new guy, 93 apv, 3.1

[lurker]

i see what you mean. i'm not compulsively clean about my vehicles, but since this one is so purty, i'm going to try to keep it nice looking. i've even thought about replacing the mirrors with cameras and stripping off the trim, but i don't want to mess it up.

I wasn't going to go so far as to recommend covering the underside with metal sheets, but you could. I was just suggesting rinse out any sticks, twigs, leaves, dirt, gravel, rocks, and caked on road grime.

[occupant]

The drag coefficient of the 1994-1996 APV's was only 0.30, I don't think there's much need to improve, seeing as a Honda Insight is all of 0.25 and a C6 Corvette is 0.28. The Lumina has a 28.15sf frontal area, though. I don't think there's anywhere to make changes unless you want an eight foot long aerofoil on the back...



Or you could cut half the roof off and replace it with half a Charger Daytona spoiler...



I think the best thing to do is the rear fender wells. Wheel skirts over the remaining part of the wheel might do good.

[lurker]

i've seen that picture! something like 75 mpg iirc?

i also own 2 metros, a '90 lsi and a 93 xfi. they're good little cars, consume about half the fuel, but carry a lot less than half the stuff, though i can get 8' 2x4s in there. i use them a lot for quick runs around town.

the van is a lot more comfortable to drive, so i tend to take it even if i don't need the space. fortunately gas is relatively cheap lately, but that wont last forever.

wheel well covers on the back, i like that. i'll look into it when i get the bodywork fixed.

[Oklahoma]

When I do rear plugs on a W-body, I take off the dogbone and then winch the engine forward with tie-downs. That may help, or it may not. I've never tried a U-van but it sounds like a dicey job.

[skdu8ow7]

If you put racing seats in an Oldsmobile minivan, yooouuuuu might be a redneck!


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Occhiali Ray Ban Donna

[SexySilhouette]

[Chaos]

I've seen a metro once with a "Lexus" conversion on it.

Not sure what it did for its drag coefficient, but god it was ugly.

[lurker]

i think you guys are suggesting i photoshop another APV nose on the rear of my van to improve the aerodynamics?

that 3.0 drag coefficient, is that with or without windshield wipers?

[lurker]

spent the morning at the junkyard. it's like the sahara out there.
got a l. f. turn signal, oil dipstick (broke the plastic handle off the old one), and plastic obd1 terminal cover, 15 bucks
he has:
93 white apv, fair int & ext.
94 red olds sil., fair int & ext, sunroof!
90 burgundy apv, good int & ext.
92 white apv, good int & ext.
91 white apv, good int & ext, roof rack.
i'm thinking about going back for some stuff, driver's seat, lf fender, roof rack, maybe sunroof.
i'd guess if i want the sunroof i should get the whole black panel?

and i found something on this that's actually not painful to fix. the headlight assembly is very easy (no tools!) to remove, and the turn signal is only 2 nuts on the passenger side. yay!

[knighttony13]

welcome!

[david_banks1330]

welcome along

[david_banks1330]

hello and welcome along! XD

[lurker]

hello and welcome along! XD

welcome!

it's always nice to be greeted by bots, don't you think? i mean, i'm relatively new here, only since april, and they're welcoming me to the forum. just kind of makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

[lurker]

at some point when the weather cools i plan to go back and get a driver's seat (recaro? ) and fender, and while i'm there i'm going to look at the sunroof. has anyone here pulled a roof panel? or would i be better off to go aftermarket, or maybe skip it altogether?

[RIPBARNBURNER]

Personally, I would skip it. In my experience, aftermarkets will leak soon, if not right away, and pulling a roof panel can be a HUGE pain in the ass, more trouble than it's worth. Again, my opinion/experience.