Project: Zombie Insight (2000 Honda)

[RobertSmalls]

I should also add that in addition to having no alternator, the car has electric power steering, and mine has no A/C. Thus, the only belt-driven accessory is the water pump. I've contemplated replacing it with electric, but the result would be heavier, far more expensive, less reliable, and the FE benefits would be small, I reckon.

[1337]

Originally Posted by RobertSmalls

Thanks for the support.

1337, I'm saving reciepts and tallying up expenses. $4000 may be a difficult mark to hit. To restore this car to stock, I would need another $1000+ in body parts. I'm saving most of that amount by fabricating and repairing what I have. The result won't be pretty. ;-)

TheUnchosen, Honda took care of the alternator delete. Instead of an alternator, it has a 144VDC -> 12VDC converter, and a 144V, ~12HP permanent magnet motor that rides on the crankshaft. So I can just use regenerative braking instead of solar panels.

Converting the car to a one-passenger vehicle would indeed save weight and free up cargo space. However, I think my future ex girlfriend(s) would prefer that I just tear out the carpet and replace the glass with plastic. p.s. it sounds like you need a sedan, so you can carry obnoxious passengers in the trunk.

Hey, if you can do it for under $4k, more power to you. I would try to make the body as stock as possible, because the stock Cd is 0.25.

TheUnChosen,
Forget a sedan; that leaves room for 3-4 obnoxious passengers in the cabin. You need a Del Sol with a passenger seat delete and a lean burn engine swap.

It will be efficient, and the _only_ place for an obnoxious passenger to go is in the trunk.

[theunchosen]

Originally Posted by RobertSmalls

Thanks for the support.

1337, I'm saving reciepts and tallying up expenses. $4000 may be a difficult mark to hit. To restore this car to stock, I would need another $1000+ in body parts. I'm saving most of that amount by fabricating and repairing what I have. The result won't be pretty. ;-)

TheUnchosen, Honda took care of the alternator delete. Instead of an alternator, it has a 144VDC -> 12VDC converter, and a 144V, ~12HP permanent magnet motor that rides on the crankshaft. So I can just use regenerative braking instead of solar panels.

Converting the car to a one-passenger vehicle would indeed save weight and free up cargo space. However, I think my future ex girlfriend(s) would prefer that I just tear out the carpet and replace the glass with plastic. p.s. it sounds like you need a sedan, so you can carry obnoxious passengers in the trunk.

I have a dump truck for occassions like that. . .or if I am worried about it I can use the cement truck so no one can see in.

MM good call on Honda's part. Still if you are under your 4K and looking for additions solar would help maintain your batteries, and allow potential EV conversions to require less energy storage for your average trip.

[dremd]

SUBSCRIBED!!!

I hope to help however I can.

One option is to make friends with somebody at the dealership and see if you can get employee discounts:-)

[RobertSmalls]

Real life continues to interfere with the project. I'm moving this weekend, but I hope to be able to spend a few more hours on it next week. Assuming my parts come in as scheduled, I should be able to attach the front bumper rebar next week.

I met a guy at work who has welding equipment and is willing to practice welding Aluminium on my car. I'll buy a case of beer and some bar stock and see if we can't get the radiator, headlights, and hood latch in place. At that point, it'll pretty much pass state inspection.



While working under the hood, I noticed this expensive-looking part is broken. The manual says that's the idle air control valve, though the car idles fine. I wonder what else might be broken.

Here's a view I hope I don't have to see again for a while:


My oil pan arrived, and I installed it with a few complications. I decided to torque by feel, and I broke one of the oil pan bolts. I don't think it's going to be a problem, though. There are ten other bolts in place, and the broken bolt is easy enough to access if I ever need to drill it out in the future.

I added three quarts of Mobil1 0W20, took the water pump belt off (no radiator anyway), and decided I would charge up the 144V battery pack. I attached my ScanGauge, and it showed 11.4V on the 12V battery. Turned the key in the ignition, but you can't start a 3-cylinder full of virgin 0W20 with a mostly-dead battery.

No big deal, I figured. I've got the Subaru, and some jumper cables. I'll just jump it. Alone. In the dark. With the six foot jumper cables from my Chinese-made roadside emergency kit. And my Subaru is five feet wide.



After making a few sparks, I decided to just pull the 12V battery and put it on my charger at home.

[SVOboy]

Good luck getting it started!

Even if the IACV is broken it may not seem like it's acting funny, but it may idle high/have a bit of a vacuum leak. I wonder if it share an IACV with another honda model.

[RobertSmalls]

I'm stumped.



I haven't touched the car in about a month. I've been making excuses to myself about work and the new house taking up too much time, but the fact is, I'm stuck. I suppose I've been waiting for an epiphany, but one has not come. Here's what I've been looking at:



That's where I want the radiator. So far, I've cut the old radiator support bracket off of the wrecked front bulkhead that came with the car, heated it up and straightened it out, mostly. I attached aluminium stock to the bumper rebar with two rivets, and I was hoping to also attach it to the radiator support bracket.

I bought some 1/8" aluminium L stock, which is about as thick as the member it would be replacing. I chose L stock over flat because it's much, much stiffer in torsion and bending. That's also the reason it's harder to work with.

I've never done fabrication before, which is a good reason to try it myself. I still need to build a radiator support (including an upper support to constrain the radiatior), hood latch support, and probably a few odds and ends to tie down the fender liners, headlights, and a temporary front bumper cover. Then it would be ready for inspection, and for service as a daily driver.

The problem is, I can't connect to the radiator support bracket, because it's not shaped the same as the L. Even if I could, I'm skeptical that two pop rivets top and bottom would hold it. I don't have a welder, but I'm not sure I could get one down there anyway.

Once I get the radiator hung, I still need to figure out how to suspend a hood latch in the middle of empty space a few inches behind the radiator.

So, how do I get there from here?

[theunchosen]

radiators aren't all that heavy. And usually are supported(on avg sized cars and mid sized SUVS) by 4-6 screws/bolts. Mine is supported with 4 screws in these I believe they vary from 3/8 at the edges to 1/4 in the middle.

You've got 2 bolts(or screws I can't make them out) that look to be holding down the front end of the fender, I don't know what a Prius is supposed to look like(No one ever brings them to us and we wouldn't know what to do anyway ^_^) but I've got stock a piece of flat steel that comes across in front-above the radiator that the front bumper mounts to. It also has two screws that attach it to the fenders for added stability. I'm not sure how good those mounts are but its worth a start to maybe get a little bit longer bolts(or screws) and put a mounting strut across the front. If the mounts for the fenders are really good you can use it to attach the front bumper and hold the top of the radiator as well as put a little L support on the back to reach your hood latch.

If you go with fiberglass bumper you don't need very much strength to hold the weight so as long as it can defeat the wind forces its gold.

[MechEngVT]

Fill the radiator up with water and then weigh it. Aluminum radiators aren't heavy, but the water that will fit inside them is. On top of that, radiators (especially aluminum ones) are very vibration sensitive. The support has to be sufficiently rigid as to not create additional flexing input and to properly resist the isolator mounts (you are counting on using elastomeric isolators for the radiator, right?).

Why aren't you using a normal core support? I would think you could get one in a junkyard from an insight that had been mounted by a semi. That would solve your concerns about radiator rigidity and provide for a hood latch.

[theunchosen]

I agree with MEVT. If you are looking to fab it yourself. . .the jury rigged description above would be your best bet.

Otherwise if it were me I would find another junked one or parted out one and buy the front glacis supports(and maybe the bumper too).