[bennelson]

Finally got to do some more work on the car.

Last week Sunday, at the EV build day, Rich welded a bead all the way around the back seat battery box.

Also, we replaced both rear brake lines. Nice to be able to stop again.

Finally today, I wire brushed down all the welds and painted them. My supply of Rustoleum spray paint included Almond Appliance paint for the inside, and Blue Hammer Finish for the outside.

There were a few small spots where the weld couldn't go all the way around, so I caulked those spots to completely seal the inside from the outside of the car.

To protect the bottom of the box, I sprayed it down with a coat of "rubberized underbody spray". Man! Somebody should have warned me! That stuff is nasty! I put in contact lenses (so I wouldn't get the junk on my glasses!) put on safety glasses and a dust mask, and sprayed away.

I should have worn disposable arms. I had to bathe in laquer-thinner afterwards!!!

I loaded 5 of the batteries into the back seat battery box and started cabling them up.

Unfortunately, after all my hard work and planning, I really only can sink 5 batteries into the back of the car. I can only fit 2 under the hood without added some custom welded rack that would hold a batt. above the motor. That means I am still going to have 5 batteries on the original bedframe spanning the spare tire well.

It also means I need some BEEFY rear springs. Anyone have the FRONT springs from a Ford Ranger kicking around? (No, seriously, if you do, please let me know....They should fit!)

Were you counting? 5 batteries in the back seat box and 2 in front makes 7 - not a number that really works for me right now.

I hooked up 4 of the 5 in the box in series with the two in front. Right now, I have 6 batteries in series (my original 72V system) plus a hitchhiker who isn't pulling his own weight.

But here's the thing. By adding 5 more in back, I have 6 spares in back, all easily accessible to rig up in parallel with the first 6. Then, I only have to swap two cables to upgrade to 144V.

If I was REALLY brave, I could even make a contactor do it, and have Super-Duper-Uber-Turbo-Boost, but I might get wiplash or brake something. Turbo at 96 volts in 5th gear actually pushed me into my seat...

So, after what, a little more than a month? the car is now able to be useful to me once again! I still need to put the bumper cover back on, so I have my front turn signals!

There are a BUNCH of eco-events coming up in April. I really gotta get my act in gear to have the car looking nice by then!!!