Saturday, November 22, 2008

More Adjustments and Rear Mount Sizing

When attempting to mount the clutch cable cylinder assembly, we noticed that the adaptor plate was in the way so we had to cut a notch off the plate. This time we used a grinder with a thin cutting blade/disc to easily make the notch in place without dismantling or removing anything.



We then proceeded to size up the required aluminum plate that will be used to support the other end of the Warp9 motor to the last chassis motor mount. We also plan to use some angle iron to make the mount. At the same time, we fetched the original stock power steering pump to determine the best placement for it. The power steering pump uses a flat belt and I am hoping to find a weld-on flat belt pulley to attach to the hub we picked up for the smaller shaft at the commutator end of the Warp9. The outside diameter of this pulley will have to be approximately 5-6 inches in diameter to match the original vehicle design.



Here is Evan and a friend of ours Henrik exchanging ideas about the power steering pump placement.



Below is a shot of the center axle supported to the motor housing.



This is a shot of a thin piece of aluminum plate mounted in the place of the old air conditioning condenser at the front end that will act as a splash/debris plate to keep unwanted water and other things out of the motor compartment. This was done now that the motor compartment is less crowded and easier to work in. The plate will be painted black at a later date.



Here is a shot of the front wheel drive axles which where fitted back on to ensure proper fitting and clearance.

Tomorrow or early this week, I plan to visit the local metal yard to pick up some half inch aluminum plate and angle iron as well as shop around for that much desired flat belt weld-on pulley. If I don't manage to find the pulley, I might be able to do something with a similar pulley on the old air conditioning compressor. Deep down inside, I prefer finding a buyer for the compressor rather than sacrificing it just for the pulley.
Jim

2 comments:

Dimitri said...

Jim,

awesome job on the project!
Read whole blog, its like looking in the mirror, I went thru all same steps to get my EV going. My Mazda Miata turned out great, but I am looking to sell it to fund a Mazda Protege conversion. Once you get this bug you can't stop, looking at every car now and mentally applying conversion to it :-)
I want my second EV to have no compromises, Lithium batteries, automatic tranny, whole nine yards.
Will be checking your progress, keep up a good work!
Dimitri
http://www.evalbum.com/1904

Jim said...

Dimitri,

Thanks for the kind words. I would also love to go with Lithium batteries but that cost alone is equivalent to my entire conversion budget. I looked at your Miata conversion and the work looks very clean and professional. Congrats! I am sure that your next project will be awesome.

cheers,
Jim