EV ( Electric Vehicle ) Conversion by Mannyman

6-26-08 I made the local ABC News.

2008-06-27T23:07:00.000-07:00

I made the local ABC News.

4-20-08 Sunday @ Long Beach Grand Prix

2008-04-20T21:58:00.000-07:00

Day 3:
Tesla uses a cool light up fill inlet that I will need to copy:
Somehow more pictures of Patron Girls ended up being taken:(I blame blurriness on the tequila)

Oh yeah, I was getting a lot of flak for not sharing the wealth.
So, I introduced my new friends to Mike of SSI-Racing

Mike used his own magic by having the Drift Queen show her skills in 2SSIC:

4-19-08 Saturday @ Long Beach Grand Prix

2008-04-19T23:08:00.000-07:00

Here's a cell phone vid of the races.

Unlike Electrics the race cars were very NOISY. Glad they were handing out ear plugs.

Make Mine Electric was there with a plug in Speedster replicar.

I got autographs from Linda Nichols and Chelsea Sexton of Who Killed the Electric Car fame.

Bubba Gump Shrimp sporting an EV Grin.

4-18-08 Friday @ Long Beach Grand Prix

2008-04-18T23:29:00.000-07:00

Finally got to see and touch a Tesla:
... and of course the electric vehicle everyone Really came to look at:

Yep, the Electric Glitter Poop on the same expo floor as the Tesla. Who knows, maybe after looking at mine they'll consider using a transaxle from a 70's era bug.
;)
And finally another reason to go to these EVents:

EZ Lube Ladies Love Electric Vehicles

2008 Toyota Grand Prix Long Beach

2008-04-18T23:17:00.000-07:00

Having a great time at the 34th annual...

2008 Lifestyle and Alternative Energy Expo

April 18-20, 2008 - The Most Unique Expo of its Kind!

Again in 2008, the Lifestyle and Alternative Energy Expo will be FREE to more than 175,000 active lifestyle Grand Prix ticket holders who don't hesitate to visit the Expo more than once during race weekend. They'll enjoy:

Over 150 displays featuring the latest in automotive, home, recreation, travel and entertainment products and services. And, new for 2008, it'll be a showcase for GREEN TECHNOLOGY, including hybrid, electric, Hydrogen and bio-diesel cars, energy-saving products for the home and healthy lifestyle products.
Over 270,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space in the beautiful Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center. Display opportunities range from 100 to 10,000 sq. ft.
Interactive games, simulators, race cars, video arcade, Family Fun Zone, X-treme sports demonstrations and other attractions create an exciting draw to encourage Lifestyle and Alternative Energy Expo attendance over and over again.
Meeting rooms and special bulk space rates are available to exhibitors seeking to conduct a "show within the show," at the same time providing exposure for their product or service to the Grand Prix audience.
Hospitality services are available to produce a unique trade show experience for your customers.

8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday & Saturday
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday

3-28-08 PakTrakr in Dash

2008-03-28T23:10:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately I need to talk to the manufacturer as not all batteries are being read accurately.

March 2008

2008-03-07T15:01:00.000-08:00

It is sweet driving an EV to and from work.

Lots going on:
Joseph's childhood friend is a programmer and was able to make the PakTrakr module for my Digital Dash into a reality.
Joseph named it the Electric Vehicle Intregration System (engineers...)
I nick-named it ELVIS.
Here's the 1st Draft at a logo:

Here's my cell phone video of the beta:

Plus the reason behind high gas prices:

Electric Dragin' Top Pix

2008-01-31T21:47:00.001-08:00

70's Paint job? Check.
Disco Ball? Check

Here are some pictures of my car from attendees at the EVent.

Forgot to mention the chrome magnetic pop-up fuel door. Inside is a spooled retractable electric cord and plug.

Notice the lightning bolts on the headlight covers, a gift from Mr. Q.

Electric Cars kick Gas! sticker courtesy of www.DriveGasFree.com

My favorite video so far (maybe because of all the footage of my car).

Electric Dragin' Live

2008-01-26T09:36:00.000-08:00

Watch as Pictures and Videos are sent Live to this Channel.

Attendees can chat and submit pictures and video from their mobile phones.
Viewers can use the Chat tab to either send text, voice, or video messages.
Scroll to see more Shows (video or slide shows) by mousing over the Channel window and clicking the pop-up arrows or the Shows tab.

Black Lightning

2008-01-16T16:10:00.000-08:00

I was there for Lloyd's EV Grin.
Lloyd and Joseph restored a 2000 Hyundai Accent Conversion. They bought new Batteries, took out the rust, and repainted the old battery boxes. They added a battery watering kit for the 24 6V 200 amp/hr Crown CR225's; and are waiting for a PakTrakr kit.

Here's the video:

San Diego Auto Show EcoCenter

2008-01-06T01:00:00.000-08:00

Dec 26 - 30, 2007 | San Diego Convention Center
Met up with Mike Kadie, Bob VanGorder, Joseph GottLieb at the

Here's a slide show :

Mission Completed with 1 week to spare!

2007-12-23T20:18:00.000-08:00

EV Grin

Took it for a test drive today for the 1st time.
There is still a some more work to do before I take it home, but it is now a fully functioning Electric Vehicle. Here's a re-cap.

Engine In.

Engine out.

Electric Motor In ....
plus Belktronix EV System (Controller, DC/DC, Battery Charger, Pot Box, Contactor, Fuse, Vehicle Integrator.)

Ok, here' some video.

I offered Bob, 1st drive, but as he didn't convert it, he wasn't willing to drive it out on the street. :P
Here I am taking it out into his Ramona neighborhood.

I told Bob the brakes were a bit squishy (technical term for not at all like power brakes). So He gets in to try them out. Luckily they work or else that would have sucked. It would have been a more exciting video though...

T-Rex Lightning Freeway Trip

2007-12-14T15:41:00.000-08:00

This man-machine had no problems what-so-ever of eating up freeway speed traffic.
Turns out quite a few cars either sped up or slowed down to take pictures of our 3 T-Rex caravan. Thundersky Lithium batteries held up all day long, we didn't even see a dent on the meter.
Scenic Route to Hotel.

View Larger Map

More T-Rex Lightning Pix

2007-12-10T08:18:00.001-08:00

Slideshow of T-Rex Lightning Demo
More pictures will be added as I get them.

Awesome Electric T-Rex Lightning Vehicle

2007-12-09T22:20:00.000-08:00

12-09-2007
T-Rex dropped by to show off their incredible Electric Reverse Trikes today to the Electric Vehicle Association of America. We all met up at the Kearney High School parking lot.

I had the pleasure of meeting the Chairman, Richard Groome, whom I'll end up naming a puppy after for his letting me drive one the Bad Boyz from the high school, up the I-805 freeway and all of Mira Mesa Blvd to the hotel he was staying at. Map of the route at end of this post below.

Richard Groome of T-Rex with open top Lightning, Keith (Lightning Bug-E) and yours truly.
Here's a video of the parking lot experience; excuse the Expletive ( I guess that's why I'm not a new anchor.)

Frackin' Sweeeeet.

Lloyd, Bob and Keith trying to harness some Lightning.

T-Rex will be coming out ( I kid you not) with a version for women called a She-Rex.

Here's the best part:
I'll post more pix as I get them from the freeway ride taken by passenger Joey G.
This man-machine had no problems what-so-ever of eating up freeway speed traffic.
Turns out quite a few cars either sped up or slowed down to take pictures of our 3 T-Rex caravan. Thundersky Lithium batteries held up all day long, we didn't even see a dent on the meter.
Scenic Route to Hotel.

View Larger Map

EVS 23 and Electric Vehicle ( EV ) Conversion 12-5-2007

2007-12-05T23:08:00.000-08:00

Got up super early this morning to accompany Keith on the drive up to EVS 23 at the Anaheim Convention Center.
Keith and I picked up a BugE slated to be auctioned for charity.
http://musicindustrynewswire.com/2007/12/01/min400_164612.php
more pictures here:
http://www.harveyev.com/cgi-bin/emAlbum.cgi

Here's Keith tying it down to the bed of the pick-up. You might notice he's wearing the Official Electric Dragin' long sleeve t-shirt .

Keith and I, also drove by Aptera to beg them to attend the Electric Dragin' Event coming this January 26-27 @ Barona Drag strip here in San Diego County.
Super Secret Blurry Spy Photo:

When we got back I had just enough time to attach my BelkTronix EV System Controller and DC/DC Convertor +Charger.

EVorBust Store Now Open 12-01-2007

2007-12-01T17:39:00.000-08:00

Just in time for X-Mas. EVorBust Gift Shop

Yogurt said it best:

Merchandising, merchandising, where the real money from the movie is made. Spaceballs the T-shirt. Spaceballs the lunchbox. Spaceballs the coloring book. Spaceballs... the flamethrower! Kids love it. And my favorite, Spaceballs the Doll -- me!

Scene from SpaceBalls:

New Logo 11-30-2007

2007-11-30T23:54:00.000-08:00

While I'm waiting for BelkTronix to finish fine-tuning my controller (one of his component manufacturers revised a part, so he has to match that revision with his own) I goofed around and created a new logo for the blog. I was going for the '70s vibe with the text. Kinda makes you wanna cruise around and look for a Discotheque.

Some local Electric Vehicles both Live and In Progress

2007-11-29T11:04:00.000-08:00

Paul Marshall has his car at Bob's Garage too. Check out the largest car conversion EVer:

Mr. Q worked on this Toyota MR2.

Lloyd is converting a Porsche in his spare time. Ok he has very little spare time, but is Jones-ing for an EV bad, so he's also going the pre-converted route and buying this electric Hyundai:

Electric Vehicle ( EV ) Conversion 11-23-2007

2007-11-23T11:17:00.000-08:00

Took some more pix of my Lead Sled.

8 12V PowerSonic PG-12V140-FR in the rear, plus 4 in front all cabled up.
All according to plan:
BelkTronix BatMon battery monitors on each battery.

Will install my PakTrakrs after I'm done testing the TouchScreen Interface...

Theme Song

2007-11-21T11:33:00.001-08:00

Ok, this was fun for a bit. Moved it here to avoid loading each and every time.

Electric Vehicle ( EV ) Conversion 11-19-2007

2007-11-19T22:04:00.000-08:00

Lloyd helped me load 800 pounds of batteries onto the rear battery packs.
OK, he did most the heavy lifting, but I'm more of a management/supervisor type anyway.

Later, Paul couldn't wait another day for me to wire all of the battery management boards and resistors, so helped me cut, lug, and crimp cables on the condition we would make the wheels spin.

Bob, did the honors after spending ten minutes testing my batteries, checking my connections, and letting me know I connected the front pack to the rear pack wrong.

What happened was that I had labeled the 2 cables (1 red and 1 white) and forgot that the red was to go from Positive in the front pack to Negative in the rear, and the white from the negative connection in the front to positive in the rear. Well it took just 2 days for me to forget and I hooked up the red labeled cable in the rear to the positive and the white to negative. No sparks, but I wasn't getting the expected voltage.

Once we switched the cables around in the Anderson connector, we were good to go.

Bob did the honors of spin testing the motor and wheels. 1st with 4 of the batteries from the rear pack.

We weren't expecting that big of a spark, and didn't want to burn the motor out, so decided to lessen the voltage before connecting the jumper cables again.
Next we tried it with 24 Volts.

I'm pretty stoked, as before today I had not tested the motor. I had seen the rear shaft spin while rolling the car, but not via electrical power.

Electric Vehicle ( EV ) Conversion 11-17-2007

2007-11-17T21:40:00.000-08:00

I think we helped raise some cash for kids who are homeless due to the recent fires.
Bob, Bill and Lisa were there.

After the show I went back to Bob's to work on my car and had a couple of volunteers donate some sweat to the venture. Bob is pictured about to help remove the driver's seat while Paul is helping situate the rear battery box.

A couple of days earlier I finished wiring the front 48V battery pack (4 12V batteries) plus the Belktronix BatMons, and an Anderson Connector. It was nice to see that the 400 pounds of batteries were still suspended by my ghetto welding job.

EVs for Charity

2007-11-16T18:35:00.000-08:00

EVAOSD is being asked to join in with San Diego Car Clubs to support fire victims and their families this weekend. We have two invitations for this Saturday, November 17, 2007. Please support these events with your electric-drive vehicle and/or your attendance.

Car Show to provide toys for burn victim children during the holidays. Ramona, CA; Fitness Center; 500 Main Street from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, 11/17/07

Car Club Charity Event from a home built in 1917 in Lemon Grove, CA; 8301 Mt Vernon St.; 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. by Woody Downing Fire Chief Retired and “You-Auto-Know” Dave Stall live radio broadcast www.kceoradio.com.

I urge you to support these outreach Car Shows to support our neighbors in need.

Also next weekend (Saturday, November 24, 2007) Dave Stall is donating a 2 hour Radio Show to discuss electric-drive and our up coming Electric Dragin’ EVent in January. Be sure to attend; bring you car or listen in to the show.More Info at www.ElectricDragin.com

EV ( Electric Vehicle ) Conversion Nov-2007

2007-11-16T00:12:00.000-08:00

The car needs a new clutch cable and some additional work that are beyond my BigLots tool set.

Good thing I made friends with a professional EV mechanic, Bob Van Gorder. I've posted about him and his electric Cony before. A few of the cars that will be at the Electric Dragin' EVent were converted by Bob including a Rolls Royce.

So, Keith (of LightningBugE fame), along with Joseph (Friendly Neighborhood Electric Car Dealer) helped me load up the EGP onto a trailer for the 20 mile trek to Ramona, CA. Luckily Bob's shop survived the recent firestorm, and he had an open bay available for me to work on the car there.

While I was there he was readying a Mazda Miata conversion for its 1st test drive. Here's a video of it.

Puppies

2007-10-15T23:24:00.000-07:00

October 2007

Duke and Duchess our AKC Purebred Saint Bernards had six puppies.

We would like to spread the joy to other families by allowing them to be adopted. If you are interested or know someone that might be interested in getting one (or two), let me know.

Jenny made the following newsletter announcements:

Litter News Vol 1.

After waiting and waiting, the puppies arrived Monday night/Tuesday morning (Oct. 15-16)!

The first one arrived at 8:45 PM and the last one arrived at 7 AM. The biggest of the litter weighed in at 1 pound 8 ounces and the smallest weighed less than 1 pound. We have 5 boys and 2 girls with Momma Duchess right now. Unfortunately, 2 of her puppies weren’t meant to be with us for very long, so they are peacefully resting.

Manny, Tim (my dad), and I were there to help Duchess with her delivery. It was an evening of adventure, excitement, and beauty!

Check out the pictures at: http://s241.photobucket.com/albums/ff98/RoyalLitter/

I’ll keep everyone posted on their development and let you know when there are more pictures to enjoy.

Litter News Vol 2.

We’ve survived Week 1 with the puppies! They are such a joy to watch, especially at 3 a.m. while they cry and grunt looking for milk. Puppy #2 is the vocal one out of the bunch. We’re not sure if he’s practicing for American Idol or a reincarnation of Gizmo (Gremlins Movie, remember?).

We had sad news late last week—we lost our tiniest puppy, Little Lady. We found her around 4 a.m. Thursday cuddled next to her momma. She’s now with the other two that didn’t make it and we have 5 boys and 1 girl that we’re helping Momma take care of now.

I’ve added plenty more pictures onto the website, so check them out when you can You’ll see that they are growing quickly and are becoming quite the little characters. They had a parade of visitors this past Saturday and enjoyed all of the attention. We even had a family come over interested in adopting the girl puppy!

I split the photos into sub-albums by day(s) so it should be easy to look through. http://s241.photobucket.com/albums/ff98/RoyalLitter/

As you all may know, there have been several fires attacking San Diego. One of the fires have come close to our home, but as of now we are safe and at home. We packed up the essentials early Monday morning and are ready to leave if we need to evacuate.

Litter News Vol 3.

It’s been two weeks since the last issue of Litter News and boy have our puppies been growing!

The puppies started opening their eyes around day 13 and their ears began to open shortly after. Then, before we knew it, they started walking. Just this past weekend, they’ve started interacting with one another. They bat each other with their paws and nibble at one another. Last night, I discovered that they have started to sprout their baby teeth!

Momma is doing well and recovered nicely from her surgery and received a clean bill of health from the vet. She’s still nursing the puppies and has continued to be very patient with them. It amazes me how great of a mother she is and how much she watches over them. I was clipping their nails tonight and one of the fellas did not enjoy it at all and let everyone know by screaming and crying. Momma gave me a look and barked at me a bit to let me know she didn’t want me to hurt her puppy. (Note: no puppies were harmed physically, just scared by the experience.)

We had the privilege of giving a couple of puppies sink baths over the weekend, since they became a bit dirty from rolling around in their box (I’ll leave it to your imagination as to what they became dirty with.)

This past weekend, we also moved the puppies and Momma out of the box they have been in since Day 1 into a larger area—it was getting too cramped for all of them. They enjoy their new space and Manny and I enjoy watching over them playing and rough housing with each other.

That concludes this edition of Litter News, as always feel free to check out the pictures at http://s241.photobucket.com/albums/ff98/RoyalLitter/ and best wishes to you.

Electric Dragin' in San Diego Jan 2008

2007-09-15T22:34:00.000-07:00

September 2007

I was tapped to be Project Manager for the EVAOSD (Electric Vehicle Association of San Diego).

Our intent is to to create the largest Electric Drive EVent in San Diego (later West Coast, United States, and finally the Planet Earth.)

I made a little Web Site for the extravaganza here: www.ElectricDragin.com

So, to make this happen we need Electric Cars, and we need Sponsors.

By the way, all proceeds go to the San Diego Environmental Foundation.

If you or your company can help, please fill out the sponsorship form or hit the PayPal donation buttons on that site. A small payment will get you or your organization immortalized on T-shirts, Programs and the Web site.

If you would like to participate (Hybrids are welcome) register and come down and race or just show off your vehicle.

EV ( Electric Vehicle ) Conversion August 2007

2007-08-30T18:40:00.001-07:00

Summer Vacation.

EV ( Electric Vehicle ) Conversion 7-29-2007

2007-07-29T23:33:00.000-07:00

Today was a lot of fun hard work. A couple of trips to AutoZone and the wiring is pretty much done. As I wasn't sure where to drill holes for the new switches, I used some cardboard to test out that everything worked.

I feel it is now better than before, of course it's not pretty yet, but already the functionality is better. Whereas before, I had separate buttons, one to lift up the headlights, and another to turn them on ; I now have a pull knob that turns on the running lights on at the 1st position from off, pull a little more and both the headlights pop up and they turn on as well. Plus I have much larger LEDs to show me what's going on as well as the light up switches themselves.

All internal 12V wiring is done with switches, relays, and fuses as simply as possible.

Keith's Lightning Bug

2007-07-28T14:12:00.000-07:00

I rode the Lightning Bug at June's EVAoSD meeting and almost shat myself.
This thing can go!!!
Here's a video I edited for Keith Vansickle.

...feel free to give out my e-mail
address and refer people to me for information. The lightning bug is a
hopped up Bug Ev from blue sky design in oregon. the original is 48 v
with a smaller motor. mine is 72v right now and when I get a bigger
controller will go to 96 or even 120v I want the thing to be so fast no
one but a kid or a speed freak will drive it full open, just like every
other hi performance motorcycle. I am working on another frame and
slightly different body that will take the bigger motor and higher
speeds.
keith

EV ( Electric Vehicle ) Conversion 7-21-2007

2007-07-21T21:44:00.001-07:00

Still working on the 12V wiring.
Between runs for relays and wire spools I've started arranging the Belktronix controller, pack charger+dc/dc doodad, and vehicle integrator. Gotta love bungee cords.

Plus I check to see how the rear will look after I replace the school bus tail lights with the late model Mustang tailights (phase3).

Finally I check how the touchscreen will fit in the dash...

Whoa! Wow! WoooWee! White Zombie

2007-07-17T22:00:00.000-07:00

Congrats to PlasmaBoy Racing!

The White Zombie breaks its own world record for a street-legal electric car - 11.466 at 114 MPH.

I hope to one day make it out of the garage in 11 seconds...

To dream...

EV (Electric Vehicle) Conversion 7-14-2007

2007-07-14T01:10:00.000-07:00

Here is my draft for the GUI interface for the PakTrakr system.

Link should take you to GoogleVideo.

EV ( Electric Vehicle ) Conversion 7-8-2007

2007-07-09T21:58:00.000-07:00

Before

My EV will not need gas nor oil guages. Plus there was a crazy amount of wires hooked up to those old skool fuses. A lot of the wiring led nowhere and had all kinds of offshoots. What I need is Clean and Simple wiring. It will all be labled, so that I know what is what. First I need to take out all the old stuff.

During

Don't know what to say about that. (video link)

Finally! (video link)

After

Now begins the fun part.

front running lights,
front turn signals
motor for popup headlights ,
head lights,
horn,
windshield wipers,
windshield wash sprayer,
cabin air blower,
keyed start/run switch or start button,
dash indicator lights,
hookup for touchscreen stereo,
new guages (may use old speedometer temporarily),
rear running lights,
rear brake /turn signal lights,
reverse lights,
lic. plate light

EV ( Electric Vehicle ) Conversion 7-01-2007

2007-07-01T19:37:00.000-07:00

"If I'm extremely lucky..."
if we are talking about the good kind of lucky, not so much.

Both Belktronix and PakTrakr met their respective deadlines of getting me all the electronical doo-dads in time so that if the next piece of news hadn't happened I may have pulled it off (finishing a running EV in time for the EVAoSD meeting 6-26-2007).

PowerSonic raised their battery prices 30% from one day to the next without warning. They may have warned their distributors, but not me. What that means to me is ...more saving pennies...

It also means I can take my time in finishing Phase 1 (getting the damn thing running). Because of the Escondido heat in in June and July I've been slacking in my Monster Garage impersonations. That doesn't mean I haven't been doing stuff...

The slideshow is of a GUI(graphic user interface) front-end program called RoadRunner for use in a Car-PC the "skin" (3rd party customization) is called DigitalFX2.

The PakTrakr's ability to send once a second bursts of information such as:

Pack state of charge
Individual battery voltages
30-day logged data
Amps/Watts
Battery bay temperature
as well as Alerts for
Failing Battery
Pack Imbalance
Damaged Battery
Low State of Charge
Overcharging

via a serial connection to a PC (or smart device with a serial connection)of your choosing, got me into looking at CarPCs. Especially the following combination:

Of course this may be a bit too much on the car's battery, so I figure just the touchscreen and some kind of small portable battery powered PC to connect to it that I can recharge at home or the office.
Doug, who electrified his Ghia has already done something like this and writes about it in his own blog, er Bloghia .

EV ( Electric Vehicle ) Conversion 6-19-2007

2007-06-19T23:37:00.000-07:00

No, I haven't given up.
Those of you checking out the EV-Cam have probably seen me sweating over Electric Glitter Poop, welding, grinding, measuring, cutting, drilling, well you get the picture. I'm just about ready for the rough draft version of my EV conversion (ugly but functional). Battery boxes are pretty much complete. Need to hook up the 12v system (ignition, lights, etc.) over the weekend.

Bryan at Belktronix is going to send me most of the "electronicals" to get me moving. I also went ahead and ordered a PakTrakr system. This week I hope to pick up the batteries for a weekend install. If I'm extremely lucky I may be done in time to test drive at the next EVAofSD meeting.

EV ( Electric Vehicle ) Conversion 6-4-2007

2007-06-04T18:41:00.000-07:00

Added 2 more batteries.

EV ( Electric Vehicle ) Conversion 5-18-2007

2007-05-18T01:05:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of a BradleyGT2 I found on Kevin Beecher's site. All the info (manuals) I was missing re. GT2Electric are here. I copied some of the docs and placed them on Picasa.

Next I copy/pasted a Warp Impulse electric motor picture via Google Images and the batteries from EVconvert.com .

Now I have a basic plan of where the batteries will go.

EV ( Electric Vehicle ) Conversion 5-15-2007

2007-05-15T22:13:00.000-07:00

Kewl thing about having a HomeDepot close by is that I can conveniently pick up things like a welder on my way home.

My father in law (world renowned sculptor Tobias) dropped by a couple of nights to show me the ropes (or welding wire) of welding. While practicing I discovered my artistic side:

Those interested in the above piece titled "Loose Batteries after Collision" are free to submit bids.

EV ( Electric Vehicle ) Conversion 4-30-2007

2007-04-30T19:42:00.000-07:00

Mowed the lawn, replaced the threshold between the kitchen and the foyer, killed a hobo...
Didn't want you to think I've been getting lazy.
One of the hardest parts so far has been the battery selection phase of this project.
I need to know what batteries I'm going with, to

Tell Bryan at Belktronix to optimize his system for them.
Figure out the battery boxes and how to weld and bolt them to the car
Know how many happy hours I'm gonna have to miss this year as discretionary funds will have been spent.

12V AGM Contenders:

Discover Energy EV12A-A
12 Volt 140 Amp. Hrs. @ 20-Hour Rate
1 hour rate (84.0A to 09.00 volts) 84 A.H.
PowerSonic PS-121400FR
12 Volt 140 Amp. Hrs. @ 20-Hour Rate
1 hour rate (84.0A to 09.00 volts) 84 A.H.
Interstate DCM0100
100 Amp. Hrs.@ 20-Hour Rate
1 hour rate (57.0A to 09.60 volts) 57 A.H.

Until the FireFly's are available or Valence come down 50% in price.

EV ( Electric Vehicle ) Conversion 4-22-2007

2007-04-22T22:24:00.000-07:00

1st batch of photos from Earth Day:

M.K. answers his fan's questions.


Lee Campbell and his Solar Assisted Electric S10.	He uses 200 watts of solar panels to charge two 12-volt batteries, one that runs the vehicle accessories and gauges, the other runs the electric power steering.	2 PVC tubes with PC fans ventilate his battery box that holds 20 6-volt, deep-cycle, lead-acid batteries. 4 more in a box up front for a total of 144V.

EV ( Electric Vehicle ) Conversion 4-21-2007

2007-04-21T15:02:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I'll be in a parade alongside a couple dozen alternative fueled vehicles. Most will be electric as many members of the EVAoSD will be in attendance. If you are in the San Diego area drop by the world's largest Earth Day event.

I'm no hippie, but even I know that a smog filled sky can't be doing us much good.

An experiment for all the .001% of doubters still out there, that don't think what we drive matters.
(Caution: Try this only if you drive an EV as you will die otherwise.)

Park in your garage and leave your engine running.
Close the main garage door and all other garage doors and windows.
Duct tape a hose(s) to the tail pipe(s) of your running vehicle.
Lead the hose(s) to your car window and relax awhile.

Disclaimer: You agree not to hold me responsible if you are dumb enough to try the above experiment.

EV ( Electric Vehicle ) Conversion 4-20-2007

2007-04-20T09:21:00.000-07:00

Bob and Joe drag racing their EVs!!!

More pictures and info here.

I missed this event due to having (getting) to go to the Warden's (wife's) friend's b-day party (Hi Joanna!).

EV ( Electric Vehicle ) Conversion 4-18-2007

2007-04-18T22:48:00.000-07:00

Had I been less impulsive, I could have saved myself a whole lot of time and money by starting with the following Bradley GTE.

This version of the car was designed as an EV (electric vehicle) from the start.

For anyone who has been inspired to drive an Electric Bradley and start with an almost completed vehicle: Here's the Dallas Craig'sList ad (copy of ad )and the same car marked up at the everything-VW site Samba (copy of ad).

EV ( Electric Vehicle ) Conversion 4-14-07

2007-04-14T23:30:00.000-07:00

I showed up at the Poway Earth Arbor Day & Clean Car Show today and met up with some of the gang from the EVAoSD (Bill Hammons, President EVAOSD middle). Bob on the right is an actual professional mechanic "Specializing in Electric Vehicle Conversion". I know I'll be calling him. The next photo shows his work on his mini-truck.

I also took some pix of Mr. Q's VW Rabbit,focusing on the vacuum assisted brake system, as I have a couple parts already to build this in my conversion and have no clue how.

The round brake booster is something I have to look up to see if I need it for my car.

I met up with Michael Kadie of SSI Racing Cobra EV fame again while I was there. I'd like to thank everyone who has visited his site from the link in this blog as it gave me some web cred. He was able to track that some of his visitors bailed my site for his.
Also, Joseph S. Gottlieb of was representing with a ZAP Xebra. If I were like the majority of drivers in this country that only drives 25 miles daily, I'd be in one today. Unfortunately my job is 25 freeway miles away just to get there. I can't say enough about how cool Joseph is; and not just because he's offered to help me in any way he can using his resources as an electric car dealer. Anyone who has a chance to hear him speak about EV's in general knows what EV passion is.

EV ( Electric Vehicle ) Conversion 4-12-2007

2007-04-12T21:30:00.000-07:00

Check this out.
Aptera Motors is local.

If this comes out before I'm done with my conversion, I'm buying it (as long as it's freeway legal).
Otherwise the wish list has the VentureOne or the Phoenix Motorcars SUV.

Electric Vehicle ( EV ) Conversion 4-9-2007

2007-04-09T18:00:00.000-07:00

My competition:

Electric Vehicle ( EV ) Conversion 4-8-2007

2007-04-08T12:53:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!

So, I'm cruising eBay motors and I find the following:

I'm imagining had I waited and gotten this one, there would have been a lot less snickering from the gang at work, not to mention a lot less doo-doo related comments about my Root Beer Metallic Disco Brown paint job.

I've been joining online groups left and right, or up or down, or back and forward (anyone with the correct saying for cyberspace let me know). The latest places in which I've prompted the denizens to say "There goes the virtual neighborhood!" are:

Electric Vehicle ( EV ) Conversion 4-7-2007

2007-04-07T23:54:00.000-07:00

ICE removed.

Next week the electric motor gets installed.
I can no longer call my BGT the "Brown Gassy Turd".
So far replacement names are:
"Glitter Poop", and "Marriage Killer"...

Electric Vehicle ( EV ) Conversion 4-6-2007

2007-04-06T21:57:00.000-07:00

Added some gadgets/widgets to blog.
Don't be shy. Sign in on the guestbook.

Also, here's a shout-out to a favorite EV site:

Electric Vehicle ( EV ) Conversion 4-4-2007

2007-04-04T22:17:00.000-07:00

I found my mechanic on Craig's List.
Basically, I figured I could use the help (..er, pay someone who knows what they are doing.)
I went with the lowest quote that I got from all the Mobile Mechanics in the area. Here's the RFQ I sent out:

Would like a quote for the following:

Replace 71 VW beetle drum brakes with Karman Ghia disc brakes.
Install new shocks.
Remove 74 VW SuperBeetle engine from vehicle and replace with another motor.

Lots more work but would like to start with that.

Thanks,
Manny

Richard's Ad:

THE AAA HANDYMAN
Anytime-Anywhere-Anything

Can't beat that.
Nor could anyone beat his quote.

Met him on Sunday, and we went over the job. A little while later he found that he got himself into a lot more than he bargained for. I'll detail the BGT2's problems later.
12 hours later :
1 Shock installed then removed
Old front Brakes removed along with Gas Tank.
It was fun, so we agreed to continue today for another day's work.
I was missing a couple parts that had fallen apart on Sunday, so we went to a shop called VW Paradise not too far away as soon as they opened at 8AM.

Now, I need to work to be able to pay Richard, and I'm also not at a point where I can leave a guy I just met @ my house all alone. That's where the BGT-Cam comes in.
Every once in awhile I'd check in on him via web cam (notice the respect/reverence he has for my car):

Richard praying to the EV gods, and then kneeling to the Bradley GT2.

Here's some footage from the end of the day. Mounts upgraded wheel and then the "Roll Test".

Electric Vehicle ( EV ) Conversion 4-2-2007

2007-04-02T22:03:00.000-07:00

I returned to the DMV today. I've been given until the end of June before I have to take the vehicle for a smog test. 8^)
Once the vehicle is converted I need to have the car re-inspected so that CA recognizes that it is no longer a gasoline powered vehicle.

Electric Vehicle ( EV ) Conversion 4-1-2007

2007-04-01T22:06:00.000-07:00

I ran over my mechanic! Had to call 911 to send an ambulance over...

He asked me to flip on the lights while he was pulling off the gas tank from under the car( I still don't know why).
So I pushed the buttons and nothing happened.
I figured the car had to be running so I turned the ignition on and the car sprang forward.
It was still in gear!!!
He sort of screamed, and it gets a bit hazy from here on, there was some profanities thrown around, and blood, so much blood.
Well ,anywho...
April Fools.

Actually except for the 1st and last sentence, it pretty much happened, the emergency brake held luckily.

Electric Vehicle ( EV ) Conversion 3-28-2007

2007-03-28T20:26:00.000-07:00

Yay!
CHP riveted a couple of dog tags to the car today and I can now go back to the DMV for the next step in the registration process.

They'll probably ask for a smog test which it won't pass. I'll ask for another temporary waiver(s) for the duration of the conversion. The car is still a 1988 but it is noted that it has a 71 pan and a 74 engine.

PS.
I got honked and waved at today by a couple of high school girls on the way to the CHP.

I forgot to mention a couple of girls took pictures of the car the 1st time I filled up at the gas station.(Hmmm maybe I shouldn't go EV...) :)

3-27-2007

Great EVAoSD Meeting.

Joseph S. Gottlieb of was there as a guest speaker. Turns out he's a Bradley GT2 Fan. He even liked the Metallic Rootbeer Brown paint job.

Michael Kadie of SSI-Racing was at the EVAoSD meeting. He has 1 hella-sweet ride.

I was able to get myself on the stand-by list for Abran Quevedo's EV Conversion Class .

Electric Vehicle ( EV ) Conversion 3-25-2007

2007-03-25T13:09:00.000-07:00

3-25-2007
Been reading books, joining online groups, and waiting for the CHP to get back to me.
To see the largest conversion list in one place go here:

I've also been in contact with the following company regarding their EV electronics:
http://www.belktronix.com/

My new job is a 25 mile one way freeway trip away. A round trip may be pushing the capabilities of my EV as currently designed if I can not find a way to charge at work.

Been thinking of solutions to this dilemma...

My second Electric Vehicle Association of San Diego meeting is coming up on Tuesday, March 27th. I attended my 1st meeting last month right before I got the roller and the donor.
The members there are involved in creating EV conversion classes.

Kinda sucks that I won't have more progress to report. Hopefully I can enlist some help while I'm there.

Electric Vehicle ( EV ) Conversion 3-14-2007

2007-03-14T20:33:00.000-07:00

I drove to Oceanside, CA where the nearest CHP station is located.
My VIN inspection appointment was at 8:00AM.
I handed the officer all the paperwork I have to date, answered a few questions regarding my history with the vehicle, my plans to convert to electric, and then waited in the lobby.
About 45 minutes later he handed all the paperwork back to me and said he needed to contact the Maryland DMV to inquire about the vehicle and that he'd get back to me by phone.
He was pretty cool and asked me how long it would take for the conversion. Somewhere in the conversation it sounded like whatever issues may come up would not be project terminators.
I'll be waiting for his call with crossed fingers. Wish me luck.

Electric Vehicle ( EV ) Conversion 3-10-2007

2007-03-10T18:05:00.000-08:00

I've started reading the books I bought from C.W..
Convert It

and
Build Your Own Electric Vehicle

Electric Vehicle ( EV ) Conversion 3-9-2007

2007-03-10T17:15:00.000-08:00

I call up another body shop that sounds interested in giving the car a look. I take a picture of a Viper he has in the shop to see if the hood mechanism can be emulated on the BGT.

He checks out my car and recommends I talk to the shop next door to him.

Bingo!

Reiss Racing does a lot of custom work, the owner gives me a tour of his shop.
There are 4 or 5 off road racing trucks, as well as an old 'Cuda they are working on. They have a really sweet classic Camaro on a lift that looks cherry. The roll bars and welded frames on the trucks he shows me, has me convinced that he'd be able to come in handy in figuring out the battery boxes for the conversion.
He would take on the job to subsidize his racing.
He tells me he has worked on a Bradley before.
Bonus: his rate is less expensive than the other places.

Electric Vehicle ( EV ) Conversion 3-8-2007

2007-03-10T17:04:00.000-08:00

While getting the brakes done on my mustang, I check out shops that may be able to help out with my conversion. I go to 4 or 5 different places and no one seems enthused about working on the BGT.

A custom hot rod shop I call, charges $95 an hour with an estimated 4 hour commitment to check out the gull wing door issue.

The mechanic doing my brakes says he can move the existing body to the other pan as opposed to transplanting the parts (ev motor, brakes, shocks, battery boxes) to the kit car for $1000.

Still looking...

Electric Vehicle ( EV ) Conversion 3-7-2007

2007-03-10T16:54:00.000-08:00

A trip to Home Depot gets me some marine glue and weather stripping.
I use the glue on the existing stripping on the doors as the stripping would come off whenever opening them.
I may use the new stripping on the roof/top of gull-wings as a temporary fix until I contact a body shop for help fixing the doors.

Electric Car Conversion 3-6-2007

2007-03-10T16:46:00.000-08:00

I return to the DMV in the BGT and wait another hour waiting for my number to be called.
A few people come up to me and ask about the vehicle out in the parking lot.
The DMV guy confirms the VIN on the PAN but gives up when he gets to the engine.
He tells me I need to go to the highway patrol (CHP) for further VIN inspection.
He says something about not being able to see any Fed. Cert..
The DMV guy from yesterday comes out to look at the car as well, but not in an official capacity.
I receive a temporary placard that I tape to the rear window.
The CHP schedules me for a VIN inspection on 3-14-2007.

Electric Car Conversion 3-5-2007

2007-03-10T16:44:00.000-08:00

Trip to the DMV.
I pay for title change and registration.
They need to see the vehicle to confirm VIN.
I'm not able to change the title to from 1988 to 1971-74 to reflect age of VW pan or engine.

Electric Car Conversion 3-2-2007

2007-03-10T13:04:00.000-08:00

The BGT2 arrives.
BGT= Bradley GT or Brown Gassy Turd
Wife calls it = Mid-Life Crisis Mobile
Need to come up with a post-conversion name...

Chip the Auto transporter bluetoothed some cameraphone pix from the pick-up and drive from snowy Maryland to sunny southern California.

Here's the BGT unloaded off the transport.

Now to plan the conversion...

Electric Car Conversion 3-1-2007

2007-03-01T16:01:00.000-08:00

Last night I picked up some EV parts from C.W.. He said he was sorry to part with it, but sometimes life gets in the way of this type of hobby. He needed it all moved before today, and so I agreed to buy it all off him, for $3000.

Here's what I moved to our 2 car garage:
Front and rear battery boxes fabricated.
Center rack under construction.
'69 VW IRS pan no rust - with title
New adjustable height front end
New wheel and axle bearings
New coil-over shocks – front and rear
Honda rack and pinion steering and column
New 4 wheel disk brakes
Stainless steel brake hoses
Vacuum pump for power brakes
New brake line kit
New 17" ADR Bronze "Octane" tuner wheels
New Tuner lugs and nuts
225 R17 Falken tires
New Custom billet wheel adapters
New NetGain WarP 9" DC series motor
New Electroautomotive adapter plate
New clutch and pressure plate
New Lightened flywheel
New Urethane transaxle mounts
New Rear sway bar, urethane mounts
New Urethane bump pads
New short trigger shifter, urethane coupler, quick shift kit
Eaton 250 amp circuit breaker
Electric cabling and lugs
Curtis PB6 pot box
NewFuse block and fuses
Approximately 100 yds of fiberglass cloth
2 Books – Build Your Own Electric Vehicle, Convert it
10' lengths of various angle and square mild steel tube

I had to say no to the following to take $2000 off the $5000 he was asking for.
1 pair new Dynamik racing seats
Curtis 300 watt DC to DC converter
Curtis 1231C Motor Controller
(if he still has this in a couple of months, I may still buy these off him as well).
Here's where I found his ad: http://www.austinev.org/evtradinpost/index.php?clearoff=1
Basically he was local, so I figured, we'd meet and if I got a good vibe, I'd go for it.
Pix of the parts are here:EV Picassa Photo Album

Tomorrow the pre-converted vehicle arrives.
The idea is to use the parts above and convert the following to an Electric Vehicle:
Pix are from the Ebay ad. More pix from previous owner here: BGT2 Picassa Album