Project Daydream

[ChrisB]

I never had any problem what so ever and did the whole thing by post.

Personally I would avoid going to the DVLA office if you can due to the fact as Paul says they "may" try to get you to take the vehicle to an inspection center and more hassle.

I would for now just change the fuel type and engine number on the V5 for now and send it off and see what happens You've nothing to lose really. They can always just send it back saying nah sorry you have to do x,y or Z .

You might have an issue with the engine number mind you, I'd use the serial number on the motor, when I did the fiesta I had double the problem cos it had TWO motors and the box wasnt big enough for both serial numbers so I made one up and called the motors CLYNCHX2 didnt seem to bother them

ChrisB

[geekygrilli]

"the MOT inspector is not considered competant"

How true!

[ChrisB]

"the MOT inspector is not considered competant"

How true!

.........but just competant to relieve us of 45 quid

ChrisB

[qdos]

You can do it all by post

I turned a 'paperwork' Spitfire into this by doing pretty much all of it by post although the final part was an inspection but that was nothing to do with changing the engine. People put reconditioned engines in cars all the time

[marktime]

Thanks guys that has cleared that minor issue to one side nicely, good to know that there is not a huge buracratic hurdle at the end of the rainbow, all the problems will be physical!!


Mark

[MalcolmB]

Still thinking about likely candidates for conversion, and I realised that no one has mentioned the Citroen 2CV. At just over 600 kg it's about as light as you get for a 'conventional' four-seater. There are photos of a conversion on the AVT website, another one here http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~MR5T-OKB/2ev-e.html in Japan, and even a parallel hybrid http://www.citroenautoclub.ca/documents/a7279fb17e9ff8c096a4cf6ce3006e7d_2CV%20meets%20Prius%20at%20123%20Ignitions.pdf

Would those in the know recommend keeping the gearbox and clutch, assuming for example I used a series motor (19 hp continuous, 31 hp peak) like that in the Japanese conversion?

What would be the most difficult aspects of a conversion, bearing in mind that the most complex job I've tackled in the past is replacing a beetle engine?

[EVguru]

In many ways the 2CV a fabulously engineered vehicle, but it's incredibly flimsy. I bought one for the engine and was able to tear one of the upper seatbelt mounts out with my bare hands. This was in a vehicle that wan't obviously suffering from significant rust. I really wouldn't want to convert one without replaceing the chassis as these usually hide a lot of internal rust. The later (potentially more rust free cars) had a weaker chassis.

The brakes are very good and they roll along very well indeed. The suspension is incredibly supple and the geometry gives no scrub, which is probably as important in the real world as low rolling resistance tires. The geometry also gives very low roll centres and hence LOTS of body roll. You really don't want to put any weight into the car that would raise the CofG.

The motor in the Japanese car is really too big. If you were to stomp on the throttle you'd probably blow the transaxle. That's enough motor to haul a Mk1 Golf with 1000lb of battery up a 3000ft, 40 mile long climb at an average of 30mph.

The original gearbox in a vehicle connects to the drive shafts, provides some or all of the mounting points and gives you a 'free' reversing mechanism. In the case of the 2CV, the brake discs and calipers mount to the transaxle as well. Whilst you may have a number of 'surplus' ratios, you'll probably find at least two of them useful (although that does depend on how fast you want to go). If you want to spend the effort, you can strip out unused gears and put in spacers which does make a difference to the drag. The clutch/no-clutch decision depends on the effectivness of the synchromesh, the mechanical sympathy of the driver, the rotational inertia of the motor, personal preference, etc. I've driven both setups and much prefer to have a clutch.

I'd only do a 2CV if you really like 2CVs

[MalcolmB]

Thanks for the information Paul. I owned a Diane for a while, until there was nothing left to weld to, so I've no illusions about their durability. I can't say a 2CV would be my first choice of vehicle normally, although they are great fun, but I reckon weight is such an important factor you have to compromise somewhere – or else build a lightweight vehicle from scratch

When you say that the Advanced DC motor would be too much for the 2CV is that just because of the maximum torque available? Couldn't that be limited by limiting controller current? I wouldn't want to put in a motor that is bigger than necessary, but it would be nice to have spare power to play with, as long as it doesn't mean too much of a weight penalty or loss in efficiency.

[qdos]

Why not try a quadricycle then? The Zest is only 370kg. Several people have converted quadricycles into EVs.

I'm not sure where abouts you are located but we have some stand space at The Hampshire Pageant Of Motoring next weekend (August Bank Hol) and we are sharing the Citroen Specials stand so it would be an ideal meeting for you to pop over to and ask lots of people who have built some amazing conversions.


No you're not daydreaming.... Yes it's a 2CV believe it or not!

[MalcolmB]

Yes, the Zest and some of the 2CV based kitcars would make brilliant EVs.
What I'm really looking for though is something to completely replace our only car (a decidedly non-environmentally friendly Alfa 156). With two kids and a dog it has to be a full four-seater. Because we do less than 8000 miles a year, the idea is to have an electric runabout for year-round use, and hire (or borrow) a car as and when we need it for longer trips or holidays.
Sounds like the Hampshire get-together will be good fun, but I'm up in rainy Newcastle, so it would be a bit of a trek. Maybe, next year though