Homecoming

The evTD came home today. Robert wanted to buff out a bit of the paint on the front fenders that he wasn't 100% happy with and wound up buffing out the whole car and waxing it for good measure before he delivered it to my garage. It's gorgeous!

Robert installed the hinges and latches for the hood and deck lids and the fit is perfect. It took no small amount of finesse and skill to turn what was clearly a home-built kit into a hand crafted custom.

The doors also are correctly aligned and close with a solid factory "thunk" instead of the somewhat askew, not quite right "clink-jingle" they did when I got the car.

The spare tire mounted to the rear deck is real and secure. It hides the air vent for the motor compartment.



The motor and controller look like they were meant to be here. There was a small amount of trimming required to clear the Impulse9 motor, but it's not visible when the deck lid is closed.

All of the batteries are installed and secured. All that remains is for me to finish the traction pack and 12 volt system wiring, then install the charger, DC/DC converter, aux battery, dashboard, lights, mirrors, windshield, convertible top, seats and interior. All in two weeks. And leave time to shake-down any issues with the driveline and get it inspected before we load it up for the trip to Cape Girardeau for EVCCON 2012. You may not see any more updates between now and then, but I will do a video walk-around once we are finished, so stay tuned ...

Controls and Boxes

The mechanical restoration is complete and it's time to move the chassis back over to Robert's shop so he can build the bodywork onto this platform.

Ready to load on the trailer for the short ride.

It will be much easier to complete the mechanical controls before the body goes on, so we spent the better part of two days shortening and adjusting the clutch cable ...

... and devising a mount point and cable routing for the accelerator to throttle pot connection. We also replaced the steering coupler disk and added a short throw EMPI trigger shifter. That required extensive rework of the shift rod, but it now shifts crisply without the slop of the worn original shifter. 

We're paying attention to the aesthetics and details to make this a professional looking conversion. Here is the final installation of the new pedal cluster and the brake line all tidied up and tied down. I have a fresh handle and boot for the parking brake that will dress it up as well.

While Robert reassembles all of those beautifully painted body parts on the chassis, I'm doing some prewiring for the traction pack.

Due to the space constraints, these components were scattered all over the eBugeye wherever I could find a few spare inches. Given the luxury of a second chance with a bit more space on the evTD, I decided to modularize the supporting circuitry wherever possible.

The positive box contains the emergency contactor, 10 amp 250 volt DC fuse and inductor to protect the charger and DC/DC converter, and positive run fuse. The positive wires from the DC/DC converter and charger will connect to the right side of the smaller fuse.

Credit goes to Steve Messerschmidt at Rebirth Auto for supplying the schematic and illustration for this which I freely plagiarised.

Similarly, the negative box holds the shunt for the JLD404 Intelligent Amp Gauge and the fuse for the negative side of the pack. The negative wires from the DC/DC converter and charger will connect to the far side of the shunt. Note that in both boxes I used a braided battery strap from the EVTV.me web store. The braided strap gives flexibility to deal with slightly differing heights and angles in the connections and should carry much more current than I'll ever need. I'm currently thinking these boxes will be installed under the seats to get them out of the way, but readily accessible.

The Pace Quickens

It's been a long time since we've updated the project, but it's not for lack of progress. Getting the e-Bugeye ready to ship took some of my time, but Robert, Keith and Bob have been full steam ahead. Let's start with the body:

Robert has completed the painting and started a trial fit of all the body pieces in his shop with fender welt cut and in place. I couldn't be more pleased with the finish and look of the bodywork! Here are a few more views:








The color shifts somewhat depending on the brightness and background. The actual color is closest to what you see on the rear clip here out of the direct sun.












Robert has sprayed the inside of the hood area with bed liner and the bottom of the fenders with black undercoat for quieter ride and protection from the elements. The contrast is very effective and will provide a great base for the red accents of the interior and grill.

Final adjustments to the doors and fenders will have to wait until it's mated to the chassis and all the weight of the battery packs and motor/controller are in place.









Meanwhile, the chassis has been at Pro Automotive and Keith and Bob finished out the mechanical prep work so Robert could caulk and spray the chassis with bed liner on top and undercoat beneath.

The front end received new disk brakes, wheel bearings, master cylinder, shocks, and tie rods.

The rear also got new brakes, new half shafts with CV joints and boots, and new wheel bearings to go with the freshly rebuilt transaxle.









All of this prep work led up to the motor installation. It is such a pleasure to have the right tools available to make the job so much easier. 










The Netgain Impulse9 motor on the transmission jack made it a simple matter to install the clutch pack working at a comfortable height. With the clutch installed and a fresh release bearing in the bell housing, it was a breeze matching the height of the car on the lift to the motor on the transmission jack.





The motor just slid into place and locked in beautifully.

Now it's my turn to get to work. The Helwig H60 brushes came in a separate package. The H60 is about 2.5 times harder than the original brushes and features a split brush design, four leads instead of two for higher current ability, a mylar sheath on each lead to avoid case shorts, and a closed terminal connection for maximum seating area. The result is lower carbon dust, longer life, and better commutation.

The H60s are very easy to install, especially since the car was on the lift and adjusted to the optimal working height. The original brush is on the left and the new Helwig H60 is on the right.







The rest of the afternoon was spent installing new clutch and accelerator cables with the guide tubes that go with them. Tomorrow we'll install the new trigger shifter and the tricky little nylon bushing that goes with it.

The chassis will be ready to acccept the body and we'll have something that starts to look like a car!

Goodbye, Old Friend!

Today the e-Bugeye headed for its new home in California. I tagged every loose wire and loaded it up with the rear battery box, spare tire, soft top, frame, and side curtains. It carries a box with the grill, rear bumpers, jack and some other odds and ends that I hope the new owner will find useful and fun.

The e-Bugeye has been in my care for twenty six years and has always been a source of pride and enjoyment, both as a gas car and especially as an electric vehicle. I wish the new owner all the best as he takes the e-Bugeye to the next level. You will be able to follow his project at http://www.ebugeye.com.

The garage now has an empty bay just in time for the evTD to arrive.

Hot Off the Grill

The chassis is back at Pro Automotive for mechanical improvements. The front disk brake conversion is complete with the transaxle out and over to a transmission specialist for inspection and rebuild if necessary.

I had to order a few parts I'd overlooked, like brake light switches and new clutch and throttle cables. Once those are in hand, I expect Keith will have the chassis prepped and ready to mount the motor next week. After the motor is in place, I need to install the Helwig H60 Brush upgrade. Meanwhile, Robert is painting the rest of the body and will be ready to reassemble it on the chassis.

I've been busy with the detail and trim, this week working on the grill. The chrome was in pretty good shape when I got the car, but it needed a good cleaning and some repair. One of the slat mounting posts had broken away from the weld, but a dab of J-B Weld put that right.

The false "nose" went together real nicely as well. The MG emblem is a reproduction of the gold over ivory badge that graced every MG TD that left the Abingdon plant. It's a real touch of authenticity that is missing from most of the TD kits. Masquerading as a radiator cap is the chrome gas tank cap from the Bugeye Sprite that went into storage after it was replaced by a Marinco charging port.

It took a while to settle on a paint color for the slats. Shopping the auto parts stores turned up lots of "Candy Apple" this and that, but nothing that really picked up the color of the dashboard.  Hitting the home improvement stores produced a Burgundy Rust-oleum that is a perfect match. Notice my sanitary paint booth. OK, it's just the utility area outside the garage, but it works.




The finished grill is a real jewel and will present a very good first impression as the car approaches.

Now we're cooking!

Dashboard

While the final fabrication on the battery and controller supports is in process, I've been working to get the dashboard completed and ready to drop in when the body gets back from the paint shop. Along the way I've discovered a new favorite power tool, the router.

The dashboard is 5/8" plywood, and the Speedhut Tach and Speedometer are quite slim and needed a recessed area for the attachment ring. A 3/8" rabbet bit routed the clearance and it's a pretty good looking cut. Works just right, too.

The emergency contactor slap switch also needed some clearance which was equally easy with the router. It was done freehand, so not quite as elegant as the round rabbet, but just as effective. Nobody will ever see the back of the dashboard anyway.

The dash was originally finished with a dark veneer that was peeling off and generally pretty scruffy. Original MG TDs had a dashboard covered in the same material as the seat backs and door panels, so I found some marine grade vinyl in a dark red color at a local fabric store to cover the dash. The seat vinyl is quite faded, so it will be dyed to match, again using marine grade finishes. Lots of upholstery adhesive and many staples secure the covering:

The result is quite stunning:

After adding the gauges, switches, lights, and radio, it's nearly ready to mount on the body. Oh, and just a bit of wiring ...

The vintage looking radio is from RetroSound and was recommended by my future son in law, Erik Buscha, who sells and installs high end home theater and mobile sound systems. Thanks, Erik - hope it sounds as good as it looks! I'm adding a bluetooth device so I can stream music from my iPhone and hopefully handle hands-free phone calls if the wind noise isn't overwhelming.

The wife just can't get over the goofy face with the "clown nose" in the middle of the dash.  Guess I'll have to paint the slap switch a darker red to change the effect.

Also had a visit from Fiberenew to discuss dying the seat and trim. Turns out the owner is another retired IBMer with lots of questions about these electric cars. He's going to get me a quote on the dye job, and asked for a ride when it's all done, so the EV story is getting out one car at a time.

Motor Arrives and Controller Mount

The Netgain Impulse9 motor arrived from Rebirth Auto and it's a beauty!  The adapter plate is milled from aluminum billet and it is a work of art.  They installed the adapter and added a Kennedy Stage 4 clutch pack, so the motor assembly is ready to install.  You can check the specifications here: http://rebirthauto.com/r-vwsabell.aspx.

Robert Juarez is wrapping up the fabrication and has welded up a very elegant support for the Soliton1 controller.




 The controller platform will span the space over the motor in the rear of the car and give good access to the wiring connections.

The platform will be welded to the rear subframe.  The areas on either side of the platform will be filled in with diamond plate shelves and provide space for the emergency contactor and coolant pump.

The battery platforms are also nearing completion, so it looks like the chassis will be ready go back to Pro Automotive next week for the brakes, shocks, and motor installation. Stay tuned ...