Quote:
Originally Posted by freebeard
So, PLA to ceramic to metal inhouse, then off to NorCal for the touchup machining?
What do you plan to make with a ton of aluminum?
|
The Aluminium was collected originally for the raw stock to cast the cases. We were making an automatic trans-axle for applications such as Bugs or ground up custom jobs like the Ariel Atom. There are a few kit makers that offer skeleton cars that you add the parts you want to them. Electric trans-axles would fit right in there.
The C4 was chosen for the two clutches and two bands. Building a case for the guts of a C4 would be a snap and ford made the things from 64 to 89 so there are millions of them out there. The C4 also has a very wide range of after market parts available for street and strip racing. They can reliably handle up to 300 HP stock and over 600 with modifications. With the addition of a computer controller like an Arduino or PIC or whatever your flavor is you can make it shift as hard or soft as you like and set the ranges to compliment the motor you use. They would also be offered for DC motor input like the advance dc 9 and so forth.
The differential is out of a Subaru. The unit is very compact, there are numerous after market dealers in high power parts and there are millions of them and they can handle roughly the same HP numbers as the C4.
They would all have the variable pump for cooling lube and power steering, brakes and in some cases windshield wipers.
So three kits were in the works.
First was a motor hydraulic pump only version for installation on the bell housing of whatever you like. This kit would cover the front wheel drives. Or conventional.
Second was a motor/transmission kit for installation in applications where the owner wants an automatic. This would bypass having to modify the stock automatic for use with an electric motor and keep the use of the stock controls. This was for the " I want to convert my car to electric but my wife can not drive a stick" crowd.
Third was the trans-axle version for the mid engine rear engine crowd. Two trans-axles for AWD or with the addition of the output shaft from the Subaru trans-axle you could go AWD with a drive line going forward. Think AWD dual motor in something like a Z3.
All were to be kits that used parts from already established donor assemblies I.E. Ford C4 and Subaru.
But things change and when my friend passed away a couple years back I decided to build my own shop and build a couple units for the vehicles I drive and see if there was any interest. He had all the design tools and CNC machinery.
Anyway it depends on how things work out.
Cyruscosmo