Trying to rehabilitate my truck from its currently areo handicapped state

[Demonic_Bloodfeind]

Originally Posted by brucepick

From what I've seen in the posts here, the big gains in pickup truck aero are in dealing with the air flow from the cab roof back to the tailgate.

If you can get by without the current cap, you could

- - Easy route: cover the bed with plywood sheeting or similar. Make the panels 3-1/2 feet front-to-rear. So you can remove them and lay them in the bed when hauling something taller.

- - More thorough route: Build a cap that tapers down towards the rear. Search this Aerodynamics forum for discussions on - "pickup cap", "aero pickup", "truck". Or just scroll down through.

Cleaning up the aero underneath is also worthwhile. Working under a truck is way easier than wiggling around under a Civic up on jack stands. Count your blessings!

wish i could live without the cap but cant do it need it for work I'm a satellite tech and i use my truck

[JRMichler]

Originally Posted by Demonic_Bloodfeind

LIST OF IDEAS SO FAR: (WAITING ON FUNDS)
1) a/c-DELETE
2) air damn- REPLACE
3) f/p fender- REPLACE
4) thermostatic air cleaner valve + air heater line- FIX/ REPLACE
5) O2 sender- REPLACE
6) catalytic converter- DELETE
7) strait pipe- install
8) clean under body of truck
9) plexi glass over bucket style lights
10) smooth hub caps
11) seal and smooth gap between cab and bed W/ rubber/plexy glass or duct tape
12) move thinner tires to front when i get new A/T for rear
13) strip and repaint truck then wax
14) under drive pulley
15) electric fan DELETE manual fan
16) replace gaskets for timing chain cover/ oil pan/ transmission oil pan

some of those are more maint. than for getting better mpg but im useing this list to keep track of stuff i need to do to

ANY OTHER LOW COST MID-RANGE COST IDEAS OUT THERE??

For gas mileage, yes on 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 10, 15. Also a grille block. An underdrive pulley will hurt cooling if you drive at low RPM. Number 6 is not consistent with ECOmodder, and it won't help your mileage.

[Demonic_Bloodfeind]

truck runs kind of cool (about 155 mid gauge is 210) anyway so I'm sure a few deg wont kill me on the under drive or the grill block

removing the cat is a performance trick the more free flowing you make your exhaust the more mid-top end power you will have thus use less fuel to achieve your goal speed.same idea as removing your muffler or replacing it with a high flow type. Eco modding no gas saver yes

[Sven7]

Originally Posted by Demonic_Bloodfeind

truck runs kind of cool (about 155 mid gauge is 210) anyway so I'm sure a few deg wont kill me on the under drive or the grill block

removing the cat is a performance trick the more free flowing you make your exhaust the more mid-top end power you will have thus use less fuel to achieve your goal speed.same idea as removing your muffler or replacing it with a high flow type. Eco modding no gas saver yes

eco modding=gas saving.

If I'm not mistaken you want less air and fuel to go through the motor with every revolution, so making a free-flowing exhaust would be counter-productive.

Make a smooth belly pan. That'll probably be your best bet for aero.

If you can make headlight covers and a grille block in one piece of acrylic that would be really good too.

Smooth wheel covers can be done for free if you have campaign signs lying around. See my Anal Probe thread.

[BackroadBomber]

Is that the original tranny? I had both a 88 and 93 w/t 2wd and they both had 700r4's in them. My 93 got 12mpg with a 350 in it (it leaked gas) and my 88 got 17 average 22hwy with a 305 in it. If it came with a 700r4 I'd say try to find one of those overdrive goes a long way. Then adjust your kick-down cable so it upshifts alot sooner. I did that with my 88 and it'd shift into O/D at like 25 as long as I was barely pressing the gas. (normally they shift into O/D at around 40-45 I think.) Also, I don't know how your inspections go there, but here in ny any vehicle 25yrs old or newer up until 95 has to have a catalitic converter to pass emissions inspection, But since they're not obd-2 it's only a visual inspection, so You could just hollow your cat out with a pipe if that'd be an issue there. Also, do you know what gears you have in the axle? My 88 had 3.08's and that kept the rpm's low. And axle's for the 88-98 chevy truck's are a dime a dozen

[tru]

might consider a seafoam treatment...

my old 4.3 was getting choked up on carbon at 210,000 miles. im sure the broke down muffler was backfilling the engine making the problem worse.

[nemo]

Originally Posted by Demonic_Bloodfeind

truck runs kind of cool (about 155 mid gauge is 210) anyway so I'm sure a few deg wont kill me on the under drive or the grill block

1. Check to see if that is normal operating temperature for you truck, if not replace the thermostat, cheap and easy.

2. Remove every thing for the back of your truck. Only put back what you will need for a week. If you are using it for storage you may be carrying a lot of extra weight and scrap the stuff you are never going to use again.

[Rusty Marina]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

Put a diesel and manual transmission in. Anything less is just fooling around.

Be cheaper to find a 6.2 already in the truck, they can be had for $1,000

[Big Dave]

Lots of guys have mentioned aero cads, aerolids, wharever you call them, and make no mistake: They work.

But that TH400 slush box is killing you.

Trucks of that vintage were available with NV4500 five-speed manuals, with a GM bell housing. You should be able to find one in a good junk yard or if you intend to drive it a lot reman trannies can be had.

For really good mechanics with the right tools and some help, the job takes a long weekend.

Not only does the NV4500 gain you 2-4 MPG by itself, it opens a world of hypermiling techniques.

As someone pointed our 6.2 or 6.5 liter GM diesels are available and are bolt ups. Get the 6.5 if you can find one. Its less troublesome than the 6.2.

[kach22i]

Chin spoiler 7-8" off the ground is good for a couple mpg at highway speeds.

Chin Spolier - fast/easy/cheap/effective - Pelican Parts Technical BBS


If you double the material up and go with 4" off the ground (like my old Porsche), I bet there would be even more gas savings.

I have a high output 4.3L in my S-10, it's a blast to drive. Do you need a full sized truck? A 4-cylinder Ranger or S-10 with an aero-package of some kind should do better than what you have now.

Then again a Diesel like F.L. mentioned, or swapping for a different vehicle might be other options.