Learn Something

Back on March 1 I made a brief mention that Agatha was at the welding shop. Here’s a full(er) account.

Curt Leahy of Auto Restoration Welding is a wiz at rust repair — he took care of the rusty front body corners beautifully. Then we moved on to the rest of the program. He built a bracket to install an aftermarket windshield squirt bottle and pump, then we turned our attention to the main event — waterproofing the engine bay so I can mount the charger and controller back there.

I wanted the motor to remain visible when the engine lid is open, so I specified a cowling under the motor instead of over it. (No cowling would let water in.) This will keep the motor dry, but might cause heating problems. We’ll see. I might install some blowers, which sound like a good idea anyway. They provide cooling under low-speed conditions (when it’s most needed) and remove the drag of the fan at high speeds. Jay Donnaway is going this route. If it works out for him, perhaps I’ll copy his setup

The remaining parts of the sheet metal are a big piece to cover the firewall, two shelves on either side of the motor, and the welded tube framework to hold it all in place.

And Jay wanted pictures of the trunk latch solution. Curt welded it to the rear apron and welded on some tabs on the fenders with bolt holes for bolting down the apron.

Everything’s removable except for the framework, so I can test-fit and install my EV components while they’re on the workbench, then just bolt the whole assembly into the back of the car.

So he finished up the job and I came down and towed it away on the tow bar, using a huge borrowed Jeep SUV.

However, Anna and I couldn’t push the car back into the garage. There was snow on the ground and I think the front brakes were dragging. Time for plan B.

I grabbed a single Orbital battery and set it in the engine compartment. Then I made sure the transmission was in neutral, covered my eyes with my forearm, and connected it to the motor with a pair of jumper cables. There was a massive spark noise, a wisp of smoke, and a spinning motor. I jumped into the car, put in the clutch, shifted into first, and drove her right up the driveway through the snow and into the garage. Finally I know what the EV Grin feels like! The car just moves, with no noise, fuss, vibration, or stink. It made me feel really good.

I can’t wait to get the other fifteen batteries in there and see how she works.