[MalcolmB]

Hey morrisman, good to meet another mini nut! I'm in the late planning stages of a mini conversion myself. Not exactly a mini though – it's a Domino fibreglass replica – a little lighter but more importantly for the UK it doesn't rot overnight.

I've thought about using the rear seat space for battery storage as well, but I'll try to make do with the boot space if I can. One thing you realise when you start looking at where to put things in a mini is just how efficiently Alex Issigonis used the space. There's just not much to spare.

Do you have a motor and transmission in mind? You might be interested in this site if you haven't already come across it: http://www.killawatt-electric-car-conversions.com/electric-mini.html

 

[morrisman]

Hi Malcolm,

Thanks for the website link; I checked it out, they seem pretty cool! I'm really not sure about the motor/trans... I'll see what the EV community suggest.
Sounds like you're onto a good thing with a fibreglass jobbie; very wise indeed!

I'm hoping to fill the boot with batteries, and get my tetris on under the bonnet, as the Clubby has a couple of extra inches on the roundnose.

Cheers

 

[MalcolmB]

I'm hoping to fill the boot with batteries, and get my tetris on under the bonnet, as the Clubby has a couple of extra inches on the roundnose.

You've lost me now (not too difficult). The only tetris I know is a computer game, but I'm guessing that's not what's going to be powering your mini?

 

[morrisman]

Ah, I lose myself too, sometimes! My plan is to fill the boot with batteries, then try to fit some more batteries under the bonnet at the front, on either side of the motor. I don't really want any batteries in the cabin if I can avoid it, as the Land Transport Safety Authority frown upon it!

 

[electricmini]

If you're planning on putting lots of batteries into the boot, I'd suggest getting a set of Spax coilover springs & dampers to fit in addition to the standard Mini rubber cone springs.

I did this on my Mini pickup (sadly no longer an EV), and built a steel frame to take the battery weight directly into the tops of the damper mountings.
Worked a treat. See http://homepage.ntlworld.com/electric.mini/

Definitely a good idea to keep the batteries out of the passenger cabin!

Richard (electricmini)
Electric Supra project

 

[morrisman]

Hi,

Thanks for the advice. You certainly know your stuff! The pick up looked fantastic. The Supra looks great, too! I feel the need to get an Engineering degree all of a sudden....

I'm hoping to put 6 batteries in the boot, and try to shoehorn another 4 under the bonnet, arranged somehow around the motor.

How did the pick up handle with all the extra weight?

Cheers

 

[electricmini]

Hi,

Thanks for the advice. You certainly know your stuff! The pick up looked fantastic. The Supra looks great, too! I feel the need to get an Engineering degree all of a sudden....

I'm hoping to put 6 batteries in the boot, and try to shoehorn another 4 under the bonnet, arranged somehow around the motor.

How did the pick up handle with all the extra weight?

Cheers

No need for a degree - just get out there and build it

I find that if I start thinking too much about it, I never make my mind up so it never gets done.... better to go with your gut instinct
(there are times when it has to be engineered properly, the motor-to-tranny adaptor is one of these - that needs to be accurate)

Depending what batteries you choose, you should be able to fit 6 in the boot, especially if you can ditch the spare wheel & carry a can of goo instead

The pickup was fun, you could feel the weight in the back (got much better when I replaced the worn-out coilover dampers on the back).
The problem was the sliding windows in the doors, they leaked all the rain in, plus the rust started coming back. So I decided to sell the Mini on, but keeping the EV bits for another project..

Supra's coming on slowly (the Zilla's about to be shipped, woohoo!)

Richard