[emosun]

Ok big update , gave the gevo it's new paintjob , something a little more... electrifying.

I've never painted lightning before but with some help from the internet and my mom it came out pretty cool.

[onegreenev]

That works.

[TomA]

Looks presentable, good job, but do keep an eye on it underneath. You've lost considerable structural integrity, and much of the (modest) crashworthiness the car had to begin with, so it isn't a trivial matter.

I too have driven rusty cars around long after their unibodies (and steel frames, sometimes,) were compromised by corrosion and cosmetic repairs, but honestly, its a dicey business that you can only really get away with in the good ol' US of A.

In most industrialized countries, perforations or corrosion weakness of the sheet metal structures fails an inspection, and they can't be reregistered without proper repairs. There's a reason for that...

[emosun]

Originally Posted by TomA

I too have driven rusty cars around long after their unibodies (and steel frames, sometimes,) were compromised by corrosion and cosmetic repairs, but honestly, its a dicey business that you can only really get away with in the good ol' US of A.

I've drove worse then this , it's not that bad. This is what most cars around here look like. I've seen way worse drive just fine. And considering how slow the car actually moves , it's safer then a bike or golf cart.

[PStechPaul]

It's what you don't see that can cause major problems:
http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/money/consum...g-in-used-suvs

Hopefully it's not this bad :

[emosun]

Yea it's nowhere near that bad , just the rockers. The gauge steel the car uses is so flimsy I don't think the rockers actually gave it any rigidity in the first place.

[emosun]

Update , the car now has all 6 batteries installed and the very important voltage switch that allows it to run on 36v but be charged at 72v.

Going to work on tying in the vehicles 12v accessories and lights into the drive batteries so it no longer needs one under the hood.

Pictures to come soon.

[dragonsgate]

Onegreenev is pretty abrupt in his evaluation but what he is saying about the welding on the frame is right. Didn’t seem to make an impression though. Keep a close eye on those welds on the frame. It looks like you just filled in the holes. It is very likely that metal will fatigue and start cracking around the edges of the welds. I hope you have no problems as you have got the car looking fairly nice.

[TEV]

I am very interested to know the voltage and amps ratings of your 36V to 72V switch.

Also tapping the main battery pack for 12V is a bad ideea and can have only 2 outcomes :

1. The best case scenario: A lower range.
2. Destroying the tapped battery.

http://www.diyelectriccar.com/forums...apping+battery

I understand your desire to be back on the road with your new toy, but taking bad shortcuts will only get you to more repairs, down time, and expenses.

The reason for those advice with no explanation you got is because those topics are old and all ready covered many times in the past, so don't take it personally. When you keep disregarding those basic rules, peoples will stop trying to help you.

Please try to stop your enthusiasm just for a moment and get more informations first.


Good luck.

[emosun]

Originally Posted by dragonsgate

Onegreenev is pretty abrupt in his evaluation but what he is saying about the welding on the frame is right. Didn’t seem to make an impression though. Keep a close eye on those welds on the frame. It looks like you just filled in the holes. It is very likely that metal will fatigue and start cracking around the edges of the welds. I hope you have no problems as you have got the car looking fairly nice.

I'll keep and eye on them . Worst case senario , it breaks , I just get it welded up again or the front clip changed. Theres this awesome cheapo car repair place nearby that can fix anything.

The only consolation was that I saw yesterday a WAYYYYY more rusted geo parked by the hardware store. Made me feel a lot more confident in mine.

Originally Posted by TEV

I am very interested to know the voltage and amps ratings of your 36V to 72V switch.

It's 250 amps continuous , 750 surge. There are two of these. One for negative and one for positive.

They are two big old school knife switches , look like something tesla would use in his mad scientist lab, lol

Originally Posted by TEV

Also tapping the main battery pack for 12V is a bad ideea and can have only 2 outcomes :

1. The best case scenario: A lower range.
2. Destroying the tapped battery.

I suppose I'll skip that.