Re: TOY: Pictures

[Thom Singer <ntsqd@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

"Payne, Mike K." wrote:

> He told me if I could get a Toyota bed for the truck that he would buy back
> this one, he wants to use it as a trailer.  I, however, have no illusions
> about finding a bed.  Would be nice though, I think this bed is probably
> quite a bit heavier than the OEM one.  The tailgate for it was in the fab
> process and had no latch yet.  I removed it and I have what I think will be
> a good latching mechanism but I have yet to talk myself into adding to its
> already poor wind resistance.  I would also like to add roll bars welded to
> the frame with KC's but mostly for cosmetic purposes.

This is apparently a common misconception about tail gates. Ford discovered in wind tunnel testing that what happens with a tail gate in place is that the air
in the bed stagnates and actually forms a tonneu cover-esque 'hard' surface. The air coming off the back of the cab meets this 'hard' surface and flows along
the top of the bed rails to again fall off the truck there. The theory is that this is actually more aerodynamic than one large step off the back of the cab
since the size of the vacuum bubble is considerably bigger w/o the tail gate than the combined bubbles formed by the two steps of cab to bed rails and rails to
ground. The key to this working well is that the tail gate not leak much around it's edges which is why late model Fords have a rubber sealing strip on each
side.
 

-- 
TS
Chico, CA

"It only seems kinky the first time" - bumpersticker seen in Lost Wages