Time for another monster update as it has been over a month since the last one. What have I done? Rear axle assembly Getting this apart proved a ballache. Lots of rusted nuts & bolts – was glad of new impact wrench. Brake lines were the worst. I ended up cutting most of these off. The calipers were pretty shot too. One was maybe rescuable … Continue reading Heating up
It turns out that the inverter board failing and me smoking some components (see last installment) was just the beginning of a week of technological disasters for me. My broadband router failed, wiping out a morning while I tried to cobble together a working arrangement until I could get hold of a replacement. In the middle of that, my web server (actually a virtual instance) … Continue reading Rebuilding enthusiasm
Right now, I wouldn’t begrudge the authorities denying to approve my car for the roads, and possibly taking my licence, given that my spatial awareness is so bad I seem to have believed that two different components could occupy the same space in the engine bay. Let’s rewind… Front-end rebuild Somehow it has been over a fortnight since my last update so this one is … Continue reading Two steps forward, two steps back
The problem with starting an EV conversion on an MOT failure is that you also have to address all the reasons it failed in the first place. And with a 174,000 mile car, there can be a few of them. Obviously there are no issues with the engine or emissions now. But somewhat predictably, the more I have dug around in this car, the more … Continue reading Restoration work
It feels like an incredible amount has happened since the last update just five days ago. I have batteries. The car is stripped again. And most of the welding and fabrication is complete. Battery wrangles So, I couldn’t quite let the well-priced battery pack on Facebook go. So the morning my gazumper was due to collect, I messaged the seller and offered him 50% more. … Continue reading The home straight?
The project progresses apace…or at least it was progressing. Now hitting the limits of what I can do without some batteries. But here is where we’re at: Engine Bay Tetris With the engine mounted, we could start working out where everything else goes. Through a process of trial and error, and lots of tack welding, we got the inverter and the high voltage junction box … Continue reading Batteries, batteries, batteries
Right, refreshed after a week off and time for a bit of an update. Test-fit After the last update I did indeed get the motor and gearbox into the car where they remain now. It wasn’t as hard as I expected and it all slotted in beautifully as you can see from the pics below. A bit of 2×4 was used to level it up … Continue reading Engine mounts and more
Another week or so of big progress. Tomorrow (sore muscles permitting) I will test fit the motor and gearbox for the first time. Adaptor Plate Over the last week my daughter and I have measured and drilled the holes in the two halves of the adaptor plate (marking them out with a transfer punch), bolted them up to the motor and gearbox respectively, welded on … Continue reading Making the adaptor plate
