With the back removed for some body work, I took some photos of the completed battery configuration.
Photos of the interior as it takes shape.
I am also including work on the arm rests for the doors.
With the mechanics and electrical work done it’s time to finish off the body. I never really liked how the back end came out. The bumper was too heavy looking. I decided to redo it. So the back was removed and work was started by cutting off the parts I didn’t like and gluing in new foam to form.
After a few test drives of the car I discovered that there was a major flaw in the steering setup. I had used the components that came with the car and the setup done by the previous owner. He had used a rack and pinion system. The problem is his geometry was all off. The control arms were too short and were causing a bump steer problem. The was also an issue with the angles of the control arms which caused issues in the turn. My solution was to go back to the system shown in the original plans which used a modified Corvair paralelagram steering system with a steering box and pitman arms. I had found a Corvair in the junk yard and had grabbed the whole steering system so I had the parts. I ended up using a Corvette steering box. The geometry of the Corvette box worked better and was stronger.
As I put all the new parts in place I could see the design working out a lot better. The geometry all just worked better. The only downside was I had the do some surgery on the nostrels so the were not as deep to accomidate the steering box.
Andrew McClary
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Spent the last four days, between eating turkey, working on the wiring and dash board. You don’t have any idea how much wire runs in a modern car till you wire one yourself. Finished the electric windows, trunk locks, remote door locks, lights, turn signals, and most importantly the touch screen monitor and computer.
Andrew McClary
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After getting ahold of Otmar at Cafe Electric it was determined that the controller hairball (the low voltage controller that all the wired run into) did not have the correct option for running reversing contactors. I sent it back to Cafe Electric and he quickly added the options and got the controler back to me.
With the hairball out, I took the time to rewire a lot of the connections into bundles and run them all into three connectors. This would make removing the hairball easier as well as make it a lot more organized. With the hairball back, it only took me an hour to hook up all the wires from my connectors to the hairball.
I put the system back into the car. I powered it up and turned on the computer. A few moments latter I was checking the setting in the Zilla hairball. Everything confirmed, it was time to turn on the key.
Turning the key I could hear the forward contactor engaging. A further turn of the key to start and the main contactor clicked on as well. The computer was telling me no errors and ready for accelorator input. I slid into the seat and pressed the pedal. With only a slight wine the wheels began to turn. The RPM guage began to climb. It was alive.
Unfortunately it began to rain outside so the car was going to stay in the garage for now. If the weather is good tomorrow it will be time to test it on the street at low speeds.
Andrew McClary
Post From My iPhone
Well I just got off the phone with Ryan out at EV Source. He has been a great help in providing support to help me with the Zilla. Dispite our efforts and lots of double checking of wiring I am still getting an error that indicates that the motor contactors are not engaging. This excersize has given me a lot more understanding of how the system is supposed to function, but it’s still not working.
I also want to thank my friends and fellow EAA members Matt Graham and Lowell Simmons for looking over my schematics and trying to help me out over the weekend. All the guys at the Gold Coast EAA have been hearing about my progress and assisting me over the past year.
At this point the issue has been passed onto the people at Cafe Electric for support. All of my test data and schematics have been forwarded on and I am waiting to hear from them.
It’s hard to be so close to getting it running after a year of hard work and be stuck.
Hopefully I can get this all worked out this week.
Andrew McClary
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Worked all day tying up loose ends connecting up the last few switches and wires. Hooked up the car computer to the Zilla and got the whole system ready to power up. After doing one last check of all the wiring and making sure no tools were in the battery compartment, the time was here to turn the key. My son and I jacked up the back and put in the jack stand so the rear wheels were off the ground. The front wheels were blocked off.
I turned on the main aux battery power. The Zilla controller came to life with a green light. I pulled up hyperterminal on the computer and hit connect. Moments later I was rewarded by the Zilla giving me a menu. Sucess!
Now time to connect up the battery pack. With my son Andy at the computer it was time to turn on the key and see if the main contactor would engage. I got in the drivers seat and turned the key. There was a click and then a red warning light. The Zilla was registering an error. Shut down.
I looked over the system but didn’t see anything out of place. Time to call a friend. I put in a call to Lowel Simmons and left him a voicemail. A few moments later I got a call from Lowel. He walked me through the setup screens in the Zilla. They were not all set up. Made a few changes and powered up again. Turned the key and click. The main contactor came on line. The computer read 1314 status code. A quick check of the manual confirmed a 1314 code as a ready to go, waiting for the accelorator pedal. All green lights.
I got in the car seat and pressed the pedal. Nothing. Disapointment…and a call to come in for diner. Looks like tomorrow night I begin checking wires.
So close.
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The Zilla DC motor controller is a liquid cooled system. It uses a small radiator to cool the coolant which is pumped through the system. I wantd to create an air intake and duct system to help cool this system. Though it will also have a small fan, hopefully I won’t need it.
The GT body already had air scoops designed in the body. One of these was cut out for this use. A duct then needed to be fabricated to match up to this air intake and transfer air to the square radiator. This I fabricated out of fiberglass.
Step 1 was to create a cardboard mold. This mold was covered in duct tape and fiberglass cast over the top of it. Below you can see the mold on the right and the fiberglass peice on the left.
2. Sand the peice and add a little filler to make it look more finished.
3. The radiator is bolted onto the duct.
4.Bolts were fiberglassed into the body to attach the duct over the air scoop.
5.A mount was also fiberglassed in to hold the pump.
The Motor controller
Once everything was wired on the high voltage board, it was time to install it into the trunk compartment of the car and hook everything up.
-
- The Motor controller
Hooked up
Zilla controller access through the trunk
trunk access
With 12 volt power now running through the car it was time to hook up the vacuum pump and get it working so I could bleed the brakes and get them functioning. I got the system all hooked up. Turning the ignition key flips a relay which powers on the pump. The pump comes on and fills a vacuum tank. Once the correct pressure is obtained a switch turns the pump off. Turning the key for the first time provided the desired result. The vacuum pump came on and about 30 second later shut down.
I got in the car and pressed on the brake pedal. I could feel the booster doing it’s thing. A couple of presses and the pump came on for a few second to restore the vacuum pressure.
Now it was time to check out the system and bleed the brakes. Not a fun task but with the right tools it’s not to hard. A brake bleeding kit consists of a small bottle with a tube into it the mounts via a magnet to the frame. The tube is connected to the bleeder valve on the brake. The valve is opened about one turn. You then pump the brakes making sure the master cylinder resivour if full. After a while you can work the fluid through the line and into the small bottle. You do this till you don’t see any bubbles. Then you tighten up the valve and move to the next wheel. Repeat this process for all four brakes.
All looked good on the back left wheel. Then I noticed that the line was leaking where the back line connected to the proportioning valve. Not good at all. After inspection I found that the connector had gotten screwed in crooked! Damn. I had to take out the whole master cylinder to remove the proportioning valve because the aluminum threads of the valve were now messed up. Time for another trip to the junk yard to find another late model Camero proportioning valve. This also meant a trip to the autoparts store for a new connector. The brakes were not getting done today.
Andrew McClary
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After a break to recover from a surgery to repair an old injury, I got back to work. I picked up where I left off on the car wiring. The 12 volt system was wired in and ignition switch connected in. I now have keys.
The headlights and taillights were then connected. It took a little figuring to get the right wires on the switch but a little time with a multimeter and the switch was wired. The head lights were designed to ground to the frame, so additional wires had to be run since they were mounted in the fiberglass body.
By this time it had gotten dark so it was the perfect time for a test. A turn of the switch and there was light. The car was starting to come to life.
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These are the working drawings of the electronics that I have worked out. They have not been tested yet.
Here are some photos of the connections.
Now that I had the batteries it was tine to finish up the battery racks and create tie downs for the batteries. Securing the batteries in my mind was the single most important job in making this a safe car. Since the driver sits so low in the car, most of the batteries are sitting right behind the driver. Making sure that the batteries don’t get loose and move forward is important.
I originally had looked at using straps with ratcheted ties. I then looked at metal bands. In the end i used 3/8″ rod and bar steel frames on top.
With the batteries here it’s time to start working on the high voltage wiring. Unlike the normal car power which is 12 volt and grounded to the frame, the high voltage traction power must be isolated. Because of the high amperage all of the wiring will be 2/0 electrical cable.
The first part was to map out where all the batteries are going to go and how the current will be routed. The positive ends need to be next to the negative ends so they can be easily routed with the least amount of wire. 2/0 cable is expensive stuff so measuring well will save money.
The cables all get connected with wiring lugs. These are crimped on with a special hammered crimper. You have to be carefull when you strip the ends not to cut any of the small strands that make up the cable. You also need to be carefull when putting on the lug that all of the strands fit nicely inside. A good wack on the little crimping device with a large hammer makes a good strong joint. The ends are then shrink wrapped with shrink tubing to keep out moisture.
The next step was to look closely at the wiring diagrams provided by Cafe Electric for the Zilla controller. I redrew their diagram to better fit the placement of my components in my car. This excersize also helped in my understanding of the logic and how the system would work. I am going to use two contactors. The main contactor is a Tyco Kilovac. I want to be able to go in reverse without shifting so I am using a special reversing contactor that is actually a dual contactor. This will reverse the field on the motor with the flip of a switch.
After a lot of research I decided that the best the best use of the space would be to use a group 31 battery.
Last Saturday at the EAA meeting Lowell Simmons told me about a gentleman up in Melbourne who had a set of 12 Odyssey 12volt 100ah deep cycle batteries for sale. The batteries were purchased by the gentleman for a EV project which unfortunately he would be unable to complete because of illness. The Hawker Odyssey batteries were out of my budget and I am really a few months away from being ready for them, but I thought I would give the man a call and see. This morning I called and we were able to work out a deal. So I drove up to Melbourn with my son to pick them up. My Toyota Previa van was loaded up. At 75 lb each this was 900lbs. The van was heavy but seemed to drive well. All was good till about 4 miles to the exit off the turnpike. The road felt a bit bumpy but a few minutes later we realized it wasn’t the road when one of the rear tires blew out. Not sure if it was the weight, but sure it didnt help. Unloaded some of the batteries and changed the tire, the loaded them back in and made it home safely.
The batteries fit perfectly in the racks I had created. I have room for 4 more batteries if needed. I am going to get the car running on the 12 at 144 volts and see how it performs. If need be I can always add the additional 4 latter.
My vision was for the car to have modern looking wheels with 19″ rims and thin tires similiar to a Corvette. A friend has a great set of rims and tires he was willing to sell me that would be perfect. But I quickly ran into problems. Though they were 5 bolt, the bolt pattern was wrong. The Corvair has a 5 bolt 4.75″ pattern and even though these had come off a Pontiac, they were a 410mm. Further checking, and learning turned up that the Corvair suspension is designed for a 4.5″ back spacing and 0 offset. Most cool new rims are 7.5″ back spacing and a 55mm offset. (not sure why offset always seems to be specified in metric and backspacing in inches).
I have looked at wheels that would fit this backspacing and most look vintage. I really would like the wheels to look more modern. They do make adapters but I have heard mixed advice on using these. Though my friends Porsche came from the factory with spacers already installed so they can’t be all bad. But they do have to be machined right.
I needed a good dry place to put all of the high voltage components. This includes the Zilla controller, the main contactors, the DC to DC converter, and the charger. The most logical place was in the rear of the car. There isn’t a trunk but there was a nice area just behind the rear suspension that was empty. I decided I would fiberglass in this area with and make a hatch to access it. It would be water tight and away from any road dirt. As an added bonus if done right I might even have enough space to store a small bag or brief case.
The project started by cutting out the hatch with a dremel reinforced cutting wheel being very carefull to make clean straight lines. This was going to be very visible so it needed to be clean looking.
Foam was glued to the inside of the opening to form a lip. Once dried I used a dremel sanding drum to carve out a shape in the lip that would allow for a rubber seal as well as as a trough to carry away any water that came in. This was then fiberglassed.
The floor of the trunk was formed with foam and fiberglassed as well.
The valkyrie kit only comes with a flat fiberglass door pannel for the inside of the door. No arm rest or space for any storage or speakers like modern cars. I needed to create an armrest that would serve as a handle to close the door as well as create some sort of pocket to hold my sunglasses or other small articles.
I started with a couple of peices of foam and my cabinet makers saw and began sculpting. After numerous times in and out of the car to test I had two mirrored rough shapes. One for each side. Using 80 grit sand paper these were further shaped. The final pass was with 120 grit to make them smooth. These then got two layers of fiberglass. Holes were made for the electric window switches and a switch to open the door itself. (The car has shaved doors. There is an emergency handle at the bottom of the seat but the main latch is triggered electronically.)
The Warp 9 motor is lowered into the car for the first time.
It took taking it in and out a few times and making adjustments to the motor mount rails to get the motor perfectly lined up.
The motor is in place and lines up with the shaft. Angle Iron is cut and drilled to bolt into the motor face. Once the coupler arrives and everything fits, holes will be drilled and these brackets will be bolted in place.
Here the coupler is in place.
A close up of the great bracket that Lowell Simmons machined for me. I met Lowell at the Florida EAA (Electric Auto Association) and he has been a great resource. He teaches a shop class to some local high school kids and has them doing electric conversions on cars and even drag racing them. One of his kids recent projects, a Porsche, was faster off the line than a Tessla at the 2009 Battery Beach Burnout. Its going to be interesting to see what his students end up building once they graduate.
This end is actually my old clutch plate machined down and inserted in. Great job.
With the coupler in place, the rest of the bracket was fabricated, painted, and bolted in place.
The wires on the motor were rigged up to test the motor. (These will be replaced with larger cable before the car is running on full battery pack.) The motor was tested by hooking a 12 volt battery directly to the motor with the car up on jack stands. Everything ran great and had a really cool electric whine. Can’t wait to get the whole traction battery pack installed with the Zilla controller.
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The original Valkyrie had a rounded back end. This rounded shape was by far the worst part of the car. The best discription I have for it was a “duck ass”. It has to go. The plan is to widen the back, lessen the curve, add a bumper, and skirts over the wheel wells.
The car is outfitted with power brakes. Since there isn’t an engine to provide a vacuum, an electrical vacuum pump is being used. This feeds into a resivour to hold enough pressure for multiple brakings. A pressure switch turns the unit on if the pressure drops below what it needed.
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EarthTalk is a Q&A column from E/The Environmental Magazine
Dear EarthTalk: If you have an electric or plug-in hybrid car, you’re paying for electricity rather than gasoline. How does that cost compare to a gas-powered car? And since the electricity may be generated from some other polluting source, is it really better for the environment? – Kevin DeMarco, Milford, Connecticut
When you compare battery to gasoline power, electricity wins hands down. A 2007 study by the non-profit Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) calculated that powering a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) would cost the equivalent of roughly 75 cents per gallon of gasoline — a price not seen at the pump for 30 years.
The calculation was made using an average cost of electricity of 8.5 cents per kilowatt hour and the estimated distance the car would travel on one charge, versus a car that gets 25 miles per gallon and is powered by $3 per gallon gasoline. Change any of those variables and the relative costs change. For example, substituting a car that gets 50 miles per gallon doubles the comparative electrical cost (though it still works out much cheaper than gasoline). On the other hand, in some areas where wind or hydropower is wasted at night — likely when the PHEV would be charging — the utility might drop the kilowatt hour cost to two to three cents, making the charge much less costly.
And don’t worry that we’ll run out of electrical power: A 2005 study by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory estimated that three-quarters of the country’s current small vehicle fleet could be charged by our existing electrical grid without building new power plants. (And if all those cars were replaced by PHEVs, it would eliminate the need for 6.5 billion barrels of oil per day, or 52 percent of current U.S. oil imports.)
Regarding environmental impact, charging up your car with electricity from the grid also wins handily over filling up at the gas station. In the most comprehensive PHEV study to date, released in 2007 by EPRI and the non-profit Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), results predict that all greenhouse gases will be reduced as PHEVs begin to penetrate the car market. Estimated cumulative greenhouse gas reductions from 2010 to 2050, depending upon how fast PHEVs take hold, range from 3.4 to 10.3 billion tons.
More than one half of our national energy grid is powered by coal, and in areas where PHEVs are charged through coal-provided electricity, says NRDC, there is the possibility of increased levels of soot and mercury emissions. However, charging up can be much less of a guilt-ridden affair where cleaner electrical sources like wind and solar are available. The website HybridCars.com points out that as more power plants are required to develop green power and emit fewer greenhouse gases, the environmental and health benefits will further increase.
GOT AN ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTION? Send it to: EarthTalk, c/o E/The Environmental Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; submit it here or via e-mail. Read past columns here.
Parts For Sale
Mustang or Falcon door handles
$10 plus shipping
These handles are in good condition but should be re-chromed for show quality.
1968 Ford LTD 4 Door Side Front Side Glass – left and right. Perfect for use on a Fiberfab Valkyrie. In perfect condition.
SOLD
Ford Mustang Side windows – Perfect for use in a Fiberfab Valkyrie
SOLD
VW Gia regulators and glass clips.
$65 plus shipping
SOLD
Door hinge set taken off a Fiberfab Valyrie – were replaced with Lambo hinges.
It was a great day for the annual Florida Electric Auto Associations Battery Beach Burnout. Electric and hybrid vehicles from all over showed up for the event. From a 1920 Milburn Electric car (yes, there were electric cars in 1920) to the 2008 Telsa Roadster, the show showcased the viability of electric vehicles.
I have worked hard over the past month to try to get my EVGT40 running to take to the show, but it just wasn’t to be. This didn’t put a damper on my day though because there was a lot to see.
This young man proudly showed me the car that his high school class has been working on. It is young minds like these who hopefully will further the use electric cars.
This was another student project, a hybrid racer.
This company was at the show demonstrating a public charging station that they are trying to deploy in locations across the nation. Users sign up on the internet and recieve a bar coded card which the system scans. Once the user plugs in thier car and the system reads a secure connection, power is supplied. When the car is charged a text message is sent to the users cell phone. Should the connection be interupted the user is also notified.
This 1920 Milburn electric car is owned by a gentleman in Winter Garden, Florida. Build in Ohio, there are only 35 still in exsistence today. Though it now holds more modern lead acid batteries, it still runs off of a General Electric motor which was installed in 1920. The Milburn Electric car company was purchased by General Motors in 1923 and the cars production was stopped. For more history on the Milburn Electric Car go to http://www.milburn.us/history.htm.
An Electric DeLorean complete with a box waiting for the “Flux Capacitor” to be invented to power it into the future. All kidding aside this was a very nice conversion and demonstrated its speed on the road coarse.
A 2008 Tesla roadster was one of the stars of the show. With a price tag over $125,000 it is the super car of electrics. Made almost entirely of carbon fiber the car is lightweight and fast. Boasting a 200 mile range on a 3 hour charge, this car demonstrates where the technology is going. It truly is a work of art.
After installing on set of the originally designed windows I decided I wanted something that looked more modern. I was able to find someone who had a set that was designed for a Valkyrie. Mine is a earlier model than the ones they were designed for so like a lot of things, modifications were going to have to be made.
The regulators are off of a Mazda.
The Zilla 1K HV arrived yesterday. I spent the evening reading through the manual. It is a neat little peice of electronics.
Shelby, the maker or Ford super cars has announced the Aero EV which it claims will do 0-60 in 2.5 seconds. More importantly the battery pack will charge in 10 minutes and have a 150 mile range.
Shelby Aero EV
For the full story click here.
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Putting lambo style doors on the car has nothing to do with any function of the electric car, but in the eyes of my sons “it’s just cool Dad and you have to do it”. After returning from the Palm Beach Super Car Show last week, where all the coolest cars had lambo doors, the decision was made. I found a pair of hinges on eBay for $250. Just like about every peice on this car they were going to have to be modified.
The lambo door hinges had to be shortened to fit in the tight space of the Valkyries doors. I also didn’t like how high they lifted the doors so I modified them further to lift the door up to 85 degrees. This also meant changing the gas struts that would hold the door up. I consulted my father in law, an engineer, on the math for figuring out how strong a strut was needed. Based on a 40lbs door, I was going to need at least 70lbs. of lift to hold the door up.
parts held in place ready for welding
The modified hinge with the gas strut. I ended up having to replace this gas lift strut with a lighter weight one as well as longer so the hinge would lift to 90 degrees.
This is a shot of the original hinges in the door.
The holes here have been filled in and the wall reinforced. The outer area against the fender was enlarged.
Holes had to be cut into the wheel well to make room for the hinges. This will have to have a box fiver glassed over it later.
Here the holes for the old hinges has been filled in with body filler and sanded and primed.
The door swings out just a bit and then swings upward.
Here you can see how the door swings out just enough to clear the body.
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Big news came today. Evsource.com emailed me today that my controler is about to ship. The Zilla 1k is a hard to get peice of hardware that is the brains of the car. Though there are other controllers out there, none have the capability of the Zilla controller especially for a DC motor powered sports car.
It’s time to get busy. There is a lot to do to get ready for the controllers arrival. With the brains of the car showing up a moving car isn’t far off in the future. Tonight I study the schematics and start working out the electrical design.
The tail section hinges at the rear allowing the section to tilt up for access. This section must be latched very securely. The Ford GT team lost one of it’s members years ago in a race when the tail section popped up during a race, so securing it is important.
The latches are trunk latches from two Cadilac Eldorados. The advantage of these is that once latched, a motor pulls the two parts in very tight. They are also triggered electrically so I can easily run wires up to the front dash.
Fabrication of the motor mount for the Warp 9 electric motor.
This mount replaces the clutch bell housing and keeps the motor in line with the drive shaft. The motor will sit in this frame and be strapped in. There is a face plate which the motor also bolts into which will be welded in place once the motor is connected to the shaft and the alignment is perfect.
Following are photos of the Ford GT40 that this car is modeled after. The Valkyrie used the 1960’s GT as it’s model, the following are some shots of what I believe is a 2003 Ford GT40. Ford made a lot of improvements especially in the way of comfort. As I complete my EV-GT I plan on modeling it as much as I can on this model.
One of the best ways to get good information is visiting a local chapter of the Electric Auto Association. I am real lucky that there is a real active group right in my back yard. Today I spent the day attending a meeting in the morning the joining some of the guys who already had running electric conversions at a local car show.
(I didn’t take enough notes at the show, so if any of the guys from the Florida EAA can drop me a note with more info on these cars, I will gladly update this page.)
This 240SX had its maiden voyage to the show. Done by Charlie at Vintage Voltage.
This Porsche is actually a high school project. A really nice conversion that has also been a race car.
Shawn’s really cool electric motorcycle.
This Electric truck was done by Al Lococo in Winter Haven, FL. He has a nice website with lots of details. Click here to see his site.
Al used the same method that I was going to do to mate the Warp 9 to the transmission. He had a problem with the system when one of the springs failed. After talking to a couple of other guys at the show I think I am going to rethink how this is done and eliminate the clutch plate.
These cars were not electrics, but were very cool cars. I liked the clean electronic dashboard on this hotrod.
I was lucky enough to find a new Ford GT40 at the show. Unfortunately the guy was just about to leave when I got there so I didn’t get a chance to really look over the details in the car. This was a shame. It might have given me some good ideas on how to finish out my car.
The side windows on the Vallyrie kit seem to be the poorest thought out part of the kit design. The plans call for using a 1965 Ford Mustang corner window and 1965 Ford LTD 4DR hardtop side glass. When I bought my car the previous builder had already installed the Mustang corner glass but the LTD glass was missing as was the lifts and regulators. After a lot of searching, Ford LTD glass was found. After receiving the glass and test placing it, a real problem raised it’s head. The LTD glass was going to hit the door locks. It also was not going to match the curve of the Mustang guide rail. There is also going to be an issue placing the door locking lever. This is going to take some thinking.
The problem is the previous owner installed a lot of thing wrong. (Not the first time I have found this.) The Mustang windows were mounted to the door not the inner panel as instructed in the manual. The latch and handle were also wrong. These were all removed and work has begun on doing it right.
The curve is actually wrong but with softer rubber it should work. I ordered new rubber. I have also done some modification to change the curve slightly so the windows will closer match the right curve.
The regulators and tracks arrived and like almost all these old parts they were rusty. It was just surface rust so into a chemical bath they went.
The old 1968 manual makes it all look easy but it misses a lot of details and the photos are poor. As I was mounting the parts on the inside door pannel I realized I was going to need to use bolts as posts to hold a lot of the parts just off the pannel. I also needed to be able to adjust them to get the glass to line up in the car. I had to do a lot of back and forth adjusting to get it right. I also had to drill a couple of holes before I found the right spot. Luckely is pretty easy to fill in old holes with some fiberglass epoxy and glass powder.
Connecting the electric motor to the Corvair transmission has required a lot of thought. My first reaction to the fly wheel and clutch plates when we took off the motor was that they added a lot of weight and were they needed in an EV. If you aren’t aware, any weight that is spinning in a vehicle does a lot to reduce acceleration. Eliminating a pound of spinning weight is like removing 3 pounds of normal weight so having this big flywheel and clutch in the car was a lot of weight that could be removed. Since an electric motor comes to a complete stop when the power is removed, you don’t have to disconnect it like you do an gas engine which continues to spin even when it idles. After talking to some of the guys at the local EAA club I decided that I was going to eliminate the clutch all together. The reality is that my math shows that almost 90% of my normal driving can be done entirely in 2nd gear. Only on the highway would I need to shift to 3rd and only if I wanted to really fly would I go to fourth.
The Warp 9 motor has a keyed 1.125″ shaft that needs to be connected to the shaft of the transmission. Looking at the clutch, I want to keep the springed system that it uses for dampening the shock. I designed an adapter that would allow me to bolt the inner part of the clutch plate to an adapter that would slip on the keyed shaft of the Warp 9 motor. The motor also has a threaded hole on the end that will allow me to bolt this adapter in place so it doesn’t slip off. I also wanted to eliminate the bell housing since doing so allowed me to drop 4 more batteries in, 2 on each side of the transmission.
Sketch of how it should go together
Cross section sketch of the adapter
Motor mount and clutch plate adapter
clutch plate adapter - motor end
The clutch plate adapter will allow the clutch plate with the removed friction plates to mount to the electric motor shaft.
This is a photo of the shaft with the clutch plate slid onto it.
This is the clutch plate with the unneeded material removed.
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Today I went and picked up my wife at the airport. She was returning from visiting my father in law in South America. When she left she took with her the patterns for the car seats she and I had worked out. While she was there she and my father in law took the patterns to some local shops and had the seat covers made. I was excited to see the final product. Custom fit and professional. They need to be stretched and tacked onto the seat foam, but I had to see how they were going to look in the car. Special thanks to my father in law for his help.
One of the hardest tasks when designing an electric car is to decide on the battery pack. The batteries you choose are going to be the heart and blood of your car. Which ones you choose and how many of them you use will determine how fast the car will be and how far it will go.
There are a number of technologies available. Each has it’s advantages and disadvantages.
Lets start by saying what is required is what is called a “deep cycle” battery. These are batteries which can be discharged to within 25% of their power without damaging them. A typical car starter battery is not designed to do this. Deep cycle batteries are used for marine applications like trolling motors or golf cart batteries.
There are 3 types of batteries I considered for my project.
1. Wet Lead Acid – This is your standard car battery or golf cart battery. They are made of plates of lead immersed in an acid. They are cheap, easy to obtain, are reliable, and not easily damaged with charging. The down side is they are heavy, require adding water to the cells every now and then, and they must be kept upright so they don’t spill acid.
2. AGM – Absorbed Glass Mat batteries also use lead and acid, but the the acid is absorbed into a glass fabric so the acid doesn’t spill. These batteries are also typically sealed and do not require maintenance. Because the acid in embedded in the glass mat, they can not spill acid and can be used on thier side or even upside down. The disadvantage is that you must be very carefull not to over charge them. Doing so will damage the battery.
3. Lithium-ion polymer batteries – These batteries are an evolution of the standard laptop battery. They can be quickly charged, are light weight, and hold a lot of energy. The major downside to these is that they are still very expensive. Pricing out a battery pack to run the car was going to be between $20-30k. This is the technology I eventually want to run my car on, but it has to wait till the price comes down.
Weighing in price, weight, and size, I have narrowed my choice to either Exide Orbital 34DC 12 volt deep cycle or the Optima D34/78. These batteries have a 10 inch x 7 inch foot print and both about 55ah.
Based on these batteries I have begun designing the battery racks. The frame was modeled up in 3D Studio Max and used as a model for calculating out the battery positions and designing the rack. The rack is designed to not only old the batteries but also keep them from sliding forward in a hard stop or accident.
Frame loaded with 24 batteries
Battery Holders are in red. Note the addition of a roll bar as part of the system
Battery holder Side View
Top View
Version 2 - Holds up to 24 batteries
Version 2 Racks
Side View
Notes:
The electric motor is massed out in purple in these renderings. The transmission is in dark grey. The existing frame is in blue.
The frame is fabricated with 3 types of members, the roll bar is 2″ x .095″ tubular steel, the racks are fabricated from 2″ x .25 angle and 1″ x .125″ angle. Bolt plates are made from .25″ steel plate. The frames are all MIG welded.
Start Slide Show with PicLens Lite
These are the original brochures from Fiber Fab on the Valkyrie. The body style of the kit that I acquired has been modified quite a bit by the previous owners to look more like the 2005 Ford GT40 with the deep front nostrils. I believe it was also originally a two piece body and was modified to be a 3 piece.
These are the specs for the Warp 9 motor that is going in the car.
Just a note about the iPhone. This has been one of my most used tools in this project. The whole project actually started when I was sitting on the beach in Sarasota watching the sunset and surfing on eBay with my iPhone. It was then that I came across the Fiberfab Valkyrie that was for sale in Jupiter, Florida. That dream of taking on Detroit and Tesla and building a cool electric sports car for less took hold of me. One press of the bid now button and the journey began.
Since that time I have used the phone to take photos of what I was doing and email them to friends or experts to get advise or find parts. Without this ability to snap quick photos and carry them easily around the job would be much harder. It is very hard to explain to an autoparts employee what you need without a make and model for a car. But I would pull out my iPhone and show them the project and exactly where the part was going or what it was replacing.
And this blog has been written almost entirely with my iPhone.
Like every part on this car, the doors are not going to be easy. The original manual calls for 1965 Mustang corner windows and a Ford LTD 4dr hardtop side windows. The car I purchased came with the corner windows but no LTD windows. That is going to require some searching. The latches were only partially installed and I don’t like the job he did.
The first part of the job was cleaning up the door handles. They are handles off of a what appears to be a 1965 Ford Falcon. The previous owner had put masking tape on them and left it on. I am not sure how old this tape was, but it was baked on good. 2 or three layers worth. The latches were also a bit rusty and needed a good cleaning.
Here it is all cleaned up.
This latch was mounted, but it needed to come off and all of the rust removed.
The trianglular vent windows had also been covered in layers of masking tape that was baked on. These took a while to clean up.
After quite a bit of work adjusting and working on the latch and connecting rods, the handles and latches were now mounted and working properly. I still need locks though.
The motor for the car is a Warp 9 DC motor. At a hundred twenty five pounds this motor is a little power house.
It is a 9.25″ diameter, series wound DC motor with a double ended shaft.
Standard Features
- 9.25” diameter, series wound DC motor
- Weight, approx. 156 pounds
- 32.3 HP (72 Volts, 335 Amps)*
- 70 Ft. pounds torque*
- 5,500 RPM’s
- Double or single ended shafts
- Advanced timing – factory set for CCWDE (CWDE available)
- Industry standard mounting and bolt configuration
- Commutators key locked onto the shaft
- High quality, large style brushes, factory preseated over 90%
- Exceeds Class “H” insulation
- Drive and tail shafts keyed with pilot bearing hole
- Delivery – from stock
Upgrading the front drum brakes to disc and installing a dual master cylinder and booster. The booster will be powered by an electric vacuum pump.
The front drum brakes were converted to disc brakes for added stopping power. This was easily done with a conversion kit.
The rear brakes are the original Corvair drum brakes.
An emergency brake handle was found at the junk yard that works perfectly. I fabricated a peice of steel plate which bolts to the frame to hold the brake.
The emergency brake uses two cables which come off of the brake handle and go to the back brakes.
The local U-Pull-It junkyard is a great source for parts. In this case, I found an older model Camero with a perfect dual master cylinder and proportioning valve system for the car.
A special mount had to be made to mount the cylinder so it would angle slightly to miss the nostrels and also align with the brake pedals properly.
Here the plumbing for the breaks has been installed. The local NAPA autoparts store was terrific in helping me with this part. My thanks to the guys there. They supplied me with a special kit which included a special tubing that was bendable by hand but rated for high pressure brake lines. This saved a lot of time and was a lot easier that bending steel tubing. The kit also came with all the fittings.
