Body Sanding

I'm getting started with the body sanding now. At the end of this process will be a sweet paint job but it sure seems a long way off. This first pic shows the most extensive rust rot on the body. This is the rear edge of the right front fender. The left side is not quite as bad. Then there are some smaller holes but they are in places that are not so prominent. I need to cut out this rust and shape some new metal and weld it into place. Then it will need to be ground down and hopefully I won't need 5 pounds of filler on top of it!

Rear Charger Board

Here is another electrical assembly ready to go into the car. This board mounts next to the motor. It has the charger and a main anderson disconnect as well as a junction box containing a contactor and fuses. Also on this board are two of the four main 400 Amp fuses. The contactor in the junction box keeps the charger disconnected from the pack while in normal use and connects the charger to the pack once 120VAC is present.

Back together

I put the fenders back on today and I'm glad to see our cute little car looking less like Frankenstein.
The motor has been remounted and all of the underbody/ boot/ bonnet areas are painted. Now comes the time to sand off all of the paint on the exterior, woo hoo!

Traction Pack Conduit

This is the installation of a 1 1/2" Liquidtight Flexible Conduit (Sealtite) to connect the front and rear portions of the traction pack through the passenger compartment. I used some Aluminum 2 1/2" chase nipples as bushings through a bulkhead and through the pan in the rear. Underneath the car the conduit runs around the right rear suspension pivot. I might add a mount down there so I can secure it to a fixed point and keep it from vibrating / rubbing. Otherwise I am pretty happy with how this came out. I feel this method offers excellent protection in the passenger compartment from the 120VDC cables. There will be two additional 1/2 Sealtite runs running along side of this larger run. One will carry 120 VAC tot he charger and the other will carry 120 VDC from the rear disconnect to the heater and DC/DC converter which are located up front.

Underbody Paint

Finally. I have been working towards this day for a very long time. I got the front (bonnet) done and the rear mostly painted. I need to go pick up some more paint. I have some time off of work this week so I'll be getting this finished on Wednesday I hope.

Front Junction Box

I've been working on this front junction box over the last week. It is about ready to put into the car. This box contains a heater contactor, fuses for the heater and for the DC/DC. Also it houses the main safety contactor which will break the main pack in case of a crash (inertia switch), or if the emergency "panic button" is pressed. Also in this box is a contactor which will keep the key switch disabled when 120VAC is present (charging). Lastly there is a current transformer which will allow measurement of overall current flow in the traction pack.