This will be the thread about my attempt at upgrading my working (albeit slow and loud) Mazda Miata conversion. Everyone's feedback and comments are welcome. I can take it.
First - about the car at present - the body is in great condition for being 30 years old. The top is new, all the lights and accessories work. It has a custom battery I made (mostly because I wanted to learn about the process) which is 21s (77V) and 136 AH. (10kWh). For V1 I used two 72V motors connected with the loudest chain on the planet. I have a Soliton 1 controller (340 V, 1000 amps) waiting to go in. I invite you to check out details on my website,
here.
The other thing - I am a electrical engineering college student who likes doing things myself on the cheap - I am doing this project for the process and not as much the result. I didn't build my own battery (and my own spot welder, for that matter) because I thought I could do it better than Elon... So ditching everything and switching to a high voltage AC system is out of the picture.
The current plan:
- Acquire beefy forklift motor. (In progress,
if you have had success with this and are in the DC area let me know)
- Remove the transmission and directly drive the differential. Add reversing solenoid for reverse.
- Extend the drive shaft and attach it to the motor. There is a universal joint on both ends of the drive shaft already.
- Possibly (see below) extend the C beam and attach it to the motor.
Here's my question for everyone - it is necessary or advised to balance the torque running through the driveshaft? We know that if my driveshaft is transmitting X amount of torque, an equal and opposite X torque has to somehow be transferred back from the differential to the front. The transmission presently has a C beam (see image below) that connects its output to the differential - the reaction torque is absorbed by this C beam.
One idea I had would be to extend this C beam forward to my motor, so both the drive shaft and beam would be attached to the motor. The motor would not exert torque on whatever is supporting it (aka, my 30 year old frame).
Thoughts on whether this is this necessary?
Here's an image of the output of the transmission. A driveshaft connects it to the differential. The C beam is attached quite heftily to the transmission and the differential housing.
Other bits:
- I have access to basic tools. Lots of electronics stuff. No welding on site, but I know a guy.
- I plan to upgrade the battery pack from a 21s to a 40s after the forklift motor is good and secure. So if this first edition goes 40 mph, its ok.
