Side skirts on the flat bed.
 

I finally got around to putting the side skirts on. I made wheel wells out of a blue plastic barrel, attached to the underside of the bed with a spacer block and deck screws, and stretched fore and aft with bent all-thread attached to the frame. Then I just screwed the 3/8 ply onto the aluminum with self tapping screws. It's going to mean trouble if I don't have the right tools and have to change a tire, but with one tank down I got over 28 mpg, compared to the something around 25.5 I've been getting.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...ps8bcd2b75.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...ps20c5fa00.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...psde4db6f7.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...pscba8f01e.jpg

I used some all-thread to pull the ply in at the front to better match the profile of the cab side.

Next up: Belly pan and fast-back cap.

Hey, that looks pretty cool! Gonna get some paint or varnish?

More flatbed pickups and chassis cabs than you could possibly count here in the Eagle Ford. The lines you created fits what has been "missing" as I look at those out on the road (and that I have driven, usually with a CM brand flatbed).

Thanks.

.

It's time to think about some kind of wind deflector to make the transition from the cab to the bed smoothier and also enclose this gap :thumbup:

One friend cringed and said, "You could have at least used pressure treated plywood!" I'm not sure I could have. 1/4" ply would have been better, but I had the scraps of 3/8" on hand. I don't think the local yards carry 1/4" pressure treated ply. So I'll probably slather it with Boat Soup, which is a mix of linseed oil, turpentine, melted parafin wax, and pine tar.

As for the gaps, I recognize that they aren't perfect, but I want to get the other big stuff done before I fiddle with tiny things.

Use coil or flashing
 

Yep, I agree!

mackerel,

Looks pretty good so far...and the fuel mpg increase..YeeeHaw!

I don't know what the money situation is, but, you could use metal coil (Painted to your choice of color), too.

You already have the template made of wood. The advantage would be a lighter weight material that you could wrap around the front of the bed to cover the current gap. You could also used separate pieces of coil and attach a curved fairing to the back outside edges of the truck cab and deflect the air outward...just like the big rigs do at the backs of their cabs. You could also use flashing for the cab edges...it's about 8 bucks for a 10' by 10" piece...found at your local big box store.

Keep it going!:thumbup:

Mark

skirts
 

As part of playing mad scientists with the Dodge pickup I removed the bed entirely.That cost me 2-mpg on the highway and actually made the thing run hot.
I suspect that with the skirts on,and future 'softening' and sealing of the leading edges,that you're gonna like what you've done.
The 'Chris Craft' of beds!:D

Looks perfect man. The bed width is not going to lend itself to a smoother transition than that. Bravo!

Hey Rooster! I see you over on the 4bt forum in the isuzu section. I got that engine sitting here looking for a home now.

I have a nasty rust hole at the bottom of the wheel bump in my 87's bed, if I can't get it fixed economically I'm going to consider building a flatbed w/ an aero cap to cover it. I like the look of this bottom treatment, it gives me confidence for future options.

Which engine? The Isuzu or the 4BT?