Tesla Powered 33 Hot Rod

[BradC]

Had another 'ah crap' moment with the version 2 BMS system. My non-CAN charger is limiting me on getting things operating as a coherent system. The new BMS can't control the charge enable right now because it's not seeing a charger on the CAN network. It'll start and then timeout because it doesn't detect a charger. Thunderstruck said they will provide an override for that in an upcoming firmware but I just don't like that and would prefer to have everything on the CAN network - now that I understand it better.

I figured I was facing a new charger purchase but then I remembered mine has an unused connector on it. I checked with Elcon and yep, it's the CAN connection and it can be enabled with a re-program at only $45. Once again super lucky to have them close to me so I can just take it over there. I didn't know any better when I bought it but thankfully EV West sold me the right charger up front.

[BradC]

Had to run out to the body shop today to give them some small parts I made. Elcon is on the way there too and luckily they were able to reprogram my charger today so it saved a separate trip back out there next week. Now I have CAN bus enabled on it which makes things much cleaner with the new BMS system. I got it all wired up and I'll mess with programming the BMS this weekend.

Body is coming along pretty well. This is almost the final primer coat - just a few more small areas to correct they said. They got the vents cut into the side panels.

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[BradC]

Charger is working!! It's communicating with the BMS correctly and state of charge is calculating which means the CAN shunt resistor is reporting in too. Big relief!! Now I can power the motor controller back up. That should work still because I didn't change anything from the first build. Assuming the universe decides not to punish me in some new strange way, that would mean the whole car is functional.

I wired up the seat heaters yesterday and now I'm down to Just wiring the dash display. I'm more than ready to be done with wiring. I still need the CAN channel file from EV West though for the display, but that's just playing with software.

[Nigel Allen]

G;day Brad,

You are a one-man powerhouse of design and build my friend!

My hope is to see this beast in action one day.

Cheers,

Nigel

[BradC]

G;day Brad,

You are a one-man powerhouse of design and build my friend!

My hope is to see this beast in action one day.

Cheers,

Nigel

Thank you sir... I'm looking forward to getting it on the road for sure.

[BradC]

I powered the motor controller and DC to DC converter back up today and everything is working. Brake lights are driven by the controller so this is the first time I've checked them - all good. It uses the Tesla brake switch which connects to the controller. That way brake lights are triggered when regen braking is active. The car is drivable again technically but I need to align the wheels before I go kart it again. I haven't done a full charge on the batteries yet either so that's on my list. Has to be while I'm watching it though. No way I'm plugging it in unattended yet.

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Took a break from wiring and did some small things like hood and trunk release levers, and seats and armrest too.

[33fromSD]

I powered the motor controller and DC to DC converter back up today and everything is working. Brake lights are driven by the controller so this is the first time I've checked them - all good. It uses the Tesla brake switch which connects to the controller. That way brake lights are triggered when regen braking is active. The car is drivable again technically but I need to align the wheels before I go kart it again. I haven't done a full charge on the batteries yet either so that's on my list. Has to be while I'm watching it though. No way I'm plugging it in unattended yet.

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Took a break from wiring and did some small things like hood and trunk release levers, and seats and armrest too.

Kick A** build, looks awesome, great job.

I know your body shop guys are fitting the hood / side panels but without the battery pack, and I don't recall in your build thread if you ever did a mock up with the side panels and hood on with the battery pack installed. Could be an optical illusion in the pic, but the front of the battery pack seems like it's going to be very close to the top of the hood. Was that ever checked out with the side panels and hood on?

Jim

[BradC]

Kick A** build, looks awesome, great job.

I know your body shop guys are fitting the hood / side panels but without the battery pack, and I don't recall in your build thread if you ever did a mock up with the side panels and hood on with the battery pack installed. Could be an optical illusion in the pic, but the front of the battery pack seems like it's going to be very close to the top of the hood. Was that ever checked out with the side panels and hood on?

Jim

Thanks Jim..

Yes, the front pack clears the hood with a fair amount of space actually. I could do a small frunk if I wanted to. I originally had all the batteries up front in my first mock up with an extra layer of packs (4" tall) on the top. That was a close fit and too much weight up front so that's when I decided to split it up and move eight packs under the floor.

This is the only pic I have of that I guess. A friend of mine about my same size was sitting in the car helping check seat height, but I had the hood on and you can sort of see the clearance.

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[33fromSD]

Thanks Jim..

Yes, the front pack clears the hood with a fair amount of space actually. I could do a small frunk if I wanted to. I originally had all the batteries up front in my first mock up with an extra layer of packs (4" tall) on the top. That was a close fit and too much weight up front so that's when I decided to split it up and move eight packs under the floor.

This is the only pic I have of that I guess. A friend of mine about my same size was sitting in the car helping check seat height, but I had the hood on and you can sort of see the clearance.

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Awesome, sorry to be back-seat observer, just hoping that was looked at.

Enjoying your build immensely.

Jim

[BradC]

Awesome, sorry to be back-seat observer, just hoping that was looked at.

Enjoying your build immensely.

Jim

Not at all! I'm certainly not immune to overlooking something so I appreciate the feedback. Although that would have been a pretty big one worthy of much public shaming.

[Papa]

Not at all! I'm certainly not immune to overlooking something so I appreciate the feedback. Although that would have been a pretty big one worthy of much public shaming.

It ain't nothin' a trip to Home Depot couldn't solve!

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=186553&d=1688060718

[BradC]

That's hilarious!! A clear forward view of the road is for suckers!

[Mastertech5]

That's a Roadkill scoop. Great pic.

[BradC]

Took the chassis to the body shop this morning to do one last fit check on the body. I made some changes to the upper coilover mounting locations to give me more ride height adjustability. The ride height seemed mostly ok with the fenders mocked in place but I had no more up adjustment - plus I didn't have the full weight on the chassis so it was a risk. I'd rather start high and adjust lower so I don't run the chance of scraping the freshly painted fenders. The changes moved the coilovers outward a little so I needed to make sure they weren't going to hit the inner fender well. No issues - plenty of clearance.

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I think we're on track to paint the week after next. It's getting real!!

[BradC]

Time to do the first pass alignment. I'm sure this will be tedious.

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[BradC]

I just made the last pre-body wire connections for the AEM display panel. I went through it all again and thinned out more of the stock FFR harness that I didn't need too. Man I'm glad to be done with that. I have some wire routing and such to do once the body is on but that'll be easy. I'm having a panel made to conceal everything under the dash so it'll have a nice clean look with no wires visible. It should show up tomorrow or the day after.

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Alignment is done and close enough for initial driving. I'll see how it feels with some miles on it and then re-check later. The fixtures I made worked really well. I had the caster way off (12-13 degrees) when I eyeballed everything for the first drive I did in February. Oops..

[BradC]

Just finished the first full charge under very close supervision monitoring everything real time with the BMS connected to a laptop. No firetrucks at the house! Everything behaved like it's supposed to and the SoC value in the BMS calibrated itself to 100%. That will get more accurate with every drain/charge cycle supposedly.

[progmgr1]

As a retired engineering program manager for a Li-ion battery company, I recognize this as a major milestone successfully completed! Congratulations on all your hard work and attention to detail paying off!

Keith HR #894

[BradC]

Thanks Keith!

[BradC]

I got the wiring cover installed. This should work perfectly to hide everything once the body is on.
The harnesses sticking through the slot all go to the dash display panel. The one to the left hanging down is for the parking brakes - the switch mounts under the lower edge of the dash.

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I took the steering column to the shop to be painted in body color. They're supposed to shoot it all late next week. I'll go get the column after it's done and get it back on the car while they cut and buff the body. A bit easier to get the chassis on the trailer if I can actually steer it!

I think I'll tackle carpet next week. I need to go find some nice material since I can't use the kit that came with the car. Should be pretty easy to do since everything is flat.

[tcarlson]

Fantastic work! Thank you for sharing too. ������

[BradC]

Fantastic work! Thank you for sharing too. ������

Thank you!

[BradC]

Carpet is in and interior is as done as it can be before the body is on. I ended up cutting access slots in the rear side panels so I have access to the door hinge bolts without having to remove everything. Seems odd that FFR doesn't do that by default but maybe I'm missing something. Dunno..

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[Ted G]

Looks great Brad!

[Mastertech5]

Very nice!

[BradC]

Looks great Brad!

Thank you! And thanks again for the great deal on the carpet - perfect timing!

[BradC]

Very nice!

Thanks!

[jayguy]

Wow, the floor looks so roomy without the trans tunnel there! :D

[BradC]

Wow, the floor looks so roomy without the trans tunnel there! :D

I know. The tunnel in these is a big chunk of the interior. I was able to put the throttle pretty much anywhere I wanted. It seems pretty comfortable as is but once I get some miles on it I can make adjustments in any direction with the bracket I designed for it.

Still trying to find a home for the tunnel (and other parts). Hate to just throw it away but I haven't had any luck yet.

[BradC]

Things weren't quite ready for paint last week but as of now it's planned for Monday. Can't wait to see how it looks!

Huge thanks to Ken Pike and his team for all the great work so far on the body!! There was never any question who I was going with for body and paint and they have certainly not disappointed. I know everything will be perfect on it.

[BradC]

Paint slipped a few days again but it's supposed to be tomorrow morning now. The steering column was done so I went and picked it up this afternoon to make sure the color was what I expected. Looks like a perfect match to the Mercedes I was looking at in the showroom. No going back now!!

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Assuming all goes to plan tomorrow I'll be taking the chassis back next Wednesday for body assembly.

[BradC]

Everything was painted this morning! Color is Mercedes Alpine Gray. It won't be next week for chassis mounting though - the following Tuesday is the plan for now. Lots to cut and buff and next week would have been pushing it before some of them are heading to Hot August Nights in Reno.

Walk Around Video (https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Q6p4CrXNc88)

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[RoadRacer]

Wow, the floor looks so roomy without the trans tunnel there! :D

Oh wow, I'm late reading the latest on this thread and seeing that "empty interior" for the first time. That's just hard to wrap my head around!! Like.. you can put your feet anywhere! That is so odd... :)

[BradC]

Oh wow, I'm late reading the latest on this thread and seeing that "empty interior" for the first time. That's just hard to wrap my head around!! Like.. you can put your feet anywhere! That is so odd... :)

I know, I imagine I'll get some confused double-takes when it's out at cars and coffee. Will be entertaining...

[BradC]

I've been playing around with integrating gas struts for the hood and trunk because I didn't really want to use the prop rods. I can't find a clean solution (at least in CAD making assumptions for hinge travel) for the trunk that both stays concealed behind the panel and doesn't cam over and put down force on the trunk lid when closed. That's a problem because it won't pop up when the latch is released. I can do it If the strut end sticks out past the rear panel though so I think I'll leave that for a future project when I can get the exact hinge swing angles. The prop rod is fine actually with the trunk since it's not something I'll normally have open at a car show. I'm worried about it getting bumped.

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For the hood, I think I have a solution but I'll need the hood in place to size the strut forces correctly. Clock is ticking with body assembly so I'm going to try and get the two custom hinge brackets made this week that will mount the lower strut ball in time so they are on already. I'd like to avoid having to remove the hood once it's all perfectly aligned. The upper location will just be a drilled hole in a TBD location. I think there's clearance for everything but again I'll have to wait for final assembly to confirm. Below is the design I'm thinking shown in three positions.

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In the meantime to avoid mounting the hood prop rod, I made a 3D printed bracket that will lock the hinges open. Worst case this could be a long term solution if the strut idea doesn't work. It should be plenty strong enough with two of them - it's nylon with stranded carbon fiber and it also has continuous carbon fiber in the two sides (shown in blue below).

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[Papa]

I've been playing around with integrating gas struts for the hood and trunk because I didn't really want to use the prop rods. I can't find a clean solution (at least in CAD making assumptions for hinge travel) for the trunk that both stays concealed behind the panel and doesn't cam over and put down force on the trunk lid when closed. That's a problem because it won't pop up when the latch is released. I can do it If the strut end sticks out past the rear panel though so I think I'll leave that for a future project when I can get the exact hinge swing angles. The prop rod is fine actually with the trunk since it's not something I'll normally have open at a car show. I'm worried about it getting bumped.

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For the hood, I think I have a solution but I'll need the hood in place to size the strut forces correctly. Clock is ticking with body assembly so I'm going to try and get the two custom hinge brackets made this week that will mount the lower strut ball in time so they are on already. I'd like to avoid having to remove the hood once it's all perfectly aligned. The upper location will just be a drilled hole in a TBD location. I think there's clearance for everything but again I'll have to wait for final assembly to confirm. Below is the design I'm thinking shown in three positions.

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In the meantime to avoid mounting the hood prop rod, I made a 3D printed bracket that will lock the hinges open. Worst case this could be a long term solution if the strut idea doesn't work. It should be plenty strong enough with two of them - it's nylon with stranded carbon fiber and it also has continuous carbon fiber in the two sides (shown in blue below).

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Have you looked at the simple strut geometry that the Roadsters use as an option? Granted, the Roadster hood has handle (latches) that let you lift the hood, but the hood stays open and closes easily with the gas struts.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=87461&d=1529266256

[BradC]

I did.. My thinking was to try and keep it all contained in the hinge so I don't need extra brackets on the hood. That could be an option though. Thanks!

[progmgr1]

I was thinking along similar lines for the hood hinge support. That was part of the reason I bought the Gen 2 hinges for my Gen 1 Hot Rod. Thanks for doing the pathfinding on this and please post what you end up using.

For the trunk lid, I used a small compound action trunk hinge from an 03 and up Mazda 6. The assembly includes integral gas spring lift supports. This gets rid of the hoop hinges and support rod, but you must reinforce the lid and add some support structure to the chassis. Mazda 6 parts GK2A-52-710E and 720E.

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Keith HR #894

[BradC]

Thanks Keith... Too late for me now with chassis/body mods though. I'll see how the prop rod works out for the trunk and go from there.

[Dan Cooper]

I like the color, from the pictures it looks like a Dove grey from a Lincoln Continental. I know from your post it is Mercedes though. I am curious do you sleep at night? Based on your creative ideas with the hood and trunk hinges and many other things you have already accomplished I think your brain never stops. Make no mistake I am very impressed with your attention to detail and that I am honored to have made the connection with you on this car project. Keep up the thoughts.

[BradC]

The lights in the booth make it look a bit lighter than it really is I think. The steering column they shot ahead of time matches the Mercedes I looked at in the dealer. It flops lighter/darker depending on ambient. This got the most votes from the poor friends I tortured constantly asking opinions on colors (or maybe they just all got sick of me and agreed on one randomly in private to end the madness). Fingers crossed it looks nice once assembled. I wanted a light color after having a show quality black paint job on my last project car. It was a nightmare to keep in good shape.

Haha. yes.. I have my sleepless nights now and then but I can turn it off most of the time. I don't take work home which is good but the hobby is a different story. It's all fun to me though..

[BradC]

I've been working more on the hood hinge. I realized that as-designed the grill/hinge mount structure is too weak to support the weight of the hood from only the hinge - since it's designed to be supported by a prop rod. So I had to crawl a bit deeper down the rabbit hole. I'm hoping I got this right since I had to go only by pictures (a lot of my parts are at the body shop). It looks like there's plenty of room between the grill and the vertical brackets so I made some u-channel steel parts that will better tie the hood hinge directly to the front nose brackets that mount to the chassis. As is in the image below it feels plenty strong enough to support the weight of the hood with the hinge locks I made in place. It will only be stronger with the radiator and front shroud/grill assembled so I think this will work out as long as I don't find an interference. I think it'll need around 250-300lb gas struts based on my rough math using guesses for hood weight and cg., but I need to wait until I can take some actual measurements before I spend money on struts.

These are the brackets I had made to provide the lower mount point for the gas struts
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Hinge assembled with the u-channel reinforcements
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[Mastertech5]

I officially pronounce you a mechanical engineer! You may already have that distinction but I'll say it anyway.

[BradC]

I officially pronounce you a mechanical engineer! You may already have that distinction but I'll say it anyway.

Haha.. thanks! I'll have to check those business cards I had made 25 years ago and see what they say. I can't remember!

[BradC]

Body install is pushed out a bit again. Shooting for next Tuesday now.

[Mastertech5]

It's like building a house. It always takes longer than you want or expect and it always costs more.

[BradC]

It's like building a house. It always takes longer than you want or expect and it always costs more.

Yeah - it's not a big deal. Ken's shop is very busy and he's just making sure things are perfect.

[BradC]

Didn't get everything done at the body shop today - mainly due to the doors taking a while to dial in. They'll get back on it tomorrow and I'll head there late morning (with the two parts I forgot to bring today - duh). We just have the side panels, hood, fenders, and windshield left to do. The color is exactly what I was expecting and the paint job is perfect. Pretty cool seeing it all come together in reality and matching what I had in my head how it would look.

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[BradC]

Well, it didn't get done today either. Some things took longer than expected and then the hood hinge was giving us grief. I don't think it's the custom parts I made for mounting the gas struts but I'm not ruling it out yet. Everything lined up before paint so we were a little stumped. It got to be close to 5 and I just told everyone to walk away from it for the day and get back on it fresh in the morning. I'm sure we'll sort it out tomorrow.

Few pictures of the progress today..

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[Dan Cooper]

It's looking great, I love it. I can't wait to see it all done and rolling.

[BradC]

It's looking great, I love it. I can't wait to see it all done and rolling.

Thanks Dan!

[BradC]

It's home!!

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[Papa]

I love the stance! Well done, sir.

[Mastertech5]

Looks awesome Brad!

[peterh226]

It’s so cool to see so many variations of this Hot Rod. No 2 alike!

[BradC]

It’s so cool to see so many variations of this Hot Rod. No 2 alike!

Definitely! Less than 1500 of these out there (I think), and at least 150,000 different ways to build them.

[BradC]

I've been busy with the little things on the car. Tail lights, license plate wiring, side vents, cooling system, some buttons and switches on the dash... etc. This weekend the priority is getting the display mounting holes cut in the dash and final fitting up the waterfall panel so I can get them out to an upholstery shop. I wanted to reduce the size of the waterfall panel a bit down at the bottom because I made the little side panels that cover the door hinge presentable. Should make it easier to upholster it too I think.

I made the first appointment with DMV next Wednesday to get that process rolling. No idea how long it will take but it's not a quick thing here. Guess I better get the thing insured too! There's an employee car show at my work on 9/21 they do every year so I'm hoping to make it with the car. Worst case I'll trailer it in, or maybe get two friends to box me and roll the dice unregistered.

[cc2Arider]

Looks great! :cool:

Craig C

[BradC]

Got my display test fit in the dash. I'm planning on having the dash panel upholstered.

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[BradC]

Looks great! :cool:

Craig C

Thanks Craig!

[Mastertech5]

Way cool!

[BradC]

I took the dash and waterfall to the upholstery shop today. Spent hours and hours over the weekend getting the waterfall to fit right. Lots of trimming and sanding, and splitting, and re-glassing, and filling.... But it fits like it was made for the car now. Go figure!!

I was going to use the door panels as is since they seemed fairly nice. They've been sitting in the box and I hadn't looked at them very closely, but once I realized how much they needed to be shaped to fit the door (and that they're 1/8" thick) I decided to ditch the covering. The vinyl on them wasn't stretched very tight either and they were a bit wavy. Nice that FFR covers them but I think I want them a bit cleaner. I'm having a french seam/stitch done across the upper waterfall that will tie into the door panels and follow down the door body line. Very subtle but hopefully it will look nice.

[Mastertech5]

I haven't pulled mine out and looked at them eighth either. I opened the box, counted the parts and taped it back up. Now I'll take a closer look. Thanks!

[BradC]

I haven't pulled mine out and looked at them eighth either. I opened the box, counted the parts and taped it back up. Now I'll take a closer look. Thanks!

Yep - will be curious to see how yours look.

[BradC]

I have no idea how I would have formed these with the upholstery on them. Even if you had metal bending tools (which I don't) I don't see how you wouldn't be likely to screw up the vinyl. I was able to remove it though in tact so I could technically put it back on. I went and bought a piece of D shaped stair rail wood and screwed it to a 2x6. Put that on the ground and stood with all my weight jumping up and down on the panel to get it curved in the right spot. It fits but it was a bit of a chore. Hoping the other side goes as well!

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[BradC]

One side all fit up. I'm going to work on a different pin latch bezel design now since the one from FFR is basic and doesn't actually fit all that well. I'm thinking of making it so there's a lower fixed part that will allow me to just pinch the pin latch down vs. pushing down the whole door to release it. We'll see. Gotta think about that some more.

I also have to bond some extra material to the doors in some areas. Not sure why they would make the door like 1/32" thick in some spots and expect a 1/8" door panel to attach. Whatever - easy enough to thicken it up but I wish now I had done that before paint.

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[Ted G]

Looking forward to you being next to me at Cars and Coffee soon!

[BradC]

Looking forward to you being next to me at Cars and Coffee soon!

Definitely!! Getting closer.

[33fromSD]

I have no idea how I would have formed these with the upholstery on them. Even if you had metal bending tools (which I don't) I don't see how you wouldn't be likely to screw up the vinyl. I was able to remove it though in tact so I could technically put it back on. I went and bought a piece of D shaped stair rail wood and screwed it to a 2x6. Put that on the ground and stood with all my weight jumping up and down on the panel to get it curved in the right spot. It fits but it was a bit of a chore. Hoping the other side goes as well!

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I was lucky able to shape mine with the vinyl on them, but needed to be very careful. Agree it was quite a process to get them shaped, like you, it involved 2x6s, lots of persuasion, but in the end it worked out well. I also cut a 6" hole in them for speakers. My kit was from 2020 and the upholstery work was very well done (tight, well bonded, straight ,etc.), perhaps FFR switched subcons for upholstery work.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/URrXRYkJGZ2MEUGi8

Jim

[BradC]

I was lucky able to shape mine with the vinyl on them, but needed to be very careful. Agree it was quite a process to get them shaped, like you, it involved 2x6s, lots of persuasion, but in the end it worked out well. I also cut a 6" hole in them for speakers. My kit was from 2020 and the upholstery work was very well done (tight, well bonded, straight ,etc.), perhaps FFR switched subcons for upholstery work.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/URrXRYkJGZ2MEUGi8

Jim

That's good. I'm impressed you pulled it off without damage. Maybe I just got some Monday morning panels, who knows.. I could put the upholstery back on since it was only glued around the edges. I'll have to decide on that soon.

[BradC]

I machined and polished new door latch bezels that are basically the same shape as what FFR does but elongated at the bottom to hold an extra post giving something to pinch the latch vs. just pushing down on it. This makes it a lot easier to open the door IMO. This is just a 3D printed version to test. Not sure if I'll leave it black, paint it body color, or machine them. I have a friend with a CNC lathe so maybe I can pull a favor later on. Not a big priority right now since the printed one works fine. I need to get going on the other door panel so they're ready to go to upholstery early next week.

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[BradC]

I got the dash and waterfall back today already. I'm really surprised they turned them around so quick. I had the door panels ready anyway so I headed over to drop those off and get the finished parts. Looks good. I decided not to do the cosmetic stitching after all. I just wasn't sure how it would look and didn't want to risk it for just a subtle feature.

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But of course... the universe has to get in its normal evil fun. I realized that the wiring connections for the drive mode buttons are about 1 inch too short to plug in - UGH!! I'm not sure how I did that. Bad measurement obviously but of all things... So I have to get all the wiring crap back out and fix it. Later this weekend maybe..

[Mastertech5]

Dash looks awesome. Nice and clean.

[Geoff H]

I agree! Nice work!

[BradC]

Thanks for the comments guys...

Fairly big milestone here - the outside is 'done' at least to the point where I can schedule my appointment with CHP! I had the first DMV appt. last week which went fine. Mirrors and lights are on and I fixed the short plugs going to the drive mode switches. Everything seems to be working. I had forgotten to check the radiator fan functionality but it powers up just fine when I set the motor temp down in the controller.

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All that's left now as far as assembly are the door panels, and I should get those late next week. This feels kind of weird closing in on the final details! There will be more to do once I get some miles on it. I'm sure I'll find bugs and things needing adjustment. Plus project cars are never really done - I'll have stuff I want to change I'm sure. Looking forward to seeing how it drives with a full charge but I need to avoid the temptation I think at least until I get it insured.

Oh, and I'm STILL waiting for the CANBUS channel file. I think next week I'll just ask them to send it even if it's not fully tested. I'd rather just be able to start messing with it. It's drivable with the iPad interface until then anyway.

[RoadRacer]

You’ve done an incredible job, well done!! The fit and finish is amazing.

I ended up not using the door panels because they were so heavy! Stretching some vinyl over the hole instead but weight is more important on my semi-race car. Agree on the door latches, I don’t know how anyone can open without a piece to squeeze against. I riveted on a simple L channel on same place.

[BradC]

You’ve done an incredible job, well done!! The fit and finish is amazing.

I ended up not using the door panels because they were so heavy! Stretching some vinyl over the hole instead but weight is more important on my semi-race car. Agree on the door latches, I don’t know how anyone can open without a piece to squeeze against. I riveted on a simple L channel on same place.

Thank you! Most of that credit goes to the body shop though. https://www.facebook.com/streetrodpainter/

They are heavy - I can see why not using them for a track car makes sense.

[Tom Veale]

Dear Brad,
I bought my first FFR car in 2003 and have generally been following along here and at FFCars ever since. Your Build is the most interesting one I've seen in a very long time. I have followed along since you started on this 'electrifying' journey and look forward to hearing about the time you spend driving this unique FFR Rod.
Thanks for the entertainment your efforts have brought to me and lots of others.
Best wishes and Safe Travels,
Tom Veale,
#007 FFR '33 Street Rod

[BradC]

Dear Brad,
I bought my first FFR car in 2003 and have generally been following along here and at FFCars ever since. Your Build is the most interesting one I've seen in a very long time. I have followed along since you started on this 'electrifying' journey and look forward to hearing about the time you spend driving this unique FFR Rod.
Thanks for the entertainment your efforts have brought to me and lots of others.
Best wishes and Safe Travels,
Tom Veale,
#007 FFR '33 Street Rod

Thank you Tom! I really appreciate the nice comments and I'm glad you've enjoyed following the thread. I'll definitely be posting how things go driving it once I get it registered. Hopefully that doesn't take too long but honestly I'm fine with not getting a bunch of miles on it right away. I want to get that self healing protective film done on the sides but I can't for another month and a half or so until the paint outgasses fully.

[Tom Veale]

Hi Brad,
Something I did when I mounted the front fenders is to use an old inner tube and create a "gasket" the same shape as the metal bracket that adjoins the Fender mounting flange. I thought it might help with vibration transmission between the bracket and fender. It's been that way ever since (2009).

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I cut it to the shape of the bracket, installed it in between the bracket and the glass fender and then riveted it in place.

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It's held up well. No fatigue cracks in about 16K miles.

Best wishes,
Tom

[BradC]

Thanks for the suggestion Tom. I made some stiffening plates for the front fenders that reduce the amount of bouncing significantly but I hadn't thought about adding a gasket like that.

[BradC]

I got a first pass version of the CAN display file Thursday. It needs more work because many of the channels aren't reporting - but I at least have speedometer and odometer now in case CHP wants to see that for my inspection appointment the week after next.

I spent a bunch of time learning the AEM display software, and I was able to make a decent first attempt at my main screen. This will show me most of what I need for normal driving. Motor voltage, amp draw, power, and state of charge are among the parameters not reporting still but we'll get there. I can see those on the iPad and PC interfaces so it's there - just need to get the AEM display seeing it. I'll have to work with EV West more on this.

The display looks blurry in the image for some reason but it's actually very clear with really nice resolution.

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[BradC]

Had a thought late last night about the channels not reporting over CAN. The motor controller has CAN1 and CAN2 ports and I had CAN2 wired to the dash display, which supposedly should have been ok. I was told that the same info is on both ports. But I decided to try swapping it over to CAN1 just to say I tried it and now everything that should be reporting is working!! Go figure.. That was worth the effort for sure.

Next step is to keep working with EV West to get the BMS CAN table made and reporting to the display. Supposedly that will be another couple of weeks which is fine. The main things I need from that are state of charge and battery temperatures, but I also should be able to make a screen that shows a map of all the cells and temperatures by location. Not necessary but it would be a good diagnostic tool to have.

[Tom Veale]

Hi Brad,
My fenders do wiggle a bit with road irregularities. They've held up very well with no fatigue cracks in ~16K miles. I don't know if the rubber gasket has helped, but at the time it seemed important to do something to reduce vibration being transmitted from the suspension to the fender.

I noted my fenders are mounted a bit further back than yours. I'd had to modify the mounting bracket on mine since I didn't have the proper spindles. (mine were 'prototype', with welded steering arms, so I had to find an alternative mounting method). When I changed the spindles out for the current ones with bolt on steering arms I had to rework the mounting brackets once again. Anyway, the back bottom edge of my fenders are about 7" off the ground. I still get some grit and pebbles thrown off the tires, but not too bad.

Best wishes,
Tom

[BradC]

Yeah, the implied position of these front fenders makes them mostly cosmetic. I thought about redesigning the brackets to position them father back. We'll see. I need to find out how much the self-healing protective film is going to cost and go from there.

[Blitzboy54]

Everything about this build is awesome.

[BradC]

Everything about this build is awesome.

Thank you!!

[BradC]

Just got the car back on the ground - just in time for my CHP inspection appointment tomorrow morning. I had the rear suspension travel maxed out with the 8" springs so I changed them over to 10" (still 250lb). I checked the bottom out point on the lift with springs disengaged and the tires don't hit the fenders, but I can't simulate a full weight hit that way. So I wanted extra adjustment to be able to start high and then drop it down incrementally. It's good enough now to start driving it and get a feel for how the suspension behaves. I'll likely end up changing out the coilovers for the adjustable QA1 and lighten up the front springs from 400lb like many others seem to do. The rear seems ok with 250lb but we'll see with that too.

Hopefully I'll get a better feel for the timing to finalize registration tomorrow. I have to go back to DMV after CHP and then who knows how long it'll be.

[Mastertech5]

Good luck!

[BradC]

CHP appointment went fine. They were great there. A couple officers showed up to check out the car and talk about their project cars too. I got the VIN assigned so now I'll take the car over for brake and lamp inspection tomorrow. Then back to DMV next week. Not sure yet what happens after that but I'll find out I guess. I submitted everything for insurance just now too.

190081

I realized I haven't posted pictures of the finished interior..

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I was unloading the car off the trailer when I got home and said the hell with it - couldn't resist a drive around the block. This thing is FAST on a full charge!! Holy crap! I was afraid to really get on it in the residential area (and while not registered or insured - ha) but can't wait to get it out on an open road. It tracked straight, brakes were fine, and all seemed ok with it for the short drive.

[RoadRacer]

Like THAT'S a surprise. Likely will be the fastest one out there, by a whole bunch!

[Geoff H]

That is a CLEAN interior - very nicely done!

[BradC]

Like THAT'S a surprise. Likely will be the fastest one out there, by a whole bunch!

I don't know - I've seen some crazy engines in others. There was one at the body shop while mine was there with a twin turbo Coyote. This is definitely the most low end torque I've ever had in a car though. My LS3 Camaro was incredible but the acceleration wasn't like this!

[RoadRacer]

I don't know - I've seen some crazy engines in others. There was one at the body shop while mine was there with a twin turbo Coyote. This is definitely the most low end torque I've ever had in a car though. My LS3 Camaro was incredible but the acceleration wasn't like this!

I may (or may not) race cars on the highway, but never an electric one LOL

[BradC]

This comes to mind... I actually saw this car in person once in Monterey at the Baja Cantina. He might have me beat by one or two HP.

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[BradC]

That is a CLEAN interior - very nicely done!

Thank you! It's simple but came out ok I think.

[BradC]

I may (or may not) race cars on the highway, but never an electric one LOL

Wait - isn't that illegal??? haha

[Geoff H]

I don't know - I've seen some crazy engines in others. There was one at the body shop while mine was there with a twin turbo Coyote. This is definitely the most low end torque I've ever had in a car though. My LS3 Camaro was incredible but the acceleration wasn't like this!

I agree! My brother has a Tesla model 3 as his daily driver - incredible torque that is available at almost any speed! He is a car guy too and loves my cobra - but it is all together a different driving experience.

[Dan Cooper]

Brad, You're car is looking amazing. Glad to here your licensing process is going well. I really need to get moving on mine so I can experience the ride you describe.

[BradC]

Yeah, a Model 3 performance ride what was got me thinking about doing this project. Crazy acceleration.

Dan - you won’t be disappointed with the power I would imagine!

[Mastertech5]

Can't wait to hear now it goes on the open road. No vroom though just whoosh! That blue one looks insane!

[BradC]

Can't wait to hear now it goes on the open road. No vroom though just whoosh! That blue one looks insane!

You should hear that blue car run. It's crazy!

[BradC]

Brake and lamp inspection is done so I have everything to go back to DMV, and hopefully get a temp registration at that point. I have an appointment for Wednesday but I'll try a walk in Monday and see how it goes.

I went for a little longer drive today now that it's insured and got it up to about 50. I still can't get over the instant acceleration - it's sooo cool!

It seems good for the most part but I'll have some suspension adjustments to do as expected. The front end is a bit too low and the steering doesn't feel like it's self centering as much as it maybe should. The ride is firm but not as rough as I was expecting in the front with the 400# springs. I'll check the caster again but I may need to take it to an alignment shop. Not sure how it's 'supposed' to feel though. For those with finished cars how does the steering feel in terms of self centering? It's tracking straight but if I push the wheel a little it'll stay there.

[RoadRacer]

You'll find a LOT of personal preference in setups - I run 10º caster without p/s, and I find it perfectly acceptable for weight and self-centering, but my problem was never a lack of self-centering but instead too much tram-lining (i.e. following lines/cracks/imperfections on bad roads). That's a lot to do with my wide front tires though.

I'd still recommend a little higher than the factory recommendations though - and shoot for the moon if you have p/s!

[33fromSD]

Brake and lamp inspection is done so I have everything to go back to DMV, and hopefully get a temp registration at that point. I have an appointment for Wednesday but I'll try a walk in Monday and see how it goes.

I went for a little longer drive today now that it's insured and got it up to about 50. I still can't get over the instant acceleration - it's sooo cool!

It seems good for the most part but I'll have some suspension adjustments to do as expected. The front end is a bit too low and the steering doesn't feel like it's self centering as much as it maybe should. The ride is firm but not as rough as I was expecting in the front with the 400# springs. I'll check the caster again but I may need to take it to an alignment shop. Not sure how it's 'supposed' to feel though. For those with finished cars how does the steering feel in terms of self centering? It's tracking straight but if I push the wheel a little it'll stay there.

"Self Centering" and wide tires don't go together. With the super wide tires on the front, mine at least (I'm sure others do the same) tends to track with the road. When I'm on a super flat, super smooth asphalt road (very hard to find around here) the car goes down the road laser straight, I can let go out the wheel at it just stays straight. if I'm on the highway with those stupid grooves the put in mid-west roads to help channel the water the car follows the lines, if any roads have a decent crown in them, the car tends to pull to the shoulder cause it's following the crown.

Jim

[BradC]

Thanks guys. Sounds like somewhat normal but I’ll set up the alignment rig again and see where it measures after I adjust the front height up a bit. Which by the way is a huge pain in the arse with the tight space as I’m sure you all know. I had them set as much as I could do by hand but it needs more. I’m printing a cf reinforced short spanner tool for 3/8” ratchet to see if that will help. The Komi one looks to be out of stock. If it breaks I’ll machine one in aluminum or steel. Always start with the lazy route and go from there!!

[BradC]

The 3D printed spring collar wrench worked for a little while but then the 3/8 ratchet end stripped out. I'm actually impressed it worked as long as it did. Pretty cool.

I'm having some laser cut in stainless steel. I can machine them myself, but can't do the 90 degree inside corners for the ratchet extension. I'm making two different sizes so as the collar spins you can always reach a notch from the same access point. Anyone interested if I had more made? I was thinking $25 a set. I'll want to make sure they work well first of course.

190169

I bought these vise grip pliers to hold the coilover threaded sleeves in place hands-free. It's so tight in there I can't keep a good hold on the sleeve while turning the spring collar. I wrapped the sleeve in rubber and clamped the pliers on - worked great and no damage done to the sleeve threads.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004SBB1/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Mastertech5]

Most roads are crowned slightly for drainage. We used to always give the right tire about 1/2-3/4 a degree more caster than the left and 1/4-1/2 a degree less camber to account for road crown.

[BradC]

Most roads are crowned slightly for drainage. We used to always give the right tire about 1/2-3/4 a degree more caster than the left and 1/4-1/2 a degree less camber to account for road crown.

Thanks for the info!!

[Nigel Allen]

G'day Brad,

I know, it is a long way to send them , but I would like to buy a set of your collar wrenches.

Cheers,

Nige

[BradC]

G'day Brad,

I know, it is a long way to send them , but I would like to buy a set of your collar wrenches.

Cheers,

Nige

Ok, sounds good. I'll let you know once I make sure they work well.

[Nigel Allen]

Ok, sounds good. I'll let you know once I make sure they work well.

Champion

[BradC]

I went to DMV this morning hoping to get the temporary registration but no luck. Whoever the DMV agent had to talk to on the phone was insistent that I have a BAR smog referee inspection. Even though CHP and the brake/lamp inspection people noted it's electric. So I called the number to set up an appointment and they said it's a phone interview! Gotta love bureaucracy (or not..) I guess. So I have the phone interview scheduled for next Monday which isn't bad but still seems odd that they couldn't just go by the proof I had already. I'm hoping that will be all I need vs. then having to schedule something in person later.

[Papa]

Brad,

I feel your frustration. When I went to title my MK4, the DMV told me I needed an odometer disclosure from the dealership. I tried to convince them that an assembled vehicle isn't purchased through a dealership, but they sent me up the street to a used car lot to get the form from a dealer that had absolutely nothing to do with my car.

Dave

[BradC]

Ha - that's quite mindless of them. At least the agent at DMV has been great so far with mine. She was rolling her eyes on the phone when they were telling her what I had to do. And CHP was great too. Can't complain too much I guess. It definitely could be going worse.

[J R Jones]

Ha - that's quite mindless of them. At least the agent at DMV has been great so far with mine. She was rolling her eyes on the phone when they were telling her what I had to do. And CHP was great too. Can't complain too much I guess. It definitely could be going worse.

I went through a similar process with a salvaged (Yamaha) motorcycle. I had to pass the Sheriff inspection of the bike with my file folder of receipts. He expected a VIN on every (ebay, craigslist, and shipped salvage part) invoice.
In the third hour I shared with him, "The next time I have a similar project, I will bring five receipts".
jim

[BradC]

I went through a similar process with a salvaged (Yamaha) motorcycle. I had to pass the Sheriff inspection of the bike with my file folder of receipts. He expected a VIN on every (ebay, craigslist, and shipped salvage part) invoice.
In the third hour I shared with him, "The next time I have a similar project, I will bring five receipts".
jim

That's crazy..

[BradC]

I went back to DMV today because I read I could request a temporary operating permit since my brake/lamp inspection was complete. That was correct, and they gave me a 60 day permit which is perfect! Wish I knew to ask that yesterday but no big deal. I was in and out in about 40 minutes. Now I can legally make the yearly car show at work Thursday, cars and coffee Saturday, and euro Sunday (it's everything, not just euro cars). So it's the big debut over the next few days!

[Dan Cooper]

This calls for a celebration, for the time and quality of your project I think it is quite an accomplishment. Job well done sir.

[Nigel Allen]

Great outcome. Time to get those electrons moving.

[BradC]

This calls for a celebration, for the time and quality of your project I think it is quite an accomplishment. Job well done sir.

Thanks Dan! Now we'll be watching yours.

FYI to everyone - Dan is building 'serial# 2' with my motor/suspension design, but will likely be taking a different approach with the batteries to accommodate the fun Phoenix summer temperatures (needs liquid cooling). Looking forward to seeing it come together!

[BradC]

Great outcome. Time to get those electrons moving.

Thanks Nigel! Also time to figure out what's rattling in the trunk area - ugh. I don't have the engine rumble to drown that stuff out so you can hear EVERYTHING. All part of the fun!

Likely time to change the front coilovers too. I took it out last night again and I think I'm going to switch over to the double adjustable QA1's and longer 300# springs in the front to soften it up. I read through Jim's (33fromSD) post on it and it was really helpful. Thanks Jim for documenting all that - it'll save me the box of unused springs trying to dial it in.

[Tom Veale]

Hi Brad, Re: Springs, Shocks and weights....................

Now that the project is fully assembled, what's the gross vehicle weight, weight distribution Front/Rear, etc. My car with a Ford 302 Pushrod V-8 weighs in as follows:
190302

The shocks/springs I'm now using were selected after several years of track and street use. Last year I dropped the front and rear spring rates down as I don't use it for track events any more. The right combination of shocks and springs make the car far more civilized than what it was initially. My soon to be 74 year old carcass likes the greater civility!

Best wishes,
Tom

[BradC]

Hi Tom,

That's on my list. I have a friend with scales so I'll get it on them at some point soon hopefully to see where it sits. I'm thinking it should be close to 50/50 front to back still but I'll find out.

I'm definitely in the 'more civilized' camp too. I have no desire to track this thing and I much prefer a more tame suspension. It's not horrible now but it is stiff. What shock/spring combo did you end up with in the front?

[Nigel Allen]

I feel that my roadster softened after a couple of thousand K's. I guess this is probably due to stiction on new suspension components?

[BradC]

Good to know Nigel. Thanks. Not sure I'm patient enough to see if mine does that though. I'll probably change the fronts out if for no other reason than to have some damping adjustability.

[Tom Veale]

What shock/spring combo did you end up with in the front?

You may want to do some corner and axle weights before selecting spring rates just to be sure yours is in the same neighborhood.

I am using 350#/In x 9" long front springs with single adjustable QA1 Shocks. (longer is good!)

190381
Note that adjusters are at the "top" - shocks are mounted with the shafts "down."

At the rear they're 250#/In x 12" long springs. But, remember mine is a solid axle 8.8" Ford, not independent rear. Your spring rate and length might not be the same as my solid axle. Again, the longer the better as long as there's no spring bind at full suspension compression.

Tame is good!

PS: my weights were done by driving each corner and each axle onto a county weigh scale! It was + or- around 10lbs, so total weight and axle weights are probably the closest. Corner weights have the greater potential error. My method was to first get the car's frame 'level' to the floor. Then I drove to the scales and did left and right first. Then go corner and axle weight the car. Then back and make adjustments and go back and do the weights again. It took a few times but I got it close.

Best wishes,
Tom

[BradC]

Thanks Tom - appreciate the info.

[BradC]

Three separate shows in 4 days! Annual car show at work Thursday, Cars & Coffee Saturday, and Euro Sunday. Glad I was able to get it street legal in time to make them all. It was fun - LOTS of questions about the car, and many the same over and over. Ted G was out there with me (the amazing Cobra next to mine in the images below) and had a good suggestion that I probably should make a nice sign covering what's in the car. I'll have to work on that. Another friend suggested I get an Energizer bunny toy to set on the battery box when it's on display. I might just do that too..

Thursday
190403

Saturday (I only took one picture when we got there early - forgot to take more when it got crowded)
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Sunday
190404 190406

I changed the caster to 8 degrees from 6 and it helped, but still needs more I think. I'll try 10 degrees next. I've found and fixed a few rattles too as expected. All part of the process!!

[jayguy]

Looks Amazing Brad!

[BradC]

Got the coilover wrenches today. They work great with the two sizes, so you can always grab a hole in the collar in the tight space up front. I have 3 extra sets if anyone is interested.

190441

[Namrups]

Got the coilover wrenches today. They work great with the two sizes, so you can always grab a hole in the collar in the tight space up front. I have 3 extra sets if anyone is interested.

190441

PM sent!

[BradC]

On to finding all the little tweaks I realize need to do now that I've the chance to put a few miles on the car. One was that my left foot didn't have a neutral place to rest and the space between the kick panel and the brake pedal was just a little too tight. So I shifted the Tesla brake pedal pad to the right a little and designed a dead pedal. Much better now.

190565

I got all my paperwork approved for the BAR smog referee meeting and have an appointment set for next Thursday. After that I can go back to DMV and turn everything in for final registration (I hope).

[BradC]

I went ahead and swapped over to the QA1 double adjustable shocks with 300# springs in the front. It's definitely a nice change from the stock 400# and fixed Koni's at first impression - noticeably more comfortable ride. I've only driven it a couple of miles so far because it rained a bit this weekend. I'll need to play with adjustments more but I like it so far. The ability to mount them upside down is nice too with all the adjustment up top where there's more space. I might do those in the rear too but not right away.

190779

I also wired in a switch to shut the power steering off to see how that feels at speed. If I like it I'll look into finding a solution to shut it off automatically over a certain speed.

[RoadRacer]

I went ahead and swapped over to the QA1 double adjustable shocks with 300# springs in the front. It's definitely a nice change from the stock 400# and fixed Koni's at first impression - noticeably more comfortable ride. I've only driven it a couple of miles so far because it rained a bit this weekend. I'll need to play with adjustments more but I like it so far. The ability to mount them upside down is nice too with all the adjustment up top where there's more space. I might do those in the rear too but not right away.

190779

I also wired in a switch to shut the power steering off to see how that feels at speed. If I like it I'll look into finding a solution to shut it off automatically over a certain speed.

Can't wait to do the same.. finally got to the top of my todo list

[33fromSD]

I went ahead and swapped over to the QA1 double adjustable shocks with 300# springs in the front. It's definitely a nice change from the stock 400# and fixed Koni's at first impression - noticeably more comfortable ride. I've only driven it a couple of miles so far because it rained a bit this weekend. I'll need to play with adjustments more but I like it so far. The ability to mount them upside down is nice too with all the adjustment up top where there's more space. I might do those in the rear too but not right away.

190779

I also wired in a switch to shut the power steering off to see how that feels at speed. If I like it I'll look into finding a solution to shut it off automatically over a certain speed.

Can't officially check since I just stored the 33 this weekend but I think I'm at 6 clicks on the compression and 2 clicks I wanna say (maybe 4) on the rebound. Like you noted Brad, the QA1a are night and day difference over the Konis.

On the rear I only went with single adjustable QA1 and those are set at 6 clicks I believe too. I'm constantly playing with the rears though, the fronts I think I have set where I like them.

Jim

[BradC]

Can't wait to do the same.. finally got to the top of my todo list

I don't think you'll regret it for sure..

[BradC]

Can't officially check since I just stored the 33 this weekend but I think I'm at 6 clicks on the compression and 2 clicks I wanna say (maybe 4) on the rebound. Like you noted Brad, the QA1a are night and day difference over the Konis.

On the rear I only went with single adjustable QA1 and those are set at 6 clicks I believe too. I'm constantly playing with the rears though, the fronts I think I have set where I like them.

Jim

Thanks Jim. I started at 12 on compression and turned it down to 10 today - rebound is at 5. I was thinking I needed to drop both a little more so that helps knowing what yours are. And thanks again for posting your thread on that. Saved me a lot of experimenting for sure!

[33fromSD]

Thanks Jim. I started at 12 on compression and turned it down to 10 today - rebound is at 5. I was thinking I needed to drop both a little more so that helps knowing what yours are. And thanks again for posting your thread on that. Saved me a lot of experimenting for sure!

Sure thing.

I know you have a cluster of batteries up front so I'm not sure the total weight of that cluster, but for comparison sake, I'm only running a little Ford 302 which fully dressed is maybe 450 lbs.

The only other difference I see, is I'm running full fenders/running boards but "maybe" the fenders / mounting hardware add an additional 15-20 lbs. They are not that heavy.

The fun of these cars is playing with it. I watched a you-tube video where a QA1 engineering said the best way to dial in the QA1 coil-overs to your liking is to find a route that has both smooth and rough roads and then adjust your shocks in small increments, taking a ride on that same chosen route after each adjustment, stop re-adjust, take the route, etc. etc. until your where you like it.

I didn't do that the first time so it was hard to tell if the changes I was making was getting better or worse, so I choose a path that had terrible pot-hole ridden sections and then very smooth sections and this is where I could notice the big differences with the couple clicks at a time adjustment. Once I got it to where I really liked it, then I tried to fine tune it with single clicks verses two clicks at a time. I was kind of funny cause the route I chose had a bunch of kids playing in the yard so they would give me waves / thumbs up yelling every time I drove by. I think I made 10-12 loops until I was happy with it.

Jim

[BradC]

It's probably really close to your 302. I never weighed it but the CAD model said 430lb for the front battery box. So with bike fenders, the shorter front end with the 32 grill, and a smaller radiator I'm probably a little lighter than yours if anything. Splitting hairs in terms of shock setting differences I'm sure. I have my repeatable route too. One of the residential streets leaving my neighborhood is a little worse than the rest for some reason so I go that way when I change something with the suspension. I pass Toadster's house on the way but I haven't seen him playing in the front yard yet.. haha. Sorry Todd...

[toadster]

It's probably really close to your 302. I never weighed it but the CAD model said 430lb for the front battery box. So with bike fenders, the shorter front end with the 32 grill, and a smaller radiator I'm probably a little lighter than yours if anything. Splitting hairs in terms of shock setting differences I'm sure. I have my repeatable route too. One of the residential streets leaving my neighborhood is a little worse than the rest for some reason so I go that way when I change something with the suspension. I pass Toadster's house on the way but I haven't seen him playing in the front yard yet.. haha. Sorry Todd...

:) I was gone for a few weeks in Europe - but plan on being in the garage this week!

[BradC]

It's really unfortunate when work gets in the way of your project car...

[Nigel Allen]

Received these coil over adjusters from Brad today.

190849

Really nicely made. Looking forward to being able to adjust my ride height without pulling the coil overs out.

Thanks heaps mate!

[toadster]

It's really unfortunate when work gets in the way of your project car...

self-inflicted wound - it was vacation (long overdue) :)

[BradC]

self-inflicted wound - it was vacation (long overdue) :)

Oh - duh! I should know better than assuming you got travel budget approved through work I guess. Ha..

[BradC]

Had my appointment with the smog referee today. They were really cool but the car being electric stumped them a little with how to enter it in the system. So after some messing with it, the car is now categorized as a 1960 Tesla with a 4.3 liter rotary engine. The 1960 triggers it to be smog exempt, Tesla is the motor mfg, 4.3l comes from entering 265 KW which the system interpreted as 265 c.i. and converted to 4.3l, and rotary - because well, why not rotary? haha. Whatever, it got what I needed done. I'll go back to DMV tomorrow if I get time and I should get the plates then I hope. It's been an interesting process but not as bad as I was expecting at least.

[wrp]

Just a curious question, do they not have a category for assembled vehicles including Tesla's? Are modern era Tesla's Smog exempt?

[BradC]

They do for production EV’s but this is a different process. CA allows 500 “specially constructed” cars a year to be exempt from emissions testing. It’s based on the engine mfg not car mfg for the smog referee which makes sense. Mine is the first electric one they’ve dealt with under that process so they just made due with what they had to work with in the system. I’m sure eventually they’ll add more options to list.

[BradC]

Finished up the registration process at DMV today and got my plates. Title should be sent by mail in a month or so. Nice to be done with all that!

[Mastertech5]

Now your free to roam and let some smoke out of the wheel wells! Have fun.

[wrp]

They do for production EV’s but this is a different process. CA allows 500 “specially constructed” cars a year to be exempt from emissions testing. It’s based on the engine mfg not car mfg for the smog referee which makes sense. Mine is the first electric one they’ve dealt with under that process so they just made due with what they had to work with in the system. I’m sure eventually they’ll add more options to list. Sounds really arbitrary. At any rate, congratulations on your build, I have been watching it since your first post. I find it extremely exciting and truly admire you for your craftsmanship and engineering. Look forward to see you using it on the road and having fun with it. This was always my dream build, I just don't have the talent. Would love to see data on performance, range, reliability and so forth. I sincerely think this is the way of the future.

[progmgr1]

IMHO, "Arbitrary" is the CA bureaucracy's guiding principle. It's how they exert their power over the plebs while avoiding any responsibility for their actions. That's one reason why builders have widely different registration experiences depending on which DMV office they attempt to use. Some builders even go far away from their local DMV office because they have heard that the manager at another site a) is familiar with SB100 and b) is not a d***. (puts soapbox away...)

So Brad, when are you planning on staging your road trip to down here to show off your ride?

That leads to the next question: what system do you use to charge the car when you are away from home?

Glad to see that you are on the road and legal. I hope you continue to post occasionally so we can all see the inevitable tweaks and upgrades. A few driving vids would also be a good thing.

Keith HR #894

[BradC]

Definitely true about shopping for the right DMV. There are some around here known for being very familiar with the SB100 process, but that also couples sometimes with stories (nothing firsthand though so take it for what it is..) about being charged taxes again for parts you already paid state sales tax on - based on full declared value of the car. Also about some requiring the builder to put a taxable value on their own labor at minimum wage. Folsom DMV here was great actually - not super familiar with the process but I was fine with that. I paid the actual taxes due which for me was just on the FFR kit, but I would have had a real big problem with being taxed on my own labor. It didn't come up though thankfully. Again, I'm not certain that's a true thing but given b.s. things CA does ALL the time it wouldn't surprise me in the least.

[BradC]

Keith - no plans to head down there with the car for now. It's not really conducive to long trips since I can't do DC fast charging but maybe someday. I have a 220 charging station at home but I'm limited to a 30A circuit. Full charge on the car should be about 6-7 hours so not a big deal for what the typical usage will be for it. If I do need a backup option at some point they have 110V portable chargers. If I know a place has a 220 plug I can take my main one too - it's easily portable.

[BradC]

Sounds really arbitrary. At any rate, congratulations on your build, I have been watching it since your first post. I find it extremely exciting and truly admire you for your craftsmanship and engineering. Look forward to see you using it on the road and having fun with it. This was always my dream build, I just don't have the talent. Would love to see data on performance, range, reliability and so forth. I sincerely think this is the way of the future.

Thank you for the comments - glad you've enjoyed following it! I'll post more for sure as the car evolves. I have a list of things to tweak already and I'll keep updating this.

So far the one top-off charge I've done with a previous full charge baseline showed 3 miles per KWh. That was with a mix of easy driving and a few throttle mashes. That would come out to about a 120 mile range. I need to do a few checks at 100% normal driving (if I can.. ha) to work out what the max range might be. I'll see about doing a driving video too maybe.

[BradC]

Now your free to roam and let some smoke out of the wheel wells! Have fun.

I'll try my best!! haha

[Dan Cooper]

Congratulations Brad, That was definitely an interesting process. I'm glad to see it all came into play for you. My project is still at the weld shop, hope to have it back the first part of the week.

[BradC]

Congratulations Brad, That was definitely an interesting process. I'm glad to see it all came into play for you. My project is still at the weld shop, hope to have it back the first part of the week.

Thanks Dan. Hope everything comes out well with the welding!

[BradC]

I want to do something that breaks up the front battery box appearance. Too flat and boring on the top I think. Although I did get some mileage out of telling a couple people it's a "crate" motor. The battery pack top surfaces actually look kind of cool so I'm going to mock this up and see what it looks like. If I like it I'll cut the holes in the top panel and 3D print the four bezels that will go down to the top of the packs. I think it'll give it some nice depth from just the flat surface.

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The top of the battery packs look like this...

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[BradC]

I'm having issues with the front fenders just barely hitting the tires on hard bumps like manhole covers at higher speeds. The brackets that came with the fenders were kind of crap - soft steel, badly pitted, and no adjustment. I redesigned them to have some slotted adjustability and also made from stainless steel. They should show up in a day or so. I'll be able to dial in the distance between the tire as well as the clocking angles to get them matching better left to right.

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[Papa]

What about adding some sort of electronic graphic? Something like this ...

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=191093&d=1697131476

[FF33rod]

crate motor! LOL....
not sure how much hood clearance you have but you could 3D print something along the lines of an engine cover, or get an OEM one....

Steve

[BradC]

What about adding some sort of electronic graphic? Something like this ...

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=191093&d=1697131476

I want to keep with the simple theme on the car. I think a graphic might clash with that. Thanks!

[BradC]

crate motor! LOL....
not sure how much hood clearance you have but you could 3D print something along the lines of an engine cover, or get an OEM one....

Steve

I half thought about a Coyote top cover but then it's just trying to make it look like something it's not. I'm limited to 10"x13" with the 3D printer too. I could technically bond several parts together with a lot of finishing work but then I go back to not having anything in mind to add to the top that would look nice. I tried some ideas in CAD a few months ago and nothing clicked for me. I'm not artistic enough for that I think. I'll see how the reveal looks as far as just adding depth and go from there. I ordered a cheap mock up panel from SendCutSend to try out.

[Papa]

I half thought about a Coyote top cover but then it's just trying to make it look like something it's not. I'm limited to 10"x13" with the 3D printer too. I could technically bond several parts together with a lot of finishing work but then I go back to not having anything in mind to add to the top that would look nice. I tried some ideas in CAD a few months ago and nothing clicked for me. I'm not artistic enough for that I think. I'll see how the reveal looks as far as just adding depth and go from there. I ordered a cheap mock up panel from SendCutSend to try out.

How about a large Tesla emblem?

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=191094&d=1697139719

[Nigel Allen]

With all the design effort that you have put in, I think it is only fair that you should include a reference to yourself like initials or something incorporated into the top cover.

[Nigel Allen]

Maybe make the top cover out of polished stainless steel? I.e. plain and practical component, just a bit pretty.

[33fromSD]

Similar to Ford on the Mach-e, make a simple cover with 33HR-e on it

Jim

[progmgr1]

Or maybe just a large battery schematic symbol with +, -, and XXX VDC embossed?

BTW, I have a pair of Coyote dress-up valve covers that I bought with my crate motor, but they don't fit as advertised and I can't use them. They are your for the cost of the postage, if that is of any help to you.

Keith HR #894

[BradC]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions! I'll play around with the options. I have a big vinyl cutter at work to make temporary stickers too which will help.

[BradC]

I got the new fender brackets and put them on just now. WAY better. The adjustability makes it easy to space and clock the fenders the same on each side, and the small normal flex of the fenders is less too with the stainless steel. I added about 3/8" more space from the tire so I think that should stop the occasional touching I was having. I might pass the change suggestion back to McQueen for any future kits they sell.

I also don't have to remove the lower control arm ball joint nut anymore to remove the bracket since I can slide it up higher to clear the castle nut. Extra bonus...

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[Just 1 More]

I got the new fender brackets and put them on just now. WAY better. The adjustability makes it easy to space and clock the fenders the same on each side, and the small normal flex of the fenders is less too with the stainless steel. I added about 3/8" more space from the tire so I think that should stop the occasional touching I was having. I might pass the change suggestion back to McQueen for any future kits they sell.

I also don't have to remove the lower control arm ball joint nut anymore to remove the bracket since I can slide it up higher to clear the castle nut. Extra bonus...

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SO what's the deal with getting the new brackets? Just call them? I have a complete set of front and rear sitting in the box, waiting

[BradC]

SO what's the deal with getting the new brackets? Just call them? I have a complete set of front and rear sitting in the box, waiting

I redesigned them myself and had them made by SendCutSend. It was about $165. It's easy to order another set if you're interested. I'd have to check if they can be delivered to a different address than mine.

I sent an email to McQueen suggesting they consider changing theirs but not sure what they will say.

[Ted G]

Brad,

I loved driving next to you a few weeks back. You at any shows this weekend?

[BradC]

Brad,

I loved driving next to you a few weeks back. You at any shows this weekend?

Yeah, except when we got on it mine got a bit sketchy before I had the caster adjusted right and the pallet of bricks that was the front coilovers. Ha - not sure if you saw me waver a bit in the lane. Oh well - it's better now.

I'll be at CNC tomorrow morning I think.

[Just 1 More]

I redesigned them myself and had them made by SendCutSend. It was about $165. It's easy to order another set if you're interested. I'd have to check if they can be delivered to a different address than mine.

I sent an email to McQueen suggesting they consider changing theirs but not sure what they will say.

Got ya, I thought you got them from McQueen. I think i'm going to modify the ones I have. I'm far from that stage of the build but have looked at it a little and have some thought.
Thank you

[Louispoin]

Congratulations on embarking on your Tesla-powered 33 Hot Rod project! It sounds like an exciting and ambitious build. Using a Tesla Model 3 Performance rear drive unit with 355Hp and instant torque is a fantastic choice for this electrified endeavor. Your plan to adapt the Model 3 IRS to your chassis is both innovative and challenging, but your determination is inspiring.

The LG Chem Super Cell battery packs from EV West seem like a solid choice, and wiring them for 400V and a 130-mile range should work well for your project. Your choice of the EV Controls T-2C motor controller shows careful consideration. As for the BMS and charger, it's wise to take your time to decide on the right components for your setup.

Best of luck with your build, and please keep us updated on your progress. It's a unique project, and we can't wait to see how it turns out!

[BradC]

I have a few partial charge cycles on it now and the math is still showing a 120-140 mile range - which is exactly what I was hoping for. I'm still having trouble getting the state of charge reporting but I noticed today monitoring charging with the BMS connected to a PC that the shunt resistor current value is off by a factor of 10 - which explains why SoC is off. I have an email out to the BMS mfg. about it. Hopefully an easy fix.

Looks like the car is going to the big Sacramento Auto Show this weekend! I got invited to display it in the classic car building. Should be fun. I'll sign up for a few shifts working there Friday and Sunday to help out as well.

https://www.sacautoshow.com/special-features/classic-car-show-off/

[BradC]

Dropped the car off at the show today. It starts tomorrow.

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[Mastertech5]

Looks great. Nice company too.

[Nigel Allen]

Looks fantastic! I reckon you will have a very busy weekend.

Cheers,

Nigel

[BradC]

Looks great. Nice company too.

Thanks. The cobra next to it is my friend David's. It's a FFR MK4 but with a top from Australia I think. It's a really cool design and transforms the car to something completely different. The rear hatch opens to the trunk and when you open the side doors the windows hinge up out of the way.

[BradC]

Looks fantastic! I reckon you will have a very busy weekend.

Cheers,

Nigel

Thanks Nigel. Yeah, it'll be fun to see how things go. I'll go back there today for the opening but can't stay all day. I'm out of town Saturday and then I'll go back there Sunday for most of the day.

[BradC]

The weekend show went great. I guess Saturday was the busy day which makes sense but I wasn't there. They told me there was lots of interest in mine though. I left the hood up Friday for the "wait... what is that??" effect. Ha. I spent 3-4 hours there yesterday and had the chance to talk to a lot of people about it as well as wander around checking out the other cars. It was fun but we didn't get let out until close to 6:30 - so I had to drive home in the dark. No issues other than I realized my bights were on about halfway home - oops.. That and it was pretty chilly. The seat heater worked great but I wish I had brought gloves. I think I'll stash a pair in the car from now on.

[JimLev]

Do you have the FFR halogen headlights or the LED ones that draw a lot less power?

[BradC]

I have the LED headlights...

[BradC]

So - I drove the car on all backroads going the show the other weekend to lower my risk of rock chips on the highway. While I was leaving the venue I flipped something up in the parking lot at about 10mph and chipped the rear fender. Ugh. Small chip but that sealed the deal in deciding on PPF. I took the car in Tuesday and just got it back today. They repaired the chip for no extra cost and did a really nice job on the PPF.. Obviously you can't tell in the image but it's covered everywhere but the trunk now in self healing film. It's nice being able to just drive it without constantly thinking 'crap, what was that I just heard'.

192081

Just need to put my headlights back on now..

[BradC]

While putting the headlights back on I noticed the rivets holding the mounting flange to the can were all loose. That allows the light to rotate a little no matter how tight it is to the chassis and it was definitely some of the rattling I was hearing while driving that I've been chasing down. Without the lights on there everything was much more solid on the road. Must be the heavier LED lights working the rivets loose. I was able to crimp them tighter but I'm pretty sure it's just going to happen again. I think I'll knock the rivets out and replace them with some nice bolts and lock nuts.

Anyone else have this happen?

192096

[BradC]

Much better now - no more rotation. It was way too easy to remove those rivets so I'm positive they would have worked loose again. M5 screws gave the tightest fit with the hole sizes.

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[BradC]

It's been a while since I posted here but the car is doing great. My range is pretty consistent at 120-150 miles depending on how I drive it. I haven't run it to zero but I've done charge cycles ranging from 40 to 90 miles and it calculates out to the same projected range each time. I've been slowly messing with the suspension and the handling is great now - much better than the first drives.

I FINALLY got the first pass CAN channel file for the BMS yesterday so that's on my list this weekend to see if it works and get it integrated into the CD7 display. I'll finally have state of charge and other battery details on the display now instead of having to connect a PC. It will also enable fault screens on my display real time should anything go wrong. I plan to change the display wiring so that it comes on during charging allowing me to see progress without a PC.

I decided to pull the trigger on doing something about the boring flat top of the main battery pack. I machined some reveal openings to break it up and give it some depth. I'm happy with the end result. I added some snap in bezels that go down to the battery pack surface that I 3D printed (on my new printer I bought for home) but I have a few design options that would integrate some machined aluminum if I wanted to change it later.

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[BradC]

Couple of shots it at a friend's house last weekend...

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[toadster]

Couple of shots it at a friend's house last weekend...

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I wish that guy on here still did FFR calendars, that first shot should get the cover!! Looking awesome!

Love your crate motor mod too - gives it a bit more industrialized look!!

[BradC]

Thanks Todd!

[BradC]

Partial success with the BMS info porting to the display! I got the channel address info last week like I mentioned but it still wasn't reporting to the screen. Thunderstruck Motors has been so great with support on this. I'm the first one trying to get their new MCU BMS module to report to the AEM display so we're both figuring this out as we go. With their help we added some data request lines to the AEM software and I finally got state of charge and pack capacity values showing up! May not seem like much but it's a huge step for me given how long I've been working on this. We seem to be on the right path now so hopefully getting the rest of the info is just a matter of a little more troubleshooting.

Data request lines we added:
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Two channels showing up!
193985

SoC battery gauge on the bottom of my main screen showing 100%
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[BradC]

Did the local cars and coffee new years day polar bear drive yesterday morning. I'm guessing there were about 200+ cars that did the run up through some really nice winding roads to a place called Georgetown in the foothills here. Someone got nice shots of the cars on the way and posted a bunch to the facebook page with two of my car. Despite apparently looking like the frozen Unibomber, I had a really fun time! It wasn't too cold actually with the seat heater on high. The is the longest single drive I've done with the car so far and I was pretty nervous about range since it was a 2500 ft elevation increase. Stupid me forgot to check the odometer before I left but I think it was about 85-90 miles. Would have been much better to have the state of charge info available but I was one day off apparently. I was constantly watching the voltage but it's not a linear discharge curve and really hard to predict. I gained a few volts back on the downhill drive home and when I checked the SoC by laptop it was still at 37%. Really happy with that actually! The car handles great too with the Tesla rear suspension through the winding roads.

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[Ted G]

Brad, Looks great! Wish I went on that drive too, but I was driving home from So Cal (in the Jeep) and my car is currently on four jack stands replacing the oil pan gasket and a few mods/improvements. See you soon!

Ted

[cvacca]

Brad, amazing creation. Great looking HR! I am thinking of ordering a set of bike fenders from McQueen. I like their shape. Can you tell me what width tire you went with in the rear? Trying to figure out the max I can get away with.

[BradC]

Brad, amazing creation. Great looking HR! I am thinking of ordering a set of bike fenders from McQueen. I like their shape. Can you tell me what width tire you went with in the rear? Trying to figure out the max I can get away with.

Thanks!

I have 285's in the rear. Wheels are 18x10, 6" BS, +12mm offset. They fit perfect on mine but my hub to hub width is a bit wider than FFR standard because of the custom rear suspension. I'd have to go dig it up but I think I'm about 1/2 - 3/4 inch or so wider total.

[BradC]

No solution yet with the BMS info on the display. We've been working on it but so far we're still stumped. I contacted AEM today and I did get an initial reply which was encouraging. I'm hoping to get them and Thunerstruck talking on it since I'm by no means an expert in CAN protocol.

On to something much less complicated that I can fully control.. My first longer drive this past weekend made me realize I really do need a cup holder. My water bottle flew off the seat on a windy road and almost got under the pedals, which is less than ideal obviously. I looked over the interior and decided to design a part that leverages the existing attach point for my phone holder on the center console. This is the design. I also added a spot for my AirPod case. It's printing right now on my new printer at home in a PETG, carbon fiber infill material. Perfect test part for the new machine.

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[Dan Cooper]

Glad to here you are making progress on the BMS display. When I get further along I may consult with you on that. I really like your cup holder and cellphone holder. Got to hand it to you, you are always thinking.

[BradC]

Glad to here you are making progress on the BMS display. When I get further along I may consult with you on that. I really like your cup holder and cellphone holder. Got to hand it to you, you are always thinking.

Thanks Dan. Yeah, I'll send you the AEM display file once I get the BMS sorted. I got Thunderstruck and AEM talking on it so hopefully they can work it out.

[BradC]

Center console mod came out pretty good.

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I'm really impressed with this new printer! It's the Bambu Lab P1S. It's so crazy how far along they've come in a very short time. This newer $1000 printer is giving the 5 year old $90k one at work a run for sure. Very good print quality and significantly faster than the work machine. There's basically endless super affordable filament options and multi-color print capability. It's about 10-50% the cost of the filament we use at work depending on material type. It can't do quite as strong of parts but they're certainly not $89k weaker!

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Makes it a "why not?" to print completely pointless things like this. About $4 in material and 4-5 hours each vs. about $35 and probably 12+ hours on the other machine.

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[Dan Cooper]

That is amazing, price seems real good. Although I probably won't run out to get one, I would like to focus on the batteries.

[JimLev]

Brad, what’s that material you used for the carpet?

Thanks, JimLev

[BradC]

Brad, what’s that material you used for the carpet?

Thanks, JimLev

It's just gray automotive carpet. I used a bright LED light for the picture though.

[BradC]

That is amazing, price seems real good. Although I probably won't run out to get one, I would like to focus on the batteries.

You mean you're going to priorotize functionality over a cup holder and plastic bearded dragon toys?? How weird... haha

[J R Jones]

My OEM cup holders are challenged by G forces, and taller water bottles / SS travel mugs. I rarely brake at high Gs but my beverages have launched across the interior while cornering.
I have found the rubber diaphragm fingers help secure the container and limit tipping but in a shallow well, they are not effective enough for my enthusiasm.
jim

[BradC]

My OEM cup holders are challenged by G forces, and taller water bottles / SS travel mugs. I rarely brake at high Gs but my beverages have launched across the interior while cornering.
I have found the rubber diaphragm fingers help secure the container and limit tipping but in a shallow well, they are not effective enough for my enthusiasm.
jim

Thanks - I'll keep an eye out for that. Should be easy to modfiy the design if I have issues.

[BradC]

I finally got all the BMS info reporting to the display!! It took a week of back and forth bewteen AEM and Thunderstruck but the engineer at AEM came up with a clever way to get it working. Now I have all needed info available on my display. So glad to have that solved...

[cvacca]

Love the look of the McQueen bike fenders, especially the rears. Question though, the fronts don't come as far down on the backside of the tires as the FF ones do. I've spoken to a few builders at shows and they have said you need to keep the fronts as low in the back as possible to help with rock chips in the paint. How has your paint held up with these on there? Also, thanks for the heads up on the front brackets. It will be interesting to see if they changed them.

[BradC]

Love the look of the McQueen bike fenders, especially the rears. Question though, the fronts don't come as far down on the backside of the tires as the FF ones do. I've spoken to a few builders at shows and they have said you need to keep the fronts as low in the back as possible to help with rock chips in the paint. How has your paint held up with these on there? Also, thanks for the heads up on the front brackets. It will be interesting to see if they changed them.

Agreed - they have a nice look to them. The fronts are basically just cosmetic. They don't do much at all functionally to protect from rocks being thrown at the body - maybe just a little from things being thrown upwards. I had a chip in the rear fender happen quickly, before I was able to get protection film installed. I had to wait 3 months on the paint before I could cover it in film. The chip was small and easily fixed before the film went on and since then I have about 400 miles with no damage at all to the film. I would say the PPF is a must have if you're worried about chips with these fenders.

I've since decided to run with no front fenders just because I like the way it looks. Also has a little to do with three people thinking it was a Prowler honestly - haha. I had my custom made front brackets reinforced even more with welded on gussets but I haven't put them back on yet. I had a few slight tire strikes even after having the brackets made in stainless steel - although MUCH less than with the ones they came with.

[RoadRacer]

Also has a little to do with three people thinking it was a Prowler honestly - haha.

LOL. Given that this looks nothing like a prowler.. you're going to have to get used to idiots. Or embrace it and sit behind your neighbor's car at a car show and drink a beer when an expert starts telling their kids all about it!!!

[BradC]

LOL. Given that this looks nothing like a prowler.. you're going to have to get used to idiots. Or embrace it and sit behind your neighbor's car at a car show and drink a beer when an expert starts telling their kids all about it!!!

Yeah I know. It definitely wasn't the main reason, just kind of funny. I had the fenders off while I was having the gussets TIG welded on and the more I looked at it the more I liked it without them. I can go back and forth easy enough but for now I'm leaving them off.

[cvacca]

Agreed, I like the look of only the rear fenders. Unfortunately, I live in New England where we don't have the cleanest roads and in order for me to get it registered, I was told I need all 4 wheels covered. But luckily, the fronts fall off easily when you get back home and sit nicely on a shelf for years to come...

[BradC]

Agreed, I like the look of only the rear fenders. Unfortunately, I live in New England where we don't have the cleanest roads and in order for me to get it registered, I was told I need all 4 wheels covered. But luckily, the fronts fall off easily when you get back home and sit nicely on a shelf for years to come...

Roads aren't great here too. Such a shame that your fenders fell off but at least they landed in a good spot! We have the same law here too but nobody seems to care about it in practice either.

[Just 1 More]

ANy tips on mounting the McQueen rear fenders to the body?

[BradC]

ANy tips on mounting the McQueen rear fenders to the body?

I just used 1/4-20 Nutserts - I forget how many per side (maybe 5?) but I can check.

[Just 1 More]

I just used 1/4-20 Nutserts - I forget how many per side (maybe 5?) but I can check.

Thanks. I've got the 1/4-20 nutserts made for fiberglass so I guess i'll be using those. Does 5 of them hold it good and tight? Would 10 better? LOL

[BradC]

Thanks. I've got the 1/4-20 nutserts made for fiberglass so I guess i'll be using those. Does 5 of them hold it good and tight? Would 10 better? LOL

Yeah, seems to hold just fine. No creaking or anything.

[Tom Veale]

ANy tips on mounting the McQueen rear fenders to the body?

When I installed mine back in 2009, I had an upholstery shop make up some piping for in between the fender and the body. We then spray painted it to match the body color.

198315

You can see it here in this image just below the pin stripe. It helps to keep crud from building up between the two pieces and is much like what was used for decades back in the "olden days" and on British sports cars through the '70s.

Hope this helps,
Tom

[BradC]

Been a while again since I posted here but still having fun with the car. I've been helping a friend design and build his '73 Ford Capri EV conversion with the same general setup I used on mine. So I'm still working on a project but I get to help spend someone else's money this time. I'm liking this setup!

My car is featured front page in a smaller regional magazine called Cruisin' News this month which is kind of cool. They run about 10k copies a month.

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Also, I decided I'm going to integrate a sway bar back to the Tesla rear suspension. Now that I have almost 1000 miles on the car I think it could benefit from having one. My thinking originally was that it's so much lighter than a Model 3 it might be good without. I wouldn't call it bad without a sway bar, but I can feel some roll and I'm more curious what difference it would make. It gives me a little project to tackle too which could be fun.

I was originally thinking I couldn't use the stock Tesla sway bar having narrowed the track width by 4 inches, but I did a rough dry fit the other day since I still have the bar and end links, and it looks doable. If I swap the end links left to right it actually compensates for a good portion of of the narrowed span. Two of the vertical custom framework members I did on the chassis are the same width as the stock sway bar mounting points and can be used for the sway bar brackets with adapters that I'll design up. I ordered some shorter adjustable end links to help align the sway bar to clear the custom lower support bracket to the motor. I plan do an initial install and test drive with what I have on hand now but if it all goes well I'll order an adjustable aftermarket sway bar that has lateral bushing stops and a nicer finish. I'll post more pics as it comes together.

[progmgr1]

A '76 Capri II was the first new car I ever bought. Is the '73 the original body style or the Capri II? I'd like to see some photos of the conversion, if you get the opportunity - maybe post in the "Off Topic Discussions" portion of the Forum?

I'd also like to see a few photos of your sway bar installation once you get that sorted. I've been thinking about adding one to my Mustang/FFR IRS and could use some inspiration...:rolleyes:

Keith HR #894

[BradC]

A '76 Capri II was the first new car I ever bought. Is the '73 the original body style or the Capri II? I'd like to see some photos of the conversion, if you get the opportunity - maybe post in the "Off Topic Discussions" portion of the Forum?

I'd also like to see a few photos of your sway bar installation once you get that sorted. I've been thinking about adding one to my Mustang/FFR IRS and could use some inspiration...:rolleyes:

Keith HR #894

Yeah, I think it's the original body style. He has a build thread going on it here: https://www.fordcapriforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=55191

I'll post photos of the sway bar project for sure.

[BradC]

I got the shorter end links and it looks like everything will line up just fine. I'll need to machine some spacers a little over 1.5" thick between the sway bar bushing clamp and the frame but that's easy enough. I ordered some clamps different than the stock Tesla ones because the bushings are hard to find and overpriced. I had to destroy the bushings that were on the sway bar because they're glued in place and at the wrong angle for what I need.

199434

199435

199436

[BradC]

I found a blob of grease on one of the suspension links while working on the sway bar. Further looking around quickly found the source - stupid CV boot clamp at the hub end let go and flung all the grease out. Mostly contained in the inner cavity of the hub/suspension knuckle luckily, but still a big mess. Glad I was up in there working on the sway bar and found it. I had to tear it all apart to get to the CV boot but it wasn't too much work. I still had spare CV clamps so it was just a trip to the auto parts store for new grease and it's all back together now.

199477

Back to the sway bar install - I'm printing mock up spacer parts and a center punch fixture for the nutserts right now. I'll machine the parts in alluminum once the fit is all good.

[BradC]

I got the sway bar installed and just took it for a short test drive. Pretty big difference! Feels much more planted at higher speeds and the roll I was feeling is pretty much gone around corners and when swerving back and forth on a straight. Definitely well worth the effort.

This is the 3D printed lateral stop clamp to keep the bar from shifting side to side. They are made from a carbon fiber filled PETG material. One on each side. They seem strong enough but I'll keep an eye on it. If not I'll switch to a nylon material that I know will hold. Kind of experimeting with the PETG just to see how it does.
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These are the spacer blocks I machined to attach to the frame.
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End link and chassis mounting point.
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[progmgr1]

I'm always amazed at how clean your car is. Mine is always covered in a fine mixture of metal particles, sawdust and general crud. Of course, my wood / metal / assembly shop shares garage space with my '33 and my wife's DD. Add in my propensity toward flux-core welding and you have the recipe for an on-going mess.

Keith HR #894

[BradC]

I'm always amazed at how clean your car is. Mine is always covered in a fine mixture of metal particles, sawdust and general crud. Of course, my wood / metal / assembly shop shares garage space with my '33 and my wife's DD. Add in my propensity toward flux-core welding and you have the recipe for an on-going mess.

Keith HR #894

Haha. It's a mix of slight OCD and threats from my wife about metal shavings ending up in the house. I think our front door gets about 1% usage with the rest of the house traffic going through the garage. Maybe some day I'll have a detached shop.

[progmgr1]

Yup, same here. Going out the front door triggers an alert from the Ring doorbell, so it's easiest to bypass by going through the garage. Likewise, metal chips and sawdust seem to be a permanent part of our household environment. I haven't found a solution yet... Part of the fun with building a car in your garage!

Keith HR #894

[BradC]

Finally borrowed my friend's scales to weigh the car. I've been telling people I think it's somewhere around 2400lb - didn't realize how close I was!!

199825

This is with a full charge on the batteries, so the dry weight is probably a bit less.... haha

[progmgr1]

Just curious - do you have an estimate of the total battery pack (cells, boxes, wiring, etc.) weight?

Also, I'm impressed with how close you got the weight distribution.

Keith HR #894

[BradC]

The front box is ~430lb and the lower boxes are ~100lb each according to the CAD model. High voltage wiring is pretty insignificant - maybe 20-30lb. Charger (in the back) is about 20lb. The rest is just all typical stuff for the car - less a fuel tank of course.

[BradC]

Well, after over a year more of enjoying the car since my last post here, I've decided to sell it. I spent several months weighing the decision but I'm good with letting it go. Figured I'd post the BaT auction link to this forum in case anyone was still subscribed to the thread and had an interest in seeing how it does - or maybe knows someone who might be interested in it.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/factory-five-racing-33-hot-rod-8/

[progmgr1]

Congratulations, Brad! I saw that your car sold today for a decent price (by BAT standards) - maybe you even recouped the cost of the parts. The question now is, what's your next project?

Cheers! Keith HR #894 (currently completely disassembled)

[BradC]

Thank Keith. Yeah I was happy enough with the final price. No other plans for now with another project. We're likely moving out of state when I retire in a year or two so that'll be the main focus for a while. Plus I have two in college now...

[Papa]

Congrats on the sale, Brad. Your engineering talent is very impressive and somebody is getting a really nice car. I found some of the comments on BaT a bit dismissive of the work that you put into building that car. In particular, the guy with his definition of "hot rodding" and trying to say that building a Honda Civic is hot rodding, but building an EV isn't, made me chuckle a bit. To each his own, I guess. Anyway, take pride in the car you built! It is spectacular.

Dave

[BradC]

Thanks Dave. Yeah, I found those funny too. Guess it's my bad that I didn't factor in their nostalgia triggers when planning out my build.. Oh well.

[Nigel Allen]

G'day Brad,

It was an excellent build and I enjoyed following along. Did you ever do a write up, or video on what the finished car was like to drive and live with?

Cheers,

Nigel

[BradC]

Thanks Nigel - it was a fun build. I never did anything documenting the driving but the car drives great. Acceleration is insane - you can watch the videos in the auction post but that's all I have. I put 2000 miles on it over the year and half and feel like I got my fun out of it. Thanks again for following it along and for all the comments along the way!