> The car that I'm going to be converting is an '88 Civic sedan that > I've had for several years. In the time that I've owned it I've > become very familiar with its workings, everything from clutch > replacement to brake jobs and suspension upgrades. I do all my own > work, so I'm confident in my ability to do the conversion myself > except for one thing, the battery box. I've noticed that nearly > everyone has their battery boxes welded, I'm wondering if there is a > specific reason for that? If I build everything myself I'd likely be > bolting the boxes together and bolting them to the frame (well, > unibody). Is this really such a bad idea that I should just ditch it > and start looking for a welder to build the boxes for me?
If you cut a hole in a unibody vehicle it is now weaker. Bolt a box in and it's still weak, weld it in and it will be as strong (or stronger) as it used to be. While it might be possible to nuild/attach battery boxes to a unibody vehicle using nuts&bolts, it won't be as strong as a welded box. And it will probably cost more in materials to build one that won't fall out. Remember this box will probably be holding over 1/2 ton of batteries, do you really want to risk having them come loose at speed when you hit a bump or have an accident? Welding is best and it's realitively cheap. Around here welders charge about $45 and hour in their shop or about $60 if they come to you. I don't know how long it would take to weld in your box, but I'd bet less than an hour if you do all the prep work and have it ready to weld. > > For battery box placement I'd really like to reuse the space that the > gas tank currently occupies, although I'm not exactly sure of its size > or contours. In this car the tank is directly underneath the rear > passenger seat, since I was considering removing the rear seat > entirely I was thinking that I could cut through the floor there, use > the existing tank as a box and tie the batteries down somehow. How > does that sound? I doubt the original tank will be cube shaped, they tend to be curved. The chances of it being a good fit for the batteries is pretty slim. Plan on having to build a box (sheet metal works fine if you paint it good, maybe use bed liner for added protection from spilled acid). Putting the batteries under the rear seat and/or where the gas tank was is pretty much standard practice. Also you'l have quite a bit of room under the hood. > I'd then use plexi to cover the batteries and build a minimalistic > rear seat to go on top of them. Probably nothing more than a small > square pad and a couple of padded straps for a back rest. Talk about > a hot seat! heh :-) Plexi glass tends to be pretty brittle. If you actually have someone sit on it it might break, unless it's fairly thick in which case it will cost more and weigh more than a good piece of plywood or better yet sheet metal (with suitable stiffening). > I'd also have the stereo system's massive subwoofers firing directly > forward from the trunk, placed just behind the new seats! Ahh, you need to talk to Wayland. He is the king of EV stereo systems and has the sound-off trophies to prove it! > > Alternatively I could just use the existing spare tire space to mount > all of the batteries in, but that would put the weight further back > than I was hoping for. You're joking right? There is no way you will be able to mount enough batteries in the spare tire area to go more than a mile or so > I'm going to be running a 156V pack of Optimas, and I'm wondering how > many of the batteries I'll be able to fit under the hood. I'm > counting on at least three, but I figure there may be enough room for > up to six. Anyone have experience with this? (Victor?) This will of > course affect what I need to do for the rear battery pack. Get some cardboard boxes (or large foam blocks) and cut them down until they are 10" long, 7" wide and 9" tall. That is roughly the size of an Optima YT with an extra inch on top to give clearance for the terminals. Now you can position these mock-ups to see where and how they will fit. > > I'd like to maintain the handling of the car as much as possible, so > the front/rear weight distribution is very important to me. I've > never had a car weighed before, where should I look to have this > done? Should I just pull into a truck stop that has scales? > > Being in Wisconsin my climate control is very important to me. The AC > has been dead in this car for quite a while, but I know what's wrong > with it and can fix it rather easily. More important for safety > however is the heater, can I really just run out and pick up any old > ceramic heating element (of a size that'll fit to replace my existing > heater core) and run it off full pack voltage? Yup. however the connections are typical ceramic cubes can be delicate and easy to break off. If that looks like it might be a problem spend the extra dough and buy one from one of the EV parts places. They sell ones that are a bit sturdier. Oh yeah, use a 12V fan. The fan that comes in normal heaters is designed for AC not DC, the element does care but the fan will. > If not, what should I be looking at? I've been thinking that I can > have one auxiliary motor to drive both my AC and power steering pumps > when needed, but what kind of motor should I be looking at for this? > It would be most simple to run it off the 12V system, but will I be > able to find a motor that is powerful enough to handle both the AC and > PS loads at the same time with only 12V? (That being the worst case > scenario) Yes but are you going to have a stout enough 12V system?m AC will need one to two killowatts (100 to 200 amps). You can buy 12V power steering pumps (they use them in Toyota MR2s) If you want to run off pack voltage you might be able to use one of these treadmill motors that show up for $20 to $50 at surplus places check http://www.meci.com and http://www.sciplus.com > Regarding the batteries. I've been working myself into a dizzying > confusion trying to figure out exactly what I want. I know that a > 156V pack should fit my needs, but what model of battery should I > use? There are several Optimas out there (even of the Yellow Tops), > as well as the Hawkers, etc., etc., etc.. Go with the Optima's. For sealed batteries they are probably the best bang for the buck. Use the 12V YTs. The 6V YTs cost almost as much as the 12V and you only get 1/2 the cells. DON'T use the Red Tops, they are starting batteries not deep cycle. > I'm sure we'll get into brand loyalty and personal preference here, > so could those of you who agree with the track I'm on give > suggestions? I'm planning to use a Raptor controller and an 8" ADC > motor that came out of a Sparrow. Future upgrade to 9" Warp from > NetGain is planned. > > I'm also trying to get an accurate estimate of the time this > conversion will take. I'd like to be on the road before the first > snowfall (which will likely be late December) so that I can park my > Valkyrie before the salt hits. I've heard of conversions that can > take anywhere from 1 day (John Wayland's Blue Datsun) to more than a > year. I'll probably be dedicating at least one hour per day during > the week and 5 hours a day on the weekends to this project. Does that > sound doable to you guys? I think most folks figure somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 to 200 hours for a conversion, depending on how much work you do and how much stuff you farm out to "professionals". Of course it also depends on how talented you are and how well you plan it (...I've cut this piece of metal three times and it's STILL to short! )
