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CRWsound · 07-17-2010, 01:32 AM

We haven't so much picked out a car yet, as have a plan for getting one cheap. Been watching in Craigslist, and the plan is to get a car that someone is selling very cheap because they've blown out the engine but everything else on it works fine. I see those pretty frequently. This may be not in the spirit of the whole thing, but it seems like a good way to get a relatively inexpensive late-model car, as opposed to one that's older.

The various problems with this idea as I see it are:

- most of the later model cars are automatic, and from what I've seen and read it's much better to mod a manual transmission
- more weight than I necessarily want (although a lot of more modern cars use more plastic, so that may be a wash)
- extras built into a more modern car (power windows for instance) that you don't necessarily want in an EV

I know there are more reasons not to get something that's less than 10 years old, but I think those general problems are the biggest hurdle. Haven't committed yet though, still researching and pricing. Frankly, this is also the first time I've brought the idea up in a forum of people who are knowledgeable on the subject, so it will be interesting to hear what y'all have to say.

And on the CNC: no, it's not a Cupcake, although I do subscribe to Make Magazine. I'm building it completely without written plans...but I'm very good at 3d autocad-ing in my head. I usually take a couple weeks or months to build something down to the last detail in my head, maybe do some math on paper, perhaps a wood (plastic, cardboard) mockup, and then just build the whatever-it-is. Also, I'm building it around an aluminum frame with crossmembers which I'm using as the table, 4 feet by 6 feet, and I didn't see any plans available for my specific size. The side rails are plumb and true and big enough to roll the gantry on, and all this was pre-welded by guys who are better at it than me. Oh, and I got it for free. Actually, I got two of them for free, and I'm cutting up the second one to be the Y-axis gantry and part of the Z-axis. So there will be very little wood, it's mostly welded aluminum.

Thanks,
Chris

07-17-2010, 01:32 AM	#4 (permalink)
CRWsound EcoModding Lurker Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Seattle Posts: 4 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Don't know what car yet... We haven't so much picked out a car yet, as have a plan for getting one cheap. Been watching in Craigslist, and the plan is to get a car that someone is selling very cheap because they've blown out the engine but everything else on it works fine. I see those pretty frequently. This may be not in the spirit of the whole thing, but it seems like a good way to get a relatively inexpensive late-model car, as opposed to one that's older. The various problems with this idea as I see it are: - most of the later model cars are automatic, and from what I've seen and read it's much better to mod a manual transmission - more weight than I necessarily want (although a lot of more modern cars use more plastic, so that may be a wash) - extras built into a more modern car (power windows for instance) that you don't necessarily want in an EV I know there are more reasons not to get something that's less than 10 years old, but I think those general problems are the biggest hurdle. Haven't committed yet though, still researching and pricing. Frankly, this is also the first time I've brought the idea up in a forum of people who are knowledgeable on the subject, so it will be interesting to hear what y'all have to say. And on the CNC: no, it's not a Cupcake, although I do subscribe to Make Magazine. I'm building it completely without written plans...but I'm very good at 3d autocad-ing in my head. I usually take a couple weeks or months to build something down to the last detail in my head, maybe do some math on paper, perhaps a wood (plastic, cardboard) mockup, and then just build the whatever-it-is. Also, I'm building it around an aluminum frame with crossmembers which I'm using as the table, 4 feet by 6 feet, and I didn't see any plans available for my specific size. The side rails are plumb and true and big enough to roll the gantry on, and all this was pre-welded by guys who are better at it than me. Oh, and I got it for free. Actually, I got two of them for free, and I'm cutting up the second one to be the Y-axis gantry and part of the Z-axis. So there will be very little wood, it's mostly welded aluminum. Thanks, Chris