[catphish]

HI, I've been reading your post and was wondering how you have been getting on?
I have been considering an conversion on my VX for a while.
Do you have any advice?

The short answer is that I can't offer any advice specific to the VX220 yet. All the work I've done so far has been on the electronics while I wait for workshop space. That workshop should be available to be in about a week, so after that I will begin disassembling the car and will definitely be posting updates here.

 

[catphish]

Update 15th Jan:

I now have all major components in hand, and the VX220 is in the workshop! Substantial time has been spent developing the new BMS electronics, but hopefully I can now begin full speed on the mechanical work.

• Tesla Small Drive Unit - Openinverter board installed and tested, HV cable, OEM driveshafts
• 18 x LG 16S battery modules
• DIY BMS supporting 3 x LG module strings (CAN)
• DIY Charge controller to manage EVSE / charger (CAN)
• Ovartech 6.6kW charger + 1.5kW DC-DC converter (CAN)
• ISA shunt current sensor (CAN)
• 150A and 250A relays for general use
• 175A, 225A, and 40A fuses for general use
• Generic type 2 charge port
• Generic rotary gear selector (may use an OEM device instead, TBD)
• 10A inline (granny) charge cable for testing

I have begun disassembly of the vehicle. So far just the seats and rear liner has been removed I but will update once the bodyshell is removed and I have more interesting details.

 

[TeZla]

good luck, here comes the madness.

This will be awesome to watch

 

[catphish]

Disassembly has commenced! Undertrays, rear clamshell, and exhaust have been removed. Engine and gearbox next!

http://imgur.com/a/hYZfIQk

 

[VintageVolts]

wow nice! I think the boot needs to be hoisted a bit higher up in the air though, lol

 

[TeZla]

wow nice! I think the boot needs to be hoisted a bit higher up in the air though, lol

Good way to store it out of the way though...

 

[catphish]

In the next few days I hope to finish removing the engine, gearbox, and radiator in order to start measuring up for EV parts. In the meantime, I have put together an initial draft of the wiring for my HV, ignition, and BMS systems.

 

[catphish]

Engine and gearbox have now been removed!

Couldn't resist offering up the Tesla drive unit. It looks like it will fit very well, but it is rotated 180 degrees from its original configuration, which means that some modifications will need to be made to its oil pump.

Next I will remove the fuel tank and measure up for the battery box. It's looking promising!

On the electronics side, I have now received and tested version 3 of my BMS and charge control circuit boards. All working very well.

 

[TeZla]

Does the motor bolt up to factory mounting points? You lucky bastard...

Nice 'Artwork' on that strip of metal too, lol

 

[catphish]

Does the motor bolt up to factory mounting points? You lucky bastard...

Nice 'Artwork' on that strip of metal too, lol

Amazingly yes it does!

but... it's a couple of degrees off from being correctly aligned, and a little low at the front, so I will look to fabricate a new mounting point at the front, a little higher and to one side. I couldn't believe it though when it dropped straight in!

The artwork goes to show I need more mature friends

 

[catphish]

Front clamshell removed. There's not really much room in the front, though I intend to replace the radiator with one or two more sensibly sized ones.

Fuel tank also removed, not a huge amount or room under there, but a convenient place for wiring.

 

[catphish]

Next step (and the last major stage of disassembly) will be to remove the radiator, interior heater, and gearstick. The radiator will be replaced with a much smaller unit, and the heater will be converted to an electric (PTC heater). The entire original cooling system will be removed and I'll use the space to engineer a new cooling loop with a smaller radiator.

I am not certain yet whether it will be worth running two cooling loops, with the drive unit having its own loop, or just keep it simple with a single loop.

The braking system (ABS) I hope to leave alone.

 

[catphish]

Today (with a lot of help from Jack at Silent Classics) I created the first engine mount.

 

[catphish]

I'm spending a lot more time on this project, and things are still moving slowly! I attempted to fit an iBooster in place of the master brake cylinder, but it doesn't fit properly, header tank is too high, and control electronics block the heater pipe, so I've decided to keep the original brake booster, and add a vacuum pump and container. Any advice on vacuum pumps, reservoirs, sensors etc appreciated!

I've also removed the pedal assembly, the clutch will be removed and the brake re-installed. The accelerator is hanging by its cable for now. I'll get that out shortly to work out how to wire it to the Tesla SDU.

I've also started work on designing the mounts for the battery box. This turns out to be fairly simple, using angle. I also need to fabricate the final engine mount, currently hanging by a strap!

This week has involved a LOT of measuring, offering things up, and design, so progress seems slow. One key decision that has been made is the layout of the batteries. I will be be using only 15 of my 18 modules, giving me a 80S3P configuration. This allows the whole battery pack to sit above and in front of the drive unit in a single block, 5 modules across, 3 front to back. They will be pressed up against the partition to improve weight distribution as much as possible. Putting battery modules in the front, or fuel tank space is not practical.

 

[brian_]

I attempted to fit an iBooster in place of the master brake cylinder, but it doesn't fit properly, header tank is too high, and control electronics block the heater pipe, so I've decided to keep the original brake booster, and add a vacuum pump and container...

View attachment 127505

If the only issue were the reservoir, that could certainly be fixed with a remote reservoir mounted at a similar height but further back and flatter if necessary.

 

[TeZla]

The iBooster was used in the 2017 honda CRV, amongst other cars. In that particular car, it has a remote mounted reservoir. The header reservoir on the master cylinder is quite small and low profile. Im using the reservoir from a 2014 Honda Jazz with my iBooster, Its compact and will only need a simple bracket made up to mount it.

You can also turn the whole unit over so the electronics are on the other side, the master cylinder can be unbolted from the booster part and flipped 180 degrees, so that could help clear the heater pipe. If it were me, I'd figure out how move the heater pipe to a different location. The iBooster will be 100 times better than a noisy vacuum pump. Infact, I'd probably ditch the coolant heater completely and use an electric heater, seeing as you'll have a HV battery to run it. Basically instant heat and less overall parts/complexity

 

[catphish]

Thank you for the pointers on the brake boosters. While I still think an iBooster is the superior option, I have decided to stick with the OEM booster, and have now bought an MES 70/6E2 vacuum pump. Engine bay is progressing gradually - I am currently building a frame on which my battery box will be mounted above the drive unit. This will also support the final mounting point of the SDU.

 

[catphish]

I've now finished fabricating the battery box mounting frame. This is secured to the chassis above the motor and will provides a base on which I can start designing the battery box.

Next steps:
1) Secure the third and final motor mount. It will likely need to be suspended from the battery box mounting frame.
2) Begin battery box design, and replace rear clamshell to double check clearance for this. Fingers crossed my 15 planned battery modules will fit!

I have now received two small radiators (VW Golf auxiliary radiators), which I will likely mount in the front, there the original VX220 radiator was located. The front of the car will be only minimally modified.

 

[brian_]

It's unfortunate that the way the structure is designed, the substantial volume of the fuel tank space is effectively not usable for battery modules, due to the shape and separation from the rest of the rear volume. That forces all of the battery to sit very high, but at least it looks like it will be a tidy setup.

 

[catphish]

It's unfortunate that the way the structure is designed, the substantial volume of the fuel tank space is effectively not usable for battery modules, due to the shape and separation from the rest of the rear volume. That forces all of the battery to sit very high, but at least it looks like it will be a tidy setup.

That's absolutely the conclusion I've come to. The weight will be much higher and further back than I'd originally hoped, but at least it will be forward of the rear axle. With the disapointingly shaped fuel tank space (not large enough for the battery modules I'm using at all), I don't feel that there was ultimately much choice in the setup, so I'm rolling with it and hoping the result is fun anyway I'm putting my effort into ensuring it's tidy, secure, and safe.