LouMan's 94 Ford Aspire Electric Conversion

[LouMan]

Hey everybody,

it's finally getting started, been out of work for like 4 years now, I'm finally getting a little part time work with my old boss man at the carlot I worked at for 18 years but had to close due to the eco.
now we have a big yard sale going saling baby stuff and toys and what ever,
seems funny being back at the carlot but not saling cars.
he's disabled and stuck in a wheelchair so I get to do all the leg work.

So I guess I should of called this thread "LouMans 94 Ford Electric Conversion on a yard sale budget" lol
well anyway I picked up a ford Aspire for $200 on craigslist the other day, it was a sad story it was this girls first car and this sleesy carlot sold her this car for $800 cash as-is and she only got to drive it one time and the head blowed on it so she put it up on craigslist the same time I was on there looking and jumped all over it.

it's a sweet car looks great 5-speed I'll get some pictures up soon as I find my camera, I started pulling the motor today.
I'll be using Pauls Cougar controller with my on igbt power section.
got a 11" motor lined up, depending on battery size I'm thinking 120v, hopefully 144v.
I'm only making $30-$40 a day so could take few days but who knows what comes around the corner,
Louie...................

[MPaulHolmes]

Heck ya, Louman!!! Do you have a camera to take pictures????!!! I want to see that car.

[Cancerkazoo]

I was reading a build somewhere where a guy was restoring an Aspire and converting it. It looks like a nice car as it has ABS and airbags, the insurance co should like that. Fairly light also.

[LouMan]

yea,
it looks like a great car to convert, got a lot of options you wouldn't think would be in a 2000lb car, I looked for a hour for that bloody camera, the other day one of my hamsters got loose I think he took it to film his escape! lol
since the car was raised her in Florida theres no rust or anything like that on the car.
I seen what happend to burn the motor up, it must of been running hot becuase the electric fan wasn't coming on so they wired it straite but they wired the fan to the aircondishioning fan not the radiator fan so when the girl got it she ran around with no fan, but anyway
bout got the top half of the motor off, I dont have a motor puller so I'm stripping the block down then get my buddy to help me lift it out,
any takes on this idea? I want to keep the clutch if possible I'm thinking of cutting the rear of the crankshaft of and drill out the center to slide up on the motor shaft but I don't know if the splines can be cut to match the splines on the motor.

[Christopher Jordan]

Probably be one of the first - if not THE first - EV Aspire. My Aspire (Kia) ABS never worked and the airbags had already "popped" before I got it, but it has an excellent air conditioner; so I have put up with it for 4 years. Interesting conversion. Good luck!

[LouMan]

thanks Christopher,
Since it mite be one of the first I shaw try and do my best, I'm off the next cupple days so I should have the motor out and the and everything else stripped.
I'm still giddy about starting the project I know I'm goingto miss something somewere.
still can't find my camera ( that stupid hamster).
I guess I probley need to pull the tranny also to make it easier to mount to the motor?
as always good luck everybody with there own projects.
Louie............

project cost so far:
car........................$200
controller..............$225
11in motor............$157+120shp, hyster E40XL

[LouMan]

anybody,
have any thoughts on useing the drive motor as a heat source for the cabin?
running duck from both side of the motor, does the motor get warm enough, I know thats a bad thing though. just wondering, I haven't heard anybody say anythingabout it & winter is around the corner.

[MPaulHolmes]

I've heard people talk about doing it. My motor gets pretty hot to the touch. It seems like you could possibly make something like that work, but there's also the carbon dust from the brushes, so you might not want to just use a fan directly blowing on the inside of the motor to the inside of the car, if you could rig something like that.

[LouMan]

thanks Pual,
I didn't think about the brush dust maybe I can fit some kind of central air filter cut down to size if I go that way, reusing wasted heat would be a good thing instead of going with a heater of some sort to draw power from the pack, just thinking out loud.

WOW!!! I'm so excited my motor came today and guess what it was only $89 shipping not the $120 the seller quoted
a semi pulled up to my buddy's house and the guy said I got a monster eletric motor for someone, lol I said that be me, lmao
when he said I only owed him $89 if he'd been a woman I would of hugged her
the back of my buddy's truck was perfect with the back of the semi-trailor so we back the truck up to the trailor and just slid it right over, but unloading it from his truck to the back of my van witch was 2 feet lower we grabbed both ends and I thought I was going to crap myself and my buddys said he thought he was going to drop a nut, lmao
it's on beast of a motor I hope it will fit in my little car.
it looks like a 480v instead of 48v, I think the little car going to have plenty of power.
here some pictures first ones from the seller then some on the back of my buddy truck.

project cost so far:
car.........................$200
cougar controller.......$225
11in motor...............$157+$89shp
total so far..............$671

[Cancerkazoo]

Nice motor !