Hello everyone,
New to this forum. Back in '94-'95 as a freshman in high school I was part of my school's electric car club, which had a Porsche 914. Turns out that car is still in existence, in California:
http://www.evalbum.com/692
I'm now considering what to do when my '95 Nissan Hardbody King Cab's gasoline engine has a severe enough problem to justify an electric conversion, and there may be another Hardbody, a regular cab, that could come in to the picture for Amberwolf that already has a fractured cylinder head on an engine with 213k miles, high enough to possibly warrant not repairing in its current state. Both trucks are I4/stick/RWD, and the King Cab has power steering, and I think the regular cab has power steering as well. When I was in that club I certainly wasn't the techie (I was the battery boy, and I ruined many good shirts on those 6V deep-cycle lead acid batteries!) but I've come to learn a lot more about electrical systems and electronics since that year.
My goal in a conversion is to retain the full volume of the pickup bed, to keep safe power-assisted braking, and possibly to keep air conditioning functional, as I live in Arizona. For that same reasoning I wouldn't really need heat. Power steering, while nice, is not essential, as there were manual-steering Hardbodies so converting isn't too hard. Right now the trucks have 14" wheels with passenger-car tires, but an upgrade down the road could be to LT tires, either on these wheels or on a bigger wheel. The LT tire should be more efficient as the tire pressure can be much higher and the tires are stiffer. I would want as much range as possible while still being able to go 65mph. I would also like to avoid any massively obvious body modifications, as I wouldn't want the vehicle to stand out and be a theft target. Mild mods like filling in the grille with a solid panel, filling in the space between the bumper and the body, gasketting the space between the bed and the cab, and potentially adding some kind of sheeting to smooth out the bottom would all be acceptable. I have a camper shell that's standard cab height but is missing the back window, so using that or some kind of tonneau cover is also acceptable. I would like to avoid excessively-large cowls. I know, these trucks are very square, so I'll take a bit of a hit because of that. I'd also like the batteries to be fairly modular, so if we ever go solar photovoltaic at the house I could charge one set during the day while I commute with the truck to work and back.
I've seen some trucks where the bed mounting system is hinged at the back allowing the bed to be tilted for access underneath. I've also seen 4x4 Nissans with lift kits where they bush the cab and bed so many inches up from the frame to give the appearance of a lift- If these kits are compatible with 2wd trucks (mainly a steering linkage issue) then it might be practical to use such a system to make more room for batteries under the bed and possibly even under the cab. It might even be possible to tilt the cab up forward while tilting the bed up backward, as in a conventional truck it's the engine and its mechanical linkages that cause the most difficulty with this. Rigging up some flexible brake lines like the ones normally used from the rigid lines to the wheel cylinders might allow for the master cylinder to remain on the firewall but still let such a tilt function.
As for the nature of the conversion, I can see three ways: remove engine and transmission and shorten driveshaft, and install electric motor as close to the axle as possible; remove engine and transmission and install electric motor where the transmission was; remove engine, manufacture adapter plate to mount electric motor to the existing transmission. I figure that a small vacuum pump is necessary for the power brakes, and a small electric motor would be needed for power steering if I retain it, as well as one for air conditioning.
One worry for me is heat. The truck would have to be capable of being operated in 120F heat and charged in 90+F heat (the overnight low on some of the hottest nights of the year), and would have to be built with the real possibility that it would never, ever be stored in a garage. I assume that this means some battery technologies are off the table, and that the way the batteries are mounted must avoid retaining heat.
Right now I don't have any conversion parts at all, so I'm happy to consider any configuration. Plus, since my King Cab hasn't failed yet there's no rush, but the regular cab could also use much of the same planning as the king cab.
Thanks!
New to this forum. Back in '94-'95 as a freshman in high school I was part of my school's electric car club, which had a Porsche 914. Turns out that car is still in existence, in California:
http://www.evalbum.com/692
I'm now considering what to do when my '95 Nissan Hardbody King Cab's gasoline engine has a severe enough problem to justify an electric conversion, and there may be another Hardbody, a regular cab, that could come in to the picture for Amberwolf that already has a fractured cylinder head on an engine with 213k miles, high enough to possibly warrant not repairing in its current state. Both trucks are I4/stick/RWD, and the King Cab has power steering, and I think the regular cab has power steering as well. When I was in that club I certainly wasn't the techie (I was the battery boy, and I ruined many good shirts on those 6V deep-cycle lead acid batteries!) but I've come to learn a lot more about electrical systems and electronics since that year.
My goal in a conversion is to retain the full volume of the pickup bed, to keep safe power-assisted braking, and possibly to keep air conditioning functional, as I live in Arizona. For that same reasoning I wouldn't really need heat. Power steering, while nice, is not essential, as there were manual-steering Hardbodies so converting isn't too hard. Right now the trucks have 14" wheels with passenger-car tires, but an upgrade down the road could be to LT tires, either on these wheels or on a bigger wheel. The LT tire should be more efficient as the tire pressure can be much higher and the tires are stiffer. I would want as much range as possible while still being able to go 65mph. I would also like to avoid any massively obvious body modifications, as I wouldn't want the vehicle to stand out and be a theft target. Mild mods like filling in the grille with a solid panel, filling in the space between the bumper and the body, gasketting the space between the bed and the cab, and potentially adding some kind of sheeting to smooth out the bottom would all be acceptable. I have a camper shell that's standard cab height but is missing the back window, so using that or some kind of tonneau cover is also acceptable. I would like to avoid excessively-large cowls. I know, these trucks are very square, so I'll take a bit of a hit because of that. I'd also like the batteries to be fairly modular, so if we ever go solar photovoltaic at the house I could charge one set during the day while I commute with the truck to work and back.
I've seen some trucks where the bed mounting system is hinged at the back allowing the bed to be tilted for access underneath. I've also seen 4x4 Nissans with lift kits where they bush the cab and bed so many inches up from the frame to give the appearance of a lift- If these kits are compatible with 2wd trucks (mainly a steering linkage issue) then it might be practical to use such a system to make more room for batteries under the bed and possibly even under the cab. It might even be possible to tilt the cab up forward while tilting the bed up backward, as in a conventional truck it's the engine and its mechanical linkages that cause the most difficulty with this. Rigging up some flexible brake lines like the ones normally used from the rigid lines to the wheel cylinders might allow for the master cylinder to remain on the firewall but still let such a tilt function.
As for the nature of the conversion, I can see three ways: remove engine and transmission and shorten driveshaft, and install electric motor as close to the axle as possible; remove engine and transmission and install electric motor where the transmission was; remove engine, manufacture adapter plate to mount electric motor to the existing transmission. I figure that a small vacuum pump is necessary for the power brakes, and a small electric motor would be needed for power steering if I retain it, as well as one for air conditioning.
One worry for me is heat. The truck would have to be capable of being operated in 120F heat and charged in 90+F heat (the overnight low on some of the hottest nights of the year), and would have to be built with the real possibility that it would never, ever be stored in a garage. I assume that this means some battery technologies are off the table, and that the way the batteries are mounted must avoid retaining heat.
Right now I don't have any conversion parts at all, so I'm happy to consider any configuration. Plus, since my King Cab hasn't failed yet there's no rush, but the regular cab could also use much of the same planning as the king cab.
Thanks!
