hello, i'm in 10th grade. im taking pre ap chemistry so we have to do a science fair project. i doesn't have to be related to chemistry, so i can do something with trucks. not asking anyone to do a research paper, but off the top of your head is there anything that would be interesting to test?

i have come up with comparing gas mileage between manual and automatic but thats about it.

thanks.

 

I live in Japan, and they have an interesting class of vehicles here which include trucks. They are called "kei" cars. These cars are made by all Japanese manufacturers, and are popular.

What sets kei cars apart from other cars is their small size and small engines. Japan set limits on the cars for the car factories to follow. The most important rule is the engine size, which is limited to .66 liters, or 660cc (about the size of a motorcycle engine). In order to get people to buy these cars, the government decided to charge far less for road tax and inspection, and allow kei cars to park in places were most cars can't. As a result, kei cars have become popular sellers, and can be found everywhere.

Kei cars are interesting for another reason. Since the 660cc engine size limit makes generating decent horsepower levels difficult, auto manufacturers have used the kei car as an experimental platform for things like variable valve timing, integral supercharging, all-wheel-drive, and constant/variable transmissions. Many of the innovations which you see on newer, high-end Japanese cars were actually introduced on the low-cost, underpowered kei cars.

These little cars are now quite interesting, and even exotic in some ways. It would be an interesting experiment for America and Detroit to explore, maybe you could come up with some ideas or scenarios.

 

How about electrolysis? It's easy to do and will impress your teacher. You only have to learn how the process works and explain it. Then when you buy your first truck, you'll have a handy way to clean up rusty parts.

http://antique-engines.com/electrol.asp
http://www.rowand.net/Shop/Tools/Electrolysis.htm
http://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/ru..._derusting.htm

Unprotected steel pipe corrodes when you bury it in the soil or in the ocean. Industry sometimes uses a process called cathodic protection to protect pipelines and equipment from corrosion. Cathodic protection is a full scale industry version of the model you can build in the links above to clean rusty parts with.

http://www.cathodicprotection101.com/

 

thanks for the ideas that sounds interesting both of you.

and horsepuller... i have a '72 F250 (390 4spd).

 

Over in the The 2009 and Newer F150 forum there is a thread about Nitrogen inflation of tires that touches on both chem and trucks. https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/8...-in-tires.html
Yogeorge even mentions it as a possible science fair project.

 

hows this , and it'll border science fiction ..... why chevy's are so popular and why everyone thinks they're gods gift ???????????????????????? means writing a paper , but oh could you have some fun with it , and you could do a display of one rotting away in stop motion for giggles and show what pieces of junk they can be ????????????? ( p.s i'm just pullin' your leg , i.e. it's a joke !!!!!!! the thought of a science project gives me a headache !!!!!!!!!!!!! )

 

yea i know. 67-79 fords are the toughest trucks ever built, nobody can match them ever. but i'm a true american i respect all american cars. i really like mopar to tell you the truth but for trucks ford is just awesome. i would like to bash the jap crap alot more

 

Ideas:

Comparison of gas vs. diesel powered vehicles

History of concept vehicles, which ones actually were produced

Describe/model the car of the future

Build a working engine of some kind, steam, internal combustion, air powered, etc.

Find some old predictions about vehicles and show how they actually turned out

How the cash for clunkers program affects auto parts sales and independent repair shops


or...........

build your own airbags

set up a demo with a go-kart, cones, and an alcoholic beverage, (see where this is going?)

a comparison of testosterone levels at idle and at the top of third gear

worst driving habits of drivers in your area (include your teachers' neighborhoods)

A psychological explanation as to why anyone would need 28" rims on a Caprice