Project 1977 F100 - New radiator + electric fan!

[MetroMPG]

Wish I had been here a few weeks ago to suggest that rounded corners at the transition from the top to the sides of the cap are preferable to hard corners as you've got. A radius means less chance of flow tripping into fuel-sucking vortices at the transition.

Looks nice though!

[bobo333]

Hi Guys,

A radius means less chance of flow tripping into fuel-sucking vortices at the transition.

Thanks for the tip, i realized radius's are better but they increase the difficulty of the build by a lot also, especially with the materials im using, i will however round over the corners as much as i can before paint, (1/2" radius or so?) i will also tape the gap up between the cab and the bed when i do my road trip next month.

Today i cut the top panel and installed hinges to open the back up:




i then bogged up the screw holes and some small gaps on the edges:


i also ran a bead of silicone around all of the inside edges to make sure it is completely sealed, then i used silicone and staples to stick a piece of bicycle inner tube rubber over the hinges to seal up the gap between the 2 panels:




i will be adding some latches inside the rear corners to pull the top closed, if i need to get to them from the outside i can fold down the tailgate and undo them, or I can have the tailgate folded up and just open the top to get out, this prevents me from being locked in when i use it for camping.


Thanks for looking

[Weather Spotter]

that looks great!

any plans for a rear view window?

[bobo333]

Nope, none of my cars have had rear window vision for the last few years for different reasons so I'm used to it. I am thinking of putting some small side windows in though to allow airflow and light to come in when I'm camping.

I do need to upgrade the mirrors at some stage though as these are terrible for aero and vision, some smaller format convex mirrors will be going on as soon as I can find some suitable ones. I may put on a reversing cam later on if I need to.

[ron]

I have driven two f250s from new to 100,000+ mi each a 1974 and a 1978 when we changed to chevy 1tons . the old fords wandered until we found a front end shop that could bend the Ibeams for alignment .Now as for mileage, never over 10mpg! so if you get anything close to that you are doing well . these trucks are made to work, hard. so work it and charge enough for fuel to make a profit . good luck it will be fun to see how you do

[bobo333]

Thanks, mine does wander pretty bad, i though it was just getting old and loose but if yours did it from new i might have to think about revised front suspension later on if i want to fix it.

My best tank so far is just over 8mpg, hopefully now with the aerocap on and some other aeromods in the future i can break the 10mpg mark

It does work hard though, picking up timber at least once or twice a week.

[ron]

check the net for the front end fix yours should be twin Ibeam, Ford had a better Idea!and good luck on the aero fixes. check for rear break drag that was also a problem as I recall

[bobo333]

Hi Guys,

Filled up my first full tank since the Aerocap went on the other day, im a bit dissapointed... It didnt make any difference at all to the mileage

It definatly makes a difference to the aero though as i can coast a lot longer on my test hill (averaging 10kmh faster at one of the markers) and i even used more engine off coasting than any other tank ive ever done, but the mileage only just peaked over average with 7.44mpg.

iI think my gearing is really killing any chance of me getting good gains from technique as no matter how i drive im always in high RPM - low load... The other day i started off in top gear with no throttle at idle for fun and it didnt stall, so top of the list of things to do is still get better gearing.

I got some new goodies today though, new smaller mirrors with wide angle lenses so i can actually see behind me properly and reduce aero drag a lil bit more.

Before vs after:


And the other side:


I also got a new radiator with electric thermo fans so i can get rid of the horrible mechanical fan and gain some more power (that i dont need) and quicker warm up times.

Thanks for looking

[Ultra-Orange]

1) looking real good! cant wait to see the finished results! Love what you did with the Electricals/Dash!

2) On the pic looking into the "rear hatch" I note some light in the gap between the bed and the cap. If light can get through, air can get through. You will want to seal this, Duct tape, silicone, weather stripping, all work good. (not sure if you planned to do this or not, Just tossing in my observations)

[slowmover]

Gearing is certainly the question for a truck. The ability to get a load underway (and, slowing) is central to the work capacity of a given truck. Next is mechanical condition (as queried above: alignment, brake drag, steering wander). All of these -- along with engine condition & tune (compression test needed), plus tire type & pressure -- are the biggest FE impediments for under 35-mph.

Full warm-up is crucial. At under 30-miles, the truck oils & greases are still below operating temps. Perhaps an even further distance is required if reading the gauges on the Peterbilt I drive is any indication (45-miles before trans & axles come up to op temp).

Steady state highway driving is about the one place that a pickup will benefit from aero (or in a metro region with high average speed, limited access arteries, etc).

The fact is that a pickup is slow to get up to travel speed, and must come down sooner (and more) than a car for a corner or a stop. Thus, better shock absorbers, body-to-frame bushings, anti-roll bar size plus poly bushings, etc, have their place in maintaining a slightly higher speed longer as well as ingress/egress from corners.

On the type pickup I have -- where the average mph is kept at 26/27, overall -- the FE benefits are good. Below this one cannot generate good numbers.

(Am much enjoying this thread. Good work!!)

.