Ranger with a shed on top

[Frank Lee]

I like the profile shape you've created; it intuitively looks spot-on!

[aerohead]

The aerodynamic gods say 'Thank you!'

[freebeard]

I'm not sufficiently skilled or equipped to create a compound curve...

The best potential improvement would be to project the curve of the shed's top corners to the forward ends of the outer trusses. This would be a simple curve.

Else you could start with a triangle and bend the tips or slit and overlap as necessary to make a shallow cone shape.

[Interstatement]

Originally Posted by freebeard

The best potential improvement would be to project the curve of the shed's top corners to the forward ends of the outer trusses. This would be a simple curve.

Else you could start with a triangle and bend the tips or slit and overlap as necessary to make a shallow cone shape.

For the face sheet, it looks like the leading edge of the center truss just kicks up a bit too much, closer to 1/8" when trial-fit to the truck versus the 1/4" measure on a bench. I'm confident I can remedy this by drilling out the rivets connecting it to the rear panel and shimming it before re-riveting it.

My plan for the side panels is to make them flat 1/8" aluminum, bottom-hinged, sloping to continue the taper of the cab. Once I get those in place and working well, I'll make face panels for them (fastened from behind) that can ease the transition to the top corners, I think your projected curve idea would serve well there, and easy enough to do with a non-corrugated CAD pattern.

These side panels would be able to be removed and/or reshaped in the future when I re-taper the profile of the cap in the more radical phase, keeping the deflector well-suited to that future shape.

[Interstatement]

Unfortunately, a cracked radiator has pulled me away from the fun stuff. Need to repair the lower rad mounts to avoid a repeat, but may take the opportunity to delete the factory clutch fan in favor of a later Ranger electric fan and shroud. The donor trucks for both the radiator and the fan/shroud were air-conditioned, unlike mine, so the improved cooling capacity should make future grill-blocking a low-risk proposition.

[MetroMPG]

Bummer! But it sounds you're making the most of the situation and will come out ahead.

[Interstatement]

While a prolonged major move has prevented me from working on the cap, it did force me to make progress in a roundabout way: the Leer fiberglass tonneau, late of a 1990s Chevy Silverado, had yet to be cut into two new smooth side doors. The intact cap was really ungainly, so I figured it was high time I cut out the desired pieces so that it would be exponentially easier to move and store. I measured the angle of the back of the cab and marked out my cut lines. 24 inches was the maximum height I could achieve with that angle, so that’s the height.

[Interstatement]

I borrowed a slick little Festool circular saw and guide to make the cuts and it worked beautifully but for one unpleasant surprise: an embedded steel plate was along my cut line, resulting in the rather pricy saw blade losing a tooth upon impact. I set the depth shallow for a clean cut on that short stretch on each piece and cut through the steel with a better-suited (if less precise) jigsaw. I’m pleased with how these pieces came out, and they are 1) much easier to move, and 2) a bit lighter than I expected.

[Interstatement]

The panels are about 1” thick, comparable to the thickness of the current 1x1 square tubing-framed doors. The outer skins encase what looks like a resin-soaked version of the inside of a hollow luann door. They will need at least a basic perimeter frame of 1x1 to use the existing hinge and latch setup. I’m wondering if I could rout a channel so that the tubing can get bonded to the inside of the outer skin and sit semi-flush with the inner skin? I’m interested in hearing what others may have used to bond aluminum and fiberglass as well. I can’t really work on this for another stretch, so I’ll take some time to play with ideas and do some research.

[freebeard]

I’m interested in hearing what others may have used to bond aluminum and fiberglass as well.

If memory serves there is a trick to that.

?? IIRC It has to do with the chemistry of the bonding agent.