Going at it step by step per instructions. Biggest advance has been to install new clutch and fit it to electric motor. The transmission is loosely connected to the motor. I have to figure out the right bolts since the adaptor plate now in place is considerably thicker than the sheet metal on the original car.
I followed a video from the vendor of the kit I'm using to install the clutch. Felt very proud. Then I looked at the written instructions which differed mentioning that the distance between the adapter plate and the pressure plate should be 1.3" +/-.01". Oops. Had to undo and redo.\
Still, it's exciting to see the motor attached to tranny even if loosely.
I keep removing ICE stuff I could have gotten rid of before but wasn't sure what it was. I'm sure there's still more. I either don't know what it is or how I should do it.
No good excuses for why I haven't worked on the car. I can blame the heat and spending my free time at lake. Real reason is that I've been frustrated by next steps. Today, I got back to it. My friend David M. and I set up a "workbench" using a couple of saw horses and pulled the motor out of the box. That alone was kind of motivating. We bolted the adaptor ring to the motor. Then we put on the clutch pressure assembly plate following the instructions from my kit provider. This necessitated the purchase of a torque wrench (must be serious now). Then looking over the VW service manual, I read the cautionary note "Always use new pressure plate mounting bolts...". I used the old one. I will have to find new ones and undo this. Given the torque and the high octane loctite, I expect this to be a bear. Oh well, that's what this project is all about.
Sunday our New Beetle rolled out of the garage on it's own! We got on a testdrive in our neighborhood, just to feel this great moment :-)
There is still a lot of work to do, but this milestone was a big rock! :-)
So stay tuned ... it will go on :-)
Yesterday (June 7, 2010), Electric Mobility Canada sent out an e-mail advising its Ontario members that MTO has lifted the ban, and has implemented an interim solution for the licensing of electric vehicle conversions. That e-mail read (in part):
"Dear EMC Ontario members, "I am pleased to announce that following consultations with officials at the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO) I have been advised by MTO this morning that the temporary moratorium on the registration of internal combustion engine vehicles converted to EVs in Ontario has been lifted.
So I am converting a 1984 Pontiac Fiero, well you may ask your self why? A Fiero. Well I have always wanted three cars, A Fiero, DeLorean and Lamborghini. So after a deer hit my dino drinker, I decided to tack the plunge. So your almost there, ready to take the plunge as well to convert a car from gas to electric or maybe you dino drinker is on its last legs and is going to need to be replaced soon. Well you can replace one dino drinker with another or plan ahead and take a few months to convert another dino drinker to electric just in time to replace your ailing car. A few things to keep in mind before you take that plunge are simple things like;
[list][*]If you have always wanted a certain type of car but it was always just out of your reach you can normally find one that has a blown motor or needs a lot of mechanical work in order to get to pass testing for a reasonable price.
