New 96 Dodge, here's the plan

[Heynow999]

Thanks for the help guys. I was having a sh!tty day when I posted that snarky response. I have to remember people do not like fanatic's.

I did drive on the highway today with the full grill block and it did not get even close to over-heating. It seems it will heat up to about 190, the t-stat opens a bit, and it drops down to 140 or so. I could see this as a problem that the truck is operating to cool. I know I can get a higher temp t-stat so that is on my project list.

I found factory made wheel skirts! Take a look.

Fiberglass Truck Parts & Accessories: Dodge Truck Products

That is next on my list.

The cap is already gone and replaced with a tonneau cover.

I ordered racing disc's yesterday.

[elhigh]

Well those fender skirts look pretty slick! Nice find, BUT - will they fit on your dually fenders?

I've marveled at the airspace around the wheels in lots of larger truck wheelwells. It's crazy. If you're going offroading and expect a lot of deflection, then I can see having it there. But most of them don't get much beyond the curb, and then only in parking lots and driveways. You can seriously close up a lot of gap and get some air management.

See what Phil Knox - aka Aerohead - has done with slick caps on his trucks. If there's a way you could have a cap most of the time that was super-easy and convenient to roll up, fold up, or otherwise get out of the way of your next load of solar gear, you'd be reaping the benefits with every mile.

5 mpg on WVO is better than 50 on petro diesel, in my book. And burning it to install solar panels is even better. If you're doing better than that, you're ahead of the curve by a long shot.

So dish: solar electric, hot air, hot water? The picture looked like evacuated tubes.

I'm the facility manager for a rescue mission in Tennessee, I take one look at our monthly utility bills, another look at our large expanse of gloriously unblocked south-facing roof, and daydream. It'd be nice, but I'm not sure it can deliver the kind of volume I need.

[MechEngVT]

I've been looking for pics of a Dodge diesel that was modded for mpg, but the article you linked wasn't it. It was lowered and had a custom massive NASCAR-style front air dam that replaced or covered the entire front bumper below the headlights/grille. It also had a GearVendors overdrive unit. I don't recall what their claimed mileage was, but I think it was right near 30mpg highway unloaded also.

Do you need the dual rear wheels? That's a huge frontal area adder and probably hurts Cd as well. The dual fenders are fiberglass or some composite, but I don't recall how intact the normal bed side is underneath. I know you said you tow, but unless you tow the trailer a lot at highway speeds and it's heavy you don't really need the stability of the duals. You could swap out your dual axle for an axle from a 2500 and convert your truck to a SRW3500. I'd recommend swapping to the 2500's wheels at the same time to cut down on the front wheel's profile. I have seen a DRW pickup with a narrowed axle and straight bedside, but I didn't see inside the bed to determine how much space that consumed. I imagine it took at least a mini-tub out of the bed floor.

[Heynow999]

Originally Posted by elhigh

So dish: solar electric, hot air, hot water? The picture looked like evacuated tubes.

I have 16 PV (electricity producing) panels that cover the deck and 30 evcuated tubes on the roof for domestic hot water. If I were to do it again I would go with flat plates. There is a great program here in Ontario where you can sell electricity back to the grid and they will pay you 80 cents a KW! That is how my panels can pay all my utilities for my house.

There may be similar programs that could help the rescue mission. I know in the US there a lot of program where they will rebate part of the capital cost of a solar system. You should look into that.

I know we have been approached by Habitat for Humanity so we are trying to get a supplier to give us a system which we will install would install for free.

[Heynow999]

update

I drove all week with the full grill block and there are no over-heating issues at all. I think I actually have to replace my t-stat as it is too COLD!

My tank before the mods gave me 13.5L/100km or 17.2 MPG

My last tank gave me 13L/100km or 18.09 MPG

[Heynow999]

another update

I got my racing disks. They only fit on the rear wheels. It think it should make a noticeable improvement because the old hubcaps are like huge bowls. There is a large open area in the back wheels. I also had 5 airtabs in the garage so I threw those on the roof. I can fit a few more up there so I will order some more.

I had to go and install some solar panels 80 miles away so I took the oppourtunity to test my MPG. I filled up and drove 168 miles round trip and filled up again. I used 31 litres. It was all highway and I kept it just under 60 mph. For that trip I averaged 11.48 L/100 Km or 20.49 MPG. Not bad for a 1 ton truck.

My last improvement is the wheel skirts. I ordered them last week.

[texanidiot25]

Maybe try cutting the disks in the center to clear the truck's hubs. This would smooth the wheel from the lip the the hub, for how ever much it would be worth.

[slowmover]

If you're going to keep the grille blocked you might ought to think of adding engine monitoring (egt, etc) as things can get out of hand quickly with a diesel. Frankly, if the truck isn't being worked, then a cheaper gasser would be a better choice all around.

As to the 12V's being the best for mileage you'll get arguments (I think the 6.2 GM gutless wonder had it), and for those otherwise unfamiliar, yes, the Cummins is best since 1990, but the last "best" year was the 305 ISB in early '04. '03 & '04 CTD's are at a great price/mileage point now, in general. The 5.9 is better than the 6.7. Manual trans over automatic, 2WD over 4WD, etc.

Auto trans tend to be sloppy and the aftermarket can help when it's time to rebuild. That, and proper tires would do a lot as the truck ages.

I've measured a number of oem truck spoilers and the average low height above ground is 7-10" or so. There are some threads around here about cleaning up the underside and there might be some pieces that would work for a 4wd used off-road.

I'd say driving style is the main thing. On a 45-mph road only accelerate up to 35 mph and drift upwards slightly from there if need be. The penalty of coming to a full stop, or numerous ones, is easily offset by staying more miles on a freeway. Distance can be your friend. Trip planning is the most important. Don't turn the key without a mental picture of the route in place. Real men use maps. GPS navigation is almost worthless in this regard.

I was on one of my usual 320-mile commutes a few days ago (responsibilities in two cities) and noted to my wife that, even after over 200 miles, just 20-minutes of high idle with Max A/C lost us a full 1/2-mpg (27.5 down to just a hair under 27) off that tank filled at departure.

Look up the HP/TQ chart for your year of CTD. Note the rpm point at which the curves cross. That is almost an ideal cruise rpm. A common rail ISB is capable of .32 BSFC at 2,000-rpm, so anything under that is great.

On mine, 1,700/25 rpm translates to 58 mph. On these 740-mile roundtrips I can trip plan 24-mpg empty or loaded, rain or 100F and am always traversing one of the largest cities in North America. Highs are above 27. Travel slower than 80+% of traffic (learn to use mirrors), keep lane centered (get alignment perfected, not just acceptable), know ALL stops ahead of time (no jumping on and off roadway); in short, plan every trip.

When I am loaded or towing I plan all stops (as when I was a truck driver) for two hour intervals. So, depending on whether or not I needed fuel, these stops included highway rest areas, truck stops, restaurants, and my destination. Since even my personal rig was 63' long I often used satellite imagery (BING) or GOOGLE "Street view" to confirm ingress/egress. No backing, no unpaved lots, etc. Whatever your business, knowing exact routes to suppliers, etc from customer location ahead of time is crucial. An indecisive driver behind a diesel doesn't stand a prayer.

Once you know what is possible (and a dually 3500 4WD with auto trans is the worst specification) then spending money to save money will make future purchases sensible (thousands of miles of driving to have accurate figures). Wheel covers and fender skirts on a DRW are pointless compared to changing to SRW for reduced rolling and aero resistance (as noted above). It's ego stroking. A DRW isn't more stable than an SRW, but it does have greater payload capacity and more drive axle resistance to movement due to increased tread. True stability means the drive and steer axles are the same width. In other words, get the truck set up for the way you actually use it.

Never idle and never stop. Keep a record of elapsed times, as any average road speed above 25-mph is key. If mine is above 27 mph for engine-on time, then fuel numbers always look great. Take note of wind direction and speed. 5-8 mph tailing wind tends to offset worst of rear aero, IMO.

Consider an exhaust brake as well. Weigh the rig empty (driver, full fuel, normal tools and supplies) and then on occasion check with a load so that you know the "break even" point (1,000-lbs won't affect much, 2,100-lbs might/will?). And any lift kit or suspension/tire changes from stock are likely to backfire as far as mpg. Same with "tuners".

Your logbook needs to include:

fuel used
miles traveled
elapsed time (hourmeter)
calculations for mpg and average speed

I use 12-entries per fillup to track maintenance, etc. I like to change air/fuel filters at oil change intervals of 6-mos/6,000. Investigate fuel filtering and other upgrades. Keep a spare VP-44 on hand. Look into the dowel pin problem. Etc.

Good luck, look forward to more.

[Big Dave]

Two things I've found to be effective (beyond the no-brainer stuff like maintenance and driving habits) are aerodynamics and gearing.

You have a good start going on the aero, but the most effective aero mod for pickups is an aero shell over the bed. Your biz constrains your choice of a bed shell. Cleaning up those cavernous Dodge wheel wells couldn't hurt.

What's your gear ratio?

[KamperBob]

What if the outer dually is just removed?
KB