The controller has arrived. It's a Zilla 1K HV with Hairball 2 -P option. It's the holy grail of EV controllers. It's brand new, drop shipped direct from Cafe Electric in Oregon. This is a really big deal. It cost more than the car did!
Got the pink slip from the DMV. Got the application for registration.
Got 4 custom wheels, which fit fine on the disk brake conversions. I'll stick some tires on them this weekend hopefully.
Got the rest of the cable parts from evsource. Ordered more stuff like fuseholders and cable crimpers.
I put the engine up for sale on thesamba.com and I have two people interested already. I need to schedule the day that I pull it and get rid of it, along with the gas tank and starter and emission control junk and old wheels.
I need to take more pictures...
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Stuff still trickling in...
Most DIY EV conversions go through a stage of "waiting for parts", apparently. Well, that's where I am at the moment.
But that's OK! Gives me more time to think about how I'm going to do this conversion. My plans have morphed many times as I read the stories of other DIY builders on the EVDL list. By now I have a pretty good idea of how I'm going to do this, and it's not quite the same as when I first started. Of course once I start drilling and cutting and ripping and tearing I'm sure my plans will morph some more...
Hey I know, I'll spell it out now so that I can compare it later to what I actually end up doing:
Right now the car is parked in an out-of-the-way part of our driveway, with disk brakes on all four wheels, under a car cover, running fine. Title and registration are in process with the DMV.
I plan to drive it to a tire place and get new wheels and tires. Something cool.
Then I plan to drive it to a local body shop and get a quote on a new paint job. Something cool again. Sparkle finish green? Ha, get it? Green?
I need to put the engine and gas tank up for sale. I'll do that while it's still running in case the potential buyer wants to hear it running or see it in person.
When all the parts are here, the teardown will start. I plan to strip out everything except the wiring harnesses. Some of it may go back in, but it all has to come out first. The engine will be removed, along with the gas tank. Goodby, you oil-dripping stinky hunk of controlled explosions whapping flapping metal parts back and forth!
The empty shell will allow me to examine the best way to route high power cables from the front to the rear, since I'm planning to put six batteries behind the rear seat and six in the front. There will also be a bunch of other low-voltage cables for all kinds of functions going front to back. Some kind of conduits or channel or whatever. Has to be metal for protection.
The batteries need to be mounted in racks of some kind for restraint. They are heavy and will roll around in high-G situations better than any groceries could ever do.
Then the motor is connected to the controller which is connected to the battery pack which is connected to the charger and connected to the DC/DC converter which is connected to the auxiliary battery which is connected to everything in the dashboard which is connected to all the previous stuff. Guess I better make a schematic, eh.
After I cut and drill and fit and figure out everything, it will all come out again and go into a big pile. I'll rent a car trailer and drive the bug over to the body shop for a full re-paint. I'll ask if they can cover up the exhaust pipe cutouts while I'm at it.
When the paint job is finished, back to our house and the real fun will start.
Stuff I have already:
DC motor
Tranny adapter
New flywheel, gland nut, pressure plate, clutch disk, and throwout bearing
Charger
DC/DC converter
Link 10
PakTrakr
Contactors
Main fuses
Hall effect 600A current sensors
LM34 temperature sending units
Digital panel tachometer (kit)
Digital panel voltmeter (kit)
Fuse blocks
Terminal strips
Controller liquid cooling system
Motor cooling blower & shroud
LED running, brake, tail, sidemarker lights (installed already)
Big battery cables & most of the lugs and clamps
Assorted 12v goodies like spade lugs, relays and fans
Shock tower brace
Running boards
Stuff on backorder:
Controller
The rest of the battery clamps & heatshrink
Steering wheel
Seats and door panels
Dashboard cover
Rear view mirror
Stuff to get:
Low voltage wire of various colors
More fuses and fuse blocks
AC power hookup stuff for charger
High power cable hardware (nuts, bolts, washers, etc.)
2/0 and 4/0 lug crimping tool
Big cable wire cutters
Batteries
Beer
But that's OK! Gives me more time to think about how I'm going to do this conversion. My plans have morphed many times as I read the stories of other DIY builders on the EVDL list. By now I have a pretty good idea of how I'm going to do this, and it's not quite the same as when I first started. Of course once I start drilling and cutting and ripping and tearing I'm sure my plans will morph some more...
Hey I know, I'll spell it out now so that I can compare it later to what I actually end up doing:
Right now the car is parked in an out-of-the-way part of our driveway, with disk brakes on all four wheels, under a car cover, running fine. Title and registration are in process with the DMV.
I plan to drive it to a tire place and get new wheels and tires. Something cool.
Then I plan to drive it to a local body shop and get a quote on a new paint job. Something cool again. Sparkle finish green? Ha, get it? Green?
I need to put the engine and gas tank up for sale. I'll do that while it's still running in case the potential buyer wants to hear it running or see it in person.
When all the parts are here, the teardown will start. I plan to strip out everything except the wiring harnesses. Some of it may go back in, but it all has to come out first. The engine will be removed, along with the gas tank. Goodby, you oil-dripping stinky hunk of controlled explosions whapping flapping metal parts back and forth!
The empty shell will allow me to examine the best way to route high power cables from the front to the rear, since I'm planning to put six batteries behind the rear seat and six in the front. There will also be a bunch of other low-voltage cables for all kinds of functions going front to back. Some kind of conduits or channel or whatever. Has to be metal for protection.
The batteries need to be mounted in racks of some kind for restraint. They are heavy and will roll around in high-G situations better than any groceries could ever do.
Then the motor is connected to the controller which is connected to the battery pack which is connected to the charger and connected to the DC/DC converter which is connected to the auxiliary battery which is connected to everything in the dashboard which is connected to all the previous stuff. Guess I better make a schematic, eh.
After I cut and drill and fit and figure out everything, it will all come out again and go into a big pile. I'll rent a car trailer and drive the bug over to the body shop for a full re-paint. I'll ask if they can cover up the exhaust pipe cutouts while I'm at it.
When the paint job is finished, back to our house and the real fun will start.
Stuff I have already:
DC motor
Tranny adapter
New flywheel, gland nut, pressure plate, clutch disk, and throwout bearing
Charger
DC/DC converter
Link 10
PakTrakr
Contactors
Main fuses
Hall effect 600A current sensors
LM34 temperature sending units
Digital panel tachometer (kit)
Digital panel voltmeter (kit)
Fuse blocks
Terminal strips
Controller liquid cooling system
Motor cooling blower & shroud
LED running, brake, tail, sidemarker lights (installed already)
Big battery cables & most of the lugs and clamps
Assorted 12v goodies like spade lugs, relays and fans
Shock tower brace
Running boards
Stuff on backorder:
Controller
The rest of the battery clamps & heatshrink
Steering wheel
Seats and door panels
Dashboard cover
Rear view mirror
Stuff to get:
Low voltage wire of various colors
More fuses and fuse blocks
AC power hookup stuff for charger
High power cable hardware (nuts, bolts, washers, etc.)
2/0 and 4/0 lug crimping tool
Big cable wire cutters
Batteries
Beer
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