thinking of sending the guy an email and inviting him over to EM. Surely i'm not the only one with questions about the impacts this mod had on fuel economy.

The loophole is he is still taging it as the mid 80s toyota Vanwagon chassis and he doesn't have a safety inspection. In Georgia that old of vehicle doesn't even have a smog inspection requirement.
Technically it's not meeting DOT requirement but being 25 years old it may not need to since at that age you can import foreign origin cars.

Originally Posted by freebeard

There's an auto shop in Cedar Flat that has an airplane fuselage set on top of a shipping container. The owner intends the same modification.

It appears to be on a pre-Previa Toyota van chassis. I believe those are rear drive. With a Previa drivetrain it could have a single wheel in back. Or two in tandem, like Speed Demon.

That's a lot of aluminum-polishing.

Previa is rear wheel drive thought 97 when they were available in the US. The toyota Van avaible after that was purpose built for the U.S. market. The Previa (or Estima as its called in some places) went front wheel drive in those markets. The engine is under the front seats on the U.S. Previa. The accessories are under the hood driven off a driveshaft off the front of the crank.
It's fun describing the vehicle to people before they find out its a mini van.
"Got a new car, super charged (factory option in 95 all had it in 96-97 to try to compete with the Chrysler vans V6) mid engine rear wheel drive 4 wheel disc, rack and pinion McPherson front suspension with AWD as an option.
Sounds cool till you point at it lol
I miss my Previa.
Those old Vanwagons were pretty interesting. You could buy them as a true 4x4 with low range and locking hubs. Both vans have a cult following.

[NeilBlanchard]

Aircraft aerodynamics are not necessarily going to work well for a car. Especially if it is designed for +250MPH flight. Adding the wheels (and cooling) to an airplane make it less than ideal.

[wmjinman]

True. And the interface with the ground adds a whole new dimension to the equation...

[Grim]

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

Aircraft aerodynamics are not necessarily going to work well for a car. Especially if it is designed for +250MPH flight. Adding the wheels (and cooling) to an airplane make it less than ideal.

That Vanwagon was a good choice. The forward control Van has a very low radiator intake that is ducted under the floor to the radiator that's still in the traditional location in front of the engine between the seats.
This is far from the first airplane road vehicle. There is a DC-3 motorhome that was built in the 50's that's still roaming around with a Mesershmit toad.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

I have already seen other picture of that DC-3 motorhome, but none with the Messerschmitt behind it.