The "Kamm-back" (K-form)

[freebeard]

Another one from the album

Rear fender remodeled based on The Template, The top should copy the B-pillar shape and just shrink it as it goes back.

[ecomodded]

Say join the two halves and Cut the top section of the fenders off , the part that sticks up in the wind.

I have in mind of cutting the top piece out of each fender flare to reduce drag , I am pretty sure my car does not use it for travel , I should check..

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by ecomodded

I was thinking hard on hacking the Beetle into a Kammback but the costs of materials as well as "wrecking" the Beetle's resale etc. etc. I decided to go with a bolt on design.


So new Plan is a bolt on Kammback with the frame made from aluminum or a shaped hand carved wood ,foam filled and fiberglassed skinned. I have left over fiberglass mat and Roving ,around a 100Ft x 4ft & tools. I am pretty confident I can give the Canopy/ Kammback a factory like finish, with the help of my belt sander and a gallon of gel coat to finish it with.

I am thinking Now , it will be a shorty but a goody , no longer then the cars current bumper , but shaped in Mr kammbacks design. I want to find the lowest cd modern hatch back design and copy it / emulate it.

I really like the Audi A2 's design , its makes for a simple low cd car , Any tips or recommendation of modern Kammback cars I could use for inspration would be appreciated !

I am going to do a cardboard mock up on the car to look for a natural fit of the template / Kammback on the beetle, My car has tappered sides so I think it will be well received on the Beetle.

I think this is VW's 'UP' concept.

Of course there's the VW XL1

The current Porsche Panamera has it's roofline pushed up close to the K-form contour

The Nissan LEAF NISMO racer is close

The 2014 Corvette Stingray is in there slugging

Today's Honda Insight is there

[freebeard]

If I used some deeper back spaced rear wheels it will move the rear tires inward a inch or two or what ever i can get away with , possible allowing me to trim the fender flair into a more aerodynamic conducive shape.

This sounds better than notching the fender tops. It's the approach I used with the design in my original avatar pic. Apparently automatic trans left axles are 1 1/2" shorter than the others, so you can use them by cutting and shortening the torsion bar housing. Race cars us swing axles shortened 4-6" to house the big racing slicks.

[ecomodded]

Aerohead , the corvette looks like the slugger and pretty tight.

The 2nd from the bottom is the winner for the Beetle , it looks about as good as the Insight as far as the templates disturbances , what a sweet little car ,haha.

what is the 2nd car from the bottom ? the fish , the mieo or something like that ? its on the tip of my mind..

[ecomodded]

Freebeard you have good ideas this one is too elaborate for my budget or lack there of.

But if I use deeper back spaced narrow rear rims I could suck the rear tires in 3-4 inches , per side , to be determined by measuring for max back spacing and the thin rims I install.

I could if lucky with back spacing have the ability to have the rear fender flares shaved to near flush, which would perform Very well with wheel skirts.

The car may end up looking nearly like the model with the fender flares cut off & wheel skirts on

I am going to go crawl under the car right now and measure for back spacing clearances

[edit]
I just checked the clearances and there is just 2" clearance before the current rims hit on the suspension. The current rims are 8" wide aftermarket eagle rims with unknown back spacing , stock are 7" wide.
I guess I will have to take a wheel off and measure the back spacing myself from the hub's surface to what ever it hits first.

[ecoTex]

Box fish

[freebeard]

Seconded: Mercedes-Benz Boxfish Bio-mobile.

Offsets don't vary by as much as rim width, at least in the direction you want to go. My point was that even with 1 1/2" suspension modifications are necessary. On the old Beetle the fender is 2 1/2" wide in the front, moving the axle line forward and leaving the tire face a little more exposed makes up the rest. The model uses wheels and tires from an AA Fuel dragster so the rears are massively wider than I would like.

Of course the New Beetle has completely different suspension issues.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by ecomodded

My Rear fender flairs could use wheel skirts and some blending in toward the front doors.
If I used some deeper back spaced rear wheels it will move the rear tires inward a inch or two or what ever i can get away with , possible allowing me to trim the fender flair into a more aerodynamic conducive shape.

I don't mind cutting my fenders so much , they are part of the plastic bumper covers that I can replace , with better customs ones , front and rear for about $1000 which would restore the damage and upgrade the cars original value.

Here,you can see how Carl Breer attempted to blend the 1934 DeSoto Airflow test mules fenders into the body a little better.
For all the mods,they went from Cd 0.51,to 0.244,about what Elon Musk gets with today's Tesla S.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by ecomodded

Aerohead , the corvette looks like the slugger and pretty tight.

The 2nd from the bottom is the winner for the Beetle , it looks about as good as the Insight as far as the templates disturbances , what a sweet little car ,haha.

what is the 2nd car from the bottom ? the fish , the mieo or something like that ? its on the tip of my mind..

It's the Mercedes-Benz 'Boxfish' concept car of 2009,Cd 0.19.
Here is also the 1987 Renault Vesta II,Cd 0.186,same Cd as Schl'o'rwagen,and one of the recent VW XL1's.