just a quick hello

[flying kurmaster]

Hi everybody, although I live in NZ my project is in the Ottawa valley in Ontario, where I spend a few months of the year. I bought an old Kurbmaster a few years back and have modified it into my home away from home when visiting friends and famiy. I would like to get better gaz mileage out of it, as my wife and I are planning some major trips in the futur, currently doing 16mpg. I was hoping on getting 20, my friends think I am dreaming, I am optimistic. I will post a pic so you can see the uphill battle in front of me, I have been working on the inside and reconditioning of the rest of the truck over the last two summers. This year I will have time to start installing some of the areodynamic ideas I have been toying with. I am hoping to share this with you in the hopes that I can get some advice and perhaps some more ideas. I have been snooping around on here and already have picked up a few good pointers along with cementing some thoughts I already had. This winter, our summer, I made a new bumper and some brackets for the sunvisor/air deflector. I plan to put a frontal pan that I started last year, to deflect air down under the new smaller and lighter alluminium bumper. After reading on here about air deflectors in front of the front wheels I will start thinking about how I can do that. I have also been thinking of fender skirts on the back wheels and a belly pan, which I plan to build out of allumium. Last year I noticed that the tractor trailers in North America had flaps from the inside of the front wheels to the outside of the rear wheels so I was thinking that would be something else I could do. I also noticed today, a post about the rear of a semi which would be similar to what I am up against. I was thinking of hinging clear lexan so they can still see my tail lights. So lots of ideas some fair skills with alluminium as well as access to a couple of different size breaks should make for a busy summer and an altered looking van, here is hoping that after it all I will see better MPGs. The entire body of the van is made of alluminium, and i tried to keep the weight as low as possible with the camperizing, keeping it simple, using thin panneling, light woods and accesories. What is working against me is the flat nose and the 1986 drive train, although very reliable the engine is a carburatored six cylinder 292 with a very low geared differential . It howls it;s guts out at 60mph. Anyways this has become a mission statement so I will stop before it turns into a dissertation. Great to see some of your enthusiam, passion, wonderful, insightful sometimes wild and crazy ideas on here. Cheers FK

[Daox]

It'll surely be a challenge. It doesn't get much boxier than that.

[larrybuck]

Welcome! Some people like extreme challenges!

It's the heavy duty "I will do this" attitude that makes the most special, and unusual
vehicles possible.

I admire your hands on skill, and look forward to reading about your progress!

[MetroMPG]

I trust you have seen this thread:

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...tml#post250166

The "little" mods are quick and easy, but the big money is to be found at the rear, by dealing with the size of the trailing wake.

Of course, doing them all is the ideal.

Welcome to the forum. Looking forward to the project.

[flying kurmaster]

those are great results in fact almost unbelievable, I am looking forward to enough posts so I can post a picture and ask advice, if I should be thinkiing of damming the front air around the sides or ducting it under the van. I read some stuff on it and it seems to depend on the vehicle, I suppose testing would be the answer but maybe someone could have a crack at an educated guess with a photo. I don't want to loose to much ground clearance as I plan on using it in rough terrain.

[MetroMPG]

Feel free to post a few "test" posts in this thread to get past the posting restrictions, if you like.

[flying kurmaster]

test post

[flying kurmaster]

test post 2

[flying kurmaster]

test post 3