Paul & Sabrina's Cheap EV Conversion - Page 6 - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

bennelson · 06-12-2008, 12:37 AM

I love the photo of the fuse in the holder.

The fuse holder is the fanciest-looking thing on my motorcycle!

MPaulHolmes · 06-12-2008, 12:42 AM

I can't believe I got both fuse and holder for like $10. It was way fancier than I had expected. On the gangster meter, the fuse holder is like fiddee cent. hahaha!

MPaulHolmes · 06-15-2008, 02:26 AM

Well, first of all, we got the back wheels unfrozen (the tow truck did! a little hydraulic pressure). The car is now sitting there at my parents house, ready for us to start doing stuff to it. Also, I payed $15 for the two 1/4" steel plates. Oh ya! I gave him a bit of a tip, since it was supposed to be $10 (or like $70 at Lowe's or Home Depot).

I made part of the motor adapter plate today. No measuring! I found the center of the 12x12 inch plate by balancing it on my finger. I drilled the 6 holes through the holes in the motor, and numbered them so It will go back together just like before. ya!

MPaulHolmes · 06-17-2008, 02:39 AM

cut a square hole in the 13x14 piece today. Also, started taking the motor out. I think I may have ruined it, even though I would like to sell it after removal.

SVOboy · 06-17-2008, 02:57 AM

How'd you ruin it?

MPaulHolmes · 06-17-2008, 03:48 AM

Yesterday, I didnt have the directions, so I just started unbolting stuff, and if a bolt wouldn't come loose, like on the tin barrier, I would just cut the tin out. I also disassembled all the stuff like the distributor, and a bunch of other stuff that looks really really hard to put back together. I will probably put the motor in a big box and tell them that everything is there, and I want $0.25, and not a penny less! If this piece of crap works, it will be proof that an idiot can convert a car to electric that doesn't even know how to change his own oil.

MPaulHolmes · 06-19-2008, 02:05 AM

I removed that big dang piece of crap engine. The car is over at my parent's house, so I need to bring the camera there.

I also bought an L-095 lovejoy pair and spider insert, since I don't know why. I guess because I'm impulsive and I found out that the L-095 is strong enough and shorter so I won't need so much in the way of spacers between the motor and transmission. So, I "machined out" the 1.125 inch lovejoy and machined in the little nugget from the vw clutch hub, which started at 1.167 inches. This is where things get kind of funny. I stopped when there was a difference between the two of about 0.01 inches. Then I took the lovejoy upstairs, and turned the stove on high, and set the lovejoy on top of it, so it would get really hot, expand, and then I could slide the nugget of goodness into the lovejoy.

Well, the lovejoy started to bubble a whole bunch, and lots of black smoke started coming from it, and then a bunch of oil dripped off of it into the eye of the stove, and a pretty good sized fire started. I quickly grabbed the lovejoy with some random hamburger flipping utensil, put it in the sink, and pushed the nugget into it. It slid right on! (I used a pot holder).

Then ash and weird stuff descended all over the stove area, and I started cooking some spaghetti, and my wife stirred the noodles with the contaminated hamburger flipper thing, and since I'm pretty sure it was toxic, I threw out the noodles and cleaned the area really nicely.

My welding job was a little excessive, but better than last time with the L-110. I found out that the L-095 is good up to like 10 hp at 3500 rpm or so, so whatever, it's all good.

They say that vw beetle engines are really easy to remove. Well, all I can say to that is... whoever said that should die a horrible death by choking on a chicken McNugget. (what is it with me and nuggets today?)

The engine is out though!!! I dragged it on the bumpy cement, probably further devaluing it from like $200 down to like $0.23 now. (it hit $0.25 yesterday) Now I just need to figure out how to take out the transmission, and then I should be driving by tomorrow evening! hahaha!

MetroMPG · 06-19-2008, 01:05 PM

FULL points for most colourful and amusing conversion update! (Just my .02 nuggets.)

MPaulHolmes · 06-20-2008, 01:32 AM

Well, it sold for...
Drum roll, Please...
$160! boomja! So it's a $40 car.

The guys said, "So, I didn't realize the carburator would be apart."
Me: "So that's what that was. Ya... I just unscrewed and unbolted everything, thinking that would somehow make the motor come out."

Him: "is everything in that box there?"
Me: "Yep. Here take the muffler too."
Him: "That's the heating pipes"
Me: ...You better watch it, old man. I'm gonna get ya... hahaha!

Boomja! So, I only wasted about $40, since he was going to pay $200 before seeing my wreck and ruin.

dremd · 06-20-2008, 06:42 PM

Oh man; once you "get" removing a VW engine it is a piece of cake.

I was running 1) a ton of sound insulation and 2) a ton of stereo equipment in my bus in High School. So I'd burn up a "lifetime" Warranty Alternator about once per week. Unfortunatley the Sound insulation was in the way of removing the alternator, so I would pull te engine. After a while I'd just do it in the Pep Boys parking lot. Could do the whole 9 yards in under 1 hour. LOL; was I dumb.