Howdies!

Finally got around to using some Rectorseal Tru-Blu on the air bag spring fittings and I'll see if it will hold the air better this time around. I used some Rectorseal 5 on the fittings when I first installed the air bag spring and the air must've leaked out as I was traveling back home.

 

Its a Transformer

 

what in the actual fuck

 

When you bring that in for service at the dealer, what is their reaction and do they accommodate your truck due to it's bizarre length and shape?

 

Accept it as being awesome

 

Well...I don't believe I've ever taken my T-100 into the dealer as I perform 90% of what little maintenance there is. If I do take my truck in for servicing at a shop, I don't have the trailer attached and I will remove the appropriate panels (belly pan or side/wheel skirts) for them to work on the truck.

Only 2 dealerships have seen my truck on their lot and none of them have seen it with the trailer attached. But I can always make it a point to get some pictures of it in front of some dealerships just for the fun of it some day.

 

Why...yes, it is!

 

Yup!

 

My first attempt with the air pressure gauge on the first air bag spring didn't turn out as well as I expected it to so I'm going to try installing the air pressure gauge again using the Rectorseal Tru-Blu thread sealant this time around. This air bag spring seems pretty happy around 25-30psi with a minimal load in the trailer.

 

Added in a skid/wing plate to the bottom of the tail cone.



Got an indicated 27.3mpg at 65mph for the run from Navasota to Hearne (best ever) and an overall of an indicated 26.6mpg at 65mph for the run back to College Station! Possible potential for better aero?

 

Headed into Kemah this Saturday. If anyone wants to meet up so you can see the rig in person, send me a PM.

 

Crushed the tailcone backing out of the driveway the other night and the road finished it off by ripping it from the support frame.

Needless to say, I'm going back to the Coroplast mudflap and will probably stick with it as it is simple and I don't have to worry too much about damaging it too badly.

 

Crunched and munched...

 

Nice carnage.

 

Bam,

Tomorrow after changing my oil and inspecting the undercarriage, I plan to make a temporary belly pan out of a cardboard box for a water heater. My plan is to find the correct anchor points, cut holes in the cardboard, reinforce the holes and other weak points with duct tape, and tie the cardboard sheet (possibly with some cutting to fit around certain components) to the frame. Then I will test drive it to evaluate the MPG gains with my ultragauge as well as its safety for road use - can't have it tearing off and causing a wreck.

Do you have any ideas or suggestions before I do this? I don't want it to take too much time (I am only at home on the weekends to do this) and I don't want to use wood, steel, screws ETC like you did in your build thread on toyotanation/ecomodder.

My concerns are:
Increased temperatures of all components
Other non-aerodynamic areas of the undercarriage negating the benefits
The cardboard not being able to withstand highway speeds.

Also, what's better? Making an air dam to keep air out of the undercarriage and over the truck, or letting the air flow normally but smoothing the undercarriage? Also, would a grille block increase engine temperatures? My guess is yes.

 

Where about are you in Texas? If you are anywhere close to me, I will make time to drive to your location so we can brainstorm some ideas. I'm headed back into Kemah this Sunday.

Cardboard is really only good for doing templates and test fits and will not hold up to highway speeds for very long.

Coroplast would do better but around the exhaust system, it will melt away to a point where it will stabilize without any further retraction.

You could try some aluminum screening but any strikes against it will shred it pretty fast.

Definitely use something to spread out the force around the fastener (big washers or plates) to resist tearing around the fastener.

Use existing fasteners or holes to fasten your belly pan or frame to. I didn't want to screw any holes into my frame or body work at all.

Duct tape won't hold a belly pan on very long. Use it only for taking care of seams so air doesn't get in between the belly pan and the body. Keep in mind that duct tape will eventually fail over time as the adhesive gets older from the heat under there.

Don't rush making your belly pan. Take your time and it will pay off in the long run. For my builds, I built upon each version as I was learning what was working with the skill set I had at the time. I learned something new with each revision and applied it to the next version. If you can break up the belly pan into sections, I would go with that as it will be easier to do maintenance by pulling sections vs the entire belly pan.

Look at how the Tacoma skid plates are fastened. It will give you some working points to start from.

Take lots of pictures of your under carriage as it will keep you from going underneath your Tacoma every time just to get an idea of something that might work or not.

Blocking the grille can increase temps but it will depend on how much you block. You want to start blocking from the top and measure how much gain you experience. I have a temp probe that I measure my under hood temps with. The most I've ever seen was 150°F between the hood and the top of the engine while driving...that was with 67% of my grille blocked.

If you do any significant amount of off-roading, a lower air dam will be a hindrance as it will get damaged. Ideally, you want your air dam no lower than the lowest item under your Tacoma.

 

Thanks for the quick response. The duct tape won't be to fasten it, but to reinforce the holes I cut to tie the cardboard to the frame. So I would cut a hole in the cardboard, then put duct tape along the edges of the hole so that the stress put on that hole is distributed by the duct tape, ideally. The duct tape will not touch the frame.

So cardboard won't hold, that sucks. Tomorrow will probably just be me staring at my undercarriage and trying to think of ideas... I don't have any readily available coroplast which would make this project costly, which would negate MPG gains.

Did you see my question about where to direct the air? Also, do you think it best to make the belly panel at the same level as the lowest clearance (which would be the rear differential) or hold it as high as possible (on the frame crossmembers) and make a hump for the diff? I know you've probably never seen that but I have on 18-wheelers before. It comes down from the panel and smoothly connects to the bottom level of the rear diff.

 

I started out with a sheet of Luan as it was cheap and will hold up much better than cardboard. It will not hold up long term when exposed to water but it will hold up long enough to get data on where to go with your next build. It should cost about $10-$15 for a 4'x8' sheet at your local Home Depot/Lowes/Menards/McCoy hardware stores. Adding in some framework will be better overall.

Are you anywhere near College Station?

 

Around would be better than under...but if it has to go under then smooth as possible. Allowing enough clearance for any off-road activity is something you will need to consider if you do any off-roading.

Here's what Budbuilt has for Tacoma trucks. Maybe it will give you some ideas to work from...
http://www.budbuilt.com/new/tacoma.html

 

Devin. Why not try some of that stuff Nate uses for his skid plates? Might be pricey, but maybe the raw material isn't too bad.