[mizlplix]

Greetings to all:

I dont want this thread to be boring, so I will only outline the basic steps when they happen. If you want to know more about something, please ask and I will fill it in more.

CHASSIS: Pretty much your basic production 1930 Ford Model A frame that has been heavily modded. It originally was built with an ICE V-6, but plans change and I went EV.

Ford 8.8 posi rearend, stock front axle and corvair van steering box.

I chose to go with an AC50, Curtis 650 controller, Oval track direct drive powerglide, 3.55 gears (subject to change...LOL).

Motor and controller came from East Bay EV Conversion (Cruisin)
Adapter and hub came from Canadian Electric Vehicles (Randy)
The 600 amp battery disconnect came from NewAge Marine
The 400 amp fuse came from Boatersworld.com
The Powerglide was out of Craigslist. from a local IMCA racer that went to a BREN transmission, (it had 4 seasons on it).
Most ALL small things come from Speedway Motors.

All these guys are fantastic to deal with. They actually have things in stock, they are friendly, knowledgeable and ship quickly. (Dont ask about the ones that "Drop ship", have things "custom built", or even echo the order to a fabber in China.) I realize things are tough, but these guys go the extra mile to assure their customers get what they pay for in a reasonable time frame.

The car:

The contactor and controller are visible.

The cutouts are for 4-6volt batteries per side, plus a 12 volter for my accessories. (I'm not ready to commit to Lithiums yet. Their grossly over redundant monitoring systems, their fragility, their stupidly expensive cost and the chance of getting screwed by flaky venders puts me off for the next 5 years or so.)

1 year later edit: OK, I give up. I did use lithium cells after all. It was expensive. But it made my car light and nimble to drive. If you elect to not use a simple cell minder, you will spend more time checking and watching cell voltage than you would with the lead/acid batteries. You ALWAYS need to watch for out-of-balance cells and over/under charging.

More to come...

 

[mizlplix]

The first order of business is to inspect the transmission. This one is a 1964 thru 1966 model. (single metal vent). It had a rear pump (Pressure tap at right/rear bulkhead). Removed when built by TCI. A rear pump is only good for push-starting an ICE.

It was operating when removed. SO, I pulled the pan, it was clean. the filter was clean. I tapped out the pan plug to 1/4NPT for a temp sender (it is a sensor AND a drain plug), installed a new gasket, torqued the pan back on. I checked the shaft endplay with a dial indicator, it was a little on the tight side, but I decided to fly with it. I next removed the outputshaft housing. (again, very clean inside). The speedo drive gears had been removed for racing, they need to go back in. Then change the front and rear seals. Paint it green...LOL then power train assembly can begin.

Note the direct drive coupler. They come in two Chevy types, Early & late. Early has a 3-5/8" bolt circle and two piece oil seal, and the late has a 3" bolt circle and a one piece seal. (Also called their "crate engine") Get the one that matches your adapter kit....!!! They all have an adjustment for length. on the first snap ring groove, the center shaft does not protrude from the flange (pictured). It cannot do so because of the supplied motor coupler inner bore is too small. Mine was 3/8" too long...PROBLEM....Option 1-Move flange to the 3rd snap ring groove to make the length correct. Then lathe turn my new coupler to open up the center bore to accept the center shaft. OR Option 2- shorten the shaft from the rear (my choice). Also shorten the transmission inner drive shaft 3/8" too. It was an hours work and easy to do at home. Now everything bolts up perfectly!

More pics comming.

 

[piotrsko]

be advised that Randy at Evcan builds a really precise adapter. I had to scrape the paint out of the mounting holes to get the bolts through.

Other than that I'm jealous.

 

[mizlplix]

The AC50....

The adapter-hub-direct drive coupler

Dont forget...when assembling anything, always check for dents, flaws and burrs. file-emery paper-clean, even re-tap threads before assembling. Dont forget the locktite on all set screws.

Yes, warm up the hub before sliding onto the motor shaft, it is a tight fit. It avoids a lot of hammering. Always own a brass drift. it is a necessary tool for all mechanics.

Next: goes the coupler shaft. It uses Allen headed cap screws for flywheel bolts-blue locktite and verbal encouragement. The transmission carefully sets down on top. (suspended from my engine crane and lowered down slowly is best).

I am a state worker, I took three days off this week in order to speed up the build.

(five day weekend/wife not home/refrigerator stocked/major parts are in= good vacation)

 

[toddshotrods]

Nice! I'm happy to see another hot rod build, and especially one that is more traditional than mine. I think electric is an great option for 20s and 30s era cars. I love where you're going with the parts selection and assembly...

 

[mizlplix]

OK, I finally have the last pieces I need to assemble the traction drive, finish paint the transmission and set it in the car.

The motor gets 75' of 1/4" copper tubing wrapped around it for the water cooling circuit. I am using the nice new aluminum 1932 Ford radiator for the water cooling heat ex changer (it also holds the grille shell and hood in this car. not the reverse as in late model autos..). The transmission (of coarse) and the controller are water cooled also.

NOTE: The car had a 12VDC inline fuel pump. It pumped a volatile petro based, water soluable fluid (gasoline) and lived a very long life. In my world it should be able to be used to pump another water based petro fluid, anti freeze....So using that hypotheses, I am using three 12VDC inline electric fuel pumps to circulate the coolant in my cooling system. Only direct experience will tell how long this will last. I am guessing maybe it will rust the pump internally if anything. We shall see....

1 year later edit: The fuel pumps are still doing fine. No problems.


I am making the transmission and controller heat ex changers. I will post pics of them when done. Soon I hope. (one is fabbed, one will be cast)

Meanwhile I was able to get a driveshaft measurment when the trans was in the car. I'm sending the aluminum driveshaft to the regular drivetrane Shop to get cut down and a powerglide yoke installed.

MIZ

 

[mizlplix]

Assembly of drive motor to transmission

Well, the last three days have been very productive. I have been able to get everything assembled and installed in the car as a unit. (BTW: it balances perfectly with the chain shown).

In the car.

Many thanks to my son, Kevin and my best/f Mac for the caring hands.
No scratches or bumps....

Tomorrow: Start hooking it up.

 

[mizlplix]

Motor heat exchanger tubing:

I have already had a question about the water cooling tubing on the motor. It is about 76 feet of common 1/4" copper tubing.

RIGHT SIDE:

The motor was suspended vertically from the drive hub with a chain.
The tube was anchored,to start, to the electrical wires with a Zip tie. Then wound tightly to the motor. It took two strong people to keep it tight. Horizonal might have been better, set on "Vee" blocks. The tubing was then anchored on the loose ends with two "P" clamps set under the electrical terminal support block screws. (Top pic)

LEFT SIDE:

I ran two lines of solder down opposite sides (shown in both pics) and at both loose ends for support. The soldering had another side effect: It shrank the tubing even tighter to the motor housing.

The hose barbs were sweated to the ends. The tubing cleaned and clear coated two coats to retard corrosion.

1 year later edit: The motor cooling effort only reduces the temps. from 62C to 55C. Looking back, I would only do it if I was seeing motor temps over 100C.

 

[gsmith191145]

Looking really good....

 

[mizlplix]

The drive unit is bolted to the transmission crossmember at the rear mount. The front end is held to height by a floor jack and centered in the frame. Measurements have been taken, mid and front mounts will be fabbed up.

I have decided to assemble the car in a "Mark 1" state (meaning not all improvements will be done at first). Nothing will be water cooled to begin with. That way it will let me get a set of DATA for the transmission temp, Motor temp and controller temps without any special treatment. Then I will phase in the water cooling circuits one at a time. I will wind up with some great before and after data to compare.

I simply plugged the transmission cooling ports with common 1/8" NPT plugs. After all, some applications were factory air cooled to begin with and I will not even have the torque converter to make heat. My oval track experience indicates the temp range without a converter is somewhere between 140 and 190 Deg. F. This lets me use my existing engine water temp guage for the transmission oil temp. I just retapped the pan threads to 1/4NPT and bushed it 1/4" to 1/8" to screw in the sensor.

Meanwhile, I have started on the battery racks. I have measured them at least ten times using 3-4 slight variations. I have finally settled on one design and will start cutting metal tomorrow.

G'nite all, I'm going to bed. MIZ

 

[mizlplix]

Happy fathers day to all us Dads. If we can scold ourselves, we can take a pat on the back too. Take a long look at our children/grandchildren and appreciate what they are. One of lifes truly great joys.


Didnt get much done today. Cut battery box pieces. Measured and diagrammed the motor mounts again. Darn, how i hate myself for correcting myself all the time.

Does anyone have a suggestion for a decent throttle pot? Some say the curtis pb6, some say the pb8, but I am looking for something better. I am going to drive the tires off of this and dont want to skimp or make do...

Miz

 

[RE Farmer]

Happy fathers day to all us Dads. If we can scold ourselves, we can take a pat on the back too. Take a long look at our children/grandchildren and appreciate what they are. One of lifes truly great joys.


Didnt get much done today. Cut battery box pieces. Measured and diagrammed the motor mounts again. Darn, how i hate myself for correcting myself all the time.

Does anyone have a suggestion for a decent throttle pot? Some say the curtis pb6, some say the pb8, but I am looking for something better. I am going to drive the tires off of this and dont want to skimp or make do...

Miz

I would suggest getting a used Hall-effect pedal from one of the late-model cars like the BMW mini; BMW has been using this type of pedal since the late 1990's. I've seen them on Ebay for less than a PB6.

(Edit) I don't recall the exact details but BMW's pedals also use two signals to prevent errant (uncommanded) power signals, 0-5V for throttle position and a second 1-3V (I think) to verify that the pedal position corresponds to the original 0-5V signal.

 

[JRP3]

Do you have the means to reprogram the controller for hall effect?
I'll be interested in seeing how your water cooling for the motor turns out, but I don't think motor heat has ever been an issue for the HPEVs systems considering the limited power of the controllers. Of course you're in the desert so...

 

[mizlplix]

The supplier of my AC50/controller has tweaked the programming a little for me to start with. (Thx AL)

But I plan to get the software and Data link as I have a seven year old "stupid" lap top in my shop that I used to program a timing computer on a previous car. It will be perfect for this.


I am a 60 year old desert dweller and am very aware of vehicle heat issues and believe there is no such thing as overkill. LOL

I am interested as to the differences between dry and water. It will be entertaining.

I am more concerned about that motor air intake facing forwards, hanging open 2 feet behind the front axle and so close to the ground...dirt...water...

I have a front motor mount plate that has a 6" diameter flange on it so I can clamp on a 6" I.D. flex tube and get air up high under the hood.

Miz

 

[mizlplix]

Some progress. This is the rough unpainted front crossmember/ motor mount. It sets on my original frame mounts. It incorporates a 6" flange for a flex tube to run the motor intake air up high out of the dirt and wet.

Tomorrow, I plan to put my speed o gears and drive cable spindle in the trans. that will allow me to permanently mount the power unit and then make a cardboard template of the mid mount at the bell housing.

Next week the drive-shaft gets cut down. Mid mounts made and controller mounted so wiring can begin. I have to cut open my existing harness to redo it from ICE to EV configuration. The controller harness is awesome as-is.

<He smiles as he types> MIZ

 

[mizlplix]

OK, More progress. Saturday was good to me. I was able to get in 8 Hrs. of work before I was driven inside at 104 Degrees. It will be 110 by this afternoon, tomorrow and tuesday.


This is what it looks like sitting in the car permanently. I am making the mid-mounts at the bellhousing in this Pic.

The transmission speedo gears are installed and everything is bolted down.



When I look inside that motor and see the tiny clearance between the armature and fields, I can not help but wonder what dust and moisture would do over time. This is the plan to keep clean air supplied to the motor.

A 6" duct to put the air intake up high under the hood out of the dirt and water from the road....Maybe an air filter too... Or am I just paranoid?

OK, I did get the low and High voltage manual switches installed on the deck between the seats and the clutch linkage almost done.

I guess I have put it off long enough...The dreaded battery boxes are next.

Miz

 

[Tatsushige]

Being a Motor Rewinder when I was young we had a lot of motors that we burnt out because water or dirt got in the things and either shorted em, or got between the rotor and stator and jammed em... I would put an air filter on if it is not going to be protect any other way.

 

[mizlplix]

Hi Tat: i am currently lookingfor a decent 6" ducted fan to go inside the flex duct to assure an adequate air flow. Especially when there is an air cleaner.

An AC50 has a small radial fan at the drive end. It depends on the ram air effect of driving to assist it. A tube blocks that air and must be compensated for.

Miz

 

[JRP3]

Certainly a ram effect would help but my mid engined car certainly has very little if any and motor heat has never been an issue, even in 90F temps. The Curtis controllers are harder to keep cool than the motors. I agree you'll need some assist to overcome the restriction of ducting and filter, plus having a blower will cool the motor better at lower speeds and when stopped.

 

[Tatsushige]

Hi Tat: i am currently lookingfor a decent 6" ducted fan to go inside the flex duct toassure anadequate air flow. Especially when there is an air cleaner.

An AC50 has a small radial fan at the drive end. It depends on the ram air effect of driving to assist it. A tube blocks that air and must be compensated for.

Miz

mmmmm just thinking, are you going to have a intake on the hood like a Cobra or Subaru WRX or something ??

I have a idea .. but need to know when your hood will look like