Old member with new ultimate challenge

[fowljesse]

Hi, everyone. I was on here a while ago, and faded away. I've been enjoying good gas mileage with my car.
I have a new challenge, and it's big.
It is a Ford F700 box truck. It is almost 12 feet tall, and about 90 square feet of flat face.
I sell high end vintage and antique clothing at trade shows, and use this to get about 1,000 articles around the country.
It won't be hard to hypermile, because it only gets about 7 miles to the gallon :-(
It is going to take serious aero mods, and as much as I can do with the 429 industrial engine to get solidly get 10+mpg. Hopefully more.
I am going to scour this site for info, if anyone else has done something like this.
Wish me luck!
Jesse

[GasSavers_BEEF]

Boat tail for the win.

[theholycow]

I've been seeing shorter versions of those around, a commercial modular system that folds in if you don't want it sticking out, marked with a note that it's exempt from length laws.

[trollbait]

There are also inflatable ones.

[fowljesse]

Aero mods are definitely on the list, including some kind of tail. MAJOR aero mods
I'm thinking about building some kind of round end that hinges down, and becomes a ramp.

[fowljesse]

I think I'm on the right track. I haven't done any mods yet, but changed all the fluids, and put in 15w50 MObil1, because I used it to pull my travel trailer to Burning Man, which has a deadly 6,300 foot climb in the heat that has killed every truck/ RV that I drove there. It got hot once, but never overheated. it seems to have a 2 speed rear end, but I don't know how to confirm that. It seems like the engine speed increases at times without it shifting gears.
Maybe I could put a strong tent on the back for a boat tail ;-) It sounds silly at first...