I don't think it's illegal to drive without a tailgate here in CA.
Wouldn't I get better gas mileage?

people do it all the time, and yes, it will result in less drag. However, for most pickups, it eliminates the support for the sidewalls of the bed. Over time, the flexing will result in permanent damage.

Someone correct me if i'm wrong, but i seem to remember reading about a study on this topic. The results were that driving with the tailgate on (and in the normal upright position ) does NOT create any extra drag. I think the reason being that the air swirling in the bed area creates a kind of invisible barrier that the drafting air will pass over (the same effect as having a tonneu cover on).

I read an article a while back that stated that having with the tailgate up gave no measurable decrease in mileage like chevydude said.

I just don't belive that you can save a noticeable amount of fuel runnng without a tailgate.It does make it look bad from the rear and you could loose your cargo if not secured.Where will you hang your license plate?I also agree with RedElky on the flexing of the sides.
Try keeping that 4 barrel closed with a lighter foot. LOL
Terry

interesting replies,
I did observe that "swirls affect" by experimenting with a plastic bag on my bed on FWHys, cool efffect.
But doesn't the flow of air behind the gate cause a drag?
The pocket theory does make sense, but maybe I'm squeezing out feet-per-gallons here :P

Keep in mind an El Camino is different from a truck as the body is concerned. With a truck the bed is the bumper! Thats why you see trucks driving around without a bumper. The bed of a truck is not attached to the body. In fact with some trucks the bumper is an option!

Our bed is part of the body. We must have a bumper to be legal. As far as driving without a tailgate thats up to you. I would never do it plus I think it takes away more in looks without a tailgate on an Elky than with bed of a standard truck.

http://www.turbobuicks.com/forums/images/smilies/gotrice.gif, I mean "Got Redneck" ;)

Just get a http://www.honestcharley.com/ec%20images/Hard%20Lid%202.JPG and forget about it. 8)

I think all the Air Force members will agree that any moving object will create drag. the movement of air above and below it creates lift and drag, that is the nature of things. However, neither of these is significant enough to let us fly or increase our gas consumption if our tailgate is up. for starters, we just can't go fast enough(though we try 8) ). you probably have less airflow hitting your tailgate than you do your windshield and grill so no sense in worrying. My theory is you lose mileage with the big subs pushing your car bacward while it's trying to go forward.

just a theory :cool:

Trust me, if this was a serious issue it would have been dealt with by now. Engineers are paid to fix, tweak, and experiment with these types of problems. What i recommend (mainly cause it looks cool) is grab a tonneau cover.

Where are you going to mount the license plate? If your that concerned about gas mileage, that you would consider removing your tailgate, I suggest you trade your Elky in for a moped, you could always tape your ears to the side of your head to make yourself more aerodynamic and get even better gas mileage on it. Just kidding, :lol: hope I didn't make you mad at me!

I drive a 2001 Silverado for my daily driver. On a trip from Beaumont, TX to Alpine, TX (10 hours straight interstate) with the tailgate up i got a best of 17.9 mpg driving between 80 and 90mph. Same trip with tailgate down i got a best of 18.1 going just as fast. I know my truck is different from my elky but that may give you an idea. :)

I use to do 650 mile round trips every 2 weeks to see my fiance with my 77 Sprint. With the tailgate down I noticed better gas mileage and less buffeting. Around town I would just close the tailgate. ....oh yea, been married to her for 25 years now :)

Removal of the tail gate is probably a waste of time. Driving around town, in particular, no difference whatsoever is likely. I got rear ended by a drunk once in my 1977 Elky. The drunk who hit me totaled his Pontiac as the front of the car bent about thirty degrees to the right, at the firewall. MyElky suffered a bent tail gate, and likey more severe damage would have occurred if the metal was not there to absorb the impact.
Eric

Im always gonna be paraniod about a rear impact with my roll pan. Lot of custom work that would have to be re-done if i got hit. :-(

the only time that you would want to be concerned about having the gate up or down is while flying down thw 1/4.

I leave my tailgate on my 74 partway open when on the highway. I don't know how much it helps the mileage because I haven't done a long enough trip to do a comparison, although it does drive better with less buffeting. On 73-77, the tailgate actually leans forward and is very heavy. I started leaving the tailgate partway open after I "closed" the gate, but failed to latch it. I got up to about 55 and thought I lost the back of the truck when the airflow opened the gate for me. If the airflow can open it up, there has to be a lot of drag. I use boat cleats for tiedowns in the bed and have one on each end of the tailgate near the top. I have 2 short chains with snap hooks that I use to hold the gate about half way open. As far as flex in the sidewalls of the bed, the construction is very different than a pickup and with the wrap around corners, the sides are very rigid. I don't see that as an issue at all.

I thought that I would say that I think that the elkies should have the tailgates mostly cause of the license plate. The drag on my Elky in the worst wind around here in MN such as when I was in Duluth last winter didn't hurt my gas mileage. The elky is perfect with the tailgate and I am looking for a tailgate that doesn't need that much work. I thought that I would also respond to the comment getting 17.8 mpg one way than 18.1 on the way back. If it it majority uphill on the way there it would get worse gas mileage also. I drove from Rochester, MN to Green Bay, WI for a car with my ford pickup and the mileage towing the car home was better than driving there without the car just cause it is more uphill going there.

I wonder if this topic isn't more about gas mileage. My 1983 Elky 350 gets very low mileage, and presently in Las Vegas regular gas is about $2.20 per gallon. Since I have a canopy, it makes no sense to remove the tailgate, but that is still my overall impression. To me, the Elky is not a practical car. In my case, it is driven occasionally and I would hate to wear it out with everyday use.
It amazes me that some owners still treat their Elky's as daily drivers, especially if the car is in nice presentable shape. It would be easy to pick up an economical beater and save the elky for Sundays, although I suppose some folks don't have that option. In the long run, the price will be high trying to keep a nice Elky nice and on the road daily. Taking off the tailgate may be "no way to treat a lady".
Eric

Hi

I most definetly agree with Eric on that one. I have two elkies and the 79 hasn't seen the road in probably 2 years. Last time it was driven was when I drove it home from Michigan and than the other one is a 78 Elky in which hasn't seen the road in a little over a year but that is due to the engine blowing a rod so currently it is waiting for the motor to be dropped in her and than she will be as good as new and will be driven every so often not sure exactly when though. So as always have fun with those elkies out there.

If you can't drive em' why own em'?
I have an 82 SS and just purchased an 84 SS. I'm using the 84 for a daily driver at the present time. The 82 is under going a complete rebuild. Before I parked it, I averaged 17.2 to 18.8 mpg around town and up to 27.1 on long trips. I put an 89 305 tbi/200 4R combo in it and left the 2.41 posi rear. The engine turned 1650 rpm at 70 mph with the 14" stock wheels. I took a 5,000 mile trip with it last fall, and my overall trip mileage was 24.6. I'm keeping that combo but installing some body mods. I've built many vehicles in the past, but always stuck with 48 and older cars. I don't think I'll ever part with my 82. It's just a great all around vehicle. The 84 will eventually get a paint job and possibly an LT1/4L60E combo. I've checked, and it also has the 2.41 gears. I would probably have taken the money for an old beater and invested it in my Elky. But then, this is just my opinion, and everybody's got one of those.......... :-D

A study I read a few years back, It was done by MIT Engineers with a wind tunnel proving that you create less drag, and as a result get better mileage with the tailgate UP. With the tailgate in the up position it creates a "stale air" pocket inside the bed (swirling air) this allows the air to flow over the bed creating less drag.
When the tailgate is down, there is no "Stale air" pocket, instead there is turbulence thus creating drag.

Here is a link to the University of Michigan with the same results.
http://sitemaker.umich.edu/um.gm.truck/no_tailgate

Thanks empty tank for that website. That was a very interesting site. If you read the other stuff that also says that the bed cover helps reduce drag thus increasing gas mileage. Thanks again

I think it's pretty well documented that driving without a tailgate will save fuel for two reasons: less weight and less drag. During the the heyday of Baja racing the racing pickup trucks all used a net instead of a tailgate for those reasons. However the amount of fuel saved in daily driving conditions might not be measurable, keep the tailgate on.

I have driving my Elky long distences in the past & have tried it both ways. I could tell not difference.