jmead

Generator is f-i-n-a-l-l-y in the car. This part of the project seemed to drag on forever. I hope to get the wires run and some preliminary mileage numbers within just a few days. Next step is to get the exhaust fabbed up.

Good advice, but if its gonna happen I might as well get it out of the way now. I haven't gotten the registration taken care of yet and its the only parking around here within reasonable distance. And if I'm going to wizz Jesus off at least I'm doing it in the most environmentally friendly way I can :nervous: I just had to see what it can do, but no more until I get it legal. Hopefully that will be very soon, I can't wait to get back behind the wheel!

http://www.jumpcut.com/view/?id=CEEFB4120A8211DD8F60000423CEF5B0 Short video, really gave the motor mount a good test today. None of the burnout videos came out because it got too dark, will try again tomorrow.

Yeah, i've got a 1000Amp controller as well, and i've got probably 75 lbs worth of copper in the car just for the battery interconnects and motor cables. This is just peak, however, a more normal cruising amperage would be more like 100 amps, much more reasonable. I spent about 15 minutes thrashing it, probably 400A+ usage for several solid minutes, jumped out and felt the cables, cold, and the controller, barely warm. The motor isn't breaking a sweat with its big blower.

These are battery amps, right? And what voltage are you running at?

I'm hoping the weight out front wont make a big difference. The total weight of the front is about the same, but shifted a few inches forward. I could have but the batteries on their sides and had a taller pack that was more over the axle, but it came down to a trade off between body roll and steering response. I decided to go with the lower center of gravity. I will push it soon and see how it performs, but there are a few things I need to attend to first. OperationZ - That link certainly grabbed my attention too. I'm hopefull the technology comes to market soon, and that its not yet another unfulfilled revolutionary battery promise. It seems like there are several battery technologies right around the corner now poised to really take EVs up to the next level of performance/practicality, I figure at least one of them will become a reality.

Great advice! Thanks for all the help. I'm going to try the screw remover, didn't even think of that. I was preparing to replace the cylinder too, I hope it doesn't come to that. Zup - I would if I could! I just posted a thread with lots of pics over at hybridz now that I've got something worth showing. Its in the "other engines" forum in case you haven't already seen it. bkelly - Thanks for the offer, but I've got a 70 too. I didn't realize that the 73+ would be different, that is very good to know if I end up changing it out.

I was bleeding the brakes on the 240z, everything was going smoothly with the pedal becoming more and more firm each time. When I did the rear left disaster struck; the brake bleeder valve snapped off. It appears to still be in the "closed" position because no fluid is leaking out, so I guess it could be worse, but I am at a loss of what to do. It is nearly flush with the surrounding metal. Has anyone ever had this happen? What do I do about it?

Thank you. Honestly every time I look at it I can't believe I built it. I've put more time and energy into this project than anything I have done. I have been thinking constantly about the potential to make a business out of this. I've been getting so much attention recently its really making me think it might be possible. I have another datsun, a 76 280z, and I may convert that and see if there are any takers. Sell it on ebay motors perhaps? This was the focus of a long brainstorm session not too long ago. My conclusion was that it would work, but it wouldn't provide enough energy to warrant the investment. I could fit at most 300 watts of panels on the car easily. The battery pack is 10,000 watts so at full sun it would take about 33 hours for a full charge. You only get perhaps 6 hours of full sun on a good day, so you're talking 5 days for 1 complete charge. You would be getting maybe 4-5 miles of added range each day, with $0 electricity costs for those miles. I think either the efficiency of the vehicle would have to go way up (less watt/hours per mile), or the efficiency of the solar panels would have to increase before it would make sense financially. 300 Miles would be doable with current technology, but extremely expensive. It would require a massive LiFePO4 battery pack (like 75,000 watt hours) in a normal vehicle. Even at $1/watt (about the price of the very cheapest cells right now) it would be $75,000 for batteries alone. This technology can last for 10 years or more, so at $45/day it would take 4.5 years of gas savings to pay for a pack of that size. A better alternative might be a hybrid. By recapturing the energy lost during breaking, having the engine shut off at stop lights and when traveling below 40 mph you could probably cut that fuel usage down by 1/3 to 1/2 depending on the driving conditions.

1) If the "auxiliary power unit" is done by then it would make a fun day trip, though I still have a lot of work left before its show quality. 2) I've been keeping a detailed log of all my expenses and I'm at a little over $6k in the car right now, including another $1k for the generator parts yet to be installed. My budget is pretty much "how much money can this car save me over the next few years?". I have increased that figure several times when choosing higher end components with the justification that if I build the car right it will work reliably for many years and ultimately save me more than my investment in gas. I spend $2-3k a year on gas (at $3/gallon, those days are gone) alone, so over my 4 years of college it will pay for itself. After that point I have essentially a free car that just needs new batteries every 4 years. I spent $2300 for a pack of the absolutely highest performance lead acid batteries available, and I could have gotten some cheap flooded batteries for less than $1000. The major components (motor and motor controller) should last for 20+ years. The more I did the math the more I realized I couldn't afford not to build an EV.

Maiden voyage!

Hehe, it is kind of asking for a cup. I wish I didn't have to make it so obtrusive, I will have to see about changing that in the next revision. Better pic with more progress:

The motor is mounted and the car is completely wired up. I've been working non-stop for 20 hours to get it done. Maiden voyage tomorrow!

There are 8 batteries up front, weighing 60lbs each, this is only 480 lbs. About the same as the engine they replace

Motor is powered up for first time! I even got in and shifted through the different gears, checking the amperage as the wheels spin faster and faster. Now to finish the motor mount, do a little wiring and get it on the road.

If I were doing it again I might go for a 1200 instead. They are amazingly light, 1600lbs stock vs 2300lbs stock. That right there will make a big performance/range difference for the same powertrain. The Z cars do have an incredible amount of engine bay space. I was able to fit 8 60lb batteries up front and 4 in the rear with no issues. In most conversions this ratio is reversed. It leads to poor performance due to less than optimal weight distribution. Go for it! You'll be way ahead of the curve.

[quote name=Mr Camouflage;250737 Anybody want to estimate what it would have been worth' date=' before it was made environmentally friendly. http://ampeater.wordpress.com/page/2/ While it is true I'm trying to make this car better to the environment than it was, thats not exactly why I'm going electric. I want it to be fast! Plain and simple.

Wow, so much interest. I have received more hits to the blog today than I have for the 30+ days its been up put together! beandip - You might know him as John Wayland, I know him as Plasma Boy His is the word's fasted street driven electric IIRC. His site has been a huge inspiration, it was the amazing amount of technical info I learned going through his car's history step by step that prompted me to begin chronicling my progress. I hope I can be even 1/10th as helpful to the cause as he is. Go240Zags - Everybody seems to want that elusive 200+ mile range before they will consider an electric. But how many miles do you drive on a daily basis? Most people commute something like 30 miles a day or less. If everyone was making this daily trip on electrons we'd all be much better off, both financially and in terms of political stability. Most families have 2+ cars anyway so you're not giving up the ability to take longer trips anyhow. Even if you were limited to a single vehicle, something like a range extending generator makes this problem null. Driving with a trailer may be a pain but your average person would only use it a few days out of the year anyhow. Zs-ondabrain - Its the torque that has me worried as well. My motto has kind have been 'do it and see what happens" so far, but I do really hope the tranny holds up. Switching it would require a big redesign, but I could always do it if I don't have a choice. At least I have full control over it, I can always limit my amps if needed. I'm not really sure how much torque I'll be making anyhow, my motor is foreign and I have no performance curves for it. I assume it is pretty similar to the more common advanced dc motors used.

I'm still working on the motor mount, its been giving me lots of problems (no easy way to do it because of the steering column). I've got a pretty solid idea in the works; I'm waiting for the local steel supply to get their act together and sell me the 1.5" steel square tube I need to get it done.

Top speed should be about the same as stock, while acceleration should be quite a bit better. Range will be largely dependent on speed, probably 100mi@30mph, 50mi@50mph, <30mi@>70mph. I just want my 25 mile commute (each way) to be gas free. I will charge at school. Any additional driving I do beyond that will require the generator, which will negate some of the benefits (extremely quiet and smooth), but also negate the main limitation (short range). The generator will not be a permanent part of the car, I hope to make it a removable module. It could easily be replaced with an additional battery pack, or nothing (race mode, lets say). Even a hydrogen fuel cell or a gas/propane/methane/ethanol generator, whatever makes the most sense at the time. Ideally, however, it will be replaced with a lightweight, ultra high-capacity lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery pack in the future when prices become more reasonable. This would make the diesel useless. 200+ mile range and sub hour recharge is the ultimate goal.

HLS3004462 I don't know how to read vin #s. And yes, 1000amps in tap instantly should be awesome. I'm worried about needing a subframe for the torque, but I'll go easy at first (I'll try anyhow)

I'd like to comment as this is my project. I would like to start by saying that I didn't choose this particular car to electrify, but its fate was sealed when the engine exploded during some fairly sedate driving one beautiful summer afternoon. It wasn't until the engine tear down that I discovered the problem, an oil channel in the crank plugged for piston #5, which quickly lead to the death of a bolt on a connecting rod. This left a large mass of metal floating around the crankshaft. It was almost instantly sucked/thrown into an adjacent piston where it wreaked havoc for about .1 seconds before the engine violently seized. During this process something was also ejected through the oil pan. The car sat for a couple years after that, during that time some minor rust that had been hidden by the previous owner (and not disclosed or detected at time of purchase) expanded and made itself seen under the doors and one large spot in the driver's floor and a few small spots elsewhere. This project is an attempt to give this beautiful car a new lease on life, instead of the painfull process of watching a previously glorious vehicle deteriorate into scrap. If anybody would like to save this vehicle from permanant modification it is available. I retained the numbers matching engine block. I have another (running) 280z that I would be just as happy to convert instead.

yeah, that is what this kit is. You use whatever setup you've got on the front, and then this kit replaces the stock rear brakes with disks.