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What are they called? Are they for anything practical?

tdsj

tdsj

Full Member
Joined
Oct 28, 2015
Messages
15
Location
Indiana
Don't know if this has been asked before since I don't know what they are called or even if they have a practical purpose?

bomber6c05avalanche.jpg
 
MS03 2500 said:
Sail Panels ???
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OK cool thanks, Now I at least know what they are called lol. Do you know if they serve any purpose? Or are they just there for looks?
 
tdsj said:
Don't know if this has been asked before since I don't know what they are called or even if they have a practical purpose?

bomber6c05avalanche.jpg
Click to expand...

Yes to the practical purpose.  Underneath the plastic covering is some structural steel - required since unlike a typical pickup the bed isn't sitting on the frame separate from the rest of the body.
 
And aerodynamics when you are driving forward there is a large vacuum in the area by the rear window. It allows air to go through the hole
 
Very informative. I didn't take into account that it has the bed isn't separate from the cab like most trucks. As well as how I knew about the air the comes down over the top of the roof and straight into a normal truck bed. But with the covers on the truck bed the vents in the sail panels allow the air to escape. I've learned new things today!
 
Actually the air from the side goes thru the hole. If you live in a area that has a allot of snow it keeps the bed cover pretty clear.
 
MS03 2500 said:
Actually the air from the side goes thru the hole. If you live in a area that has a allot of snow it keeps the bed cover pretty clear.
Click to expand...
It comes from the outside pushing inward through the hole?
 
Yup, if you drive in the snow you will notice the pattern on the bed.
 
MS03 2500 said:
Yup, if you drive in the snow you will notice the pattern on the bed.
Click to expand...
Ah ok, Well if this ever stops being a warm winter I might get to see it happen. Weather is calling for tornado watches this week. Can't wait for the snow aside from being able to see this effect lol.
 
When it gets warmer take the rear window out and drive with the side window down, just make sure you don't have any papers in it you want, the vacuum will suck everything out.
 
I actually find it fun during the fall to drive to work and watch the leaves that fall there just spin around in circles and NEVER blow off the bed :)
 
What ever they do all that plastic starts to look like crap, mine is starting to look like a Zebra.  I'll have to do something in the spring.  There was two colors of the plastic?
 
The snow still piles up on my bed. It might blow around a little, but not enough to actually blow off the bed.
I just bought some of the panel windows from another member. I usually drive the truck with the bed & midgate open in the summer. I hope the windows don't change anything too much....ie; funnel all the exhaust into the cab.
 
This should get interesting.

(y)
 
Burrd said:
What ever they do all that plastic starts to look like crap, mine is starting to look like a Zebra.   I'll have to do something in the spring.  There was two colors of the plastic?
Click to expand...

Refinish Restorer, I did mine well over 2 years ago and it is just starting to need it again.  You can find it on Ebay.
 
The dealer has a coating you can buy too.  I will have to do something.
 
Cool, I'll look into this in the spring.  The dealer has something you have to spray on, I had it done just before it went out of warranty.  Armadillo something I think.  It looked great, lasted 3-4 years. 
 
Bondo "Restore Black" works great, easy to use like paint with a sponge applicator, jet black with a nice sheen looks like when new.....good for stock running boards also. Lasts up to 2 years.
 
Another thing I noticed, the salt gets behind the cladding, I see some here with the cladding off all rusty. 
 
I had mine undercoated at the dealer in '04, it makes a big difference here as I live in road salt city.

On Topic: The sail panels are a structural body component. It's simple physics really, a Suburban has a roof to tie both sides together, a Silverado has a square box,... an Avalanche has mid-gate so needed extra support to tie the rear quarter panels together.

It's a safe bet the sail panels were a compromise between design and engineering that went back to the table multiple times. MS03 2500 mentioned aerodynamics which are important so after the artists addressed structural integrity adding sail panels they probably had to redesign the sail panels after wind tunnel tests.
 
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