Using flowbench as wind tunnel and why not???

[Lasse]

Hi all.

First I must thank very nice community of GoFastNews. You guys (and maybe some gals) are really helpful and professional people.
I don't know if this topic is right one to engine technology forum, but it is flowbench related, so I decided I can put it in here.

I just get wild idea some time ago...
Why not to use flowbench as wind tunnel? Let me explain my plan...

If I have model of car, what if I fabricate about D-shaped pipe where I put this model and attach it to flowbench? Flat part of D-shape just simulates road surface.
I don't know yet right equations to calculate drag coefficient from cfm numbers, but that must not be so hard...

What is my main interest to do this experimentation is we have to improve our road racing car's aerodynamics highly. Car is Chevrolet Malibu -67, so there is much (and easy) improvents in aerodynamics. From my flowbench experience (small one, but it is there) I know things are not allways so straightforward than can assumed, so I really want make some wind tunnel testing if it is realistic at allmost zero budget...

Another idea is make 3d model of that car and make some CFD-experimentals, but it's troublesome to model in CAD.

[rookie]

Check this out, YouTube - Mythbuster TC Model Drag Test

They also did one that was a small table top canal or channel built like an oval track with walls filled with water.

They used a pump to circulate water through this oval channel and on 1 side was a Plexiglas window so you could see the model car submerged under the moving water.

They put in a hand full of oatmeal so they could see how the water moved around the model car as the oatmeal floated past the car.

So even if you don’t have exact flow #’s, you can still devise away to measure before and after.