I think that without the genset you basically go 1 mile and then limp the mile back... and that 's on flat road.
Anyway, long night but a good night tonight. Here's the latest.
Last week Chris and I tried to cram the genset skid into the trunk and basically hit a brick wall progress-wise. Tonight, after planning over last weekend, we had much better luck.
The first step, which I actually did last week, was to put down a relatively thin (3/16" thickness) polyurethane sheet that was cut to size on the trunk floor. This was to help dampen vibration and to give the genset something squishy and grippy to sink into.
The generator head goes in first, with the engine to be positioned at the rear of the car for easy access. That's tough, because the generator head is way heavier than the engine. In fact, to move the skid around, one of us would work the hoist to raise the gen head while the other hefted the engine by hand to keep things in balance. It was a good workout.
I covered the skid end on the generator side with Teflon "footies" to help the unit slide forward.
The problem in inserting the set into the trunk came when the throttle body was blocking any effort to push the set further in, so that the engine could drop down. Note, this is after the muffler was removed to give more room to slide forward.
This was where we hit a dead end last week. What needed to occur was raising the generator head (already deep in the trunk) nearly up to the roof of the trunk, so that the engine could drop forward and down. The problem was that the head weighs 80 kg and there was no way to get to it.
So, we used a wire rope around the generator head body, put a steel channel strut through the loops, and used to scissor jacks to lift it basket-style all the way up.
We brought it up to the ceiling, and scooted the jacks forward (while loaded) to drop the engine in. We had to take the face plate off the fan, but it went in.
Keep in mind, this was a tight fit. It was worse than a square peg-round hole, childbirth, or trying to get that big couch into your apartment when your front door is on a tight staircase. Here's a view from the top.
How did we do that?! And there was no room to fool around with. Here's an idea of how close the gen head is to the cabin wall. Things did fit nicely in the end, though. The fans are not obstructed.
I didn't even plan on this part working.
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Granted, we had to take out the trunk latch to get the engine in, and it has to stay cracked (for now) to keep the air flowing, but closing it up was a nice touch. Also, although it's not clear from the photos, the muffler is back in place. I'll tie the exhaust line in when I get a chance.
Now all that remains is to tweak the current controlled charging setup, mount the various items for operation (connect to auxiliary battery to start, mount laser for tachometer, fuel tank, starter switch, and throttle knob). For now, I'll send an update to our wonderful project sponsor. They'll be so proud.