Quote:
Originally Posted by jgatl
Bill
Would be great to see some interior shots, before adding the dash, battery pack and floor pan before seats and interior trim gets dropped in. As you described hooking up the Firebird dash to the Prius AC unit, I was wondering how the interior looks.
I think I read earlier that you were reusing the firebird interior, which will likely require some changes to bolt into the floor pan. I think you also said the battery will be under the rear seat
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I posted these photos over in the Priuschat forums back in 2015, but they are worth repeating here.
The entire project was planned out in CAD (Pro-Engineer and AutoCAD) prior to cutting any metal. That way I was able to see how the parts of the car fit together and plan what needed to be cut away.
The remaining part of the Firebird's floor includes the original front seat supports. They fit together like a jigsaw puzzle with the Prius V floorpan.
Please also note that the dash in a 1967 Firebird is made out of sheetmetal and is welded into place. It is a structural element of the original car, as it will be for the finished Firebrid. In essence, the Firebird Dash replaces the straight cross-tube in the Prius V from which all of the electronics and steering wheel were attached.
The Traction battery had to move to avoid the rear seat vertical support, which is also a structural member in a Firebird Convertible. The best new location is beneath the rear seat cushion on top of the fuel tank area.
I hope this helps you understand the design of the planned finished car.
Bill the Engineer