Paul & Sabrina's Cheap EV Conversion

[dremd]

Originally Posted by MPaulHolmes

OK, so what's the best way to fill in holes in rusty metal that is super strong and sort of cheap?

Where do you have rust at?
Is it all the way through?
Krylon Industrial Cold Galvanize is my favorite rust stop, but it will add no structure. My dad used it on a boat trailer like 15 years ago and it has faired better than the hot galvanized parts. I can't find it online, but I can get info if you are interested. Again it adds no structure.

[MPaulHolmes]

Originally Posted by dremd

Where do you have rust at?
Is it all the way through?

In one area it's all the way through (right behind the back seat, at least I have great access to the transmission hahaha!). I have a nice piece of wood that covers the hole almost perfectly! I just need something that will seal the edges of the board to the metal of the car.

In a few spots, it's not all the way through, like the barrier to the motor behind the back seat, just below the back window. For awhile, I think I'll let the rusty spots be rusty. I'll deal with them a little later. It's not TOO bad. (sort of). I'll buy some kryogenically frozen something or other, that dremd suggested, a little later. Right now, I'm too sad about not having money for batteries. I might even wh0re out my favorite calculator! It has always been a foul temptress. And most of it's life it has been a daughter of debauchery. What's more, it has occasionally been known to be a son of Sampson. It has been an Aunt of Adam Ant. I'm not sure what that means, but it might be pretty bad... What have I become! Is not my calculator a man and a brother??!!

[byrdman1971]

As long as I'm dispensing unsolicited advice, her are some Volkswagen nuggets:
1. For anything you've ever wanted to know about Volkswagens go to:
TheSamba.com :: Volkswagen Classifieds, photos, shows, forums, and information. Not much info about EVs (but there is a bit) but it's the best source for technical info, used parts, cars, local clubs & events, etc.
2. Using a VW brake drum for an engine adapter is probably not a good idea. The brake drums are cast iron which is a ***** to weld. You have to use special rods and cool the part REALLY slowly. This usually involves putting the part in an oven and cooling slowly over several hours or welding 1/2 inch and burying in sand for an hour (but even that doesn't always work) If it cools too fast, it cracks.
3. Depending on the final weight of your car, you may want to upgrade the front drums to disc brakes. Stock VW brake drums blow (I won't even let my GF drive my Thing until I get the discs in) As great as it is to go, I'd rather stop.
OK, I'm done. )

[MPaulHolmes]

Oh dear, I didn't know about the cast iron brake drum issues. Dang. That's annoying. Do all cars use cast iron for brake drums? Any brake drums in the house that easily arc weld well? (6013 electrodes) Man, it sure is nice having experts around. You guys have saved me a lot of money, and kept me from doing some stupid things. It just seems so cruel for a brake drum to be so perfect in size, but wrong material. OOH, that just makes me so mad. Too bad it doesn't turn into crack when it cools too fast. That way I could sell it and buy those batteries that sit at the store, mocking me.

So, now what am I supposed to do after the first mile, when the forklift motor falls off, killing a little doggie that decides to chase it and eat it, thinking it is a large metal treat? Maybe I could draw with a pencil on the brake drum, increasing it's carbon content, thus turning it into steel. That will probably work well.

[MPaulHolmes]

We BOUGHT (hahahaha! ya!) some fiberglass cloth and some weird sort of resin that you put on the fiberglass so it becomes really strong. We'll use that to fill in the gaps. It's going to be friggin awesome, yo. Also BOUGHT (boomja!) some sparkley spray paint that sort of matches the car's color, since the car's paint job is a piece of crap. I have some LM3914 chips, AKA LED drivers, in the mail from freaky deaky Thailand (the child molester capital of the world). I'm going to make 7 battery monitors like on the Forkenweenie. hehe. This will be necessary because I'm going to get used batteries from Pick-A-Part in Tumwater, Washington, next to the Olympia Airport. It will help me remove the crappy ones, and let me know their state of charge.

Great news! I lost out on the gall dern no good secret thing on ebay! It was a Bubba Contactor (starting for $9.99). Get it, Bubba Gump shrimp?

[justpassntime]

I like reading about your adventures. The way you tell it its probably more funny here than it was there doin it. LOL

[MPaulHolmes]

And no, I don't mean that I have diarrhea. Well, let's see. Also the stuff from JC Whitneys came today like brake pads and heat shrink tubing. An Aluminum plate for keeping the controller cool, which is too small now, but I will use it anyway. I started fixing the hole in the back of the car with fiberglass material and stinky liquid stuff. It looks just like new! haha. I felt mentally detached for about 2 hours afterward. I hope the damage isn't permanent.

I bought a new contactor on ebay, since I lost bubba. It's a nice one too. Hermetically sealed, so it can be an underwater EV as well. Normally about $200, and I got it for $95. Yay, big whoop. Now I'm going to be overdrafted. oh well.

[MPaulHolmes]

The 72v controller came. It's big and heavy compared to the 48v 300amp one. I need to take some pictures of the car's progress. I've filled in the hole behind the back seat with a piece of wood that fit perfectly, and then sealed the edges with fiberglass cloth and some weird stuff that you paint onto it. It's super hard now. I also painted a thick glaze of the super hard stuff on top and bottom of it, so it's water proof and rot proof. It's only going to hold the chargers, so it doesn't have to handle much weight.

Man VS wild is on right now. It's awesome... He's in Kenya. I was in Kenya for 6 months last year. I really miss not hearing, "Hello white man." (this was their greeting to me, even after knowing them for several months, and even after they knew my name)

The rear brakes are now replaced and bled. (it sounds so violent) It was difficult for me. We'll just leave it at that. I still need to adjust them, but that's easy.

I haven't checked the front brakes yet. I sure hope they are OK, because I have no more money. I'm going to bleed them, and then it should all be ok. The contactor is not yet here. The 300amp fuse is perfect for the 400amp controller, since it's a slow blow fuse (it can stay at 300 amps forever).

Now I just need the batteries.

Now, I need to put in some batteries. I'm going to get 12 'small' deep cycle batteries, since the car can only hold about 850 pounds. If there are 2 people traveling, I figure I can hold about 550 pounds of batteries.

[MPaulHolmes]

I took the right front brake drum off just to see how everything is. The dang brake shoe asbestos crap fell right to the ground. Also, both front brake pistons are frozen. So, the grand total to fix both front wheels is $43.98. Not too bad. I'm thinking that after that, there shouldn't be any more major problems.

The only electrical thing I'm wondering about right now is how the brake lights turn on just by hitting the brakes. Anyone want to shplain dat one to me? It seems like everything else can just be sort of wired to some 12v battery.

[dremd]

Air Cooled vw brakes work on a pressure switch screwed to the master cylinder. the circuit is closed whenever it detects pressure in the system.