After a long summer break, it is time to get back to my project. I feel like the old build thread had a lot of pre-amble before I even got to any building, so I am going to start a fresh topic. For anyone who has not been following along, I thought I would summarize the progress to date.
Jan 2020: Bought my donor vehicle, a 1996 chevy S-10.
Feb 2020: Bought a Tesla/Mercedes battery pack. Originally rated at 36kwh in 12x 7s modules.
Okay, the stuck bolt is still attached to my truck, and the plastic housing came out ... in a couple pieces. Lets say it was brittle from age, not that I yanked it out in a fit of rage. Anyway, as I figured, the whole system came out in one big loop. Not sure if there is any refridgerant...
www.diyelectriccar.com
Also got the engine and gas components removed
Okay, the stuck bolt is still attached to my truck, and the plastic housing came out ... in a couple pieces. Lets say it was brittle from age, not that I yanked it out in a fit of rage. Anyway, as I figured, the whole system came out in one big loop. Not sure if there is any refridgerant...
www.diyelectriccar.com
April 2020: Stripped the rust off the frame and repainted everything I could get to.
Okay, the stuck bolt is still attached to my truck, and the plastic housing came out ... in a couple pieces. Lets say it was brittle from age, not that I yanked it out in a fit of rage. Anyway, as I figured, the whole system came out in one big loop. Not sure if there is any refridgerant...
www.diyelectriccar.com
May 2020: Pulled out the ICE wiring and started getting the engine bay ready.
I mounted the brake booster, and stripped down the dashboard.
I got the brake booster pump installed today: I bought this as a kit from EV West, and honestly, I am a little disappointed in the quality. The relay outright does not work, and the pump just runs non-stop. It does pull vacuum, my booster holds vacuum, and the pressure switch opens when it...
www.diyelectriccar.com
I pulled out the vacuum system that controls the vents, and instead made a mechanical system to switch between the defrost and cabin vent settings.
June 2020: I mounted a pedal assembly from a subaru.
August 2020: I started working on a switch panel for the dash.
I started this project with very little experience, a newborn daughter, and a pandemic to contend with; so I am going to consider my very modest progress to be a win. Today I got the shop cleaned up, put a charger on the 12v battery, and checked the voltage on all the traction battery modules (they were all essentially unchanged). I also started laying out the materials for the battery frame. It was always heartening to hear from you all, and I will undoubtedly have some fresh questions before too long. I will be back soon with some pictures of the latest progress.
Goal #1: Mount the battery on the truck.