First big test!

[kitcar]

Originally Posted by MnFocus

Oh boy *this* is going to be rich ! LOL

Hovercraft !! Rear wheel drive be danged !! Only needed to get ya going now .

Only 14 ? You're slipping

Okay. The Webernator is done and attached to the truck. Now we did some testing this afternoon and got 74.6 mpg on the first run but ran out of charcoal. Plus I didn't have the bed cover on, so you have to take that into account.

Here is a clip from the episode it appears in:

Webernator video.

Oh yeah, beer tally stands at 12 for this project thus far.

[MnFocus]

Going 10for 10 - haven't failed to impress me yet ! LOL (and no I didn't take your advice ... thats ok though I do have plenty of towels to dry my keyboard and monitor off ! )

[kitcar]

I'm thinking one of those pointless infomercials where they show you how it works without actually showing how it works. Like the Tornado. The Webernator. I'm so getting sued by Weber.

[MnFocus]

Originally Posted by kitcar

The Webernator. I'm so getting sued by Weber.

Then you need to Canard-ize the Webernator ! Confuse the look a bit ,then a Weber it will be not .

[slurp812]

Originally Posted by kitcar

I might even make some cardboard rear skirts (painted black of course with cryptic things like "EXP: 0043.21" on them to make people think I know what I'm doing) and duct tape them on.

The duct tape shows a pro is at work!

[kitcar]

I was going to use some cargo straps and then decided that the folding chairs and duct tape (100 mph certified) would probably net better results because of the back of the chairs acting as spoilers to diffuse the wake of the vehicle.

I tried canards but it disrupted the flow into the scoop too much and made the beer too warm.

[MnFocus]

Originally Posted by kitcar

I was going to use some cargo straps and then decided that the folding chairs and duct tape (100 mph certified) would probably net better results because of the back of the chairs acting as spoilers to diffuse the wake of the vehicle.

I tried canards but it disrupted the flow into the scoop too much and made the beer too warm.

Interesting observation on the duct tape vs. cargo straps - an added benefit to the tape is it's light weight .

Don't think of the bier being too warm - it's European style !

[kitcar]

I actually came up with a device for my Stealth in the 1980s that people bought into, hook line and sinker. I even had fake time slips from the track to back it up. The worst part is that I've always wanted to try it. It's called the "KBS" or Kirby Blower System. Say you take all the parts off of a Kirby vacuum but for the main body. Now we all know that you can get grinders, paint sprayer and whatnot for them. Well, why not hook the thing up to an intake? You can use an inverter and hook it to the throttle so it switches on at full throttle.

[MnFocus]

The fabled Mad Max switched blower set up ! OMG!! you invented that ?

[Jim Dunlop]

I have been experimenting with an aluminum sheet grille block lately. Basically it is a long rectangular strip, slightly tapered/curved to accommodate the slight conical shape when applied to the fascia. It mounts to the black plastic "tongue" which splits the grille in half lengthwise via some 2" angle brackets and screws.

As I watch the engine temperature rise and the fan kick on (at highway speeds), I drill more 1/4" holes in the middle bottom of the sheet. My goal is to run a little hotter than stock operating temperature, but not so hot that the fan turns on.

So far I can tell this tank of gas is going to have horrible FE, because I did a lot of driveway idling, I revved around town, and now the fan keeps kicking on. I can literally feel the accelerator jerk when the fan kicks on -- is this due to sapping engine power or due to fan-induced turbulence disrupting aerodynamics at highway speeds?

I will post pictures hopefully this weekend and give updates as I continue to drill holes and thereby increase radiator airflow. Any comments for me, especially w.r.t. engine operating temperature and combustion efficiency?