CarBEN EV5 Full Sized Prototype Construction - 5 Seat Electric Car From Scratch

[DFBVT]

Hi Neal,

It just happened to be that I FINALLY had some time to check this Forum out which I haven't done in several months. I hadn’t really seen much on your progress on your CarBEN since the Aptera Forum went off line (I really miss that Forum). I was at first excited to see your progress on the car but now all I can say is I'm sorry to see what just happened.

Hang in there, roll with the punches, take a deep few breathes and give yourself some time to mentally recover. You will be able to “literally” glue the pieces back together and I’ll bet that when the times comes to start regluing pieces it will go back together easier than you might think right at the moment.

I'm still rooting for you.

Dave Bowles

[palmer_md]

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

Here's an update you won't like. This generic snow storm has collapsed the roof of the temporary shelter I had built over CarBEN, and several hundred pounds of snow and the shards of wood have shattered the hatch door ...

The sides are also broken. I am very sad. Things will have to be assessed in daylight after un-burying it. Pictures and a video will be posted, soon.

You're right, I do not like this update... Seriously bad news, and I really hope this is repairable. I want to see you get CarBen on the road. I wish you well with the cleanup and and lets hope is is just limited to parts that are easy to repair.

[samwichse]

I know it'll put some ugly cracking patterns underneath, but will this damage be that hard to repair? Can't you just piece it back together like a jigsaw puzzle, glue it, and give it that last smoothing sand job and glass it over? The foam itself isn't really structural, right?

[kevins]

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

Here's an update you won't like. This generic snow storm has collapsed the roof of the temporary shelter I had built over CarBEN, and several hundred pounds of snow and the shards of wood have shattered the hatch door ...

The sides are also broken. I am very sad. Things will have to be assessed in daylight after unburying it. Pictures and a video will be posted, soon.

Wow, after reading through the entire thread, and admiring all the hard work, I see this. Part way into the thread I was thinking how terrible it would be if the temporary structure fell on it and was going to warn against it (I myself have had a carport canopy fall on a vehicle) but figured I should read the whole thread first. Ouch!

Very sorry to see this Neil, but hopefully once you clear the snow away you will be able to pick up the pieces and glue them back together like a jigsaw puzzle, and get back on track. It doesn't look to be all that bad really, in the grand scheme of things. Glue the bits together as best you can, fill the gaps with some filler or some kind or some scrap material, and then finish sanding it and start getting the fiberglass on there. Imagine how much worse it would have been had you already cut out the window openings, or had the windshield sitting in place when things came crashing down.

Here's wishing you the best of luck with the project! I can't wait to see things as they progress.

[MetroMPG]

Bummer, Neil!

At first, I couldn't help but think of Humpty Dumpty... but that story doesn't end well, so it doesn't apply.

I predict you'll sort this out just fine, with plenty of (understandable) grumbling about lost time, of course.

We have the technology, we can repair him!

[ConnClark]

If the damage is really bad, maybe instead of rebuilding it, you should take what you learned and start over. You will only end up with something better in the end.

1st on the list is a better shelter

[sheepdog 44]

Well, he can just use his cnc machine to cut out new slices of foam and glue a new section in place. So it's more of setback than a loss.

[Galane]

You could convert it to a Phaeton body style. http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...mosPhaeton.jpg

I don't mean like the Volkswagen "phaeton" which is really a four door sedan.

[Marine2171]

Neil, I'm a little behind here and know you already have the windshield, but a resource I use for auto parts is rockauto.com. Using the windshield as an example, I could get a new windshield (includes attachments) for a 2011 Smart Fortwo Electric shipped to my home in Texas for the grand total of $335.60 (windshield: $264.79 + 3-4 day Ground Shipping: $70.81).

Its at least another resource for parts and every now and then they send out 5-15% off discount codes via email. Unless I need something right away, I usually get it from rockauto. If you live in the US, you will want to make sure it is being shipped from the US as they have warehouses all over the world. I have never tried returning anything, so I cant speak to that end.

Awesome build, I really enjoy your creativity!

[freebeard]

Originally Posted by kevins

Part way into the thread I was thinking how terrible it would be if the temporary structure fell on it and was going to warn against it (I myself have had a carport canopy fall on a vehicle)

I had the same thought at that time; but the conversation drifted off in another direction. I went to high school with a guy that had a '40 Chevy coupé with a chopped top stored in his parent's barn. Snow brought the roof down. The rest of the car wasn't that bad but the chop was toast.

As it turns out, I'm working on something you might want to see— a disaster/displaced/homeless shelter. I'm collecting materials. 5ea 1 1/4" steel pipe, vinyl coated steel cable, and yesterday I got 4ea 3x15" ground anchors for $4.99 at Wilco. All I need is some 1/4" brass tubing and turnbuckles. It will be a 10x10ft hexagon floor plan, but it would scale to 20x20" trivially.

I'll let you know how it works out.