I have the best average MPG on fueleconomy.gov (still not amazing, though)
Love this graphic
1/2 in Extruded Polystyrene Foam over a PVC pipe frame. Destroyed at 65mph (improper leading edge sealing, poor retention system).
Same frame as pink foam version, but with heat-shrink plastic (used for sealing windows in the winter, for improved household energy efficiency)
Very transparent, but suffered from turbulence at speed, poor resiliency in warm temperatures.
Declination angle between 8 and 12 degrees. Trying to follow the Falkner-Skan equation recommendations.
Tapers on the side, too.
I could still see out the back window, but the flash could not.
Really tough gap to close with straight PVC pipes.
Mind the gap.
The high mount 3rd stop light added some complexity to the frame.
Yep, at the time, I thought it was a good idea to hold this thing down with zip ties. PS: Not a good idea.
Removed the center cross bar for improved visibility.
I can see right through you.
Look at the huge gaps on those rear wheel arches. Wheel skirts, anyone?
This is the underbody enemy. To the left, you can see the start of a front bellypan prototype.
It will be a good day when I run out of that box of zip ties. Then it will force me to use more appropriate fasteners.
These wheel lead-ins didn't last as long as I'd hoped. Darn caster angle made the wheel cutout kinda tricky.
A little bit cleaner than stock underside.
Uhh, Go Cats?
smooth
I'm pretty sure that's rubbing right now. Redesign time...
That's the idea. Was it accomplished? Not quite.
Rub
Lopsy. Ford saved some money by making the same underbody for both the 4x4 and 2WD versions, so there is a huge offset protrusion meant to protect the transfer case on a 4x4.
Start on the new topper frame.
Familiar angle on the truck. Oh, look, my guitar case...
Topper with not-so-agressive wheel skirts
Adding the coroplast. Held down with wood screws, washers, and some sparing gorilla tape, to fill in my measurement and fabrication inaccuracies.
That fold could have worked a lot better, but it worked.
Hurricane proof.
Didn't even use a straight edge, because the frame was not straight either.
Next to the discarded shell of Gato del Sol 4, the University of Kentucky's first solar car.
The nice thing about a 17-year-old car is that when someone keys your door, it's not really a big deal.
Still a lot of space on the inside! My homebrew bike rack ( bottom right) was still a bit too tall. Hauling my bikes is definitely a design goal.
Only injury sustained was a sliced finger. 1/8in steel is pretty sharp when you cut it with shears. Fortunately, there was plenty of electrical tape around.
Yes, that is landscape edging. Look at all the horrible body gaps around the lights, between the bumper and grille! I filled the gap between the hood and grille with some foam tape.
Might work with a kid's bike, but my road bike is too tall :(
That's what technical drawings look like when you do them in 15 minutes.
Raw materials.
Footprint.
Navy Blue Coroplast! It matches my truck!
In case you didn't know what coroplast's structure is like.
That darn high-mount 3rd stop lamp adding complexity again. Thanks, Ralph Nader.
My roommate is a Materials Engineer, and suggests I use some better stuff next time. Maybe when we're not poor college students anymore, my friend!
Not the best way to do this, FYI.
See some bike rack inspiration?
Sometimes I have to carry large stainless steel cylinders to the recycling yard.
Exceeding the GVW, and still no wheel skirt rub!
Not a good topper design, but a really nice free loft!
One under-the-hood mod: swapped the stock belt-driven fan for this electric one. Warms up faster, quieter at low speeds/high RPM, but only a slight MPG improvement.
Bigger than my wheels.
Inspiration: SSCP.
Inspiration: MIT Solar.
Yes!
My buddy made that at home. Ariel Atom clone. From scratch. While he was in high school. That's one way to get featured in MAKE magazine.
Inspiration: Sitting on Capitol Hill. Yes, that's a $1M plus Aptera 2e prototype. The mgt team was traveling to DC to convince the DOE that 3-wheeled cars deserve some incentive funding.
Inspiration: UK's Solar Car (Gato del Sol III) next to a Tesla.
Testing at Commonwealth Stadium.
Gato IV.
Why Ecomodding Matters.
