Chippyhawkeye 818SE build thread

[wallace18]

Well I am lucky enough to be building another 818S soon. This one will be very different in that it will be all electric. Chip out of Atlanta is having me build the car for him. It will be ready for me to pick up the kit on 9/15/15. I am going to be in NY,NY on the 13th and 14th so I just will go up to FFR and bring home the kit. It will be an S with GTM seats, padded interior parts, powder coated frame, adjustable lower lateral links, trunk kit, wiper kit, soft top& windows, leather steering wheel and adapter, carpet set, alum shift knob, Wilwood pedal box assembly, race mirrors and LHD. We are getting a donor pallet from Wayne at Very Cool Parts as well as a Legacy GT transmission. Power train and batteries will come from EV west who helped E. Hansen on his 818SE. Chip will fill in most of the electrical data on this thread. I will post photos like I did on all my previous threads. I am super excited to do this build. Hope everyone will enjoy the ride with us. More details will come out as we have them. I am getting my truck and trailer all ready and hope to be back starting on it by the 19th. My wife Marsha and dog Gracie is coming along for the ride. We will visit family in NC, PA and NY along the way. Pretty cool combining vacation and a FFR kit pick up. :cool: Wallace18

[Frank818]

Awesome! You'll be able to compare building an petrol engine vs electric, just like Bob.
Why do you mention LHD? Is RHD legal in USA?

What kind of donor pallet Wayne provides? Everything but the engine? Or you get an engine and you sell it afterwards?

[wallace18]

I said LHD because you have to check that box when ordering the kit. Pallet will have only what we need. Wayne is great to work with. VCP is one of the best aftermarket parts places I have ever dealt with.

[wallace18]

Had a slight scare put in me. I have planned to be at FFR on 9/15/15 morning for pick up of kit. Got an email last night saying kit would not be ready till the 19th. Lucky for me the order was accidently put in the wrong pile of kits for the 19th. Kit will be ready on the 12th. Thanks Sally and FFR. :)

[wallace18]

My computer still has some issues from updating to windows 10. I am leaving it at my computer guy while I am away this next 2 weeks. I will take photos of the kit pick up and such but will not be able to post them while I am on the road till I get back. We are heading out Monday morning and should be at FFR on the 15th. Wish us safe travels. I will follow the forum on my wife's IPAD some. Maybe even post a little too. I am very excited about this build . Should be really cool stuff. Take Care and God Bless. TW

[wallace18]

Hitting the road. Should be at FFR on the 15th. Going to visit family.

[wallace18]

Well we had a great visit in Waynesville, NC, Got soaking wet watching the Penn State Football game at State College, PA, LOL. then had a nice visit in NY with Kelly and her husband Jacob. We made it to Wareham last night. We will be at FFR at 9AM to pick up the 818SE kit. I hope I can post pics later tonight. If not I will when we get home on Friday.

[Frank818]

Any insides of the new nose? :)

Availability, orders, etc.

[Kurk818]

Any insides of the new nose? :)

Availability, orders, etc.

I called this morning about the nose. I was informed it was 4 to 6 weeks out.

[Frank818]

Hopefully I'll get mine no later than this winter. There is no way I will fit my body with the old nose/fenders and then change 2 weeks later. loll

tnx for the info! :)

Anyone else going to FFR in say 3-4 weeks? :)

[wallace18]

I called this morning about the nose. I was informed it was 4 to 6 weeks out.

They have quit producing the old nose & fenders. This kit I picked up is the last of the original style. I will personally miss it. 818C was all apart. They are still working out the kinks. I'll post pics on a differant thread. I want to keep this thread about this build.

[wallace18]

We made it to FFR by 9:00 AM Tuesday. It was great to see all my friends at FFR. Everyone is so nice, kind and helpful. We loaded up and left by noon. We are in Milledgeville, GA tonight. Hope to be home by noon tomorrow. Here Is a few pics.

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[Rasmus]

So exciting!

[STiPWRD]

Tom, what chassis number are they up to now? Just curious. Congrats on starting the new project btw, you are certainly living the dream!

[wallace18]

Tom, what chassis number are they up to now? Just curious. Congrats on starting the new project btw, you are certainly living the dream!

#355.

[wallace18]

Made it home today at 11:30 AM. Logged over 3K miles and 65 hours of seat time in the last 10 days. Very tired. I will inventory on Monday. I need to rest and catch up on the home stuff, grass, etc. Here is the rig home in front of the shop safe and sound.

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[wallace18]

I had time this afternoon to empty the trailer. I thought I would share how I do it. I do the whole thing by myself in about an hour. First I remove all the body panels from the chassis. Then I unhook all the straps and place a HF furniture dolly under the center of the frame. I use a floor jack to raise the rear to allow the dolly to be placed. Then I just roll it out the trailer and onto my lift. Then all the boxes come out. I took a picture of all the panels laid out on the grass. Reminds me off model car stuff on the plastic trees. LOL. Just a note. Before I remove the rear bumper from the side panels I mark the area of the rear trans mount. This has to be cut out and it is so easy to mark it now for trimming later. Monday I will do inventory.

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[wallace18]

I had time this afternoon to do the inventory. Only a few items missing. Not bad at all. Looking forward to getting my donor stuff from VCP soon. Will start to paint bare steel parts this week. I see manual is rev 1I. I look forward to seeing the changes from early kits I built.

[K3LAG]

I had time this afternoon to do the inventory. Only a few items missing. Not bad at all. Looking forward to getting my donor stuff from VCP soon. Will start to paint bare steel parts this week. I see manual is rev 1I. I look forward to seeing the changes from early kits I built.

Downloadable manual is up to at least rev 1o.

Larry

[wallace18]

Downloadable manual is up to at least rev 1o.

Larry

Thanks I will ask for it.

[wallace18]

Had 4 hours to work on the kit today. I first cleaned and painted several of the bare steel parts for the car. I use Eastwood rust encapsulater followed by Gloss chassis black. This has work well for me on 5 previous builds. I also mounted the Willwood mounting plate and mocked up all the front aluminum. Tomorrow I have a guest coming to see the kit. Then after that I will clean the aluminum, rough it up some and coat the outside with black truck bed coating. This is an excellent covering that keeps the aluminum from getting damaged by road debris. On the interior side I will use Eastwood thermocoustic for sound and heat insulation.

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[wallace18]

Today I was able to get in a few hours on the kit. I had 3 people come over to look at the kit and ask questions. I'll post about that in the general area. Today I cleaned and coated the front aluminum and mounted it as well. I also mocked up the side aluminum with cleckos. Just a tip , if you have 2 panels that are mirror images like the side ones. Drill your holes in one and use it to mark the holes in the other. That way both side look alike. I also painted the door frames and the rest of the bare metal stuff for now.

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[wallace18]

Today I did the inside aluminum of the interior and fitted the firewall. I also made some block off plates at the front since we won't have cooling tubes running up front. I also silicone sealed up any gaps in the front and side areas. I also mounted the Willwood pedal box and master cyl's. The donor pallet should be here on Friday. I may start of some front suspension stuff tomorrow. We decided to go with the 818 FFR wheels.

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[Frank818]

Again nice stuff, continue your work like that and you will finish another build before I complete mine! lolll That's how great you work. :)

[wallace18]

Frank it is not how fast you do it. But how much fun you have doing it. LOL.

[wallace18]

Had a lot of personal stuff to do today. But I got a few hours in this afternoon. I drilled and coated the 2 under the car aluminum plates. 160 3/16" holes drilled over my head with the chassis on my lift as high as it goes. Talk about an arm pump, LOL. Worth the effort though. Coated with truck bed liner on the bottom. Just as a note: FFR has modified the 2 under car plates. They now cover all the holes to the interior floor.

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[Frank818]

You're right! Frustration often takes over everything else. But still, you get to do them with fun AND fast, now that's a miracle. :)

Just a reminder, are you retired from "normal" work or you still have a 40-50h/week job?

[wallace18]

You're right! Frustration often takes over everything else. But still, you get to do them with fun AND fast, now that's a miracle. :)

Just a reminder, are you retired from "normal" work or you still have a 40-50h/week job?

I retired from GRU about 3 years ago. I do what I want when I want. That is what I worked hard for and saved for over the last 30+ years. Retirement for me is the best thing since sliced bread, LOL.

[wallace18]

Had some time before I go watch the Florida/Tenn. Football game. I made some seat brackets for the GTM seats. I used 1" square tubing and modified the kits Subie Brackets. Then I painted them with Eastwood rust encapsulater. Came out nice IMO. I highly recommend you mock up your seat brackets before mounting the aluminum floor and side panels. It makes it so much easier IMO.

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[wallace18]

Wayne dropped by about 2PM with the donor stuff. All looks great. Legacy trans is very nice. He even added some new parts as well. This was so much better IMO than getting a donor car and having to deal with the leftovers to get rid of. I had to show Wayne my Type 65 Coupe. He gets in and out better than me for sure, LOL. VCP donor pallets are a great way to go IMO. New builders should think about doing that for sure. Here is a few pics.

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[wallace18]

Did not have time to work on kit today. However these very nice tires came UPS. FFR wheels to be coming soon.

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[ninjanick]

Today I did the inside aluminum of the interior and fitted the firewall. I also made some block off plates at the front since we won't have cooling tubes running up front. I also silicone sealed up any gaps in the front and side areas. I also mounted the Willwood pedal box and master cyl's. The donor pallet should be here on Friday. I may start of some front suspension stuff tomorrow. We decided to go with the 818 FFR wheels.

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The last attached photo shows a much different rear panel than I have. Is this new? From the looks of it, that rear section would fit rectangular batteries much nicer than the angle 2 piece panels that I have.

[ninjanick]

Had a lot of personal stuff to do today. But I got a few hours in this afternoon. I drilled and coated the 2 under the car aluminum plates. 160 3/16" holes drilled over my head with the chassis on my lift as high as it goes. Talk about an arm pump, LOL. Worth the effort though. Coated with truck bed liner on the bottom. Just as a note: FFR has modified the 2 under car plates. They now cover all the holes to the interior floor.

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I noticed the underseat aluminum sheet is oversized for the opening. When you say all the holes to the interior floor you are talking about the holes present underneath the foot well areas (area just forward of the seat)? When I fit up that piece the front section overlapped that area by a good 4". Did you just rivet into the frame as usual and cover the rest in silicon RTV? I imagined placing rivets to secure the forward section, but thought I'd have to reverse them so as to not get a protrusion through the floor. Looking at your pictures, it looks like you opt'd to push the panel farther back towards the rear and not rivet the forward "tab". Is that the correct method of mounting?

[07FIREBLADE]

That's what I did. But it felt really strange having such a big piece that clearly didn't fit right.

[wallace18]

I covered all the openings and used 1/8" rivets in the tab area. I used 3/16" on the large area. If you line up the tab to just cover the 2 small rectangle holes the rest just falls into place IMO. The front part just line it up with the front frame rails and it covers the small holes up front.

[wallace18]

Busy day today. I had to order some parts as well as I started cleaning up donor stuff. I descaled, and ran some stuff through the Blast cabinet. Then I painted with rust encapsulater then chassis paint. I did the same to the brake calipers but used high temp. caliper paint. I also painted the steering column stuff black to match our interior.

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[Frank818]

I see you used vinyl spray on the column parts. That might work better than plastidip, I tried plastidip in blue and was so hard to get the color out of it. Plastidip is supposed to work on all surfaces, maybe it requires more coats. That vinyl spray is only available gloss and there are in matte (no matter the color)?

[wallace18]

Today was all about cleaning and prepping donor parts. Rust is just something you have to deal with on donor parts. I wire brush, blast cab and then coat with rust encapsulater. Then Chassis paint. I had to replace the lower ball joints up front with new ones. I also got the Door hinges, rear hood hinges, rack, steering knuckles, rear knuckles, Front lower control arms, rear lower control arms and steering coupler. It took 2 hours to get the long bolt loose on one of the rear knuckles for the lower rear lateral links. I wish Subaru would use anti-seize there, LOL. Here is some pics.

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[RM1SepEx]

The last attached photo shows a much different rear panel than I have. Is this new? From the looks of it, that rear section would fit rectangular batteries much nicer than the angle 2 piece panels that I have.

Tom, the new gas tank allows for more seat room, requires a different rear panel

[wallace18]

Tom, the new gas tank allows for more seat room, requires a different rear panel
Dan it still does not give as much room as the boyd tank IMO.

[ninjanick]

Dan it still does not give as much room as the boyd tank IMO.

Could definitely work better for a battery box or 2.:D

[wallace18]

Had a very good day today. Got a lot done. Mounted all the front suspension, steering gear, Steering wheel, rear lower control arms, rear knuckles and A/C condenser. It is very nice when every thing fits well. Parts should be here tomorrow to get going more on the rear suspension.

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[wallace18]

Today I had to go to a u-pull-it junk yard to get a few bolts and stuff the donor had that were bad. I also installed the floor under the seat area and checked out the A/C evaporator fit inside the car. It looks like it was made for it. It is a Vintage Air Mini Gen 2 unit. Also the flywheel and clutch stuff came yesterday late, Nice pick Chip, that flywheel is awesome and we can get rid of the ring gear to save more weight. here is some pics.

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[Bob_n_Cincy]

checked out the A/C evaporator fit inside the car. It looks like it was made for it. It is a Vintage Air Mini Gen 2 unit.
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Tom,
That fits great.
Do you know if your customer is going to run the air conditioner compressor off a separate electric motor or will he belt drive it off the main traction motor?
Bob

[wallace18]

Tom,
That fits great.
Do you know if your customer is going to run the air conditioner compressor off a separate electric motor or will he belt drive it off the main traction motor?
Bob
Bob it is a special electric compressor. Chip my customer will fill in those details. He is getting most of the EV parts for this build. I am taking care of the normal automotive stuff as well as the assembly. Chip and EV West are the guru's on the electric part.

[chippyhawkeye]

Tom,
That fits great.
Do you know if your customer is going to run the air conditioner compressor off a separate electric motor or will he belt drive it off the main traction motor?
Bob

Hi Bob,

I picked a Benling Electric A/C Compressor after studying all the options available. I think it will work well for this application. Attached some photos.

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thanks,

Chip

[wallace18]

Today I had a few hours to spend on the kit. I degreased and power washed the transmission, Then I did the 2wd conversion. I had to engine turn the FFR rear block off plate. It is the hot rod in me, LOL. Unfortunately the brake rotors and pads came in the wrong size. I have to send them back and have the company send the correct ones. I knew it was going too easy, LOL. Here is some before and after pics of the trans.

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[wallace18]

Busy day today both in and out of my shop. In the shop I installed the master cylinders reservoirs, hoses, brake lines and flex lines to the calipers on the front of the car. I also installed the FFR supplied axles to the inner CV's on the Legacy trans. *** Note:*** If you are installing the Wilwood pedal assembly to your 818 and the FFR wiper kit do not install the reservoirs where the directions say to. They will not fit and hit the wiper bracket and transmission arms. See where I mounted them. They are out of the way there. I was fortunate to have put the wiper kit on my last customer car so I caught this right away. I have some pics here to show what I mean. I also last week had http://huegenics.com/ my paint shop paint the windshield frame. I picked it up today and took it Mauldin's Auto Glass for windshield glass install and molding. I hope to do the rear brake lines and clutch lines tomorrow.

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[wallace18]

Another busy day today. I ran and mounted all the rear brake lines, hoses and calipers. Also ran the clutch line, hose and slave. I mounted the rear shocks and most of the rear suspension. I mounted the 12circuit fuse panel from E-Z wiring for all the 12V normal car circuits. I also mounted the A/C evaporator. I used the mount on the unit as well as the 2 straps that came with the unit. It is very solid and plenty of room for my size 12 feet underneath. I ran the rear brake line like I did on my Orange 818 . Mike Everson had a good idea IMO. Lots of parts should be showing up later this week. Still plenty to keep me busy.

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[wallace18]

Today I had the tires mounted and balanced on the wheels, boy they sure look good, IMO. I also mounted the A/C compressor and made up some mounts. I used grade 8 hardware with rubber isolator washers. I finished up the rear axles after hunting down some circlips for the rear outer CV's. I started to temp in wiring route for the lights front and back as well.

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[wallace18]

Today was an up and down kind of day! Late yesterday the rotors and pads came in from E-Bay. I had to send the first set back they did not fit. Well guess what, the second set did not fit either. As it turns out the donor parts we got had Impreza 2.5 N/A rotors and pads. After a little looking up on AutoZone's website it seems that the WRX limited used the Impreza brakes and not the normal WRX brakes. Go figure? Well I am fortunate the E-Bay seller takes returns and I did not have to pay shipping to return. AutoZone had what I needed in stock. So all I got done was finally the rotors and pads, the rear e-brake shoes, cables, hardware the rear lateral links and some wires routed. Good news is the K-Tuned shifter showed up and the A/C drier switch did too. I'll be doing some A/C hose work tomorrow for sure.

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[BN]

Hi my favorite senior member do you need special hoses and cramping tool

[wallace18]

Hi my favorite senior member do you need special hoses and cramping tool

I bought the hose kit from Vintage Air and I have a A/C crimping tool I bought from Tool Topia. Is it getting cold up there? we are at 60 degree F in the morning now.

[BN]

I wish 32°f over why're I leave

[wallace18]

It seemed like I spent a lot of time in the shop but did not get a whole lot done. I did mount the A/C condenser fan and made a shroud for it to pull air across the whole thing. I also made up all the A/C hoses except the ones to the compressor. It seems like my mounting will not work. I have to rotate it 90 degrees so the oil does not run out the suction line. Oh well , back to the drawing board, LOL. I did pick up some metal from tractor supply to fab up some motor mount templates for the electric motors. I'll start that on Monday.

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[wallace18]

Took Sunday and Monday for the most part. Today I mounted the trans and made up a motor mount plate for EV-West to fabricate their motor mounts for the E-Motors and adapter plate. I also mounted the K-Tuned shifter and cables. FFR has changed the rear trans bracket for the cables. Now a 2 piece unit. Very nice IMO. It took some modifying the VCP brackets some as well as using half of the FFR bracket to get everything lined up and working correctly. I also started on the new A/C compressor mounts. Waiting on some rubber shock absorbers for the compressor to dampen any vibrations.

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[PleiadsMan]

Looking good, you definitely have more patients then I do!

[PleiadsMan]

How much are you into the build money wise?

[wallace18]

How much are you into the build money wise?

That is a private matter between me and my customer. I hope you understand.

[BN]

Hi can you tell me a little bit how elec. motor with a transmission when you use the clutch

[ninjanick]

Are you using the original engine mounts to secure the trans/motor combo? Are you going to secure towards the front of the motor as well or leave it free?

[Bob_n_Cincy]

Hi can you tell me a little bit how elec. motor with a transmission when you use the clutch

The electric motor will have an adapter plat on it the make the motor look just like a Subaru engine.

Shifting is a little different on and electric system as the electric motor doesn't have to Idle.
to go:
1. Push clutch in.
2 put in first or second gear.
3 Let clutch out. (vehicle doesn't move)
4 Press on the torque pedal and the vehicle accelerates.
5 shift like normal
6 when coming to a stop, you don't have to put the clutch in.

After a day or 2, it will feel very natural.
Bob

[wallace18]

Thanks Bob. I will get to experience that in the near future.

[chippyhawkeye]

We're currently planning to use the original motor mounts. I'll post some images from the 3d model once it's final. We're going to use dual AC51 motors from HPEVS stacked on top of each. other. Should deliver 175 Electric HP. 200 ft-lbs of torque from 0-4500 RPM's.

[wallace18]

Today I finished up the shifter mounting and did the e- brake assembly as well as some center tunnel aluminum. When I do not have to deal with the factory wiring harness, I like to use a Lokar E-Brk. IMO it is much cleaner looking and not so intrusive as the stock one. I do away with the cable from the 2 cables to the e-brk. and use a 1/4-20 threaded rod for adjustment purposes. The 1st photo shows what I mean with the unit upside down. Using the K-Tuned shifter means one has to modify the tunnel aluminum some. I will also modify the center console to fit better as well. I ordered a battery for the 12V stuff and need to order a rear trans mount. The donor one is starting to separate. Not good! Should have hardware to finish up A/C compressor mounts and hoses tomorrow. Auto Glass shop called, They need windshield frame on car to properly install glass. This is how I did all my other cars. Shop owner wanted to try with just the frame and glass. He thought better of it. I'll go get it tomorrow.

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[Frank818]

I approve the K shifter choice. :)

Is it me or there's a cut in the aluminum tunnel cover right under the rear of the shifter? Looks like you made it 2-piece?

Also, it's the first time I see "electric hp", does it mean 175ehp do not equal 175bhp (or whp)?

[BN]

Thanks for the info

[BN]

The electric motor will have an adapter plat on it the make the motor look just like a Subaru engine.

Shifting is a little different on and electric system as the electric motor doesn't have to Idle.
to go:
1. Push clutch in.
2 put in first or second gear.
3 Let clutch out. (vehicle doesn't move)
4 Press on the torque pedal and the vehicle accelerates.
5 shift like normal
6 when coming to a stop, you don't have to put the clutch in.

After a day or 2, it will feel very natural.
Bob
Thanks for the info.

[chippyhawkeye]

I don't think ehp really means anything I was just highlighting the fact that it was hp generated from an electric motor instead of ic engine. The biggest difference is that the torque is completely flat and maxed out from 0 rpm's so it feels like and acts like more than the equivalent hp from an ic engine.

[wallace18]

I approve the K shifter choice. :)

Is it me or there's a cut in the aluminum tunnel cover right under the rear of the shifter? Looks like you made it 2-piece?

Also, it's the first time I see "electric hp", does it mean 175ehp do not equal 175bhp (or whp)?

You have a keen eye, LOL. Yes my brake/shear unit is 30" long and I cut it there so I could get a nice even cut with my shear.

[wallace18]

Today I finished up the A/C compressor and hoses. Now the A/C is closed up. I mounted the front wheels and tires. I had to see them on the chassis, LOL. I got back the windshield frame and mounted it and the dash. Lots of room under the dash for A/C hoses. The padded dash is very nice IMO. It did take more fasteners to keep the front of it flush with the windshield frame than the fiberglass one though. I also mocked up some battery locations using a box about the size of the battery packs. It looks like 8 will fit where the gas tank normally is. We have lots of options for the other 12.

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[RM1SepEx]

LiFePo4 batteries? If so 20, 200AH batteries at a nominal 3.2 volts? and about 300 lbs??? :o just a SWAG!

[chippyhawkeye]

LiFePo4 batteries? If so 20, 200AH batteries at a nominal 3.2 volts? and about 300 lbs??? :o just a SWAG!

Pretty good swag... (20) 6.4V 187.5AH, (2S75P 18650 Modules), roughly 375lbs with all the packaging.

[RM1SepEx]

6.4 nominal... who makes those? Ddid you make up your own with Headway cells or something?

[chippyhawkeye]

Sorry, I think that is me not knowing what the definition of nominal is. Was looking at the discharge curves and guessing what the average was under load. They are Samsung 25R 18650 Cells. According to the spec sheet 3.6V nominal, so with two in series these will actually be 7.2 nominal.

[RM1SepEx]

much better than off the shelf LiFEPO4's, have fun building your battery boxes etc... good luck looks like a fun setup. any range and performance estimates or goals?

[wallace18]

Today I started to mock up center console. Can not use FFR unit due to A/C and K-Tuned shifter. It will house A/C controls, charging port for cell phone and possible gauges. I am putting the car to sleep for the next 4 days. Big car show and Church stuff to do.

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[billjr212]

TThe padded dash is very nice IMO. It did take more fasteners to keep the front of it flush with the windshield frame than the fiberglass one though.

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If you use this many attachment points, how are you going to remove the dash once the windshield is in?

I got the padded dash as well. Wrapped the front edge with a piece of rubber weatherstripping (same stuff I used around the headlights), put a piece of foam weatherstripping across the entire fiberglass lip on the windshield, and used 2 bolts, one at each corner, to hold it in place. No rattling, no movement.

-Bill

[wallace18]

If you use this many attachment points, how are you going to remove the dash once the windshield is in?

I got the padded dash as well. Wrapped the front edge with a piece of rubber weatherstripping (same stuff I used around the headlights), put a piece of foam weatherstripping across the entire fiberglass lip on the windshield, and used 2 bolts, one at each corner, to hold it in place. No rattling, no movement.

-Bill I use button head screws. I can remove with windshield in easy. Done it 2 times before.

[Bob_n_Cincy]

I use button head screws. I can remove with windshield in easy. Done it 2 times before.
Hi Tom,
Great job on this build. (and the other 2)
I put my glass in before my dash, So no way to drill those holes. Are you using revnuts in the windshield frame?
I have to change the order on my second car and move the glass to last.
Bob

[wallace18]

Hi Tom,
Great job on this build. (and the other 2)
I put my glass in before my dash, So no way to drill those holes. Are you using revnuts in the windshield frame?
I have to change the order on my second car and move the glass to last.
Bob
Yes, that is what I do. Rivnuts in the windshield frame. I have yet had to remove the dash after windshield is in, but it is nice to be able to do it if I need to. Windshield is usually done as the last thing before installing bodywork after paint. That is why I screw the body on and not rivet anything.

[ninjanick]

Who's making the modules? I haven't seen that configuration before. Any worry about cooling? Since that's about 144V, I'm guessing AC motor? Should give you about 70-80 miles?

[chippyhawkeye]

I'm still working on the module supplier. I work with a small company in Asia in another business that is willing to make them for me. I still need to finish the design. I don't think I'll have to worry about heat, my peak draw will only by about 60% of the cells rated continuous current. I'm hoping for around 100 miles. Erik Hanson said he got about 50 in a hilly area with 100AH and 144 Volts. I'll have 187AH and a little less weight. But I've also got Air Conditioning so maybe 60:)

[wallace18]

Today was a good day! I installed the A/C vents, Defrost vents in the dash. I finished up the center console and mounted the A/C controls. I made the center and the passenger side of the console screw together. The drivers side is riveted. Covered in black vinyl on the top. The bottom will be black carpet later in the build. I tested everything with my trusty 4 amp fuse circuit protector, LOL. All A/C functions are working great! Plenty of room to add stuff to the console later if needed. I also replace damaged rear trans. mount.

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[wallace18]

Today was a wiring day. No pics to show. I was able to wire up the ignition switch, horns, A/C condenser fan circuit and power to climate control system. Note: The donor column had some sort of key lock feature that would not allow me to remove key from ignition switch. The solenoid for it was defective. I ended up removing it, now the key works as it should. Must have been some sort of theft deterrent system item gone wrong. Hope to get all the light circuits working tomorrow. Integrating Subaru to EZ-wiring harness is a fun experience. LOL.

[wallace18]

Another good day. Wired up the headlight circuits, parking/Tail light circuits, Stop lights, Back up lights, Turn signal lights and 4-way flasher circuit. Had to go to a U-Pull it junk yard to get front TS/Prk light sockets. Using LED 1157 bulbs to keep down amp draw. I used relays for lights left over from my first 818S build. Glad I did not throw that stuff out, LOL. Tomorrow will be wipers circuit and tidy up wiring for now. Next week start on body stuff.

[wallace18]

4680046801

Today I install the wiper motor and wired it up. All functions working fine once I got the wiring correct. Plug for motor was wired incorrect for a 2002, it was wired for a 2004. Also install and cut to length the A/C duct hoses. Tidied up wires around steering column and dash area also.

[BN]

Hi on the picture I notice grease nipple on top of A arms Somme people are saying they go under which is it thanks

[wallace18]

Hi on the picture I notice grease nipple on top of A arms Somme people are saying they go under which is it thanks

IMO up is easier to service. The top ball joint already faces up anyway. Why not have them all face the same way to service them?

[wallace18]

Today I did some body work. I mounted the rear tail lights, turn/back up lights, license frame and rear mesh in the rear bumper. ( How about that Gator tag!, LOL.)I also mount mesh in front hood. These are the only places mesh will go since it is a E-Car. I started to mount the side pods and the headlight buckets. This kit has the newer plastic headlight buckets. I was able to make them fit very nice by massaging them some with a heat gun. Kit is coming together very nice. I am impressed with the updates FFR has made to the kit vs older ones. Some very nice mods, IMO.

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[Hindsight]

Wow, this is coming together very quickly. Quite a stark comparison to my progress of soldering a dozen wires or so per week! Can't wait to ride in an electric 818!

[wallace18]

Today I finished up the headlight buckets and mounted the headlights. I hung the front end on the chassis with a couple of clamps and finish terminating all the wires to the headlights/parking/turn signals up front. I mounted the side sails using 10-32 & 1/4-20 screws. I used the same hardware to mount the rear bumper. I just laid the 2 rear hoods in place to check fit and did some shaping around the roll bar area to get a good fit. Every body panel except the removable hoods will be mounted with S/S screws or bolts so it can come apart for paint/ wrap or service. I just do not see the sense of riveting panels IMO. Tomorrow will be more panel fitting and maybe doors and fenders.

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[wallace18]

Today I finished up terminating all the rear wiring and tested everything. All works as it should. Everything but the headlights are LED. I used Weather- Tec wire connectors in the rear so the entire rear bumper can be removed easily. I finished up the hood pins on the rear hump panel and started on the trunk lid. Still have some work to do on the trunk lid tomorrow. I hope to install the new trunk kit tomorrow as well and make it removable as well. Hard to believe I picked up the kit 43 days ago, LOL. Guess I am getting better at building 818's, LOL.

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[wallace18]

Today I finished up the trunk lid and installed the FFR trunk kit. Kudos to FFR for making such a nice trunk kit. It installed very easy, IMO. Also it really stiffens up the rear of the hump panel. On my previous builds this was a flimsy area of the car. Some members have made braces for this area. The trunk kit fixes the problem great, IMO. Looks nice too! I may carpet the bottom of it when I get near the end of the build. The gaps on the rear panels are almost a perfect 3/16" all the way. I am either getting good at this or lucky, LOL. Taking the next 3 days off the project. I have to clean up the shop and car show this Sat.

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[Canadian818]

Enjoying your latest build Wallace. You've become quite proficient at building these. Good work.

[Frank818]

That really is a fast build, full time or not, it's fast, real fast. And looking really good too!

[wallace18]

Today was one of those days when not every thing went the way you would like it to. I was hoping to mount the doors, fenders and front end. On mounting the door frames I found out my donor stuff had 3 lower hinges and only 1 upper. Off I went to the U-Pull-It boneyard for the correct hinge. Then I found out I was missing the counter sunk screws to mount the latches. Wayne owes me lunch!!! LOL. Off to Lowes to get the correct hardware. So I only got the Passenger door mounted and the drivers frame mounted. I use a little trick on mounting the doors I will share. I place a 1/4" shim under the front lower frame where the 2 lower screws hold the door skin to the frame. I also put a 3/8 shim on the read pad that the latch bolts to. I then tighten all the hinge bolts down and it gets me very close to a perfect fit when I mount the door skin. I counter sink the latch bolts like the GRM build and use Wayne's flashlight trick for the rear catch holes in the body. Very easy to install them, IMO. I end up with 3/16" gaps.

Wrong! ------------ Right!
47102 47103


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[wallace18]

Today I finished up the doors on both sides. I also mounted the door panels, door handles and misc. door parts. I am waiting on some special plastic rivets to finish up the door panels. Here is some pics.

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[BN]

Nice work keep me some ha!ha!ha!

[wallace18]

Today I had to mow the grass all morning, UGH! I did get to work 4 hours on the kit. I have the front fenders and front end 90% mounted. I just laid the hood on to see how much I have to adjust the top of the fenders for a good fit. Hope to get the hood done tomorrow. Coming along very nice, IMO.

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[billjr212]

Today I finished up the trunk lid and installed the FFR trunk kit. Kudos to FFR for making such a nice trunk kit. It installed very easy, IMO. Also it really stiffens up the rear of the hump panel. On my previous builds this was a flimsy area of the car. Some members have made braces for this area. The trunk kit fixes the problem great, IMO. Looks nice too! I may carpet the bottom of it when I get near the end of the build. The gaps on the rear panels are almost a perfect 3/16" all the way. I am either getting good at this or lucky, LOL. Taking the next 3 days off the project. I have to clean up the shop and car show this Sat.

46988

Nicely done! I ended up with a monster gap between the back edge of the trunklid and the rear clip. I had hoped the spoiler would help cover it up, but no luck. Yet another winter project.

Agree that the trunk kit was nice and easy. Any plan to brace/support the bottom of the trunk pan down to the frame? I hit a mental block anytime I consider putting more than a few pounds worth of stuff in the trunk.

[wallace18]

Nicely done! I ended up with a monster gap between the back edge of the trunklid and the rear clip. I had hoped the spoiler would help cover it up, but no luck. Yet another winter project.

Agree that the trunk kit was nice and easy. Any plan to brace/support the bottom of the trunk pan down to the frame? I hit a mental block anytime I consider putting more than a few pounds worth of stuff in the trunk.

I do not see the need for that, unless you are carrying cement blocks, LOL.

[wallace18]

Today I got back the mesh from the powder coaters. Looks good in gloss black. Nice call, Chip. I finished up the front fenders and hood. Tomorrow I will finish up the wiper cowl on the front hood. Then I will take the body back off and start on the interior stuff.

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[wallace18]

Finished up the hood, wiper cowl and fenders today. Taking the weekend off. Car shows with my Coupe. I personally like the FFR wiper kit. Chip, the black mesh goes well with the wiper cowl, IMO.

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[BN]

Wiper kit look real nice good jobs

[wallace18]

Well I finished up the front fenders and mounted some aluminum panels. The front splash shields I cover the outside with truck bed liner to protect from road debris. I will mount some rear splash shields tomorrow and finish up removing the body.

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[wallace18]

Installed the front splash shields and started to take body back off.

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[wallace18]

Today I mocked up the rear splash shields. I borrowed a trick from Mike Everson's build and made my rear wheel wells removable. The only difference is I bent the FFR tab over to give more to grab the half moon tin. This way you can remove a few screws and the whole thing comes out in one piece. If you ever had to remove a transmission in a finished 818 you know how handy this will be, LOL. I then coated them with truck bed liner. Removed the rest of the body and power washed every body part. Tomorrow is body buck making day. Body goes out for paint on the 23rd. My customer picked a really cool color. An Audi color Daytona grey pearl. Should look awesome when done.

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[wallace18]

After sweeping out all that fiberglass dust, cough, cough. I was able to work on my body buck to take the body parts to the painter on the 23rd. It was not too bad I mostly assembled the body with 2-3" standoffs and then made a wood frame on wheels to support it all. Normally I take the car to my painter, Huegenics and they work on the chassis some then we take off the body and set it on a body buck like this. I am using a different painter for this build. I wanted to have the body on a buck so he knows a little how it goes together. I still have lots of work to do on the interior and waiting on the EV stuff from EV west. So he can get going on the bodywork and paint in the mean time.

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[wallace18]

Today I worked on painting some interior aluminum with black wrinkle paint, Mocking up the hump panel and started on mounting the 3-point seat belts. I use Rivnuts to mount the hump panel. I also drilled, tapped and mounted the FFR shifter knob to the K-Tuned shifter.

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[Frank818]

I like the fact you post pix in every post.

Pic 6 last post: what will bolt in the 2 rivnuts on top of the crossbar (V shape in the middle over the engine)?
I am very interest in the part you are at now, cuz I have cut those bars for my engine and want to see how the FFR alu panels are installed. I'll take any close pix in any different angles you can take of any steps. :)

[wallace18]

I like the fact you post pix in every post.

Pic 6 last post: what will bolt in the 2 rivnuts on top of the crossbar (V shape in the middle over the engine)?
I am very interest in the part you are at now, cuz I have cut those bars for my engine and want to see how the FFR alu panels are installed. I'll take any close pix in any different angles you can take of any steps. :)

In the next picture the part of the hump panel that screws to the frame is what the Rivnuts in the frame is secured with. The roll bar is in the way to use the frame that the other Rivnuts are in. When I post the finished piece you will see what I am talking about.

[wallace18]

Finished up the hump panels. I covered them with headliner material and edge trim. Also finished up seat belts except for inner receptacles. Had my lovely wife, Marsha help me bleed the brakes and adjust e-brk. Also drilled and Tapped the center rear firewall so that every part of the rear firewalls can come out easy if needed.

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[wallace18]

I like the fact you post pix in every post.

Pic 6 last post: what will bolt in the 2 rivnuts on top of the crossbar (V shape in the middle over the engine)?
I am very interest in the part you are at now, cuz I have cut those bars for my engine and want to see how the FFR alu panels are installed. I'll take any close pix in any different angles you can take of any steps. :)
Frank you can most likely just screw that panel down on the bar under the roll bar. I do not think it will be a big issue not to have those screws in the part you cut out, IMO.

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[Frank818]

Interesting indeed.

I'll take measurement of how wide (back to front) is that alu piece, I wonder if my cam cover will interfere with the alu piece.

[wallace18]

Today I mounted the 12V voltmeter, the USB outlet and recovered the center of the console with carbon fiber wrap. Wired all of that up. I am going to Moultrie swap meet all day tomorrow and will be taking the body to the painter on Monday.

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[Coolspot]

Had a lot of personal stuff to do today. But I got a few hours in this afternoon. I drilled and coated the 2 under the car aluminum plates. 160 3/16" holes drilled over my head with the chassis on my lift as high as it goes. Talk about an arm pump, LOL. Worth the effort though. Coated with truck bed liner on the bottom. Just as a note: FFR has modified the 2 under car plates. They now cover all the holes to the interior floor.

4593445935

Looking at those pictures I was wondering what steps you go thru to paint all the aluminium panels?
Drill with Cleco, debur, paint, rivet with silicone?

Another thing, what kind of lift is this? Satisfied?

[wallace18]

Looking at those pictures I was wondering what steps you go thru to paint all the aluminium panels?
Drill with Cleco, debur, paint, rivet with silicone?

Another thing, what kind of lift is this? Satisfied?

Drill, Cleco, debur, clean with acetone, scuff surface with 60 grit, paint on truck bedliner then silicone and rivet. They are from Direct Lift. Very happy I had2 post for 7 years, 4 post for 3.

[Coolspot]

Drill, Cleco, debur, clean with acetone, scuff surface with 60 grit, paint on truck bedliner then silicone and rivet. They are from Direct Lift. Very happy I had2 post for 7 years, 4 post for 3.

Thank you!

[wallace18]

Took the body to a paint shop I normally do not use today for paint. The entire staff is very pumped to be working on the 818! They begged me to allow them to see the car when finished. I told them of course. Here is a picture with the owner, his son and other employee. They are so stoked, it was great to see their faces light up when I brought the body to them. I finished up wiring the sound system. It is a system my customer picked out. We use an amp, nice speakers up front in the side area and a blue tooth setup for his phone. He wanted everything hidden so I was able to mount it under the dash out of sight but still have access to adjust it if needed. Hope to get some stuff from EV West soon. I am close to running out of things to do till that stuff gets here. I have some big shows this month anyway. Turkey rod run on Sat.

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[Wayne Presley]

Looks great Tom!

[wallace18]

Yesterday I had some time to install the steering column covers. I redid them with black wrinkle paint to match some other interior parts. I also added some thermocoustic to the sides and made carpet triangles to fill in where the seats go. I hope to start on the instrument cluster panel some on Monday. Maybe more carpet also. Benoit and his wife came by to visit from Canada and looked over the build. He will build a 818C Automatic for his wife soon.

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[Frank818]

Nice SW cover! What did you use for the part close to the dash? Aluminum that you fabed?

[wallace18]

Nice SW cover! What did you use for the part close to the dash? Aluminum that you fabed?
Same thing I used on my previous 2 818S builds. Black headliner material. You can get it at many Fabric or craft stores.

[Frank818]

But isn't headliner material very soft and malleable? How can it keep its shape?
I guess I didn't see that in your other 2 builds and it slipped through my fingers.

[wallace18]

But isn't headliner material very soft and malleable? How can it keep its shape?
I guess I didn't see that in your other 2 builds and it slipped through my fingers.

Frank you want something soft so when you raise or lower the column it moves with it and conforms. JMO.

[Frank818]

Yeah I understand that, makes sense. What I don't understand is how does it keeps its form when you don't move it?
I mean the headliner I have pictured in my head is made of soft malleable cloth, like a thin carpet, for instance or cloth used on seats. Maybe I have the wrong thing in mind.

[wallace18]

Yeah I understand that, makes sense. What I don't understand is how does it keeps its form when you don't move it?
I mean the headliner I have pictured in my head is made of soft malleable cloth, like a thin carpet, for instance or cloth used on seats. Maybe I have the wrong thing in mind.

Franks it is about 1/4 thick foam and will hold its shape.

[Frank818]

Ha! I get it! It's really not the type of fabric I had in mind. Tnx man!

[wallace18]

Today I fabricated the aluminum plate that will house the speedo, tach, t/s lights, HB indicator and EV gauge. I also installed what carpet I can at this point and installed the speakers. Chip, you picked out some nice Polk Audio units that fit perfectly. I am at a stopping point till the EV stuff gets here. Seems that we are at the mercy of EV West and battery supplier. I will pull out the trans tomorrow since it has to come out for the motors to be installed anyway. Here is some pics.

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[wallace18]

Yesterday I pulled out the transmission and hope to be getting the EV stuff from EV West soon. A partial order is being shipped this week from them but not the motors or adapter yet. They are still working on that. But at least I will be able to keep somewhat going on what is coming next week.

48262

[wallace18]

2 boxes of stuff showed up the other day from EV-West. Still waiting on motors, batteries, etc. At least I have a few items to install. I mounted the charger and Prius accelerator pedal. ( Got to get used to not say gas pedal, LOL.) I had to make a small platform for the pedal. It was going to sit way to low without it. I do have lots of wiring diagrams to look over while waiting on other stuff. There will be lots of wiring in the near future for sure. I ordered a hydraulic crimper to do the 2/0 cables for batteries and motors. I hope to finish up the dash gauge area some today. Body work is progressing but I am waiting for primer to be done before taking pics.

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[wallace18]

I have spent several days getting the dash the way I wanted it. I had to redo it 3 times. I used C/F wrap like the center console. It has Speedhut gauges and the EV gauge as well. I used 5/16" T/S and H/B indicator lights. Really not to much for me to do till other parts come in. Once Motor/Trans is installed and batteries located then I can get the other stuff located, wired and mounted. I will do some gauge wiring this week. With the holiday's it is hectic anyway.

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[BN]

Nicely don

[wallace18]

Today I wired up the instrument cluster including the EV gauge. I ran enough wire from the EV gauge to the back so when we locate the contactor box we can hook it up. Looks great all lit up. Indicator lights very bright and shift light also. I have it all wired with quick disconnects for ease of removal or repair.

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[wallace18]

Really trying to do some stuff to the build, but it is getting hard to find stuff till motors and batteries arrive. I did install the brake pressure transducer for the regen system and wired up the Prius acceleration pedal. I have my Type 65 Coupe up for sale, look for it in classifieds. Wife wants an MK4. If you know anyone interested PM me.

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[wallace18]

Body shop has mostly finished sanding and filling imperfections on body. Hope to have primer on it soon then final paint by end of the month.

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[Aero STI]

That body panel rack is impressive. Was that your invention, or theirs?

[wallace18]

That body panel rack is impressive. Was that your invention, or theirs?

That is mine. I recycle the base from all my builds. Then I make the rest to fit the car I am building at the time.

[wallace18]

Painter has body in primer. Looking good. Still at a standstill with EV-West.

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[wallace18]

Body came out of spray booth today. Still has to cure for a week then wet sand and buff. Customer's choice of Audi Daytona Grey Pearl looks great. Can't wait till it is finished. Still waiting on EV-West and other stuff. I am busy on my MK4 and hope to have it going to paint by the end of the month. Here is a few pics.

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[Flamshackle]

Body came out of spray booth today. Still has to cure for a week then wet sand and buff. Customer's choice of Audi Daytona Grey Pearl looks great. Can't wait till it is finished. Still waiting on EV-West and other stuff. I am busy on my MK4 and hope to have it going to paint by the end of the month. Here is a few pics.

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That is niiiiiiiice.

looking forward to more E updates.

[wallace18]

Went to pick up the body parts from a body shop I will not name that I normally do not use yesterday. I was disappointed in the outcome. It looks great in pictures but up close has too many imperfections for my taste. I am taking back 6 of the 11 panels to have them redone. I normally have Huegenics do all my paint work. At my customers request he wanted a less expensive alternative. I blame myself for giving in on this request. The paint is just not to my standards which are very high. I most likely will refund all or part of the cost of paint to my customer and learn a hard lesson in sticking to my standards. This is why I usually tell my customers if they do not want to pay for Huegenics to paint that they need to have it taken to a place of their choice and leave me out of that part of the build. Still no news from EV-West on parts. Very troublesome for me and my customer for sure. I just pray that somehow it will all work out. Here is a photo. P.S.I have removed the name of the body shop from all my posts at the request of my wife.

52413

[Hindsight]

I most likely will refund all or part of the cost of paint to my customer and learn a hard lesson in sticking to my standards.

Wow, that's some incredible business ethics there. I hope you don't have to do that and can work it out with the paint shop though.

What does a complete paint job for an 818 from Huegenics cost anyway?

BTW, your client for this build really helped me out the other day. He sent one of his electrical engineers over to my house on Sunday with an oscilloscope to help me troubleshoot my traction control system. Very generous of both of them!

[wallace18]

Wow, that's some incredible business ethics there. I hope you don't have to do that and can work it out with the paint shop though.

What does a complete paint job for an 818 from Huegenics cost anyway?

BTW, your client for this build really helped me out the other day. He sent one of his electrical engineers over to my house on Sunday with an oscilloscope to help me troubleshoot my traction control system. Very generous of both of them!

Yes he is the best. Chip is first rate in my book. I feel bad for how EV-West is treating him. The paint shop says they will make good on it, time will tell. If not Huegenics will fix it for me at my expense. I have been fortunate to build a good reputation for high quality builds. All my cars have won best of show, best in category and best paint. There is no way I would allow anything less for my customers. In the long run I have to look at myself in the mirror and know I did my best to deliver above expectations. That is my philosophy. I am disappointed in myself for allowing a lapse in my judgement on this deal. I will make it right in the end.

[wallace18]

Well after having my neighbor and wife look over the panels, I have here at home, they both say I am too picky. Go figure! LOL. So when I get the rest back I will leave it up to Chip how he feels about the paint. He is the one who did not want to use my painter in the first place. In order to save some room I mounted some of the stuff on the chassis for now. Does not look too bad in the pictures. Here is a few pics.

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[wallace18]

Well Michael at EV-West is not answering my customers phone calls or emails. So no parts even after 7 months. I was hoping to do some work on the 818E while my MK4 is being painted. No such luck. I mounted the one drivers side pod and set the whole thing back under my 4-postlift for storage. The good news is I will be doing a MK4 build for a good friend of mine soon. We will be ordering the kit and going to get it as soon as it is ready. Here is the 818E going to sleep for however it takes to get parts from EV-West.

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[STiPWRD]

It's too bad you're having issues with EV West. The idea of an electric 818 does sound very appealing and could be a distant future project I'd like to take on. Out of curiosity, are the parts just not available? Or are there no other sources for electric motors and controllers? I'm not sure if anyone offers the transmission adapter plate for the electric motor but that's something that could be custom designed and machined. After this kind of wait time, I would be looking at other vendors.

[Hindsight]

Darn, that is so sad to hear. I know a couple other guys did electric versions and posted the details on the forum..... have you thought about reaching out to them to find out their sources for the same kind of parts you've been trying to get from EV West? I want Chip to have his car so I can go for a ride in it!

[wallace18]

Chip is handling the EV parts so it is basically up to him. I just feel bad for him how Michael is treating him.

[insurance guy]

Chip is handling the EV parts so it is basically up to him. I just feel bad for him how Michael is treating him.

The best place to any sort of parts for electrics is either Jack Rickard of EVTV or Randy from Canadian Electric Vehicles
I have dealt with both for over 5 years.

[chippyhawkeye]

Darn, that is so sad to hear. I know a couple other guys did electric versions and posted the details on the forum..... have you thought about reaching out to them to find out their sources for the same kind of parts you've been trying to get from EV West? I want Chip to have his car so I can go for a ride in it!

I'm kind of stuck at this point. Michael at EVWest recommended a lower voltage dual AC50 motor setup. I've already designed and had a 148 Volt nominal battery built using high power 18650 cells. Most of the alternatives would require a higher voltage and I the battery isn't really re-configurable. I chose him because he has done several dual motor setups and has a standard transmission to motor adaptor all designed that uses a power belt to mount the motors side by side. All he needs to do is adjust his model for the Subaru transmission and have it machined/water jetted. I'm calling and emailing almost daily. His employees are very friendly and just say they are trying to get him to work on it. Haven't been able to get him on the phone for over a month now... I'm sure it will be worth the wait.

Couldn't be happier with the job Tom has done or his patience. If EVWest had come through with parts when they committed I think I would have been driving before Christmas last year!

[wallace18]

Unfortunately more bad news from the paint shop we used for the 818E. I sent several panels back as stated in an earlier post. While they looked Ok at the shop when I brought them home they did not match the first panels he painted at all. I have given up on this painter. I should have had Huegenics paint the car but that is water under the bridge and a long sad story. I decided to refund the entire cost of the paint job to Chip my customer. He can use it to have someone in Atlanta area repaint the car. Huegenics wanted 10K to paint it and now that looks like a bargain now. I can not charge Chip for this paint job. As anyone who has seen my builds that Huegenics has painted you know I have very high standards. I let myself and my good customer down allowing this other paint shop to paint this 818. I hope everyone involved can forgive me for allowing myself to bend away from my normal standards. I pray Chip will forgive me and get someone down the road to repaint the car. I am embarrassed to even post pics. We are still waiting on parts and I am finishing up my MK4 this week and will start another MK4 for a close friend soon. We keep getting promises of stuff from EV-West but nothing has transpired to date.

[Frank818]

Sorry for the bad luck, but you are a honest man, we need people like you around. We of course do forgive you!

[wallace18]

Thanks Frank, I found out today that my painter who normally does my fantastic paint jobs is going to make this 818 right. I can't tell you how much better I feel now. Chip would not accept my refund check. He is a one in a million customer. It will be a month or 2 before this gets done but we are still in the parts waiting game.

[wallace18]

Finally a ray of sunshine on this 818E project. My normal painter Chris Dobbs of Huegenics made this awful paint job from the other guy look fantastic. Thanks so much Chris and guys from Huegenics! It is truly a flawless paint job of Audi Daytona Pearl Grey. I had 6 of my Hot Rod buddies help me get it out of my trailer so we would not scratch it. I will be storing it on top of my 4-post lift all covered up till we get the rest of the parts from EV-West. I am so happy for my customer Chip, he is getting a show car quality paint on his 818E. It is really stunning in person.

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[AZPete]

Truly beautiful!

[Hindsight]

Wow, that is a jaw-dropping paint job.

[Mitch Wright]

Looks fantastic

[Bob_n_Cincy]

Looks Great Tom,
I would love a really nice paint job. But the way we have been beating on our car. It would only be nice for about a week.
Bob

[wallace18]

Looks Great Tom,
I would love a really nice paint job. But the way we have been beating on our car. It would only be nice for about a week.
Bob
I always say drive them when you are done. That is what they are made for. I already have 500 miles on my MK4. LOL.

[ehansen007]

Hey Tom,

The build is looking great! Sorry to hear about the hiccups but I guess that's car building. Keep on plugging away man!

e

P.S. I spoke to the EV West guys and while the returned call thing is worry some, I saw the motor configuration when I was there. Holy cow is that setup cool. No wonder it took so long. There had to be ton of engineering work there. I've worked with their machinist and his schedule was ridiculous. I was frustrated too and ended up going with the WaterJet and doing stacked plates instead of billet for that reason. And it cost a lot less! :) Still, your setup is amazing.

[wallace18]

Hey Tom,

The build is looking great! Sorry to hear about the hiccups but I guess that's car building. Keep on plugging away man!

e

P.S. I spoke to the EV West guys and while the returned call thing is worry some, I saw the motor configuration when I was there. Holy cow is that setup cool. No wonder it took so long. There had to be ton of engineering work there. I've worked with their machinist and his schedule was ridiculous. I was frustrated too and ended up going with the WaterJet and doing stacked plates instead of billet for that reason. And it cost a lot less! :) Still, your setup is amazing.

Thanks. Hopefully it will all be worth it in the end.

[wallace18]

Finally after a long, long wait the motors and adapter plate showed up today at 5PM. Unfortunately no controllers and other needed parts though. Here is some photos. I hope to be installing this assembly the first week of August to see if it all fits in the chassis. Keep your fingers crossed and pray for Chip and me. I does look very nice!

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[jmccabe]

Tom,
Cant wait to see the install. We need more FFR Electric's !



Finally after a long, long wait the motors and adapter plate showed up today at 5PM. Unfortunately no controllers and other needed parts though. Here is some photos. I hope to be installing this assembly the first week of August to see if it all fits in the chassis. Keep your fingers crossed and pray for Chip and me. I does look very nice!

5651456515565165651756518

[Speedy G]

How are the motors coupled? Did they use a belt system like in a supercharger or is it some kind of pinion coupling? If so spur or helical?

Mine is a belt coupling but I'm worried about the longevity of the belt. Spur would be very noisy at 10,000RPM and helical would have enormous side loads. I'm just wondering what the ev-west guys did.

Thanx!

Speedy G

[wallace18]

How are the motors coupled? Did they use a belt system like in a supercharger or is it some kind of pinion coupling? If so spur or helical?

Mine is a belt coupling but I'm worried about the longevity of the belt. Spur would be very noisy at 10,000RPM and helical would have enormous side loads. I'm just wondering what the ev-west guys did.

Thanx!

Speedy G

Belt.

[ninjanick]

Dual AC-50s?

[Speedy G]

AC-51s actually, tied by a belt. 88hp and 108ft lbs each, 170V vs 130V of the AC-50.

[ninjanick]

Can't wait to see that installed!

[wallace18]

After a few more weeks of frustration with this build I finally have some good news to report. Once I started to put the clutch on the flywheel I noticed nothing fit correctly. It seems we were sold a 2010 flywheel and we have a 2005 clutch and transmission from a Legacy GT. So I had to overnight a correct flywheel for the 2005 after much phone calls and internet searching. Then the flywheel came but needed different bolts and no one around here had them. So a McMaster-Carr order was placed. Today I got back from a wedding trip and after sourcing some bolts for the trans to adapter plate, I was able to mate the two. Success! it all lined up and seems to work fine. The slave cylinder is sorta close but it will work out. I have to fabricate a dust cover of some sort. EV-West was suppose to supply one but none came and anyone can see the adapter plate was never machined to have one bolted up. No worries, I can do that! It was so nice to finally have something go right on this build. I was able to bolt up the rear suspension as well. I used grade 8 hardware every where I could. Chip has to come down and sort out his battery boxes. I am going to do a little more to get the go-cart to at least roll around on its wheels. Then it is back to my MK4 build. Once that is done I will be full time back on the 818E. Here is a few pics.

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[ninjanick]

That looks nice! Looks like you are re-using the stock motor mounts. Do the engines have support near the commutator?

[ninjanick]

Have you checked out this (http://jalopnik.com/electric-hot-rodders-combine-tesla-and-chevy-parts-into-1784988208)build?

[wallace18]

That looks nice! Looks like you are re-using the stock motor mounts. Do the engines have support near the commutator?

The adapter plate has brackets in the Subaru engine mount area. We used polyurethane bushings to mount the plate.

[wallace18]

Well the controllers showed up last Friday. So today Chip cane down from Atlanta with the batteries so we could plan out the boxes and where we can put them. He got to see the car for the first time and seem very pleased. He is such a great guy. We ended up putting 2 behind the drivers seat and 6 behind the passenger seat and 6 on each side of the motors. He is going to have one of his companies make the battery boxes. I will have to modify the inside passenger side firewall some. Once I am done with the MK4 I can finally maybe finish this car. Still some stuff missing from EV-West and a lot of wiring to do for sure. I did have time to make some dust plates for the transmission and adapter plate.

576175761857619

[Hindsight]

Slick!!!

[Thumper]

Awesome! this reminds me of my college days working on an electric race car

[wallace18]

I sent the MK4 I am building for a customer off for paint. This allows me to do some work on the 818E. When Chip was here last we found out EV-West sent the wrong charger and DC to DC device. So he got the right stuff finally from them as well as the battery boxes all done. I am going to meet him just south of Atlanta at Summit to get all the rest of the parts we need. Today I put it back on the lift and swapped out the batteries for the 12V stuff. We did not feel the Lithium battery we originally bought would work with the EV-West charger. So I had a new regular 12V unit from a 818 I built a few years back. It is brand new so we should be good to go. Hopefully I can make good headway while the MK4 is being painted. I also installed rack limiters so the tires will not hit the frame at full lock. I filled the trans with gear lube only to find out the axle shaft seal leaks, ARG! I ordered new ones from Rock Auto. All part of the fun of donors. LOL.

5956859569

[Canadian818]

Hey Wallace, can you take a pic of the rack extenders? Thanks

[wallace18]

Hey Wallace, can you take a pic of the rack extenders? Thanks

They are not extenders. They are limiters. I bought them from tractor supply. They slide over the rack shaft and attach with a set screw. Basically a ring with a set screw just after the inner tie rod end. Sorry but I did not take photos and I buttoned up the boots. They just do not allow the rack to extend so far that the tires do not hit the frame.

[Canadian818]

They are not extenders. They are limiters. I bought them from tractor supply. They slide over the rack shaft and attach with a set screw. Basically a ring with a set screw just after the inner tie rod end. Sorry but I did not take photos and I buttoned up the boots. They just do not allow the rack to extend so far that the tires do not hit the frame.

I meant limiters, lol. But I can now picture what you did. I already clearanced my aluminum to clear but now I'm hitting frame.

[AZPete]

BOTH axle shaft seals leaked? I had that problem and then discovered that the Subaru seals are left or right. They have very, very small grooves on the inside surfaces so if reversed they will both leak.

[wallace18]

BOTH axle shaft seals leaked? I had that problem and then discovered that the Subaru seals are left or right. They have very, very small grooves on the inside surfaces so if reversed they will both leak.

No only the RS. I am aware of the direction for them. It is a 2005 trans. so it could just be age. I will replace both though.

[wallace18]

Well I met Chip at Summit in McDonough, GA. Here is all the booty I brought home. Batteries, boxes and tons of electric stuff, LOL. I will get after it tomorrow for sure. Marsha helped me bleed the clutch Hydraulics. Works well.

59589

[wallace18]

Today I removed the seats and firewalls. I then sealed up the sides and floor that are normally open to weather for the gas tank area. I started mounting the batteries that will go where the gas tank is normally. A total of 8 will go there. I got the drivers side all done. Still working on the passenger side. It is nice to get something done on the 818E for a change, LOL.

59621

[wallace18]

Well I have been working on this build believe it or not. The axle seals came in and were the wrong ones. I did locate the correct ones and should be here tomorrow. I have been working on the battery boxes that go in the Engine/Motor compartment, LOL. I did not want them to look like they were delivered to me so I engine turned them. Much better IMO. They are a fairly tight fit but will work out. The battery sensor connectors showed up today as well. I hope the get all the batteries installed and wired up by next week. Then I will start on the rest. A lot of work that I did not foresee for sure. But it is interesting change from internal combustion for sure.

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[wallace18]

I have been working diligently on the battery monitoring system wiring. I was able to get the batteries that are in the gas tank area all wired and done. This allowed me to make the secondary firewall to enclose them in. I then engine turned it and mounted the battery boxes. The firewall is mounted using 10-32 S/S button head screws for ease of removal in the need for battery service. I hope to make better progress next week on the wiring and mount the rest of the batteries.

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[RM1SepEx]

really makes for a very clean motor compartment vs the IC engine

[wallace18]

really makes for a very clean motor compartment vs the IC engine

Looks clean now. Wait till I install all the other stuff, LOL.

[wallace18]

After mowing the grass I was able to get in a few hours on the 818E. I installed the last 12 batteries in the battery boxes and installed the ties and BMS (Battery Monitor System) wires to the batteries. I hope to get going on the 144V wiring some starting tomorrow. I still have to close up the battery boxes and neaten up the wires.

60330

[wallace18]

Believe it or not I have been working every day on the 818E. Chip was wondering why I was not posting stuff. Well to be an honest man it is because I am not making a lot of progress and it is boring stuff. I am missing more parts and very vague wiring diagrams. Lucky for me Chip is a huge help with the wiring. I had to do a lot of modifications to the battery boxes so we can mount the controllers on top of them. I did run 90% of the wiring from the front of the car to the rear today. Some of the boring stuff that I normally do not post is like soldering this pull up resister to the tach. Not exactly cool stuff, IMO. It is coming along just slower than I would like. Still a gazillion wires to run and attach. Here is some pics to prove I am working, LOL.

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[Canadian818]

Wiring is the most thankless task, it's hard to relay the work involved with a picture. Keep up the good work!

[wallace18]

I finally got some work done that makes me feel like I accomplished something, LOL. I installed the cooling plates to the controllers and mounted them on top of the battery boxes. I also install the master cutoff switch and have the positive lead terminated there. I mocked up the mounting for the BMS (Battery Monitor System) ECU's. I have a lot of wiring and components to install but at least I feel like I am making headway. Yes that is 145 VDC.

6057160572605736057460575

[wallace18]

I was able to mount the contactor box. Still waiting on a fuse holder to start on that. I was able to run all the 144V wiring to the charger, A/C compressor and DC 144v to DC 12v unit. I also install a 40A circuit breaker for the 12V DC circuit from the 144v DC to 12v DC converter. I have also run most of the controller wiring that goes to the dash as well as mount the 2 Display units for the controllers. I have a ton of wires hanging out the back of the rear firewall that I have to terminate. At least I feel I am making progress. I was also able to remove some extra wires not needed in the controller harness's.

6069560696606976069860699

[wallace18]

Today was a good day. I was able to finish up everything for the dash and mount it in place, Yea! I started on the contactor box. I ran the 144V - line and was able to wire up the shunt and motor contractors. Also wired up the 144V + part of the controllers. Hope to get more done tomorrow.

60711607126071360714

[wallace18]

A few things have happened since my last post. On 11/10/16 I had to pull the engine from my MK4 and send it back to Blue Print Engines for warranty repair. When I was removing the timing cover I slipped and fell really hard on my tail bone. I saw stars and even got very light headed. I was able to get up on my own and finish carting the engine for shipping. To say I am really sore would be an understatement. I did get back on the 818E today and finished up the 2/0 wires to the motors from the controllers. I was also able to work on the contactor box some as well. I also wired up the Prius access pedal to the primary controller as well. It is nice to be getting something done every day. My wife Marsha said there is way too many wires for her. She said she will stick with gas engines, LOL. It was tight hooking up the wires to the motors for sure. I thought I would post a picture of the hydraulic crimper I have to use on the 2/0 wires and connectors.

6096860969609706097160972

[Bob_n_Cincy]

Looking good Tom. I hope you feel all better soon.
I would seal all your exposed electrical connection. An easy way to do the motor connectors is to cover it with a small plastic electrical box. Then fill it with RTV.
Is the little module with a green terminal strip, part of your J1772 charger interface?
Below is a power distribution box I built about 8 year ago for an electric truck. It had a 200 hp controller for traction. Then a 50 hp for Air conditioner, alternator, air compressor and power steering.
61006
Bob

[wallace18]

Looking good Tom. I hope you feel all better soon.
I would seal all your exposed electrical connection. An easy way to do the motor connectors is to cover it with a small plastic electrical box. Then fill it with RTV.
Is the little module with a green terminal strip, part of your J1772 charger interface?
Below is a power distribution box I built about 8 year ago for an electric truck. It had a 200 hp controller for traction. Then a 50 hp for Air conditioner, alternator, air compressor and power steering.
61006
Bob

Thanks Bob. I will definitely look into that. I wish I had room to do the same as you did there, nice job.

[wallace18]

Today I finished up the contactor box wiring, Yea! I am waiting to hear back from Chip and EV West on some wiring discrepancies they have on the wiring diagrams they sent me. Really wish they would have sent me a schematic based on our setup we bought from them. I have to hunt all over their site to try to determine how the wiring should be done, a real PITA.

61041

[wallace18]

While I was waiting for a response from Chip, I decided to stay busy on something other than wiring. I unhooked the 144V + from each controller and insulated it temporarily. I then fired up the contactor box and wanted to charge the A/C and see if it works with the 144V compressor. After fixing a leak on the Benling A/C high side fitting I vacuumed the system down. I then got the Benling A/C running at 35 on the speed controller for it. Well it works great I got the system charged and blows 44 degrees F. The trinary switch from Vintage Air turns the condenser fan on at 230 PSI and off at 200. Finally something works OK, LOL. Chip, once you figure out that A/C controller tie in to the Vintage Air wiring you will have a great A/C system. I started on the cooling system for the controllers. Hope to finish that up soon and Chip sent some wiring answers today as well. I will be very busy for sure but taking Friday off to go to Moultrie, GA. for a swap meet.

6106461065

[wallace18]

Today i finished up the cooling system for the controllers. How about that sexy purple coolant! Taking tomorrow off to go to Moultrie for the day. I will work on it some more Saturday.

6107361074

[RM1SepEx]

I like the water cooled controllers, I know that even my 84V, 450 amp trike controller generated some significant heat!

[wallace18]

I have been fighting a bad cold the last 5 days now. I did feel good enough to do the front and rear alignment on Chip's 818E yesterday. Everything came to specs nice. After I set the rear up, I moved to the front. I set up caster and camber. Then I centered the steering wheel and guess what? The toe was a perfect 1/16" in without touching a tie rod! That does n0t happen every days for sure, LOL. I also finished up the charging port that will go on the side of the car when done. I hope to take the chassis to Chip on the 30th for him to do the final checks on all the E-Stuff, LOL. When he is done and go-carts the chassis I will bring it back here to finish and title it.

6132761328613296133061331

[Frank818]

That's a nice wheel alignment tool (not the QuikTrack which I got too, the 1st pic I mean). It looks like a CNC part made by Craig... lolll Why aren't you using QT for this alignment?

You got lucky on the perfect 1-shot toe! lolll I have to say bravo. Now try to do it again on your next build. :) We'll see if it's luck or expertise. :D

[wallace18]

That's a nice wheel alignment tool (not the QuikTrack which I got too, the 1st pic I mean). It looks like a CNC part made by Craig... lolll Why aren't you using QT for this alignment?

You got lucky on the perfect 1-shot toe! lolll I have to say bravo. Now try to do it again on your next build. :) We'll see if it's luck or expertise. :D

I used the quick track for the toe settings and I bought this Telezen unit that does 4- wheel alignments a little better.

[wallace18]

Loaded up the 818E to take to Chip on Monday morning. He will finish up the electronics and programming of the E-Stuff,LOL. I have Bill's MK4 chassis back here to work on finishing up in the mean time.

6138561384

[Wayne Presley]

Loaded up the 818E to take to Chip on Monday morning. He will finish up the electronics and programming of the E-Stuff,LOL. I have Bill's MK4 chassis back here to work on finishing up in the mean time.

6138561384

No holes in the front of the trailer this time right?

[wallace18]

No holes in the front of the trailer this time right?

LOL, I sure hope not!

[wallace18]

Made it to Chip's home at 5:28 AM. Dropped off the 818E chassis and headed home. Check out his awesome bike!

614716147261473

[Bob_n_Cincy]

Made it to Chip's home at 5:28 AM. Dropped off the 818E chassis and headed home. Check out his awesome bike!

614716147261473

Tom, with the height of that bicycle seat, I suspect Chip is north of 6 feet. How well did he fit in the 818?
Bob

[wallace18]

Tom, with the height of that bicycle seat, I suspect Chip is north of 6 feet. How well did he fit in the 818?
Bob

Yes he is tall. With the new style rear firewall he had almost as much room as if you used a Boyd tank for a gas build. I am 6'3" and he is about a few inches taller. He seems to fit fine.

[wallace18]

Just got an email from Chip. After fixing a few EV-West wiring snafus he got the wheels to turn with the motors. I felt relieved that my wiring was 90+% OK. He has to reprogram the controllers as EV West did not program them properly. It feels great after so many months of waiting for parts and such to have it running. Great Job, Chip!

[Frank818]

Cool!! :) Go-kart soon?

What was programed wrong and why?

[wallace18]

Cool!! :) Go-kart soon?

What was programed wrong and why?

Most likely go-cart soon. Chip will have to answer the programming question. EV West has had several changes in how they do the 2 motor setup. Most likely the wrong program was loaded in our controllers. JMO.

[wallace18]

Got another email from Chip today. He has got the BMS all working and the charger working on charging the batteries as they should. EV-West still holding us up on proper programming of the controllers unfortunately. Definitely getting closer to go-carting the car. A major step for us for sure. :)

[wallace18]

Got a great email from Chip today! He has fixed all the EV-West snafu's and put 3 miles on the go-cart. He says it is very impressive to drive. I will soon go get it and finish it up in Feb. after I pick up my GTM kit. Hopefully have it all done and titled by March.

[Frank818]

Now that's a nice X-Mas present!! :)

Keep up the good work, Tom.
GTM will be your 1st?

[frankc5r]

[QUOTE=wallace18;261631]Got a great email from Chip today! He has fixed all the EV-West snafu's and put 3 miles on the go-cart. He says it is very impressive to drive. I will soon go get it and finish it up in Feb. after I pick up my GTM kit. Hopefully have it all done and titled by March.[/QUOTE

Congrats Tom.. What a mess of problems but you feel great when it finally works,

[wallace18]

Now that's a nice X-Mas present!! :)

Keep up the good work, Tom.
GTM will be your 1st?

Yes. That will complete my FFR portfolio, LOL.

[flynntuna]

Gotta tip my hat to you Tom, being able to build the whole FFR line up will be an accomplishment very few could do.
Looking foward to following your GTM build.

[wallace18]

Had some email conversations with Chip. I am going up on 1/5/17 to pick up the go-cart chassis and start to put the body on later that week. He is mostly done except for the A/C speed controller for the 144V A/C compressor. I have some time in between Bill's MK4 and picking up my GTM so why not get some 818E time in, LOL. I did mount the tail lights, headlights and finished up the drivers door today. Hope to get the passenger side done tomorrow. Should speed up the body assembly once I get the chassis back from the glass shop for windshield install. I wiped down the door panel with some Armor All but it looks grey for some reason in the photos. It really is black. I used the black push pins up top like Kalstar wanted on his white 818. Looks very nice, IMO.

62324623256232662327

[wallace18]

Picked up the 818E go-cart at 5:30 AM today in Atlanta. Looks mostly the same as I dropped it off . The difference is it runs!!! Boy is it ever silent. The only noise you here is the rear suspension squeak over bumps. Marsha my wife drove it out of the trailer. She only had one word to say, WOW!! I will do a video of it running in a few days. I want to get going on putting the windshield, interior, seats and body al done. Chip added a few new items. This phone has all kinds of data about the EV system. Pretty cool stuff.

6254062541

[Bob_n_Cincy]

Picked up the 818E go-cart at 5:30 AM today in Atlanta. Looks mostly the same as I dropped it off . The difference is it runs!!! Boy is it ever silent. The only noise you here is the rear suspension squeak over bumps. Marsha my wife drove it out of the trailer. She only had one word to say, WOW!! I will do a video of it running in a few days. I want to get going on putting the windshield, interior, seats and body al done. Chip added a few new items. This phone has all kinds of data about the EV system. Pretty cool stuff.

6254062541

Tom,
Do you know the amount of energy stored in KiloWatt Hours?
What in the expected range at highway speeds?

Anybody, Has anyone done a roll down test to calculate the total drag on an 818?

Bob

[wallace18]

Tom,
Do you know the amount of energy stored in KiloWatt Hours?
What in the expected range at highway speeds?

Anybody, Has anyone done a roll down test to calculate the total drag on an 818?

Bob

Bob, Chip will be able to answer those questions. He is in Vegas for business right now. All the technical EV-stuff is his realm so to speak.

[wallace18]

Even though I worked on the 818E 6 hours today not a lot to take pics of. Torqued all the motor bolts. I fixed the broken wiper motor arm from the motor to the wiper transmission. Thanks to all that sent me parts to fix this. Mostly started to cover up all the wires with plastic sheathing. I also installed a secondary back up light switch since now you can reverse the motors by a toggle switch. 5 speeds in reverse as well as forward, LOL. It is going to get real cold here over the next 3 days. Not sure how much I will get done then. Wednesday it goes in to get windshield put in at Mauldin's Auto Glass. I did mock up all the under trays for the engine area and front rack area. I sprayed the bottom of them with truck bed liner. Hope to install them tomorrow. The bottom will be completely flat. Should have some good aero below.

6255462555

[wallace18]

Installed all the underneath aluminum panels and I made one more for the rear. I also installed the A/C drain hose, LS console aluminum, front bumper with headlights and fabbed up a removable box for the BMS system. Next up is some carpet work then seats and belts. Not sure if I can do carpet in the cold temps we are getting for the next few days.

6255962560625616256262563

[chippyhawkeye]

Tom,
Do you know the amount of energy stored in KiloWatt Hours?
What in the expected range at highway speeds?

Anybody, Has anyone done a roll down test to calculate the total drag on an 818?

Bob

Hi Bob,

The pack is 32KWh it weighs about 140kgs. I used 18650 cells rated at 3Ah and 15 amp continuous draw. They are arranged with 40 in series and 72 in parallel. I suspect I'll get around 100 miles range. I was more concerned with performance than range although Tom did have to work some magic to make them all fit so adding more would require some serious creativity.

[Bob_n_Cincy]

Hi Bob,

The pack is 32KWh it weighs about 140kgs. I used 18650 cells rated at 3Ah and 15 amp continuous draw. They are arranged with 40 in series and 72 in parallel. I suspect I'll get around 100 miles range. I was more concerned with performance than range although Tom did have to work some magic to make them all fit so adding more would require some serious creativity.

Hi Chip,
That is a nice pack. Rough calc is 32000/140= 228Wh/kg.
I have 4 packs of Saft VL41m's if I go electric or hybrid on my second 818. Each pack is 41AH x 346V = 14.1 KWh. At 96 kg that is only 14100/96= 147/Wh/kg. Your batteries are 55% better energy than the one's I have.

Years ago, (late 90s) I had a rule of thumb. It takes 1000 lbs of lead acid batteries to get the vehicle range of ONE gallon of gas.
Example: A small pick-up that got 25 mpg could go 37 miles on a 1500 lbs pack.

The 818s is probably a 35 mpg car driven on the highway at 55. ( I have not measured)
Your batteries are about 8x better energy dense than lead acid.
So you should get 280 miles per 1000 lbs of lithium.
so ((140 x2.2)/1000) * 280 = 86 miles range.

Tesla's 90kwh pack is about 300 miles.
so your (32/90) x 300 is 106 miles.

So we will see when you get it out on the road.

Have fun
Bob

[chippyhawkeye]

Hi Chip,
That is a nice pack. Rough calc is 32000/140= 228Wh/kg.
I have 4 packs of Saft VL41m's if I go electric or hybrid on my second 818. Each pack is 41AH x 346V = 14.1 KWh. At 96 kg that is only 14100/96= 147/Wh/kg. Your batteries are 55% better energy than the one's I have.

Years ago, (late 90s) I had a rule of thumb. It takes 1000 lbs of lead acid batteries to get the vehicle range of ONE gallon of gas.
Example: A small pick-up that got 25 mpg could go 37 miles on a 1500 lbs pack.

The 818s is probably a 35 mpg car driven on the highway at 55. ( I have not measured)
Your batteries are about 8x better energy dense than lead acid.
So you should get 280 miles per 1000 lbs of lithium.
so ((140 x2.2)/1000) * 280 = 86 miles range.

Tesla's 90kwh pack is about 300 miles.
so your (32/90) x 300 is 106 miles.

So we will see when you get it out on the road.

Have fun
Bob

I can't wait to get it on the road. It's amazing to watch the progress of battery technology. With the 18650 cells you can optimize on capacity or energy density. I went middle of the road with 3Ah and 15Amp continuous draw. You can get 2Ah 30Amp cells that can safely do 50Amps for 10 seconds, which is about 2.5hp/lb or at the other end of the spectrum you can get 3.6Ah cells that are rated for 5Ah continuous(296Wh/Kg). I sized my pack just big enough to make sure when it was delivering max power it wasn't overloaded. My commute is 1.6miles each way and I'lll have a charger at work, so I don't expect much range anxiety.

[Bob_n_Cincy]

I can't wait to get it on the road. It's amazing to watch the progress of battery technology. With the 18650 cells you can optimize on capacity or energy density. I went middle of the road with 3Ah and 15Amp continuous draw. You can get 2Ah 30Amp cells that can safely do 50Amps for 10 seconds, which is about 2.5hp/lb or at the other end of the spectrum you can get 3.6Ah cells that are rated for 5Ah continuous(296Wh/Kg). I sized my pack just big enough to make sure when it was delivering max power it wasn't overloaded. My commute is 1.6miles each way and I'lll have a charger at work, so I don't expect much range anxiety.

Here is my first EV I built 20 years ago.
http://www.evalbum.com/377
Bob

[wallace18]

Here is my first EV I built 20 years ago.
http://www.evalbum.com/377
Bob

Pretty cool! Bob. We were all a lot younger back then, LOL.

[Mitch Wright]

That is cool Bob but where is your flux capacitor?

[Bob_n_Cincy]

That is cool Bob but where is your flux capacitor?
Don't laugh. Working with Bowling Green University we built a Hybrid bus using Flux Capacitors.
This was basically a Formula 1 KERS system 20 years ago.
We were successful in getting a 20-30% increase in fuel mileage. But the cost of the capacitors was so high the fuel savings would never pay back.

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[wallace18]

I spent the last few days putting in carpet and trying to finish up interior. All I have left interior wise is passenger seat. I took the go-cart to Mauldin's Auto Glass today to have the windshield put in. I had to drive it about a 1/2 block down a side street to the back of their shop. It was the first time I could give it some throttle so to speak. WOW! this thing is really fast. I am very impressed. I did not think an Electric car could be so quick. I believe Chip will surprise a lot of folks in Atlanta stop light drag races, LOL. no time right now for photos or videos. I promise they will be coming down the road. Hopefully start putting the body on Friday after passenger seat is installed. Aftermarket seat installs are a PITA in the 818 IMO. Oh well part of the deal. :rolleyes:

[Mitch Wright]

Bob, sorry I am laughing, I guess we are in the future.
Wallace,
I got a little time in a Tesla that was here for a track day, the acceleration was really impressive.

[wallace18]

Got the 818E back from Mauldin's. Windshield looks great! I finished up the passenger seat install. Interior is 98% done. Start putting body on tomorrow.

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[wallace18]

Busy day today. I raised the ride height 1/2 all around. Installed wipers. Started on body and splash shields. I will have to modify the trunk due to our larger contactor box. No problem just extra fabricating. Car is really looking good. I really like the door gaps. Hopefully be 98% done by Tuesday afternoon.

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[chippyhawkeye]

Wow, looks awesome Tom!

[Wayne Presley]

Where'd ya mount the intercooler??? :D

[Lumpyguy]

LOL tht car looks so much like mine, its almost like looking in a mirror.

[wallace18]

Where'd ya mount the intercooler??? :D

If you look to the right of the transaxle you can see the water cooled controllers cooling system. Close enough?? LOL.:cool:

[wallace18]

Did you ever have one of those days? Well today was one for me. I was on the way to having everything done on the 818E by Tuesday afternoon. I was modifying the trunk and installing the 2 rear covers when some buddies came by. One was looking the car over and said how did you crack the windshield? I said what!!! Sure enough the drivers side cracked down low. The glass shop warned me that the frame was way out of wack when they installed the glass. They were afraid the fiberglass surround was going to crack to try to get it all together. Though with clamps they were able to install the window OK. I guess it had too much stress on it. Nothing has touched it since last Thursday. It took a week to crack. As per Mauldin's Auto-glass I am ordering a new frame and windshield from FFR. Courtney at FFR helped me out and it will all be waiting for me when I get my GTM kit on Feb. 6th. Thanks Courtnie. Here is some pics of the back and finished trunk.

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[wallace18]

I have finished up 95% of the car. It will have to wait to be done in late Feb. or early March. Here is some photos and a short video. That is about 1/2 throttle. If I floor it the tires light up, Woo Hoo!

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzkqfjG8JSo&feature=youtu.be

[ehansen007]

Very cool guys. Well done.

[wallace18]

Took the 818E out to Huegenics to get it weighed down the street for title work. weighed 2360 lbs. Car went an easy 100MPH in 3rd gear! Wow! the guys at Huegenics were super impressed. Here is a photo next to the MK4 I just finished. Windshield frame and windshield came Fed EX today and was all intact, whew! I am going to pull the old frame out tomorrow. New frame and side mirrors are being painted by Huegenics today should be able to pick up Thursday. Hope to have it all back together by late next week.


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[Hindsight]

Beautiful! Going to be nice having another 818 on the streets of Atlanta!

[Bob_n_Cincy]

Great job Tom.

[Mitch Wright]

Beautiful Tom.

[wallace18]

Picked up painted frame and mirrors from Huegenics this morning. Installed new frame and window fit real nice. Monday Mauldin's will install windshield.

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[aquillen]

Most excellent.