Tesla Powered 33 Hot Rod

[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...

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...

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...ic.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.

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[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.

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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!!

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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/fa...-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!