ELECTRIC 1977 Fiat 124 Spider

[valerun]

Hi All,

New to the forum. I have recently converted one of these beauties into all-electric drive! See my write-up at http://www.rusbaevents.com/cgi-bin/Veve ... version.pl for more details. Now I can enjoy this sports car without paying anything to the fat oil companies!

My new performance parameters:
1. Electric motor torque (from 0 RPM!): 280 ft*lbs
2. 0-60: 6-7 sec
3. range: 70-80 miles on freeway, 100+ miles in city

I know there are 2-3 other electric spiders out there - would LOVE to see more!

I love these cars!!

Thanks,
Valery.

[Zippy]

Welcome to the forum. Fantastic write-up on a great project. I am happy to see more people working on converting cars to electric. It is truly amazing the shift in thinking that has happened with the increase in gas prices and the development of new battery technology. I have always thought of oil as too valuable of a commodity to burn up when it's uses as plastics, lubricants and such are more valuable.

I didn't see any mention in you article of maintenance or preservation of the car itself. I'm hoping the car is rust free and there are no structural issues. There are some weaknesses that you should look at. The shock towers can get rusted out and putting in performance springs and or shocks can cause failure. The guibo, that rubber flex disk in the drive shaft has been known to disintegrate and should be inspected carefully. Also, the ball joints have been know to fail, catastrophically in some instances.

Good luck with your project. I look forward to reading about the BMW.

[valerun]

thanks Zippy - will def double-check. My Fiat mechanic (very passionate about Fiats did not mention any problems when replacing shocks & springs so I assumed it's all good. I did find the right-side lower quarter panel rusted on top so am replacing that. Also still need to re-paint and re-chrome. If anyone has any good references for these services in the San Fran Bay Area, please do let me know!

Thanks!
Valery.

[baltobernie]

Great Job, Valery! I wish you much success in completing this and your next project. Were you not a little bit afraid of all that potential energy waiting for you to touch a screwdriver to an unintended source?

You may have been a little optimistic about the weight savings of the OE parts. 50 lbs. for the spare tire and jack? If you are still looking to save a few pounds, those bumpers weigh a ton (figuratively speaking ). You could replace them with the earlier style, or other alternatives that are searchable on this forum.

I was about to start an S-10 or Neon conversion for my "grocery getting" needs when the Leaf was announced. A friend of mine had an interesting experience with a Mohawk Power (NY utility company) electrified Chevy pickup. Still on the Leaf waiting list a year after my deposit; you Californians have scooped them all up Nissan now estimating December for DC area.

Your praise of EV Source is seconded. They supplied several quality components for my ICE-Spider restoration.

Can't wait to see your Road Test results!

[divace73]

Electrifing my spider is something I always wanted to do, however the cost of the spider down under are considerably more then the US then putting decent batteries, motor and controller increases the cost considerably, I am hoping to get there eventually.......

[valerun]

Thanks David!

you should do it! can you get batteries direct from China in AU? Also, there are a few major components available as DIY now - controller (google 'OpenRevolt'), fast charger (my design at http://www.rusbaevents.com/cgi-bin/Veve ... charger.pl), and some other things you can find on forums like DIYelectricCar.com. Can save you ~$5k on components if you know how to solder...

Check it out. Let me know if you have questions. I have CAD design files for most mechanical components we had to build...

V

[valerun]

ok so all that torque (see our latest burnout video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnUe7yYqh6o...) started melting my clutch. What are the options for clutch reinforcement on this car?

Also, am installing 1" stiff sway bars in the front and rear. Finally, installing a roll bar to make the car safer and provide some framing for more batteries