Paul's EV conversion 2- 86 Toyota Corolla

[vpoppv]

Ok, so Spring Break is here, but, unfortunately, my motivation isn't. Today I will be doing the final de-ICEing of the Toyota; i.e.: removing the gas tank and exhaust. I have done absolutely NOTHING with this car since putting it in the carport. This depresses me. I SHOULD be piecing together the controller, but I just lack the inspiration. I plan on just running my spare Curtis 1209b for now, and one day the REAL controller will go in. This may be as far away as summer. Tomorrow I plan on starting/finishing the battery rack. I'm looking for a simple single row of six group 31 batteries in the trunk for now. Since I already have the batteries, that makes this step pretty simple, and will not require too much creativity on my part. Later on, I will see how many I can fit up front where the radiator/condensor were. Hopefully there will be room for 4. I finally mustered up the courage to power up my motor for the first time. It is a horrible quality video, and after I got my light and tripod setup, the camera battery died and the charger is nowhere to be found. The sound instantly took me back to San Francisco: it sound just like the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit, basically a subway). It has considerably more torque than the motor I am using in the Geo. And it just plain SOUNDS cooler. White Zombie, watch out......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfkmyhvYvMI

[vpoppv]

I took out the transmission today-it weighs considerably more than I thought; but then, I'm used to Geo Metro transmissions. The axle sticks out a lot more than I thought, that should make the adapter plate interesting.

[vpoppv]

Did the price of steel drop significantly recently?? I just picked up my 1/4" steel plate for the adapter plate and it only cost exactly $6. When I did the Geo, it was $17 and some change....

[vpoppv]

Ok, there is a transmission and a piece of 1/4 plate steel in my entry. I keep hoping that the more "in the way" it is, the sooner I'll get some work done on it. I think I'll move it to the living room....

[Christ]

Originally Posted by vpoppv

Ok, there is a transmission and a piece of 1/4 plate steel in my entry. I keep hoping that the more "in the way" it is, the sooner I'll get some work done on it. I think I'll move it to the living room....

Put it in the tub. You'll work on it.

[vpoppv]

After months of looking for old bed frames, I finally broke down and bought some super heavy duty angle iron from the welding supply place. I got 20 feet of it, which should be about twice what I need to make my battery rack, for $15.55.

[MPaulHolmes]

I think that's better anyway. Sometimes they make bedframes out of stuff that emits fumes that make you sick when you weld it.