My wife recorded a short video of the car driving away - and yes I can touch the ground without my butt leaving the seat!
And coming back!
(Don't worry, the dog landed fine. He's only 2 feet off the ground when standing on the car after all.)
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Main Cables Pt. 2
The hole for the main cabling in the trunk was pretty tight and had very sharp edges around it (a Dremel cut it after all!). I was afraid that over time the sides of the hole could cut into the main cables and then hilarity (er, major disaster!) would ensue.
I disconnected the main cables and moved the battery charger out of the way to widen the hole a bit more. I then found a 1" diameter flexible hose in my storage room that was from when the car was still gas. I cut a piece the same distance as the circumference as my hole and then a second cut lengthwise so it would fold open. I wish I had pictures, but I was just playing around with it to see if it would work!
I then stuffed the rubber hose inside the hole...
And pulled the main battery cables through...
It's actually a very nice tight (but not too tight) fit! The rubber is very thick so I feel much more comfortable with the cables being protected from the sharp edge now.
I disconnected the main cables and moved the battery charger out of the way to widen the hole a bit more. I then found a 1" diameter flexible hose in my storage room that was from when the car was still gas. I cut a piece the same distance as the circumference as my hole and then a second cut lengthwise so it would fold open. I wish I had pictures, but I was just playing around with it to see if it would work!
I then stuffed the rubber hose inside the hole...
And pulled the main battery cables through...
It's actually a very nice tight (but not too tight) fit! The rubber is very thick so I feel much more comfortable with the cables being protected from the sharp edge now.
Friday, October 9, 2009
It's Legal!
I called up the Arizona Department of Motor Vehicles and asked about getting the car registered. I'm actually a Texas resident and am moving back to the Great Republic of Texas in December. Rather than having it registered in Arizona, I was able to get a 90 day nonresident permit, perfect! Only $15, no emissions inspections/waivers, and no hassle. When I get back to Texas I'll have to mess with getting it inspected / re-registered, but that's not for a couple months. :-)
Immediately after registration I called up USAA - within minutes I had an e-mail with proof of insurance! They really had no problems at all insuring a converted car.
I still have lots of clean up items to take care of before Bumblebee is a daily driver, but he should have his first out of the neighborhood drive this weekend!
Immediately after registration I called up USAA - within minutes I had an e-mail with proof of insurance! They really had no problems at all insuring a converted car.
I still have lots of clean up items to take care of before Bumblebee is a daily driver, but he should have his first out of the neighborhood drive this weekend!
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Charger
This past weekend I installed the charger permanently into the car. The floor of my trunk isn't very level, so I used some extensions for the back bolts of the charger to get it mounted.
The charger requires a signal from a BMS to operate, but I don't have a BMS installed yet. As a workaround until then, I installed a 9V battery with a switch.
I'm still working on the controller cutting power when I throttle up. Once that's worked out though, I'll venture into the process of getting the car legal!
The charger requires a signal from a BMS to operate, but I don't have a BMS installed yet. As a workaround until then, I installed a 9V battery with a switch.
I'm still working on the controller cutting power when I throttle up. Once that's worked out though, I'll venture into the process of getting the car legal!
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