Electric Motor is here!

I purchased the Advanced DC FB-4001A 144V motor off of ebay. The seller was actually the very reputable EV parts retailer Cloud Electric and I ended up getting it several hundred dollars off what they were listing it at on their site, so I was happy.

The motor is so heavy, ~ 160 lbs, that it had to be shipped freight. This means it comes on a pallet and either I have to pay extra for a lift gate truck to deliver or I have to pick it up myself from the UPS freight center in Saint Louis. I opted to save about $60 and just go pick it up myself. The freight center was an experience in itself but once I figured out where I needed to go they quickly loaded up my new motor onto the back of a f-150 I was borrowing from my father.

Once at home I couldn't wait to open it up to check it out. My model has a dual shaft so the drive shaft sticks out on both ends. Some other EV converters have used the other end to power accessories like power steering, alternator for 12V system, climate control, etc. I don't see how practical that is considering it spins at the motor's RPMs and only when the vehicle is moving. In the end I will probably not use both ends of the motor but at least I have the option.

My camera broke while the family and I were in Florida so sorry no pics. I hope to have a new one soon.

Getting Ready for Battery Boxes

With the motor in place it is time to start on the battery boxes. There will be four boxes in total, one in the front engine compartment (4 batteries), two along the sides of the drive shaft (4 batteries each), and a large box behind the rear axle (6 batteries). I based the design of my boxes off of Kurt's S-10 conversion here.

The frame of the boxes is going to be a combination of square steel tubing and flat steel bar. I have never purchased steel before so I had no idea where to get it. I visited a local welding supply store and they pointed me to a supplier in my town so I headed on over and purchased what I needed. I ended up purchasing the following:

• 1.5" x 1/8" square tube: 28' total - rear box upper supports
  
• 2" x 1/4" bar: 60' total - front and rear box supports
  
• 3" x 1/4" bar: 12' total - rear most box inner supports. Used this wider bar to support the longer spans in the middle of this box.
  
• 2" x 2" x 1/8" angle iron: 8' total - Front battery box

When all said in done I had about $200 worth of steel. I spend a long time trying to figure out how much steel I will need to complete my boxes. I tried using Kurt's list at first but it seemed to be more than I needed.

The next issue I had to solve was how to build the rear cages of the battery box. The problem is the 2" bar I am using needs to be shaped like a 'U' and the batteries placed within them. I initially thought to just used my chop saw to cut the pieces and then weld them back together to make the 'U' shape. This sounded good at first as I already had the welder and chop saw in the garage. However, I opted not to go this route because I have never welded before and am already worried about how strong the welds I need elsewhere are going to be. So rather than add more possibility for failure due to my inexperience, I opted to purchase an oxyacetylene torch and cylinders so I can heat the steel and just bend it. I was shocked at how expensive the cylinders were but I bit the bullet and purchased a 80 cubic foot oxygen and a 75 cubic foot acetylene and a cheap $50 torch off Amazon. I had the option to rent the tanks on a 5 year lease to save a little money (about $100) but ended up not doing that in hopes that if I don't need them in the future I can recoup some of the cost by selling them.

Well it has been an expensive day. Lets hope these are few and far between.

Shopping Spree

My wife is kind enough to be giving me fathers day weekend to work on the truck when my daughter and her go up to Chicago to visit her family. Personally I think this is a great fathers day gift and beats a new tie hands down.

In preparation for the big weekend, actually 4 days but 2 of them I have to work, I am lining up a bunch of parts to be delivered.