# Planning a new ev from a triumph spitfire



## Manntis (May 22, 2008)

first suggestion - don't listen to purists that'll tell you to chose another car. it's your car, and if you enjoy sitting in that cockpit and driving it around, but want to drive EV, convert it


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## TheSGC (Nov 15, 2007)

I would say check out the EV Album on cars like yours or similar and see what they get for range and use for parts. http://www.evalbum.com/


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## gerd1022 (Jun 9, 2008)

seems like as soon as i decide to do that conversion, i hear about a bunch of other people doing it too... i hope we can get a fleet of ev spitfires on the road...

by the way, i call the name Spitwire... i already designed my emblem...


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## Bottomfeeder (Jun 13, 2008)

Here I am with another Spitfire conversion. I bought a '65 MKI (really made in 64) for $500. I just started stripping it down for the rebuild. I pulled the engine and all of the unneeded parts (gas tank, exhaust, etc) I'm finalizing the new drivetrain design before I make my purchase. What are you putting in your Spit?

I think I'm going with a WarP 9, controlled by a Logisystem 750A. I'm planning on using a 120V system. The plan is to strip the paint off, primer it, and do all of the modifications. Once I'm done, I can pull it out again, paint it a nice British Racing Green, then carefully put everything back. The hood makes it so easy to work on the vehicle. I must say, it's been a blast so far. Lots of little things to rebuild, but there are many places to get parts.

Are you planning on using your clutch, going clutchless, or perhaps even direct drive? I've been mulling over all of these options. It's tough to know what is best!

-Dan


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## gerd1022 (Jun 9, 2008)

I think im going with an ADC FB-4001, with clutch and transmission. I figure its a lot easier to pull the clutch afterward if i think i dont need it than put it back in.

Im building my own controller, and going with 144 volts... should be pretty sporty. Im thinking 12 lightweight SLA's and LRR tires. All i need it to do is 30 miles at 40 mph.

Im doing the conversion very similarly to what you are proposing... i have stripped the entire interior, and this weekend will remove the body from the frame, rustproof the frame, and start sandblasting the body. Im going to rebuild the suspension and brakes, add the motor, and start putting it back together. And yes, these cars are a dream to work on...


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## Muju (Jan 25, 2008)

And here I though I was the only one working on a Spitfire! I started with a 77 and had it completely stripped down before finding out I could get a whole 2nd car for less then the floor pan replacement on the first.

So now I have two 77 spitfires in my garage. The 2nd one was someone else's restoration project that they abandoned after replacing the breaks/shocks/and steering. It had everything I wanted, and nothing that I did not (no engine, gas, exhaust, nothing!) and I got it for 300 bucks. The better one is already stripped, sanded, primed and almost ready for painting, then I am going to be putting in a Warp 9, Zilla 1k, and I am looking at the Hawker PC-2150s for the bat (I am planning on a 144 V system space provided).

I love the name Spitwire! I will not take it though. Mine is already named Zapp after Zapp Brannigan.

Soon we are going to need a separate section and meetings for all the EV Spitfires!


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## triumfan (Jun 12, 2008)

I've been a spitfire fan for over 25 years. I have 2 spits and a herald (4 seat spit). Actually I'm a big fan of most LBC's (Little British Cars). Anyway, I know most of the ins and outs of a spitfire with an ICE. Unfortunately I'm an EV virgin and probably need to be led by the hand as to what motor/controller/voltage/etc. to use. I never realized there were so many people wanting to convert a spit. Maybe we should start our own squadron and join the spitfire owners club!!
Dave F


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## ElectriCar (Jun 15, 2008)

Bottomfeeder said:


> Here I am with another Spitfire conversion. I bought a '65 MKI (really made in 64) for $500. I just started stripping it down for the rebuild. I pulled the engine and all of the unneeded parts (gas tank, exhaust, etc) I'm finalizing the new drivetrain design before I make my purchase. What are you putting in your Spit?
> 
> I think I'm going with a WarP 9, controlled by a Logisystem 750A. I'm planning on using a 120V system. The plan is to strip the paint off, primer it, and do all of the modifications. Once I'm done, I can pull it out again, paint it a nice British Racing Green, then carefully put everything back. The hood makes it so easy to work on the vehicle. I must say, it's been a blast so far. Lots of little things to rebuild, but there are many places to get parts.
> 
> ...


I'm not yet knowledgeable enough re the various motors and how they will perform but it's getting there. As far as a warp9, is't that motor pretty stout for that little car? How much does it weigh? Got any idea what kind of performance you'll have with that motor?

I'd love to have an asphalt ripper whenever I build an ev but I'm doing it for a daily driver for short runs. I'm looking for a small PU so I'll have a place for some light cargo. It's going to do double duty for my company and short trips from the home. Maybe build the Ripper later for a fun-mobile!


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## Muju (Jan 25, 2008)

ElectriCar said:


> I'm not yet knowledgeable enough re the various motors and how they will perform but it's getting there. As far as a warp9, is't that motor pretty stout for that little car? How much does it weigh? Got any idea what kind of performance you'll have with that motor?
> 
> I'd love to have an asphalt ripper whenever I build an ev but I'm doing it for a daily driver for short runs. I'm looking for a small PU so I'll have a place for some light cargo. It's going to do double duty for my company and short trips from the home. Maybe build the Ripper later for a fun-mobile!



Yeah, I am also going to be using a Warp9. It is going to be more then powerful enough for my spitfire, but my work commute is under 5 miles, so I am willing to trade some range for some fun performance 

Oh and since someone else asked, I am planning on keeping the clutch in mine. I like the idea of having one more level of safety redundancy. If something goes wrong, I can always just disconnect the engine from the drive.


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## Bottomfeeder (Jun 13, 2008)

I am planning on fashioning the adapter plate myself. I have access to a decent machine shop and I'm handy enough. But, I realize that I haven't come across a decent description of how to implement the clutch in the vehicle. There are many EV Blogs where they describe their direct coupling to the transmission (clutchless) but that seems easier to understand. Are there any websites where they detail and document the arrangement while they are keeping the clutch?

By the way, I just purchased the motor and controller yesterday. The motor probably won't arrive till late next month, but that will give me some time to do some much needed body work on the Spit before we start fitting everything together. I will be taking lots of photographs of the process. It would be very handy to see your photos as you progress as well. Perhaps we could make a group on Flickr or something like that?


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## gerd1022 (Jun 9, 2008)

yeah im still not sure on clutch/clutchless because either my clutch fluid is gone or my clutch is shot.

if its shot, theres not point in getting a new one... but anyway, i started a wiki about my build (not that i have updated it...)

the website is spitwire.pbwiki.com

i support the idea of some kind of online build group, does anyone have a preference as toi which site to use?


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## Bottomfeeder (Jun 13, 2008)

I've got my own pbwiki to keep my stuff organized, so I don't mind using it to keep things straight.


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## The Toecutter (May 30, 2010)

How have you solved the issue of getting the clutch to work with the electric motor?

I have a Prestolite 6.9" for mine, but getting it to match the clutch may pose difficulty as the build progresses.


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## RE Farmer (Aug 8, 2009)

Re: transmissions - I'm thinking of using a modified powerglide, sans TC (torque-converter). Without the bell housing and a shorty tailshaft, my motor/tranny will be about 26". The mod'ed PG should be less than my stock tranny (~42#) and have a lot less rotating mass than stock clutch & tranny. This length will let me put the powertrain entirely in the transmission tunnel leaving room in the engine bay for batteries. Aside: it was B'Feeder's transmission modification that got me thinking of this. 

Part of my reasoning is my synchro's are going bad, and I've heard BMC trannies (both TR and MG) may not stand up to a clutchless shifting method. I think B'Feeder's has already blown up.

Minor thread hijack: Bottomfeeder: are you still using direct drive? I haven't anything new on your build thread.


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## Bottomfeeder (Jun 13, 2008)

My transmission did give up the ghost, but it wasn't during a shifting event. With the benefit of hindsight let me give you my best guess as to what happened.

First: The car drove fine. I usually drove in 4th because it was the quietest. I didn't have the cover on, so volume was an issue. Shifting between gears wasn't easy, but I didn't check the condition of the transmission during the rebuild of my car, so I wasn't surprised if the synchros were fried. This was a race car at one point. (Badges all over the dash!)

Second: During a photo shoot with some of my lady friends, the shifter linkage was bent. It happened to be in third gear. I could take it out of 3rd, but other gears were difficult if not impossible. So I left it in 3rd and just pushed backwards for reverse.

Third: I finally had time to work on it. I pulled the cover and found the bent linkage. I fixed it but, I couldn't get it out of third now. Apparently it had gotten stuck at some point during the few months of 3rd gear driving. I pulled the transmission out and saw the damage. The 3rd gear had kind of exploded and wrapped around the sliding gear that slides over the gears. It was working fine in 3rd still, but the only solution was to pull it out and replace gears.

Fourth: Since the car worked well in 4th, I decided to go direct drive and leave the transmission out. I need to remake my altered driveshaft, as it's a bit wobbly and the speedo gear slid off of it, but it works well for me right now in getting around town. Funnily enough it's more reliable than my small Toyota truck right now, so I need it to get to work. Once my truck is running smoothly, I'll take the Spit off the road for another month or so to fix the direct drive for good. Then its a matter of buttoning it all back up and enjoying the ride. Oh and saving up for Lithiums...


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## RE Farmer (Aug 8, 2009)

Bottomfeeder said:


> ... During a photo shoot with some of my lady friends, the shifter linkage was bent. It happened to be in third gear. I could take it out of 3rd, but other gears were difficult if not impossible. ... Oh and saving up for Lithiums...


Dude! I hope they weren't some of the "ladies" near the place I did some engineering work for (near the end of the Rose Parade route) on Sunnyslope Av.  They were really somethin'. I used to get propositioned as I drove in to work at 9am, gross!

I bought my MG from a friend at UCLA who said the synchros in at least one gear was going. I never drove it using the ICE - just went straight to converting it to EV. I either need to rebuild the stock transmission or consider other options. I'm trying to find at least a junk PG to try out for size and weight before I decide which way to go.

In the interest of lightness, I looked into AL flywheels, but they were ~$350 plus the tranny o/h. If the PG works out, it would save overall weight, especially rotating weight, and space in the engine bay for about the same money. Plus, the battery could be installed down low for better handling - besides having a more robust tranny.


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## Bottomfeeder (Jun 13, 2008)

Naw, these are nothing but the classiest of ladies:



















One thing I've learned in life is that it's easy to get ladies to play dress-up. I sent these four girls an email and suddenly they were color coordinating and choosing the best time/style etc. It's also kind of funny that half of them hold PhDs.


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