The Firebrid Hybrid Convertible Project (Prius platform swap)

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by Bill the Engineer

Today's purchase. $50 USD for the pair. New ones cost $250.00 each. They're not perfect, but are plenty good enough to make the extensions for my fenders.



Bill the Engineer

Saving 80% in exchange for more labor time is good salvage-craft. Question: lots of the rust on these panels has straight lines marking the boundary of the rusted zone. Why is that?

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by oldtamiyaphile

In Japan Mazdas are available with Mazda engines and Toyota's HSD.

IIRC only the Mazda3 is currently available with a hybrid driveline. But it's quite interesting to spot the differences between the Mazda and Toyota's approaches when it comes to the engine.

[Bill the Engineer]

Originally Posted by California98Civic

Saving 80% in exchange for more labor time is good salvage-craft. Question: lots of the rust on these panels has straight lines marking the boundary of the rusted zone. Why is that?

The previous owner had made a botched attempt at body work with Bondo and had sanded down parts of the fenders to bare metal without protection afterward. The fenders themselves are pretty solid. It looks like there was an attempt to do some "customizing" that was aborted.

For my purposes, I really only need some 4.5" wide strips out of strategic places in the middle. I feel much better about cutting up $50 fenders than I would have sawing on new ones.

Bill the Engineer

[Bill the Engineer]

Slight change in plans. Going for an over-night trip this weekend. Progress on the Firebrid will start a bit later than I thought. However, the over-nighter is generating more funds for the project!

Bill the Engineer

[eco_generator]

Originally Posted by Bill the Engineer

the over-nighter is generating more funds for the project!

You're speaking my language!

[oil pan 4]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

By now they might be mostly teased by the upcoming hybrid F-150.

GM made a hybrid pickup.
It cost thousands more had almost the same highway milage, slightly higher city milage than the gas pickup and the biggest complaints were it did no live up to MPG expectations at all.
Only lasted 2 years.

[jray3]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

GM made a hybrid pickup.
It cost thousands more had almost the same highway milage, slightly higher city milage than the gas pickup and the biggest complaints were it did no live up to MPG expectations at all.
Only lasted 2 years.

Yup, that 1st gen used a Belted Alternator-Starter, but unlike the Saturn Vue Green Line that successfully matched the much more expensive Ford Escape Hybrid in mpg using NiMH batteries, the Silverado hybrid had a lead-acid hybrid battery, delivering much less life in a much heavier package.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevro...lverado#Hybrid

Looks like GM is trying once more. Here's withing em luck.
http://www.autonews.com/article/2016...hybrid-pickups

[jray3]

Originally Posted by Bill the Engineer

Somebody at work today suggested that I should have converted an old Pinto to a hybrid instead of my Firebird.



Uh, ... no.

Bill the Engineer

Yeah, that would be lame since it was leap-frogged by the electric pinto nearly a decade ago by my friend Mike Wilmon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oXJWkpbIDI

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

GM made a hybrid pickup.

I wouldn't expect Ford to repeat the mistakes made by GM when it comes to hybrid drivelines. They've been already licensing hybrid tech from Toyota.

[oil pan 4]

The GM hybrid pickup problem was it cost a lot and got almost the same fuel economy as the cheaper non hybrid.
I thought the GM hybrid used a motor built into the torque converter area of the drive line. The stupid belt driven motor idea I thought was only a car thing.