Project Extended Pop-Top Aerodynamic Camper Shell ('99 Tacoma)

[ThomCat316]

Originally Posted by JRP3

I've never used peel ply, does it completely take care of the amine blush issue, or just reduce it?

If you let the layup cure fully (or better yet, post-cure it) the free amine will be on the surface. When you peel the surface off the blush goes with it, and the remaining surface is ready for application of additional resin, filler, or primer without sanding.

I like the stuff. :-)

As always, experiment with a small sample first to make sure you like it too....

[ChazInMT]

Originally Posted by a8ksh4

.... Yah, loading it up with luggage might affect handling, but that just means driving more slowly. If I ever fit it up w/ water tanks or similar for travel, I can put those up front to help the weight distribution.


For simplicity, I'm pretty much settled on the straight back sides now. I'd have to change too much to accommodate just a 3" taper on each side... meh.

Just wanted to chime in here. I think you'll be amazed at how much more stable the truck feels with the topper on. Any junk you put in the back will only help with the balance since the truck is made to be driven loaded. Your lift coefficient is knocked down to a minimum and it will feel like you're driving an arrow.

As far as the side taper, you have kept your taper to a minimum, this will keep the pressure drop along the top to a minimum also, this will keep the higher pressure side air from wanting to roll to the top. I think side tapers would help, but not enough to make a huge difference.

Keep it up!!

[slowmover]

Any junk you put in the back will only help with the balance since the truck is made to be driven loaded.

With a little over 1,000-lbs on/in my 3/4T truck, the individual wheel weights are all within 40-lbs of each other. But body roll (against suspension) is up in stress. Best shock absorbers (BILSTEIN) and poly anti-roll bar bushings are really helpful to making any transient handling issues of a lower order of concern.

.

[86toypickup]

I've got a question. With your aero cap with it's slope how many inches per foot does it drop

[ChazInMT]

Originally Posted by 86toypickup

I've got a question. With your aero cap with it's slope how many inches per foot does it drop

The cap follows a curve, so at the front it drops only a fraction of an inch per foot, towards the back it drops by 2 inches per foot or so.

[a8ksh4]

Welded some tabs onto the frame for extneding the bed today:



@86toypickup - Here are the approx total inches drop from the top of the cab per foot toward the back:
1' - 3/16"
2' - 5/8"
3' - 1 1/2"
4' - 2 5/8"
5' - 4 1/16"
6' - 5 7/8"
7' - 8"
8' - 10 1/2"

It's pretty conservative, so hopefully flow will stay attached and I'll have some awesome headroom/functionality below the shell .

[86toypickup]

@a8ksh4 thanks I've just thrown an aero cap together and not sure if I have the right angle. This is my first week with it on so still waiting to see the results

[MetroMPG]

86toypickup: do you have any photos? You could start a separate thread and get some feedback.

[86toypickup]

No pics yet couldn't find the camera and no computer at home just my smart phone

[a8ksh4]

Small update this weekend...

Cleaned up the extender frame w/ the grinder and put some white enamel paint on it:


Had my first try at fiberglassing some of this foam! I made a couple of panels to go in the back quarters of the extender frame to hold the taillights. This was a mess... learned alot!


I mixed up a few oz of resin and attempted to just wrap up the pieces with glass and pin the cloth in place... didn't work well... I was going to use a small piece of laminating film to give a smooth texture on just the front of the piece, but I ended up needing the laminating film to keep the cloth from flopping all over.


Next time I'll use much bigger pieces of the laminating film and use it to hold the glass cloth in place until the resin sets up.


With a little filler, grinding, and paint, this might still work.



The epoxy resin, if left in a container for too long, heats up (steaming and everything) and turns solid way before the stuff that's spread into the glass. Have to make quick work of pouring it onto the part and squeegeeing it around. T

he stuff remains workable for a long time after it's in the glass, so the parts that won't hold when it's wet can be pulled tight after the stuff turns tackey.

The laminating film (from office depot - thanks skyking) seems to work great. The stuff I got was for self laminating w/o a heater, and comes with two sheets stuck together on a roll... you can cut off a length, pull the sheets apart, and then lay them over the part. Once the glass sets up, it's really easy to peal the laminating film off again.