Looking good. I am watching with great interest because I have my eye on a 98 sc2. I hope your performance specs are as good as you think but I suspect your range is going to be much less, depending on the speed you intend to drive. It looks like you have:
Trojan t1275
Curtis 1231c-86
Is that correct? I have not seen what motor you are running. What maximum speed and average cruising speed are you planning on?
I don’t know how accruate the calculatator is but it would detour anybody that has a interest in this area. I am a more practical guy and as I have almost finished my progect I’ll just have to let you know actual miles mot theoretical miles. the motor is the fb4001a. I really hope the calculatator is done by a oil company and not accurate at all. You have to wonder about theese calculatators. I have based my calculatations on people that have been in the industry for years. Thankyou for your interest. Bob
I really hope that the calculator is way off too. Please do post back what kind of range your get at what speeds. I think a positive set of performance posts from you could push a lot of us over that last hump to get a project started.
There will be a break in period on the batteries, it may be a couple of months before I get accurate infromatation on the mileage. I worked on the low voltage circuts for a couple of hours today. I have found things that need wrapping up before I can put the car on the road. But I am getting closer day by day.
Little things always get missed. We rebuilt a comet one time and both of us forgot to put the U-bolts on the rear U- joint. We had just stuck it up there during fitting and it was fine, then we just blew off putting on the bolts. Started it up, timed it and then tried to put it in gear… Thunk, rattle, rattle. Oh, a 429 will go into a comet but you cannot put the hood back on.
I just got done installing the baccum switch it was a very challenging job, every niche under the hood wouldn’t accomadate it and I knew it! I had taken a egr cannister out during the disassembly in the fender. With minor modificatation I was able to use it for the switch. I had to move the windshield washer container and cut out lots of metal to get it to go there but I just finished and it came out good. I adjusted the switch to cut off at 15 hg and cut in at 10 hg vaccum. I still have to run the lines to the booster and install the gauge in the car but that will be easy once I have the materials to do it with. I bought a check valve from the store but it didn’t work to my expectations so I robbed one from a probe we have out in the yard. It works perfectly. I’ll take some pictures later and post them. Yes there always seems to be something. I’ve had my share of loose bolts, LOL:) That Comet must have screamed!
It made it about two weeks before the rear axle blew. Replaced it with one out of a ford pickup. Since the truck rear end was wider than the original the inside of the tires(on the new axle) were further out from the body than the outside of the tires (on the old axle). Looked a little odd but it drove fine.
In the end we had to get two tractors to peel the car from the electric pole my buddy wrapped it around. He walked away with just a bloody nose. The REA guys looked at the pole, said it was ok and that was the end of the whole matter. I really miss the 70’s.
I have seen some guys use pvc pipe for the vacuum reserve. After you get it set up you put it under vacuum, then reglue and release the vacuum (right away). The vacuum sucks the glue into the little holes and you wipe off the excess. I guess pvc takes paint pretty well.
What a great idea, thankyou I’l use it. Here are the pictures I promised, I just got in from the shop and tested the primary and secondary contactors they worked fine. Maybe I’ll try some more crimping tomorrow. Last week it pretty much put me out of comission, my hand still isn’t 100% and it hurt for three days after, and my stepfather done most of the crimping. #1 View from the top looking twoards the front of the car you can see the switch in the front down low #2 looking at the switch from the wheel forward in the little space where the wheel well fender and front of the car make a small enclosed area #3 looking from the bottom up at the switch #4 Windshield washer re installed about 6" further back than origanal twoard the firewall. You can see the vaccum gauge on the right under vaccum at the moment. and the switch cover to the left of the washer bottle waiting for installatation.
I put in the key and… nothing LOL:mad: :mad: I tried to trouble shoot for a couple of hours and then got my son to watch the motor, All of a sudden the wheels started to go round I wasn’t sure if it was the relay, the controller or the transmission that was the problem. It just took my son to be there with his magnetic personality to get it going. I tried a second time and it worked!!! I still have to wire the battery charger and the transformer and the gauges. Then it will be HIT THE ROAD JACK. I am excited to see the fruitation of all my hard labor finally coming to a new venture, me being able to enjoy the car and it’s bennifits.
I checked with admin and am waiting for a reply on how to download video.
Today I am going to concentrate on running the charging circut. and installing the gauges into the car. I’ll post more pics later today after I wash the car, it really needs washing, inside and out. It also needs a new windshield, and if it needs to be inspected by the state police it will need to be replaced before the inspection. I also will have to get the ceramic heater working for the defroster. I just talked to the Secretary of State of Michigan and I have to heve the vehicle inspected by the police and it can be titled as a 2007 assembled vehicle. Which will entitle me to take the tax credit for a electric vehicle on my federal return. So waiting for the title and new vin number, and the inspection by the state police will be worth it to me to do.
I had my doubts when I clicked the link, but it might work. I’ve always heard the biggest part of painting is the prep work. Maybe I’ll give it a try in a few months. My Charger sure could use a new paint job.
My worry is, how well will it hold up after a couple years? Factory paint gets baked at 400+ degrees doesn’t it? But they’re probably looking to get it done in one thick coat with minimal drying time.
Well this is probably better than a Maaco job anyway.
I have a 68 chevy convertable I’ll be doing after I get done with the saturn, it looks like I’ll try this way of painting it. I worked on the charging system today and was just about done when I found I need a 118k ohm programable resistor to make it work, I thought I had one but mine only go to 96.7k ohm. Oh well it gave me a reason to work on the sterio system. I have the interior just about back together again. I just found that the antenna wire needs to be replaced tonight, I have one on another car I can cannablize. I welded in a shelf behind the rear seat for the charger and transformer to sit on, and bolted them down to it. I installed the plug for recharging today, my sister got a good laugh when she saw:) it. The rear brakes are on the agenda for tomorrow, replacing the lines and bleeding the system. Then a good wash job and cleaning the interior, while I wait for the resistor to be delivered. I also have to install the gauges too. #1 the rear seat back in “phew” what a job for a guy with one good hand and one bad one. #2 battery charger on the left transformer on the right and shelf under and welded in. #3 everything on the board wired in and hot. #4 looking up at the motor all wired and ready to go just one small detail I almost overlooked the overheat alarm needs to be wired in. #5 a further back shot of the same thing you can see the anderson connector wired together and attached to the sway bar for support.
I got the antenna wire in and finished hooking up the sterio and it is KICKING! Next for today is the rear brake lines. They are off I have the right tool for bubble flares, but I promised my son to do them so I am waiting for him to come home from work. Guess I’ll mow the lawn, I haven’t mowed for three weeks guess it needs it. LOL
I finished up the brakes today with my son Jim’s help, and then gave everyone a ride in the car. The charger still isn’t hooked up right I was told I could hook up two resistors in series to get the right oms. I have to double check tomorrow. I have a 36.5 and a 71.5 I need a total of 108k ohms the total of the two would work. I gave the car a quick wash and the looks improved 100%. I am going to change the front seats as they are not sturdy enough for me. I also have to change the charging plug as I have a 20 amp and I need a 30 amp, I found this out after talking to my electricition friend, he said a 20 would blow the circut breaker, so I have to put a plug in the garage too for 30 amps 115 volts.
Any chance your read the rings wrong? I always have a tough time with that.
If you have a 220v plug (dryer plug) out in the garage they are usually 60 amp. 220v can be split into two 110v plugs. Our old travel trailer was 110v and most of the 110v plugs in the rv parks were 20amp, so we had a dryer plug to two regular plug adapter made. That way we had 30amp 110v. Your friend should be able to wire this up in a half an hour. Cost is minimal as you need, 1-220male plug, 2-110female, and 2-chunks of heavy 110 wire (ours were about a foot for each). This also allows you to recharge any place you can find a 220v plug in.
If you do not have 220 out in the garage it is something to think about. Lots of things run on 220. We had a welder out in the garage that came in pretty handy. I had a friend who had a welder but no place to plug it in(free welding). I also do a lot of projects out there. A regular kitchen stove is extremely handy. You can get kits to powder coat parts that require heating the part for a couple of hours at 250F(? it has been a while). If you guys do a lot of canning/preserving having the stove out of the house can keep the house much cooler(pizza in summer). There is also malting your own barley for home brewed beer.
I talked to Bob today and he told me that it required 15 to 20 lbs of lead to go one mile in a ev. SO maybe the calculatator isn’t that far off. We will see in the coming months of testing. I am just glad to get it going atr last.
