Well folks, 12 years and 4 pages of posts, I'm finally starting my CRX conversion. The motivation to start it now is bittersweet.
Sweet because I'm finally settled in a nice big workshop, I have a steady job that pays well, and I've got enough DIY EV experience under my belt that I can start with confidence. I also have a spare vehicle on loan so having the car off the road for a year is no big deal. The Leaf motor is in the shed waiting for it's new chassis and I'm happy with my charging options.
Bitter because my wife has more or less dumped me. In 2020 she had a massive anxiety spiral which took her years to recover from, and when she did, she came through without me. Despite my best efforts to keep the flame alive, she's only pushed away harder, so we're going to split up. It's a bit awkward as we're still living together like flatmates (as we have for the past 4 years anyway) but it's clear we're only married on paper. I might not have a workshop for these sorts of things in a years time, so I might as well get this project done while I can.
Anyway, enough country and western song. Time for some pictures:
I wanted to keep the fuel lines in tact in case someone wanted to buy them, so I had to pull the dash apart to access them. I hope to never do that again, so I'm tempted to do a custom dashboard with new wiring to only key services. The heater core was blocked, so it had to come out anyway. Because I still need de-fogging on the windscreen and I want to put aircon back in, I might as well put a PTC electric element in place of the heater core.
The rear engine mount (aka steering subframe) has a big crack in it. It's probably been that way for a decade, but I'll have to patch that up with a welded plate, and paint over it ahead of the inspection. I might be able to find one at a wreckers, but at that point I wonder if a custom frame is better, one complete with Leaf motor pickups instead?
