The Golden Egg mod thread. Mostly minivan modding
 

I've been wanting to start this for a while to keep everything under one banner. My impetus for getting off my proverbial ass is the new and somehow also improved Previa wheel skirts!!

They look rather dapper IMHOhttp://ecomodder.com/forum/member-or...ut-4-hours.jpg
http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-or...elskirts-3.jpg
http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-or...elskirts-2.jpg
In the first picture, the thingie on the front is my "lexan air deflector" which gives a partial grille block and deflects airflow over the bumper/grille crevasse. Missing is my small airdam which I am rebuilding in black coroplast.

Mods look good so far.

Curious though, I looked at your fuel log and your fuel economy isn't consistant at all. Do you not have a normal commute?

Plus filling up after 5-10 miles doesn't really let the tank average out...

Mods look good though :thumbup:

My commute is on foot through my shop doorway.
 

My honey takes the van to work 4 days a week on bowen. We live on a small island which is very hilly. I can coast almost all the way into our little village of snug cove but the drive back consists of 5 steep hills with a flattish section in the middle. Speed limit: 40KMH. Gas here is $.20 more than in town so I could fill here and get a "bowen mileage" reading or fill in town and get a slightly mixed reading. We go to town on the ferry once a week and drive all over Vancouver and then take the highway about 70KM to my in-laws to stay overnight. I try to give some detail in the log entries but there is no way to really compare my tanks accurately except for the highway readings.

What I try to do is some highway readings by filling just before the on ramp and then ASAP after the off ramp but i'm usually rushing around picking up supplies, shopping for groceries visting friends so I can't do it every time. And I can't do any A-B-A runs to test mods. Although I did just order an MPGuino so that should help with tracking.

That's the long explanation.

Sweet!
The discs and skirts look really good together. Very well done. :thumbup:
I like the KISS grille block. Would it be beneficial to close up the triangular hole on either end between the lexan and headlights/grille?

Those Previa's are a strange bird with their centrally located engine...
Brings back memories of my brief stint at a Toyota dealership. :eek:

Is that an Edsel in the background?!

Previas are definitely one of my all-time favorite minivans.

IMHO, If you painted it seafoam green, it might go faster...

http://content.answers.com/main/cont...ool_poster.jpg

Thanks!

I was thrilled to find the discs close to me and cheap from California Import parts. I used to go there for parts for my orange '71 california style hot-rodded bug.
KISS? as in Gene Simmons?
I thought of that but for now I'm leaving it till I cover the headlights with plexi. I'm planning a large air dam which will eliminate the high pressure area below the bumper so I'll probably do it then.

The Previa is an engineering marvel. Toyota went all out on the engine design creating the lowest profile passenger vehicle engine by a large margin thus making the centre of gravity low enough for the minivan to handle like a car.

Seafoam green? My honey loves it but alas it's next colour will probably be creamsicle pearl orange.

Good eye. Not an Edsel but the same vintage. My honey's 1958 Ford Meteor (Canadian version of the Fairlane)

http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-or...614-meteor.jpg

Ecomod this!

KISS - keep it simple stupid.

Assuming this is the 2wd auto Previa, not the manual, or the awd?

Darn, I was hoping for KISS as in these profound lyrics:
"Gimme some lovin'. I'm hot like an oven."

I looked for a manual but for some reason I didn't see one in the Vancouver area and I got the RWD instead of the 4WD for FE reasons, although there are some winters here I wish I had 4WD. It would be sweet to hook up a traction motor to the front diff and have an instant parallel hybrid on one of those.

I actually think the Previa would be an ideal EV conversion. The S10 is one of the most popular conversion vevicles but the Previa is superior in all relevant areas.
Higher payload,
More interior space,
More passenger capacity,
Vastly better aero,
Space shuttle dashboard.

:eek: Don't you dare! :eek:

The Ford looks like it is in pretty outstanding condition, for being outside in the weather, up there.

With the irregularity of your driving, you will probably be able to get a better feel for how much the mods are improving your mileage. The mods look pretty darn good, at least compared to mine.

I didn't see any duct tape at all, although here at Ecomodders it is a generally well considered thought that any color of duct tape adds profoundly to the significant improvement of your mileage. You can generally use any color, stick the tape anywere on the car, the more obviously out of place the better.

It does sound like the van would be a great electric vehicle platform. Another consideration might be to make it a hybrid, using the existing engine for the gas drive and putting an electric motor, with a front wheel drive module on the front.

Popsicle 50/50 orange would be a bright color to paint it. The only thing to be aware of is that it will highly profile any exceptions to a perfect body underneath, where seafoam green would tend to blend them in better, to the eye.

Looks Good.

We were toying with the idea of electrifying the Meteor but it's too heavy and we don't really want to modify it. The only ecomods I would do are sets of moon discs and wheel skirts which would look sweet.

It's been in my honey's family since new.

Interestingly I found a few Popular Mechanics mags from the same year. In a poll of what readers wanted most from Detriot: Top of the list was better fuel economy. Detroit: 50 years of not giving customers what they want. Wait. 80 years? Oh well, NOW they are going to give us better MPG. Right? Right.:rolleyes:

Too True. Must be why I have not cracked 40MPG. Next Mod: Duct tape something! Duct tape belly pan?

It does look good.

Minivans are a class of vehicle that needs a MPG champion.

Good news! the 4WD model gets you 20mpg highway, instead of 24mpg (EPA). So in the long run, this will be cheaper. I've been on the lookout for a manual 4WD Previa, with the intent of swapping in the diesel motor. It's a crazy idea if you're up for it. I don't know if the gas and diesel transmissions are interchangable however.

I guess since you use this quite often that isn't a practical idea. Plus the motor is really hard to find, and around $800-1200. The supercharged 2.4L is much easier to find..
.....just the motor enthusiast in me rambling on.....
I'm rooting for you, I love the Previas.

Someone at another forum suggested the diesel. I even watched a video of one running on a shop floor somewhere. Would be nice but if I'm going to spend that kind of money, I'll do an Egg Van-Forken. Swapping a Previa motor by myself would probably require a spine swap as well.

Tomorrow I'll do a highway only run to see if these skirts have made any MPG impact. I can't be as scientific as the metro boys but if my average keeps going up I'm happy.

Ciao.

EOC Extend-O-Canister
 

Threw this together after reading Millenniumtree's PVC canister thread.

I had this stainless tank sitting around that I picked up at a garage sale a couple years ago. I think it was a pressure pot for a spray gun. Built like a tank but light weight, it's new purpose became clear after reading the thread. I only had a hour to do it but I had all the parts so I figured It should be possible.

Barbed fitting 1/4 ID hose 1/4 inch NPT thread
Plastic tee 1/4 inch ID
2 Hose clamps

http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-or...canister-1.jpg
I think I will be able to EOC down Pikes Peak with this baby.
http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-or...canister-2.jpg
You can see where I installed the tee, just after the check valve.
http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-or...canister-3.jpg
It just fits snugly over the battery.

Future additions:
Vac gauge for safety.
Quick disconnect for battery and maintenance access.
Brass tee.

First day testing went very well. I have not run it out yet after many pumps. No numbers yet though.

Nice. Does the auto care about EOC? I know my trans will kill itself if I shut the motor off for extended distances or speeds. No fluid movement, heats the diff up and boom.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but...
 

I'm sure there's a mechanic out there who would try to convince me otherwise (and it would take a detailed explanation to convince me) but I believe it would take a long time for the bearings in a transmission to run dry. This is the only damage that I know of that can happen to an auto transmission in EOC. I think this idea of auto transmission damage comes from towing. Those motorhomes you see towing a car over long distances could cause the bearings to heat up, dry out and cease. The differential is indifferent (ahem) to this effect because there is an oil bath and nothing more. No pumps reliant on the engine. There might be damage to the diff and U-joints from the different RPMs of the engine and diff at road speed when put back into gear after EOC but you can mitigate this with a tach by revving the engine to the correct rpm for the gear.

I'm not an engineer but this is what I believe from my own understanding of lubrication. There is this idea that if your oil light comes on your engine will "blow up" (cease) instantly but I have witnessed engines run for hours with no oil going through the oil pump. In certain circumstances like drag racing where the engine is at maximum output and all the parts are under extreme pressure catastrophic failure might happen if oil pressure goes south.

Having said all this, you would be wise to make absolutely sure with your own vehicle so you don't blame me later if your tranny bites it while EOCing. Plus, I don't actually do it if anyone asks. This is all theory, you understand...

Added: I just realized you may be talking about a front wheel drive unit which has a built in differential so all bets are off there although I still believe the seconds of power off involved in EOC are trivial to wear in the drivetrain. RPM differential is another issue.

How did I miss this thread.

Interesting mods, well done & described with flair!

Subscribed.

And free with your fabulous new subscription...
 

Coming soon...

Giant corolpast airdam-o-rama

It's late and I'm damming. Pics tomorrow cause my honey will be damming me if I don't get to bed soon!

Welcome to the thread, metroMPG!

Air dam stage 1 complete.
 

Up late last night working on the coroplast dam.

The frame is mostly aluminium: 1/8" x 2" flat bar and 1/8 x 1/2 x 1/2 angle and tube. The flat bar is nice and easy to bend. I started by bending the bar to the same profile as the bumper. I wanted the slope to match the curve of the Previa as it comes down the windshield.

As you can see from the pictures, there is a huge parachute under the bumper forcing the air under and around the front. Bad pressure, bad. I decided to make the grille block and dam one piece for structural and visual continuity.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-or...a-airdam-1.jpg

There is another strut that goes from the lower attachment, under the van to triangulate the support for the bar.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-or...a-airdam-2.jpg

This is the rough coroplast shape clamped temporarily for marking cut lines.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-or...a-airdam-3.jpg

Here it's just held on with the spring clamps prior to tapping and drilling the #8-32 pan head screws. Will drill pilot holes then use a spiral point tap from Acklands-Grainger in my hand drill which will make the process very fast.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-or...a-airdam-4.jpg

I'm still going to put another aluminium strip on the bottom edge to sandwich the coroplast and another near the top of the bumper where there is an existing detail line. That should break up the vast expanse of Vader helmetness whilst hiding my shameful beer lubricated, dull knife, coroplast calamity cutting. No wait, those are turbulators, yeah, that's it.

I was worried that it would look too huge but I think with the coming trim additions, it should be a pleasing proportion.

Future plans include lexan or plexi headlight covers.

That, my friend, is an airdam. Great job on the van. I'm looking with interest as someday I'll have no choice but to drive one.

From one guy with acres of black air dam to another - good looking job.

Ecomod your engine and dam the rest!
 

Thanks for all the good words!

I had my first "rolldown your window" hand signal from a ferry worker who was interested in the wheel skirts. (this was before the airdam) He thought they looked like the "spats" on shoes from the Twenties. Wanted to do some custom stuff to his new Honda, liked my spats, so I gave him the Ecomodder address.

Passing on the ecolove...

Already some dam-age. oops.
 

Backing out of our driveway is an ordeal. Short story: Backed over some rocks that stick up (gone now) and popped some screws, bent the aluminium lower bar:(

Fixed it in 20 ninutes:o

Picked up aluminium for the top and bottom trim today in the Golden...Rod? I'm getting "the stares" everywhere. I was thinking, why would a big black nothing be so obvious? No grille? It does look a bit nascar, I guess. I will have to order some Ecomodder stickers.

No time to do any testing but it seems to coast forever. The testing will have to wait for my MPGuino which should be coming any day now.

A couple of update pictures.
 

This is my quick release vac canister. I have a vac gauge hooked up so I can monitor vac. while braking. I just used standard m-style 1/4" NPT air hose fittings so I can remove the can when I'm working on the car. Sounds cool when you release it. Pshhhhaaaaaa

http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-or...m-canister.jpg

Update picture of the airdam with the 1+1/2" aluminum trim to match the wheel skirts. Coast down has improved quite a bit although that's a subjective observation.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-or...a-airdam-6.jpg

I would like to add a rubber skirt below the trim to lower the dam but allow things like loading on to the ferry at low tide. anyone know where to get 1/8" x 3" rubber strip?

looks good, looks very good

I'm glad to see someone going all out on a minivan (of any type!).:) Gives me hope for my '94 Caravan.

Cheers,
Aaron

I need to make a dam and rear skirts for my car. I have read all over the site about "coroplast". What is this miracle building material? A heavy type of waterproof cardboard. I'm off to wiki it.....

I think it looks very good I must say.

EDIT....wikied it, and I see a name brand for corugated plastic...hmm now to find some....

:D

This thread is incredibly edutaining. Helmetness.... Right up there with MPaulHolmes' EV conversion!

Remember you don't need a Guino to do coastdown or terminal velocity tests! I'd love to see some stats to prove the Force is ... less.. against you. I think.

Bullyveldt: head to either a sign shop, or else you might luck out at a Home Depot type place. (They carry it at H.D. where I live - $20 per 4x8.) Too bad you didn't know about the stuff when the federal election was on a few weeks back! ;)

You aren't kidding! I just went for a drive to see if any os left out in some areas, only saw a few small ones not worth trying to salvage. I remeber some of the BIG ones that would have been great to grab. Coulda covered the swift 4 times over.

Monsoon season is here and the driveway is now a mud farm. I'm also really busy getting ready for Christmas. I'm a studio furniture maker when I'm not modding so I will probably not have time for any big mods soon.

I might have to remove the air dam and the wheel skirts for the snow season. I realize it looks like a snow plow but alas my budget did not allow for twin wall titanium.

Still waiting for my MPGuino...

Have you thought about some kind of lexan covers to extend the wedge shape over the headlights as well?

Orange: in case you haven't seen this, minivan Kammback tested: http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...-6-a-6069.html

New vacuum gauge
 

Thanks vtec-e:thumbup:

Just hooked it up today. Kind of blows away the MPGuino on the gadgetry scale. OOOOOHHH flashy lights!!! Just in time and clour matched for the silly season. (I still love my MPGuino though.)

Video of flashy lights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSo-yeL-Woc

The colour change is tres cool no? It even vibrates red-green when you get close to the presets. What to do with those two output signals.

My first thought was cruise control but the analog to frequency converter I found was $195. Used Ford map sensor is free.

Too much fun:D

Wow. how in the world did I miss your air dam building!?!?!?!?!!?

I have a question... The center of it is obviously straight parallel with the lines in the coroplast. what about the sides that wrap around? To get the slope on the front, did you have to cut the sides on an angle? Like a squished "W"

Mine is... was... a perfect rectangle, but it seemed to pull in a lot at the bottom... I want to try and slope it out like yours.

A squashed W. Heh heh.

That, I would like to see. Wait..... Yes we can.

Yes, you have to cut it upwards at the ends as it goes around the corners. I actually put mine on oversize then reached in and marked it with a sharpie, took it off and cut it. It ends up mostly parallel so the bottom edge curves up a bit too. I'm eventually going to trim the upper edge with an aluminum strip.

Nice dam back at you! As big as my dam is I think you beat me in the frontal area to air dam ratio amazing as that may seem.

p.s. I just pulled another ford part for my modding madness: A map sensor to mod the cruise control for vacuum cruise.

uhm. . . for EOC auto trans.

The only thing I can say is it may cause issues. IF the auto trans has a pump in it and you shut down the pumps will cease. The reason towing is not a problem is because the trans does not get hot to start with if its in neutral from the beginning.

IF you are at a red light and kill it no biggy because its sitting still and the trans is likely not as hot as it would be if you were Pulse and Gliding. Like revving up to 2500 and then shutting her down and coasting. The trans is going to be hot from power transfer and friction on the cradle and if you shut off those pumps suddenly you could fry the oil and then the trans parts.

Example.

If you run a turbo(gets much hotter than your trans) and shut down the engine after you pull into a parking space it will cook the oil and its parts so when you boot back up there is no oil starting out there. The pumps won't pump oil to the housing fast enough if you immediately break the boost threshold in backing out and the turbo is toast.

Same kind of thing could happen to the transmission. BUT you would have to be running her hot before the shut down and then run her rather hot right away. pulse glide and then right into another pulse might do it. The hot oil is going to stay right at the top and not mix and cool.

Not highly likely though. . .the example used a turbo which as I said gets much hotter, almost to the point where oil burns on its own. That said I would just advise caution for very short pulses, but the overall is going to come from judging does the trans jump or have issues when I do this behavior since this is not something that comes up in everday car talk.

So far the trans seems fine. I usually only eoc downhill when the everything is cool. I don't EO P+G because it's too much trouble. It's in neutral for short periods only. I know I may have problems later but I'm willing to risk it. If the trans does blow I will try to drop in a manual if I can find one which would be much better in any event.

Although now that I have the MPGuino, I can leave it running, see when fuel cut off happens and only glide at the end.

Thanks though, good to know what to watch out for.

I think it's more like "Yes we did"! :D

Well, today I FINALLY found the local sign shop! YAY! They want 20 bucks for a 4x8 piece, so I think I will pick one up. The pieces I have are at most the size of my current air dam, but I would like to extend it up the grille like you did. Also, I didn't have much freedom cutting it since I only had about an inch extra.

How did you attach the flat piece of metal near the wheel wells? And about how much did the metal cost?