Gotta rebuild the boattail

[brucepick]

Wow - definitely a bummer.
Glad you're OK and with your positive attitude still intact!

I'm sure the rebuild is already better than the last version.

Re. taillights - I think you need some to show the width of the car. Maybe at top outer corners of the hatch area, as high and as wide as you can get them? Maybe also put them along the tapered rear sides, with light aimed rearward? So those behind you will see some of the width as light points.

MPG is the new HP!

[elhigh]

Wow. Big ups on the strength of your mods, basjoos. They took the hit, protected the car and much more importantly, you. Awesome work.

Lessee here...gets better mileage...survives crashes better...provides more luggage space.

Really, aside from the extraordinary nerdliness score (which I don't necessarily consider a bad thing) I don't see a downside to the aerocivic's appearance or construction.

[basjoos]

Finished rebuilding the boattail and front end damage and am back on the road. The car looks like it did before the accident with the exception of additional lighting on the rear and some minor aero improvements front and rear. On the front I sealed off the radiator inlet slot and got rid of the dip at the front of the hood. On the rear, I removed the black plastic spoiler at the top of the hatch so it makes a smooth seamless transition from OEM sheet metal at the hatch hinge to the Lexan glazing on the extended hatch.

Going from the 20mpg in the Ford F150 4X4 to 70mpg in the Aerocivic is a huge change both in FE and in driving characteristics. Driving the F150 reminds me of driving a powerboat. You have to keep pouring on the power or you quickly lose headway. Also the wind load becomes noticable above 60mph. With the Aerocivic , if I kill the engine, the speed takes a long time (and miles on a flat road) to drift downwards and wind load is non-existant at any legal speed. I have to keep closely monitoring my speed because it doesn't take much of a downhill to accelerate in a FAS up into extralegal speeds, whereas with the F150 I would be having to use the engine to keep from losing speed on that same downhill.

[TestDrive]

3.5 weeks from crash to repaired and back on road.
Go Aerocivic
Do we get to see pictures?

[Christ]

Fiberglass is cheap and smoother.. FYI. Could also beget better aero, if even slightly.

I can't imagine all those ridges and small lumps in your metal work are helping... might not be hurting much, but still.

Just my .02.. other than that, awesome mods, great work here.

Also, I was under the impression that deductibles only apply in cases of comprehensive damage, i.e. a no fault accident or a one-party collision... in other words, since you reported it a hit and run, you may be able to get a higher than normal estimate from a shop, which the insurance company would have to pay.

My insurance company doesn't apply a deductible unless it's a comprehensive claim. another FYI.

[MetroMPG]

Glad to hear the Aerocivic rides again. Looking forward to some images of the repair/revisions.

[Chris D.]

so wheres the updated pictures?

[basjoos]

Originally Posted by Christ

Fiberglass is cheap and smoother.. FYI. Could also beget better aero, if even slightly.

I can't imagine all those ridges and small lumps in your metal work are helping... might not be hurting much, but still.

I'd love to have been able to do the mods in fiberglas composites since it would give me more flexibility in forming shapes. But unfortunately I don't have a large climate controlled space where I could do the lay-ups and the outdoor humidity around here is far too high most of the year for proper epoxy curing. One advantage of aluminum I can work on it outdoors even in light rain and it doesn't bother it if it is hot/cold, dry or humid. Also aluminum lends itself to doing quick mods, just cut out a shape with tin snips, pop rivet or drill&tap it in place, seal the seams, and paint, and you are ready to go. I had my windshield wiper air deflector built and installed on the hood in 20 min. No sitting around all day waiting for the epoxy to cure. Also no chemical exposures and odors, just the risk of metal cuts on your hands if you aren't careful.

I'll take some photos on Monday when I get off my current work cycle.