Project Extended Pop-Top Aerodynamic Camper Shell ('99 Tacoma) - Page 29 - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

aktacoma · 05-09-2013, 04:59 PM

I don't know maybe they are usually better quality? Idk I'm not a expert by any means! Ha

Wolf_Tm · 05-11-2013, 04:40 PM

Amazing...

Fallen Angel · 05-12-2013, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by COcyclist

Great project! A very low tech solution may be to lift it manually (I think it will be very light) and prop it up with a couple of rods or poles. As long as they are wider at the bottom by the tailgate hinge, the trapezoid shape should stop it from shifting in the wind. However, you may want to add some straps to tether it down so the wind cannot lift the whole thing while it is set up. It is amazing how quickly the wind can come up when you are camping.

Yes, some sort of tie-down will be necessary. As someone who's designed a couple of airplanes (none that were actually built), my eyeball tells me that your pop-top is going to have enough of a Cl (Coefficient of lift) to lift that very light mass right off the bed at highway speed. Definitely clamp it down, clamp your lift system to the rail, and have some means of locking it in place. People behind you probably won't appreciate your little airplane landing on them.

By the way, this is a very nice looking project! I've been contemplating making one of these on and off since about a month after I bought my first and only pick-up. Still haven't done it, mostly because the details of the clamping and lifting parts aren't quite obvious enough to me. It seems to me that the bed of my 2000-1/2 Silverado 2500 HD twists slightly relative to the cab and so I must have a gap between the bed and the cab. I'm looking forward to seeing how yours turns out!

a8ksh4 · 05-13-2013, 02:32 AM

I got a bit more trimming/sanding/fiberglass done this weekend. I'm going to attempt to build the door for the side compartment over the next three days, and then I'll be pretty much ready for maker faire next weekend.

Lol, i haven't entirely worked out the logistics of the clamping setup. I'm going to have two or three bolts that stick out of the front of the shell and, when I set it on the truck and slide it forward, fit into holes at the front of the bed. That'll hold it on at the cab end. At the back, I need to attach some kind of clamp at each side. Need to make a trip to home depot to look at parts for those... hmmm...

COcyclist · 05-13-2013, 12:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by a8ksh4

Lol, i haven't entirely worked out the logistics of the clamping setup. I'm going to have two or three bolts that stick out of the front of the shell and, when I set it on the truck and slide it forward, fit into holes at the front of the bed. That'll hold it on at the cab end. At the back, I need to attach some kind of clamp at each side. Need to make a trip to home depot to look at parts for those... hmmm...

How about lots of short woodworker's "bar clamps"? They are pretty quick to tighten and release and using several down the length of the bed would increase the clamping force and reduce the likelihood of of them pulling through. I once witnessed an aluminum "topper" break free and lift off of its pick-up in the parking lot sitting parked on top of Mt. Washington in N.H. After all your work, no one wants that to happen.

Sven7 · 05-18-2013, 11:21 PM

A contact of mine on Flickr seems to have spotted your truck at the Makerfaire!

2013 Makerfaire | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

2013 Makerfaire | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

a8ksh4 · 05-19-2013, 12:37 AM

Yah, I talked to a couple of lurkers from ecomodder this morning.

There were a bunch of electric cars and random cool vehicles there...

a8ksh4 · 05-19-2013, 12:53 AM

I've been working about every night this last week to get the shell ready to bring this morning. It wasn't actually bolted to the truck and ready to go until 6:30A this morning. :O I need to get better photos, but I had to epoxy on a couple parts to give me a good spot to bolt it down, and didn't get those ready to glue on until day before yesterday. Everything was set and hard this morning, so I put the shell on the truck, drilled a couple holes in the bed, finally, attached it, and hit the road.

The shell has gotten a bunch of trim work done over the last week. Also, I built the door/panel that goes on the side over the last four days:

The resin (put on at ~1AM last night) was still a bit soft this morning. :P Here's a shot before mounting to the truck this morning with it pretty much complete and in place!

At Make Faire!

I was time constrained making the trip to the Faire this morning, so I did 65mph the entire way, except in downtown SF where the limit is a bit lower. My Avg mpg for the trip down was 31.7. That's a good sign... I still need to make the tirp back, and to do some additional tests, but that looks good. Normally, I get closer to 27mpg at that speed.

I'm making a trip up north next weekend, so I'll get to do some 55-60mph travel, following semis and whatnot, and see how far up into the 30s I can go on the hwy. some time in the next couple months, once I get a bit more work done, I need to pull off the shell, bed extension to clean things up, so I'll have the opportunity to do and ABA test.