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powerglide transmission modification?

29K views 39 replies 12 participants last post by  mizlplix 
#1 ·
I have been reading about the power-glide used as a manual 2 speed converter-less application . Has anybody done this in there EV ?

I see Kansasev has builds these for EV use but pricey . The things I have been reading are the racers in dirt track that modify their Power-glides or get a TCI
transmission for the sport .

It looks like something that can be done in the workshop , but I can't find any step by step instructions or videos .

Does anybody know if there are power-glides that the bell housing can be removed it looks like the bell housing and the body are all one part .

Any information on this subject would be greatly appreciated

Thanks
 
#40 ·
Hi, Tom:

Yes, you are clear in your thoughts.

Vehicles in general all go by the same principles. A class "A" heavy-haul truck has an 18 speed transmission for a reason-to match the motors torque band to the load and the hill to get the top speed in every situation.

SO, in the case of a heavier car, a powerglide with an AC50 is not a good choice, even with a different rear gear or low gear. With only two gears available, you would have sucky over all performance.

One way to fix this is to have a bigger motor for the load.

Another way to fix this is to have more and even spaced- gears in the transmission.

Still another way is to lose the extra weight.

SO, your car of 3,500+ lbs , the weight is fixed, the motor is wimpy and your transmission needs more gears for it to drive what I call "Normally".

Back to AC50 torque curve. Forget the torque chart. In a car of 2500# the motor accelerates nicely right up to 7000 RPMs and only then gets mushy and slows down when reaching for the 8000 mark. The chart is a little deceiving.

I have "seat of the pants" experience with 3000#-4000# cars, I extrapolate the AC50/glide to be a lot slower but will stay up with slower traffic. (VW beetles and loaded tractor rigs) But not pleasant.

If I were building one, I would use a T-5 5 speed transmission with an AC50, OR a direct driven 4 speed automatic as others have done.

OR go to a DC system with at least 3 gears, but you still have that car weight problem to deal with.

To build a nice EV, you need to observe 3 things: Lowest weight, rock hard tires, largest battery pack you can afford and lastly, transmission gearing to adapt it to the terrain where you live.

Miz
 
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