# Opel GT EV restoration and conversion build thread



## Hollie Maea (Dec 9, 2009)

I've been working very slowly on my Opel GT for several years. I went back and forth and around on ideas for motors. I have finally settled on using a Nissan Leaf motor and actually bought one.

I wouldn't go with a Netgain Warp9. They are no longer the cheapest option and brushed DC motors are so ridiculously obsolete now that you're just getting yourself off on the wrong foot.

Forklift motors are a way to do it cheap, but at the end of the day you still have a crummy forklift motor. There are other ways now to do it cheaply, namely OEM motors from salvage yards. That still leaves you the question of a controller. New OEM inverters are expensive. If you went the route of using the Leaf motor, you could also use the inverter (I'm not going to but it might be the easiest way to go). There are also these days a handful of DIY controllers you can build for relatively cheap. They're a lot of work but probably not that much more than adapting a fork lift motor.

On the adapter plate front I probably won't be much help. My GT had the automatic and I got rid of it ages ago. Rather than trying to come up with a GT manual transmission, which are hard to find, I'm probably going to put some other transmission in it.

Personally I wouldn't recommend getting a giant torquey forklift motor and bolting it straight to your differential. Duncan did that and he thinks everyone else should. But there are a lot of downsides to that approach. And the main advantage--freeing up the engine compartment for all your batteries--isn't really advisable anyway for an Opel GT for weight distribution reasons.


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## FlloydsOpelGTEV (May 16, 2019)

So nice to see another opal gt ev in the works I keep hearing good things about these Nissan leaf motors I just figure itd be near impossible to find one as these cars are so new I assume a salvaged one are few and far between glad u were able to find one tho, u mind me asking what u paid for it? 

Yea rly not convinced removing the tranny all together is the best option as it seems more complicated and there wouldn't be an idle amd I would think it would make reverse more difficult just seems like it would create more problems then it solves only reason I considered it a viable option was it lets me not have to screw with tryna come up with an adapter plate and coupler.

Thanks again for ur responce I'll begin my search for a leaf motor now I guess and hope it works with the zilla controller I have picked out


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## FlloydsOpelGTEV (May 16, 2019)

So Ive landed on the Nissan Leaf motor and Chevy Volt batteries gonna get 2 full assemblies for a grand total of 32kwhs which by my math should get me 64 miles out of each charge and I have a 28 mile drive to work. So my question now is which controller and charger should I use?
I found this one that i know will obviously work with the leaf motor, questions is, is it any good?

https://www.thunderstruck-ev.com/dilithium-vcu.html

Wanted to hear thoughts and opinions on it before I purchased. 

http://www.zivanusa.com/NG3BatteryCharger.htm

Here's the charger I was looking at but again wanted to be sure this was the best option before comitting to it. Any ideas?


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## frodus (Apr 12, 2008)

Zilla is for a DC motor. Leaf motor is an AC motor, so it won't work for you.


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## FlloydsOpelGTEV (May 16, 2019)

So I've landed on the Nissan Leaf motor

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Engine-EM61-Electric-Traction-Motor-Fits-11-LEAF-9858686/233200417334

and Chevy Volt batteries 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/11-12-Chev...n-Complete-Battery-Pack-Assembly/153465501099

gonna get 2 full assemblies for a grand total of 32kwhs which by my math should get me 64 miles out of each charge and I have a 28 mile drive to work. So my question now is which controller and charger should I use?
I found this one that I know is obviously compatible with the Nissan leaf motor, question is, is it any good? Lol

https://www.thunderstruck-ev.com/dilithium-vcu.html

http://www.zivanusa.com/NG3BatteryCharger.htm

Here's the charger I was looking at but again wanted to be sure this was the best option before committing to it. Any ideas?


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## galderdi (Nov 17, 2015)

Interesting project. I really like the Opel GT and wish they were delivered here.


The Leaf motor is a good motor but I wonder if it is right for you. It is an integrated unit combining the motor with the drive train. So in your car you would be left with a few choices.


1. Mount it up front and make the car front wheel drive.
2. Mount it down the back to make the car rear wheel drive.
3. Undertake some significant modification of the package to make it suitable for front mount rear wheel drive.


The volt batteries are great (I have some in my car) But they are on the bulky end of the spectrum which again might not suite your car as it seems rather tight for space. 


I also agree with the previous poster. You can't run a DC controller on a Leaf motor. There are some threads talking about options for leaf motors but from what I can see there is nothing like a plug and play option. Some please correct me if I am wrong.


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## FlloydsOpelGTEV (May 16, 2019)

would like to keep the car rear wheel drive, i think the plan right now is the Nissan leaf motor to the original opel GT tranny and ill have an adapter plate and coupler made, still working out the details on that tho.
going to be looking at measurements of the volt batteries and making cardboard mock-ups to see how and where they will fit, plenty of room in the nose of the car where the lead acid battery would normally go and plenty of room behind the seats with the fuel tank out.


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## Duncan (Dec 8, 2008)

Hi
If you are going to join the 21st century and use the Leaf unit I would suggest that you use the whole unit - motor, reduction box and diff 

I would mount the whole thing in the rear - you look to have space - and then sort out some rear suspension - you may be able to use the Leaf front suspension in there just making up a space frame to transfer the loads to strong parts on the shell
That way your gearing would be about right and you get the full benefit of the modern motor - from my POV that would be the easy bit
Then you have the hard bit getting the electronics to work


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## galderdi (Nov 17, 2015)

Use Leaf suspension in the rear???? How old school LOL  I had to read it twice. I agree though. I think this would be my chosen approach. I am not sure if the Opel was independent rear but either way it would be the least trouble. You just need to mix and match hubs, splines, CVs, drive shafts until you get a combination that works. Worse case scenario would be needing to have some custom shafts made the correct length with the inner CV to suit the Leaf unit and the outer CV to suit the Opel hubs.


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## choover1101 (May 2, 2019)

The Opel GT's could run the 80's BMW IRS setup with some mounts put in on the Opel. I was loo8ng into that at one time on my 73 GT I had.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk


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## FlloydsOpelGTEV (May 16, 2019)

im sorry but im not sure im following, i would have to modify the suspention? wouldnt be able to just mount the leaf motor to my opel gearbox with an adapter plate and coupler?


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## Duncan (Dec 8, 2008)

Mounting the Leaf motor to your gearbox takes up all of the space you need for batteries and it would have the wrong overall ratio

It's designed to run at about 7:1 - so in second gear it would be about right - but in top it would be gutless

Throw away the rear axle and the gearbox and all those bits

Put the Leaf motor/drive unit in the back (mid engined) - then sort out your suspension

If I build again I would probably go that route


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## Duncan (Dec 8, 2008)

Mounting the Leaf motor to your gearbox takes up all of the space you need for batteries and it would have the wrong overall ratio

It's designed to run at about 7:1 - so in second gear it would be about right - but in top it would be gutless

Throw away the rear axle and the gearbox and all those bits

Put the Leaf motor/drive unit in the back (mid engined) - then sort out your suspension

If I build again I would probably go that route


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## FlloydsOpelGTEV (May 16, 2019)

my concern with direct drive and not having a gear box is from what ive read theres no idle with that kind of a setup and that can be dangerous as well as difficult to reverse. also seems to be alot more complex and ill-advised from the rest of the community. sounds to be easier to come up with an adapter plate and coupler and keep my opel gearbox


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## galderdi (Nov 17, 2015)

Having a gearbox or not having a gearbox is valid either way if that is the only decision. I chose to have a gearbox only because I need high speed reverse. But that is an unusual requirement. Most people can achieve reverse with or without a gearbox. I'm not sure where the danger would come from. Yes there are some challenges with reversing a DC motor electrically rather than using a gearbox but there are readily available solutions for that (reversing contactors). But you are talking about a leaf setup which is AC and handles reversing electrically as standard / from the factory. So again I am not sure where the danger would be.


The other key point is the packaging. Your adaptor plate idea would indicate that you are expecting a cylindrical motor like most of the motors available off the shelf. A cylindrical motor would require an adaptor to either a gearbox or diff. The Leaf power plant is not off the shelf. The Leaf power plant is a single rectangular box which contains both the motor and diff. Yes it is possible to disassemble it to configure it in a different way but this is a difficult route and would require significant engineering. Using the whole Leaf unit and using drive shafts straight out to your hubs is way less engineering and much more achievable for a DIY person.


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## galderdi (Nov 17, 2015)

Or to look at it another way. The ideas you are expressing are valid for a DC cylindrical motor. Maybe you should ditch the idea of the Leaf motor and stick with DC? Either direction is valid but many design considerations for an AC setup do not translate to a DC setup and visa versa. I am not saying this to be mean, I am saying this to save you pain. You need to do some more research and make sure you understand a bit better before you commit to one direction over the other.


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## FlloydsOpelGTEV (May 16, 2019)

Ok I'm begining to understand a little better now.

plz excuse my ignorance. I wasnt aware of the ease of reversing an AC over a DC and was not aware of the leaf including an internal gearbox type deal.

I'm not a big car guy this is my first restoration of an old car and my first convertion, this is the most work ive ever done on a vechile, so again excuse my ignorance and thank you for explaining. 

In the begining this seemed like a much easier project then it's turning out to be but I'm diving in either way because I know the outcome will be worth it and im excited as hell for that. 

When I first started researching AC vs dc motors I found alot of information stating ac was the best option but was also more expensive so most people go with dc because of thier budget, it would seem alot of my findings were outdated and are now days not as acurate. 

I started looking for complete Nissan leafs this evening and found some for around 5 grand. I'd hate to buy a perfectly good car just to tear all the guts out and put in an opel tho so I starting looking for wrecked or salavaged leafs and only found multiple auction sites closest one to me is at a current bid of $200 plus a $750 dealership fee but its and automatic (does that make a difference?) and its about 3 hours away in KC MO. Might have to start calling junk yards in the area and see what else i might be able to find.

Thanks again for all your help and input it is very much appreciated.


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## FlloydsOpelGTEV (May 16, 2019)

So with what I know and understand now then my plan is to use the leaf because iv heard such good things about them and the price point at $400 and being able to avoid the troubles of having to come up with a custom fabricated adapter plate and coupler.

However I'm concerned with the size shape and weight of the leaf motor in not sure how or where I would mount it, im not a huge fan of having to do any sort of cutting on the opel body.

If I was to switch my focus back to DC I'm again back to trying to hunt down a motor that's not $2,000 (warp 9) with a $2,500 controller (zilla 1k) I'm having a difficult time wrapping my head around all the details and specifics of using a DC motor and finding a good cheap forklift motor I'm not sure what I'm looking for in a motor everyone of them that I find that I think meets my specifications and needs, I'm told wont work but not why it wont work or what I should be seeking.


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## galderdi (Nov 17, 2015)

Great to hear. Don't give up. We all start somewhere. 


The "internal gearbox deal" is not a bad thing. It just means there is no simple way to integrate it to a gearbox or diff....and probably no need.
Take the leaf unit. Mount it in between your rear hubs at a height that aligns the driveshafts both horizontally and vertically so there are no extreme angles when the car is at the expected ride height. Then work out how to connect the drive shafts (either 1.using the Leaf shafts, 2.Opel shafts, 3. Frankenstein Leaf + Opel, 4.Custom shafts).
Then you just need to sort out all the electrics, controller, BMS etc etc.
You should have it done by the end of May...……...2020


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## Hollie Maea (Dec 9, 2009)

It is not true that the Leaf motor has to be integrated with the drive reduction unit. They are easily separated and the motor has a conventional spline output.

Personally, I would not try to use the gear reduction system in the back. That's going to be a major modification project on your car. If you are intimidated by the idea of an adapter plate and coupler, getting the full Leaf drivetrain to work directly on the rear wheels is an even larger task.

I would probably use the controller though, as there aren't too many other cheap and easy options.

Also, don't buy anything yet. Spend a month reading these forums, asking questions and so forth. Wait to buy things until you understand exactly what you are buying and why you are buying it. For example, in a month you'll laugh at yourself for the prepostorous idea of buying a Zilla for a Leaf motor and marvel at how much less you knew at the time.


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## Duncan (Dec 8, 2008)

"But it's automatic"

It's not actually automatic - all Leafs (and Teslas) use a single reduction speed - the motor is ALWAYS geared to the driving wheels

The electronics sets the direction - forwards, backwards and nowhere 

It's not "auto" or manual but the controls in the car look more like an automatic than a manual

Galdardi and I would simply throw away all of the rear suspension and start again - I would expect (try) to do that without altering the external bodywork 
But that is a fairly "advanced" project

AC as used in cars like the Leaf is a long way advanced over my old forklift motor 
But it is more difficult to incorporate with a 50 year old car 

AC as in Hyper9 is not as far advanced - but is a bit wimpy and expensive

Advantages 
- no brushes - it's an advantage but brushes should last 100,000 miles
Re-Gen - this is an advantage but the amount depends on how and where you drive - Taxi drivers in cities get a lot of advantage up to 25% 
But if you drive normally the advantages are much much less - how often do you brake when driving normally?

To get a DC motor you need to find the local repair place and visit with cash (or beer) 

Controllers - I like the Paul & Sabrina ones - about $1000 for a monster power one 
Zeva do a nice series of controllers - not as monster as the P&S but you don't need to build it yourself!


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## FlloydsOpelGTEV (May 16, 2019)

Awesome lol thanks for dumbing that down for me that's what I need haha.

Out of those 3 drive shaft options what are the pros and cons of one over the other in terms of performance? Correct me if I'm wrong but it seems to me just using the leaf driveshaft would be easiest wouldnt have to do as much custom fitting and fabrications right? Would just have possibly a different size wheel on the back?

My other concern is that the leaf unit looks so large from the pictures I'm worried it would not only weight too much but possibly not fit back there.


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## dedlast (Aug 17, 2013)

FlloydsOpelGTEV said:


> ... but its and automatic (does that make a difference?) ...



All Leafs should be listed as automatic since there is no mulit-gear transmission. So ignore that portion of the listing. 
Edit: Didn't read to the end of the thread before chiming in, so this is redundant info. Sorry...


B


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## FlloydsOpelGTEV (May 16, 2019)

So if I'm understanding correctly what hollie is saying is that i can and should separate the Nissan leaf motor from its drive reduction unit. Because leaving it and trying to mess with modifying the driveshafts is a much bigger job then an adapter plate and coupler which is not something I'm not necessarily intimidated by its just a matter of finding the resources to make one Or have one made so if there was an easier option where I could avoid it thats the route I was gonna take but if that's the easiest cheapest best option then thats the route I'll go with.
Not sure what "conventional spline output" means.

Thanks for clearing up the auto manual thing Duncan again sorry for my ignorance but I'm learning lol

Sounds like what your saying is I'm back at that triangle that was mentioned in the FB group where 
DC motor is good and easy
AC is cheap and easy
And the leaf motor is good and cheap 
If it sayes me money and has a good powerful outcome I'm ok with doin some work, just comes down to how to do it to make sure its right and will produce the best outcome.


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## Duncan (Dec 8, 2008)

Hi

If you were looking at "outcomes"

Best would be a complete Leaf unit in the back - but most complex mechanically

Next Best would be a DC motor and direct drive - cheapest and gruntiest - but a bit "unsophisticated"

Then a Leaf motor mounted to your gearbox

In LAST place an aftermarket AC system like the Hyper9 mounted to your gearbox - most expensive and least power

Depends what you want!
If you are willing to spend the money the last option is the easiest as you can simply buy the bits you need - and you will end up with a "more sophisticated" solution


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

I'm sure there is some interesting conversation in this thread, but it's not worth the trouble to read. The huge images and the incompetent forum configuration combine to mean that the page width is much wider than computer screen, so every line of text has to be read by scrolling the screen over, and back, and over, and back. The real fix is for the forum to auto-size images (as is already done by every other forum using the same software), but a work-around is to post more reasonably-sized images. Have fun with the project... whatever you're doing.


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## MattsAwesomeStuff (Aug 10, 2017)

Geez, I leave for 1 week to drive to Arizona to pick up a fairly unique Opel GT to convert, I come back and two other people had the same idea. Well alright then.



> but a work-around is to post more reasonably-sized images.


Who's still an active moderator here? Duncan?

Could we (and as general policy) have a moderator edit posts with giant pics and convert them to URLs rather than display them as pics?

That's what we used to do on another forum I frequented. Only happens a couple times a month.

Otherwise I agree with Brian, this thread is unreadable.


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## FlloydsOpelGTEV (May 16, 2019)

So cool to see other people converting the same car as me id be very interested in comparing notes and knowing ur plans on ur converstion.


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

MattsAwesomeStuff said:


> Geez, I leave for 1 week to drive to Arizona to pick up a fairly unique Opel GT to convert, I come back and two other people had the same idea. Well alright then.


Matt, I'm guessing that your posts about your Opel GT project either inspired others, or just attracted others with similar projects to this forum.


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

MattsAwesomeStuff said:


> Could we (and as general policy) have a moderator edit posts with giant pics and convert them to URLs rather than display them as pics?


That would work, but

I wouldn't ask any volunteer moderator to do that work, and
auto-resizing is a much better solution (although Vertical Scope will never bother to do it).


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## MattsAwesomeStuff (Aug 10, 2017)

I don't know how gutted yours is, so I took some pics today for you to have some scale and reference of the rear space available.










For reference, the seats end where the curved crossmember starts.

There is no back seat. On top of that curved crossmember sits a piece of plywood with carpet on it as a parcel shelf.

The area above the gas tank is bisected vertically by another piece of plywood, above which is... nothing, below which is leather flap with snaps on it that hides the spare tire area (under the second piece of plywood).

Finally, there's a 3rd shelf up top where rear window is.

Here's it with the flash turned on so you can see the gas tank and area a bit better:










Once you have the gas tank removed you'll have more space there too, but note that it's behind the rear axle.

Here's a shot of the gas tank from behind the taillights, so you can see how much of it is below the surface that you can see from the inside:










...

So you have some choices. I would not raise the height of the top parcel shelf, it would block your vision. But everything below that metal shelf is fair game. Note the crossmember immediately forward of the gas tank, those two black bolt heads are the rear shocks, so, you are not dropping out that cross member, that's your floor.

When you pull the gas tank you could fill all that space with battery.

You could also raise the height of the parcel shelf as high as you'd like, (even flush with the rear shelf where the window ends if need be). It's at least big enough for a rubbermaid, so, 18" or so?

Here's a closeup of the curved crossmember and rear:










...

Note that there's room *below* the curved crossmember too, in an irregular shape. Straight down the middle cannot be cut since that is the driveshaft tunnel, but to either side of that, I can't see why you'd need it to be that angular shape or that height. The driveshaft sticks out below there so you could drop even the lowest point of the floor (inside the curve of the curved crossmember) a couple inches and probably 4 or 5 inches at the higher points, if you wanted to create a metal battery box nice and low.

I wouldn't advise putting anything below the seats though, there's nothing there but the bottom of the car.

...

There's also tons of room in front of the engine, ahead of the front wheels. Like, almost two feet. It's a terrible spot to put things weight-balance wise, but it's actually rather cavernous up front there if you need to squeeze other things (maybe a good place for a controller, right in the airstream there.

Anyway, I'll have my own thread for my build, but, since your car is torn down less than mine I thought that might help you get started.


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## FlloydsOpelGTEV (May 16, 2019)

very cool mate, much appreciated. good info, not any new info to me, but good info for a new opeler, and great pics. iv had my opel GT for close to 5 years now and over that 5 years time iv had it apart and put back together more times then i can count. The opel GT has been my dream car since my dad first got his vette in '91 so i know these cars pretty well by now lol. 










i got my fuel tank and dash and things out of the inside last weekend 'bout the only thing left in the car thats gotta come out is the engine itself. I started scraping all that painted undercoat crap off the floors, does ur car have that stuff too? ive heard good and bad about undercoat, from what ive read it actually holds in moisture and rots ur car from the inside out, so im wanting to get it all cleaned off and sandblast away any rust i find but im not sure if ill reapply or not yet. i got the passenger side done still gotta tackle the drivers tho.

Before: 









After: 



























ordered my new leaf motor last night super excited to get it in just waiting for it to ship so i can have an ETA on it. 

would love a link to ur build thread btw to compare notes


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## cs13368 (Mar 27, 2011)

I am thinking of selling my Ford Escort conversion.
I am just north of Santa Barbara, California.
It would have everything you are looking for except the batteries.

Give me a call if you are interested at 805..886..5213

Dave


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

FlloydsOpelGTEV: please resize your images to something reasonable. I probably have some good ideas for you, but I'm not going to bother wading through your thread as it is.


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## FlloydsOpelGTEV (May 16, 2019)

brian_ said:


> FlloydsOpelGTEV: please resize your images to something reasonable. I probably have some good ideas for you, but I'm not going to bother wading through your thread as it is.


i cut em down by 50%...better?


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## MattsAwesomeStuff (Aug 10, 2017)

> i cut em down by 50%...better?


I'm not Brian, but, ahhh, that's much better for me. Thanks.

Rule of thumb, max width should be 800 pixels, maybe 1000. If you had attached the images (scroll down before posting, it's below the text box), it would've done that automatically. Personally I don't like attaching images, it makes it so someone has to be logged in to see them, so I do what you did and just host them offsite and link them. But that means you have to manually size them.


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## MattsAwesomeStuff (Aug 10, 2017)

> I started scraping all that painted undercoat crap off the floors, does ur car have that stuff too?


Yep. Trans tunnel especially. I think it's for sound deadening.



> ive heard good and bad about undercoat, from what ive read it actually holds in moisture and rots ur car from the inside out


Even modern undercoatings do that, but, usually the undercoatings that are outside the car, not inside. You shouldn't have water inside your car, especially on vertical places.

A common failure mode of Ford Escapes is the rear passenger wheel well. The dies for a whole generation were supposedly placed just slightly closer on that, making the metal stamped just slightly thinner than all the other panels. Thinner means it flexes more, especially because the shock mounts there. Flexes more means the metal flexes away from the undercoating, which (since wheel wells definitely get water) means every bump vacuums up air and water and then squirts it along the metal, underneath the undercoating. You don't notice anything until one day CHUNK, the shock punches through inside of the car because the whole support around it rusted. Undercoating looks intact, carpet looks intact, no signs of danger until you lose support on the rear right.



> sandblast away any rust i find


You taking it to a blaster or doing it with a little home unit?

I've heard this is among the most expensive parts of restoring and I'm debating whether to do paint touchups on mine or whether to sandblast and repaint the exterior.


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## FlloydsOpelGTEV (May 16, 2019)

so i probably should respray the undercoat on the floors before i paint? or maybe spray it on the outside of the car underneath instead of inside? 

The undercoat in the wheel wells looks ugly as hell and i wanna remove it all but i guess if its serving a good purpose ill leave it :/ just bugs me, 

I did some research on paint removal and found that apparently soda blasting is supposed to do the job pretty well, so i bought a $30 hopper kit from harbor freight and I paid about $40 for a 50lb bag of soda media only to discover that apparently the soda is way too soft as it only removed my rattle can black primer that i sprayed a few years back. its not doing much at all to the factory blue, so i up'd the ante a bit and bought a 50lb bag of oxidized black diamond from Menards for $8 its a much harder more abrasive media but still not blasting away the factory paint as well as id hoped. seems to just be blowing shit all over and making a big mess more then anything.

idk if my cheap air compressor isnt good enough or if the cheap hopper hose and sprayer kit from harbor frieght isnt good enough, cause sometimes it seems like all im doing is just blowing air and theres no "sand" coming out unless im holding the sprayer and hose just right.

hoping to remove my engine this weekend and ill power washer the whole car and begin sanding on the engine bay, the current plan is to rattle can the interior and the engine bay a bright florescent lime green and then ill buy a couple actual paint guns to do the exterior in the Camero Synergy green at about $130 a gal (one gallon covers one of these tiny cars and them some). just lots and lots of sanding in my future if i cant get this sand blaster deal working better...and maybe the way its working is exactly how its supposed to and im just setting my expectations too high lol.


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## Duncan (Dec 8, 2008)

Have a look at somebody local to you who does sandblasting - In the UK I got my mini shell and my Lancia shell sandblasted

You want to get them to blast AND put the first undercoat on - there is a very short window - 40 minutes or less - when the paint will stick like crazy - you need to get that

The Lancia had some large flat panels - these did distort slightly and took a lot of work to get nicely flat again
The Opel is a lot more curvy so that should be less of a problem

More recently here in NZ I got my chassis blasted and painted - it was not that expensive and it gives a superb "base" for anything you are going to do
It was about six years ago - but I'm thinking $200


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## MattsAwesomeStuff (Aug 10, 2017)

> I'm thinking $200


That ain't bad at all.

Hmm.

Tempting now.

$200 + $130 for color coat + $? for clear coat.

Certainly is the time to do it while I have mine stripped to nothing.

I'm trying to avoid feature creep and cut cosmetic corners. "Done is better than perfect" and all. Maybe paint it in a couple years. But, if it's stupid not to paint it now... hrm.

Got my gastank out tonight. Felt like an idiot struggling for 45 minutes with inconsistent tension and its refusal to lift out... before realizing the fuel line was still attached.

Other than my body being in pieces, I'm almost caught up to Floyd.


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## FlloydsOpelGTEV (May 16, 2019)

I dont have a truck or trailer or anything to haul the car around to a sandblasting shop at all so i found a mobile media blasting company here in Wichita and i called them to get a quote. They said for my small car they would do it for $750 plus $1/mile but they dont do the undercoat, just blasting. That seemed really high to me for something i could do myself, especially since i live in Mount Hope 30m outside of Wichita. 

With how difficult its proving to be to get past the factory blue paint job i may end up just scuffing the blue and primer over it instead of trying to get down to bare metal.


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

FlloydsOpelGTEV said:


> i cut em down by 50%...better?


Yes, much better! Thanks


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## MattsAwesomeStuff (Aug 10, 2017)

FlloydsOpelGTEV said:


> I dont have a truck or trailer or anything to haul the car around


Uhaul.

$15/day for a 2-wheel car dolly. I think $25/day for a full car trailer, but presumably you have tires (You have to disconnect the driveshaft because it's RWD, but, presumably you've already done that).

$20/day for a pickup truck + $0.60/mile.

If you're 30 miles out, 30 miles back, that's $36 + $20 + $15 = $71.


Or, Home Depot rents trucks. $25 for 90 minutes, $20/hour after that. $100 max for the day. No mileage charges.

So, a dolly from UHaul and truck from Home Depot, Max $115 for a full day unlimited mileage.


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## FlloydsOpelGTEV (May 16, 2019)

MattsAwesomeStuff said:


> Uhaul.
> 
> $15/day for a 2-wheel car dolly. I think $25/day for a full car trailer, but presumably you have tires (You have to disconnect the driveshaft because it's RWD, but, presumably you've already done that).
> 
> ...


I do have tires with plenty of tread but they are very old and sitting flat in the vegas heat for over a year did a number on them they are cracked and weathered and wont hold air, i started taking the rear suspension out but plans changed so i put it all back up. otherwise uhaul doenst sound like a bad idea, something i never thought of. thank you


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

As long as the tow vehicle can handle a full trailer with the car (which is not a problem for a pickup), I would much rather use a trailer than a two-wheel dolly. A trailer can be backed up, for one thing. It also handles any issues with the roadworthiness of (one end of) the car to be transported.


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

FlloydsOpelGTEV said:


> Yea rly not convinced removing the tranny all together is the best option as it seems more complicated and there wouldn't be an idle amd I would think it would make reverse more difficult just seems like it would create more problems then it solves only reason I considered it a viable option was it lets me not have to screw with tryna come up with an adapter plate and coupler.


There is no reason for an electric motor to idle. Some people have used a motor with a double-ended shaft and used the extra end to drive accessories, and want the motor spinning all of the time to run them, but that's a long-obsolete approach. If you need something powered, it should have its own motor.

Reverse is a built-in feature of any AC motor controller; the motor itself works equally well in either direction. With a series-wound brushed DC motor (the traditional or "forklift" motor), the motor direction can be reversed with a set of contactors (relays) which switch the polarity of the field winding. These motors work better in one direction if the brush timing is changed, but even then they work well enough in reverse for most people.


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

Catching up on one aspect of the conversation...

Using the entire Leaf drive unit (motor plus transaxle) in the rear would mean entirely replacing the rear axle and suspension; that would be a major project in a car with independent rear suspension, and the Opel GT has a live beam axle (like a Chevrolet/Vauxhall Chevette or the other Opels of the era) so it would be an even bigger project. Although this can be done, and it could produce a good car, it is certainly not a project for a novice. If you need this explained, you're a novice and should probably not even consider attempting this. If you don't genuinely enjoy doing major sheet metal work, you should not do this. If you don't have a good idea of structural concepts, you shouldn't do the structural design required to make this work.


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## FlloydsOpelGTEV (May 16, 2019)

brian_ said:


> Catching up on one aspect of the conversation...
> 
> Using the entire Leaf drive unit (motor plus transaxle) in the rear would mean entirely replacing the rear axle and suspension; that would be a major project in a car with independent rear suspension, and the Opel GT has a live beam axle (like a Chevrolet/Vauxhall Chevette or the other Opels of the era) so it would be an even bigger project. Although this can be done, and it could produce a good car, it is certainly not a project for a novice. If you need this explained, you're a novice and should probably not even consider attempting this. If you don't genuinely enjoy doing major sheet metal work, you should not do this. If you don't have a good idea of structural concepts, you shouldn't do the structural design required to make this work.


yea, currently the plan is to put the leaf motor upfront with out its attached reduction drive and im actually going to use the leaf reduction drive to make an adapter plate and coupler for my opel gearbox.

got the idea from this video here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XNTDJtlwmI&list=WL&index=10&t=756s

my leaf motor will be in Wednesday which means i gotta get my opel engine out this weekend lol.


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

FlloydsOpelGTEV said:


> vI started scraping all that painted undercoat crap off the floors, does ur car have that stuff too? ive heard good and bad about undercoat, from what ive read it actually holds in moisture and rots ur car from the inside out, so im wanting to get it all cleaned off and sandblast away any rust i find but im not sure if ill reapply or not yet.


Undercoat is under the floor, to protect the bottom of the floor. Factory-applied coatings are good; aftermarket undercoating is often poorly installed, blocking drain holes (trapping water) and going over everything, making everything harder to work on.

The stuff on the top of the floor (the inside surfaces of the body) is sound and thermal insulation, installed at the factory. It rarely causes any problems, and certainly quiets the car, but gets in the way of interior modifications. I took it all out of the car that I prepared for racing; it was tar-like and difficult to remove in warm weather, but I found that at -25 C it became brittle and I could just pound the panels with a rubber hammer and break it out. 

Many people pay a lot for dense adhesive sheets to apply to the interior of panels to quiet the car and damp out vibrations from high-powered sound systems.


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## FlloydsOpelGTEV (May 16, 2019)

brian_ said:


> Undercoat is under the floor, to protect the bottom of the floor. Factory-applied coatings are good; aftermarket undercoating is often poorly installed, blocking drain holes (trapping water) and going over everything, making everything harder to work on.
> 
> The stuff on the top of the floor (the inside surfaces of the body) is sound and thermal insulation, installed at the factory. It rarely causes any problems, and certainly quiets the car, but gets in the way of interior modifications. I took it all out of the car that I prepared for racing; it was tar-like and difficult to remove in warm weather, but I found that at -25 C it became brittle and I could just pound the panels with a rubber hammer and break it out.
> 
> Many people pay a lot for dense adhesive sheets to apply to the interior of panels to quiet the car and damp out vibrations from high-powered sound systems.


good to know...i hate this ugly tar crap id much rather have the adhesive sheets ill have to look for those.


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## MattsAwesomeStuff (Aug 10, 2017)

FlloydsOpelGTEV said:


> my leaf motor will be in Wednesday which means i gotta get my opel engine out this weekend lol.


Ha! I'm ahead of you!

Rather than pull it out the top, most Opel owners lift the body off of the engine and pull it out from underneath.

The car hardly weighs anything, I'm sure you've discovered. Without the engine, trans, doors, and subframes you can literally just pick it up with your hands.

I lifted one side up more than the other and sneaked the engine out to the side like a fart in church.


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## FlloydsOpelGTEV (May 16, 2019)

MattsAwesomeStuff said:


> like a fart in church.


HAHAHA nice, my engines coming out tomorrow, got a buddy coming over with a hoist, well get it out one way or another. pics to come.


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## FlloydsOpelGTEV (May 16, 2019)

"like a fart in church"




















































no heater core, got glovebox room now lol


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## MattsAwesomeStuff (Aug 10, 2017)

Pics are oversized for me again, and messing up text in posts. Hrm.

...

Okay, we're currently at a tie. Except for my car being in two pieces.

...

Hey, could I get a favor from you? Could you weigh all the engine stuff that came out? I'm curious what kind of weight I have to play with. Engine, tranny, exhaust/muffler, whatever else gets ICE deleted.


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## FlloydsOpelGTEV (May 16, 2019)

a quick google search says the opel engine is aprox 300lbs not sure on gearbox and exhaust and stuff tho, leaf motor is like 125ish so im cutting my front end weight by more then half.


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

FlloydsOpelGTEV said:


> a quick google search says the opel engine is aprox 300lbs not sure on gearbox and exhaust and stuff tho, leaf motor is like 125ish so im cutting my front end weight by more then half.


If you're calculating weight and weight distribution, don't forget the controller/inverter, charger, other wiring and devices, mounting brackets...


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

MattsAwesomeStuff said:


> Rather than pull it out the top, most Opel owners lift the body off of the engine and pull it out from underneath.


Good plan.

Very few engines are installed from above in the factory. They are inserted from below, as part of an assembly including the transmission, crossmember or subframe, and usually suspension.

Of course this is easier if you have a hoist (preferably a two-post lift).


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## FlloydsOpelGTEV (May 16, 2019)

MattsAwesomeStuff said:


> Pics are oversized for me again, and messing up text in posts. Hrm.


I cut them down by 50% again, for me they have a yellow bar at the top where u can click and make them bigger or smaller.


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## FlloydsOpelGTEV (May 16, 2019)

leaf motor came today...




























I was rly hoping it would come with everything pictured here.










So I made sure to ask the seller before I purchased to be sure and this is the response i got -.-










Seller didnt seem to know what he/she was talking about so i assumed if they were just unbolting the motor from the vehicle and shipping it everything would be included, didnt think that would go unbolting thing from the motor.

So since it didn't come with the Inverter the PDM and the reduction drive...whats my best course of action? purchase the leaf parts separately that weren't included or are there better options?

I wasnt going to use the reduction drive anyway except to make an adapter plate and coupler with it, like in the video here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XNTDJtlwmI&list=WL&index=23&t=759s


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## FlloydsOpelGTEV (May 16, 2019)

According to this i dont rly need the inverter right? just a dc to dc converter and the charger? so i wonder if i can just find a used Nissan Leaf PDM?


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

FlloydsOpelGTEV said:


> I cut them down by 50% again, for me they have a yellow bar at the top where u can click and make them bigger or smaller.


That's how the forum's automatic resizing works. As long as it is working, there's no need for you to cut down the size of what you post. It is still working for me, so Matt must have seen a temporary glitch.


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

FlloydsOpelGTEV said:


> leaf motor came today...
> 
> ...
> 
> ...


In an early Leaf, the inverter and charger (PDM) are separate components. They are mounted stacked on top of the motor, but they have separate housings. Later, they switched to having the inverter and motor housings integrated as shown in your labelled image. From the appearance of the case and the electrical connection to your motor, it must be the early one.

I would call the combination of inverter, motor, and transaxle (reduction gearing and differential) a "drive unit", and that seems to be what most people buy as salvage. If they advertised a "motor", they don't really need to supply anything else; "engine" doesn't make sense in English for an electric motor, but if applied to a motor again it wouldn't need to include a bunch of supporting components, and certainly not the transaxle (gearbox).

As for the comparison with the engine description... the components of the Leaf which were not provided could reasonably be considered comparable to the components which would not be provided with an engine. The inverter could be debatable, but on the other extreme the transmission is not part of the engine or motor (although in motorcycles the engine and transmission are usually integrated into one housing so they always go together... but this is not like the motorcycle setup).


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

FlloydsOpelGTEV said:


> According to this i dont rly need the inverter right? just a dc to dc converter and the charger? so i wonder if i can just find a used Nissan Leaf PDM?


That diagram shows a series-wound brushed DC motor, not an AC motor. Just as the DC motor needs a controller, your Leaf motor needs an inverter/controller.



FlloydsOpelGTEV said:


> So since it didn't come with the Inverter the PDM and the reduction drive...whats my best course of action? purchase the leaf parts separately that weren't included or are there better options?


You need a charger (which is included in the PDM), but it doesn't need to be from a Leaf unless you want all of the original Leaf computerized parts so they can talk to each other as if they are still in the Leaf.

You need an inverter and controller (which are normally combined in one device) which is suited to the Leaf motor. If you don't use the one from the Leaf, you have the advantage of not having to work with Nissan's programming, but you need it to be configured to work with that motor. Suitable high-power three-phase inverters are expensive.


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## FlloydsOpelGTEV (May 16, 2019)

brian_ said:


> In an early Leaf, the inverter and charger (PDM) are separate components. They are mounted stacked on top of the motor, but they have separate housings. Later, they switched to having the inverter and motor housings integrated as shown in your labelled image. From the appearance of the case and the electrical connection to your motor, it must be the early one.
> 
> I would call the combination of inverter, motor, and transaxle (reduction gearing and differential) a "drive unit". If they advertised a "motor", they don't really need to supply anything else.
> 
> As for the comparison with the engine description... the components of the Leaf which were not provided could reasonably be considered comparable to the components which would not be provided with an engine.



ok fair enough, yes the motor i ordered is the EM61 as opposed to the EM57 not sure what the difference is or which is older or newer or better tho.

so in AC then the inverter is the same as the controller in a DC setup? i know i need a controller and i found one here. 

https://www.thunderstruck-ev.com/dilithium-vcu.html

i also know that i still need a charger for the batteries obviously, but since im using chevy volt batteries should i use the leaf charger or the volt charger or a zivan?

im assuming ill need atleast a dc/dc converter but what about an inverter? i dont see that on the wiring diagram post above. which was labeled as a nissan leaf wiring diagram with the leaf being an AC motor.

i think my next step will be trying to couple the motor to the opel tranny with an inch thick piece of aluminum but not quite sure how im going to do a coupler yet since my motor didnt come with the reduction drive.


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## FlloydsOpelGTEV (May 16, 2019)

brian_ said:


> That diagram shows a series-wound brushed DC motor, not an AC motor. Just as the DC motor needs a controller, your Leaf motor needs an inverter/controller.
> 
> 
> You need a charger (which is included in the PDM), but it doesn't need to be from a Leaf unless you want all of the original Leaf computerized parts so they can talk to each other as if they are still in the Leaf.
> ...


awesome very cool thank you thats what i needed to know


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## FlloydsOpelGTEV (May 16, 2019)

brian_ said:


> You need an inverter and controller (which are normally combined in one device) which is suited to the Leaf motor. If you don't use the one from the Leaf, you have the advantage of not having to work with Nissan's programming, but you need it to be configured to work with that motor. Suitable high-power three-phase inverters are expensive.


the controller i linked is advertised as being for a nissan leaf so i know it would have the right programming but is it controller and inverter? or just a controller? not sure how to tell, theyre calling it a VCU (Vehicle Control Unit) so i would almost assume its both but i dont know how to tell for sure.


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

FlloydsOpelGTEV said:


> so in AC then the inverter is the same as the controller in a DC setup? i know i need a controller and i found one here.
> 
> https://www.thunderstruck-ev.com/dilithium-vcu.html


A motor controller is anything that controls the power to the motor, so that it produces the desired torque or power or runs at the desired speed.

A controller for a DC motor is essentially a high-power dimmer switch... there's not much to it.
A controller for an AC motor need to look at the speed or position (depending on motor type) of the motor, and create an AC waveform of the right frequency, phase, and amplitude. AC motors in EVs are generally three-phase, which means the controller is creating three coordinated AC waveforms.

The inverter is the power stage, which is controlled by the controller and actually switches the incoming power to drive the motor. Since the input is DC (polarity always the same) and the output is AC (alternating polarity), the device is called an inverter. It corresponds to the final power stage of a DC motor controller.

Despite their description, the Dilithium VCU device from Thunderstruck is not a motor controller at all; it's a *vehicle* control unit. It takes various inputs and puts out messages on the CAN computer bus; when used with a Leaf, the stock leaf controller (which is integrated with the inverter) reads those messages and actually controls the motor. The Dilithium VCU does not replace the stock Leaf controller or inverter; it just makes it practical to those Leaf parts in a vehicle other than the Leaf.



FlloydsOpelGTEV said:


> the controller i linked is advertised as being for a nissan leaf so i know it would have the right programming but is it controller and inverter? or just a controller? not sure how to tell, theyre calling it a VCU (Vehicle Control Unit) so i would almost assume its both but i dont know how to tell for sure.


So the answer to this question is "neither".... it is not a motor controller or an inverter.


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

FlloydsOpelGTEV said:


> ok fair enough, yes the motor i ordered is the EM61 as opposed to the EM57 not sure what the difference is or which is older or newer or better tho.


Strangely, the one with the higher number is older. The EM61 is apparently the original Leaf motor (connected to the inverter/controller with a big orange cable), with the EM57 being the later Leaf motor (starting with model year 2013) which is designed to go with the corresponding inverter/controller (connected directly by a connector between the housings, with no external cable).

This is a decent article about the differences:
2013 Nissan Leaf integrated e-powertrain a smaller, lighter package
Nissan - Lightweight, compact and high-efficiency powertrain for EVs


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## FlloydsOpelGTEV (May 16, 2019)

brian_ said:


> Strangely, the one with the higher number is older. The EM57 is apparently the original Leaf motor (connected to the inverter/controller with a big orange cable), with the EM57 being the later Leaf motor (starting with model year 2013) which is designed to go with the corresponding inverter/controller (connected directly by a connector between the housings, with no external cable).
> 
> This is a decent article about the differences:
> 2013 Nissan Leaf integrated e-powertrain a smaller, lighter package
> Nissan - Lightweight, compact and high-efficiency powertrain for EVs


doesnt seem like a very big difference between the two...little bit lighter (bout 25lbs)..eliminated a wiring harness and integration provided more room and better regenerative braking, i think im ok with the EM61 for the price i paid. just need to find a controller...any suggestions?

found a homemade one that apparently dynos at 302hp which would be nice but i dont think im quite rdy to try following these steps to build a controller myself.

https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=63982&p=963227#p963227


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## FlloydsOpelGTEV (May 16, 2019)

https://www.instructables.com/id/200kW-AC-Motor-Controller-for-Electric-Car/ 

this post makes it look a little bit easier but i think i would still rather just purchase one.


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## MattsAwesomeStuff (Aug 10, 2017)

> found a homemade one


That is sometimes called here the "P&S Controller" or "Paul and Sabrina Controller".

He's a community member here. Several people have built one of their controllers and could probably offer you advice.


I will probably be picking up a Prius converter and buying one of Damien's prototype brain boards that hijack it.

https://openinverter.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=51&sid=97d5a482948074ce40248770ff04c41f

http://evbmw.com/index.php/evbmw-webshop/toyota-bare-boards

http://evbmw.com/index.php/evbmw-webshop/toyota-built-and-tested-boards


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## FlloydsOpelGTEV (May 16, 2019)

MattsAwesomeStuff said:


> That is sometimes called here the "P&S Controller" or "Paul and Sabrina Controller".
> 
> He's a community member here. Several people have built one of their controllers and could probably offer you advice.


I keep hearing about these controllers but everytime i go to thier page to price out and/or buy one i get a blank white screen with "Store is closed for maintenance"

https://pandspowerelectronics.ecwid.com/


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## piotrsko (Dec 9, 2007)

Paul holmes, the owner, has had another one of his monster life setbacks: apparently someone stole the moving van full of his life belongings when he moved to a new job. They took everything including the controller stuff and his computers. It will be a while before he can recover.


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## FlloydsOpelGTEV (May 16, 2019)

piotrsko said:


> Paul holmes, the owner, has had another one of his monster life setbacks: apparently someone stole the moving van full of his life belongings when he moved to a new job. They took everything including the controller stuff and his computers. It will be a while before he can recover.


dang, sorry to hear that, thats ruff can anyone suggest a good alternative? something that would work with the leaf motor that i wouldnt have to do alot of my own diy building on?


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## MattsAwesomeStuff (Aug 10, 2017)

piotrsko said:


> Paul holmes, the owner, has had another one of his monster life setbacks: apparently someone stole the moving van full of his life belongings when he moved to a new job.


Ugh. How awful. Your whole life worth of stuff just gone.

I can't imagine.

Even just being given a shopping list with 3000 items on it that you now have to decide, pick out, etc is weeks of time.



> can anyone suggest a good alternative? something that would work with the leaf motor that i wouldnt have to do alot of my own diy building on?


You really only have 3 choices:

1 - Get a Leaf, keep all the guts of it, try to let it convince itself it's still a car, use it's onboard controller.

2 - Build your own controller from scratch, power unit included.

3 - Use the power side of an existing controller, but build your own brains to control it.

I haven't seen anyone do anything else. It's kind of where I'm stuck too.

One of the things this community does quite poorly (it's no one's responsibility, just one of the things that doesn't happen), is collect this type of info and have it on hand in a relevant way for people who would use or need it.

- For example, Tony Bogs started making this super simple DC controller, which later (finished? and then) developed into an AC controller: https://www.diyelectriccar.com/foru...sive-asic-dc-series-controller-no-196337.html ... But if you didn't know about it, you wouldn't know to ask. And, it's not really posted anywhere, so, you have no idea about the status of it, or that it's even in progress, etc.

- There's this effort to repurpose existing controllers: https://www.diyelectriccar.com/forums/showthread.php/chevy-volt-opel-ampera-inverter-179922.html ... but it seems to me you have to already be an EE to even have a clue what's going on in the conversation, let alone to use it for anything. Definitely not for someone who's not much more than a solder monkey.

- Then these guys over on the E-bike community are building their own from scratch, and it seems to work, but it's in development still: https://www.diyelectriccar.com/foru...kw-full-featured-motor-controller-200219.html

- Then there's this guy trying to build a universal AC motor controller, started a company for it, seems to have boards, but no way to buy them? Lists of specs but no instructions on how to set them up or use them and is apparently a dead company now: https://www.diyelectriccar.com/forums/showthread.php/any-ac-motor-any-inverter-umc-152234.html and http://advantics.fr/umc-drive-3-0-universal-motor-controller/

- Then there's Damien's Toyota brainboxes I already linked to you. He tinkers on it in his (minimal) spare time, which is already cut up into other EV efforts.

- Johannes has a complete, working inverter you can build from scratch. But it's fairly pricey to be buying that stuff new.

- Paul & Sabrina had theirs, but it seemed to me to be a case of "Oh, there's some bugs and you need to fix this and that in the design", again, appropriate for an EE who wants to adopt their design but not for someone who just wants to build and use it. And you wouldn't know about that, it's not documented, it's not obvious where to find it, etc. (And now all his possessions have been stolen, as above).

- Then you might hear about the "Open ReVolt" community project to build a controller. Sounds exciting. No updates on it. Dig around and you discover it became (or was?) the P&S controller above.

- And then hardly anyone refers to these by name or status, just "there was someone making X Y Z", things are scattered across multiple threads, ugg.

...

There's really a lot of effort put into this, 80% of the way, and then since most of these are volunteer efforts, life gets in the way.

There's probably 10 projects in progress, from very knowledgeable and experienced people, none of which ever seem to have been something that someone could ever just build.

I honestly don't even know what the options available are at this point. Seems to have a perpetual threshold you need to climb over (with electrical engineering skills) to make anything work. Especially anything on a budget.

I'm happy to be wrong, but I've been wading through this for a couple years and this is why AC has scared me off. DC is simple, I sort of understand it, and there are many options.


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## FlloydsOpelGTEV (May 16, 2019)

disappointing that theres no option to just throw money at someone and have them send u something thats simply a plug and play...i definitely wouldnt consider myslef to be an EE but i have been tinkering and soldering and building odd and end things for years, i guess if i dont have any other choice i find a build and try to follow along and see what happens...thanks for the info man much appreciated.

 https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=63982 

this build seems to be the best option in my opinion seems to be the most power and well put together, i sent these guys a message but no response just yet, 300+ hp sounds like a helluva ride. just gotta hope and prey i have the means to be able to pull this off myself without wasting a bunch of time and money and ruining things while learning and trying to figure out what im doing i guess.


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

FlloydsOpelGTEV said:


> disappointing that theres no option to just throw money at someone and have them send u something thats simply a plug and play...


For people using Tesla Model S/X drive units, there are replacement controller boards which go in the inverter to make it usable without the rest of the car. You can buy the drive unit ready-to-go... for lots of money. That's relatively plug-and-play, but is available only for those Tesla units because they are the most commonly used so far.

For anyone with any motor, an obvious solution is to buy a commercially produced controller/inverter. The technical challenge is that it would need to be configured specifically for the Leaf motor, and typically these products have configurations available only for aftermarket motors. If you want that configuration worked out, the controller/inverter manufacturer can probably to that... but then you want a low price on a low-volume high-power product for which the manufacturer has done extra work.

There just are not enough people using salvaged Leaf motors (or any other brand) to make a viable market for a very specific product to support them, especially since most of those people are trying to do the whole project for the price of a couple of trendy smartphones.


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## MattsAwesomeStuff (Aug 10, 2017)

FlloydsOpelGTEV said:


> https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=63982
> 
> this build seems to be the best option in my opinion


That guy, Arlo, is the same guy as in my E-Bike link above. It's now a team of 4 guys trying to win the Hackaday prize to fund further development.


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## FlloydsOpelGTEV (May 16, 2019)

MattsAwesomeStuff said:


> That guy, Arlo, is the same guy as in my E-Bike link above. It's now a team of 4 guys trying to win the Hackaday prize to fund further development.


yea ive been looking at their hackaday site and reading thru their forum threads trying to see how difficult it would be to build this controller seems like it would be a pretty good one if i could build it 

i guess for now i just focus on other parts of the build and look at other components and wait for them or somebody else to get more progress and have a completed product?...

on to adapter plate and coupler and whatever other components i need i guess...


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## MattsAwesomeStuff (Aug 10, 2017)

> i guess for now i just focus on other parts of the build and look at other components and wait for them or somebody else to get more progress and have a completed product?...


I'm genuinely considering getting a second transmission and doing a (very) low speed (like, 30mph) DC build with a little motor I already have, just because of the difficulty and expense of AC until someone finishes an affordable, buildable controller that's within my abilities (i.e. not have to engineer, just put it together). So at least I can move it around under it's own power.



> on to adapter plate and coupler and whatever other components i need i guess...


What's your plan?

Hire a machinist or DIY?


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## FlloydsOpelGTEV (May 16, 2019)

MattsAwesomeStuff said:


> What's your plan?
> 
> Hire a machinist or DIY?


I've read where some people have just handed a machinist friend 100 for both pieces to be done in a day and on the other end of the spectrum iv heard of people paying thousands of dollars and waiting 3 months.

i have a couple years of cnc programming and machining experience but i have no access to a machine, i just moved back to town here so i dont know of any machinist or shop where i can just walk in and hand someone some money and cad files and ask them to make me something.

so i guess the current plan is a chunk of aluminum and a ban saw and for the coupler, cutting the middle spline out of the opel clutch plate and purchasing a Fiat clutch plate for $50 to do the same and then weld them together on a piece of tubing.


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## MattsAwesomeStuff (Aug 10, 2017)

Check out your local hackerspace/makerspace. Lots of them have little Tormach's now.

Often guys there will be happy to run small jobs for you if you've done the design work, so they can use the money to add tooling.

Alternatively you could join the makerspace and do it yourself eventually.

You only need them to do the holes precisely, might as well make it simple and bandsaw the shapes yourself.

I'm spoiled rotten. Someone in the Opel community had one made for an abandoned project, then the person who picked it up changed the motor they wanted to use, and said I was welcome to have the adapter plate for the cost of shipping.

I'll probably still have to manually adjust the motor mounts and do the alignment myself, but, the bulk of the machining is already done for me.


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## FlloydsOpelGTEV (May 16, 2019)

MattsAwesomeStuff said:


> Check out your local hackerspace/makerspace. Lots of them have little Tormach's now.
> 
> Often guys there will be happy to run small jobs for you if you've done the design work, so they can use the money to add tooling.
> 
> ...


dang u are spoiled, u got lucky lol this adapter plate and coupler thing has been a heckuva headache, someone on another thread offered to machine my adapter plate for me, not sure where they are located or what shipping would be tho and not sure what they will charge me yet, waiting for a response. if they charge too much then i think i have a good plan in place to be able to diy it but nothing ever goes as planned so who knows


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## MattsAwesomeStuff (Aug 10, 2017)

Floyd, I'm catching up. Let's hear some progress


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## FlloydsOpelGTEV (May 16, 2019)

MattsAwesomeStuff said:


> Floyd, I'm catching up. Let's hear some progress


ight, well iv got the engine out and iv bought a better sandblaster and pressure washer, purchased a dustless sandblasting kit which connects to the 3000 psi pressure washer instead of going thru an air compressor, works much much better for blasting off all this paint. my oxidized black diamond blasting media got too moist with all this Kansas humidity and clumped up so had to go buy 2 more 50lb bags at $8 bucks a piece, im now housing the media in a seal-able cat litter box to hopefully avoid this issue reoccurring.

A couple weekends ago, my friend came back over with the engine hoist and we used that to grab the front suspension of the car and lift it as high as we could to be able to pressure wash and blast the 50 years of rust and dirt off the undercarriage, 


















































did something awful to my back during this process in which 3 of my ribs popped out so haven't touched the car in the last 2 weekends.

Monday i bought my 15x15 1 inch thick aluminum plate for about $75 and all the power brake system parts i ordered from amazon came in

-12v pump
-vacuum reservoir
-air-trol switch and 
-vacuum gauge


























went to the hardware store and bought all the tubing and adapters and hose clamps ill need along with some flared brake line wrenches and a one way pass thru valve.

so the plan this weekend is to hit it hard hopefully building a power brake system and an adapter plate, ill post pics of my purchases this evening when i get home and pics of this weekends progress probably Sunday night.


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## boekel (Nov 10, 2010)

It's already doing wheelies!!

good luck with your back / ribs!


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## MattsAwesomeStuff (Aug 10, 2017)

Gah. Pics are still gigantic.

I don't get how to shrink them, I've viewed this forum in both Firefox and Chrome. They're gigantic in both.


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## boekel (Nov 10, 2010)

MattsAwesomeStuff said:


> Gah. Pics are still gigantic.
> 
> I don't get how to shrink them, I've viewed this forum in both Firefox and Chrome. They're gigantic in both.


you have to resize them before uploading.


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## FlloydsOpelGTEV (May 16, 2019)

boekel said:


> you have to resize them before uploading.


i was resizing before uploading and then i was told i didnt have to anymore because forum setting or something was changed on the site, so i stopped, plus im at work so cant rly resize here, ill resize and re-upload when i get home tho, sorry.


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## FlloydsOpelGTEV (May 16, 2019)

brian_ said:


> That's how the forum's automatic resizing works. As long as it is working, there's no need for you to cut down the size of what you post. It is still working for me, so Matt must have seen a temporary glitch.


...so if im reading this correctly i dont need to continue to resize my posts


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## boekel (Nov 10, 2010)

FlloydsOpelGTEV said:


> i was resizing before uploading and then i was told i didnt have to anymore because forum setting or something was changed on the site,


I think that starts working as soon as the image is wider than the 'box' where the text is.


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## MattsAwesomeStuff (Aug 10, 2017)

> I think that starts working as soon as the image is wider than the 'box' where the text is.


That's definitely not happening for me, in either browser. The images are wider than one screen and I have to scroll horizontally to see the text.

I'm not seeing the same "resizing" buttons that some other people say they're seeing.

Meh.

There's no reason to upload massive pics when no one will see or appreciate the detail. But, also not too big a deal.

Didn't mean to hijack.

[Edited to add... It's because I'm using Ad-block. When I turn it off they're auto-shrink and I get a little option to see it fullsize. Mystery solved.]

...

I'm envious of you getting a power washer underneath yours. Even more envious of the guy's shop I went to last night who built a full rotisserie for his. I've never seen the underside of mine except what 5" away from my face looks like.

And your glass is intact. And your body is intact...

And you're caught up to me on brake components...

And you've got a garage to build it in ...

Yep, you're ahead again.


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## FlloydsOpelGTEV (May 16, 2019)

MattsAwesomeStuff said:


> [Edited to add... It's because I'm using Ad-block. When I turn it off they're auto-shrink and I get a little option to see it fullsize. Mystery solved.]
> 
> ...
> 
> ...


lol not a race dude, take ur time and enjoy the ride 
if you need any help replacing glass let me know and i can give u some tips on opel windshield installation.

i would LOVE to have a rotisserie i looked into how to build one or buy one but they are very expensive and even to build a half way decent one id need 2 engine stands...i dont even have one...my engines in a wheel barrel lol.

its over 90 degrees out today, too damn hot to be out in the garage even with the window AC unit i installed last night. but i did visit the hardware store this morning and get the rest of what i needed for my brake system. 

just from videos iv watched on youtube and stuff this is a diagram iv drawn up of how i believe the vacuum power brake system needs to be hooked up, someone plz correct me if im wrong.

(the numbers are just what im calling the different sizes of tubing)
everything seemed to have different sized connectors on it, of course it cant be too easy lol










































and heres my wooden adapter plate template, ill probably get my ass out in the heat to cut it out of the aluminum tomorrow if im feeling up to it lol


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## MattsAwesomeStuff (Aug 10, 2017)

> lol not a race dude, take ur time and enjoy the ride


I will enjoy my ride when it's ridable .

Until then I want there to be progress!



> how i believe the vacuum power brake system needs to be hooked up


Looks good to me. 

- The Pump, Reservoir, MC, and Gauge all need to be in common. Check.

- You need "store" the vacuum in the reservoir so the pump doesn't have to run all the time. So then you need an electrical pressure switch so that the pump turns on when pressures drops (well, rises), and shuts off when it's close enough to vacuum. They should all be in common, but I guess having it closer to the MC to determine that (as you are) would be beneficial. Check.

- I don't know about this, but you might want a valve between the pump and reservoir, because the pump is probably the leakiest part of the system. It may passively drain the reservoir. Maybe the pump has this internally, or maybe it's a non-issue.

The location of your vacuum pump... you know that thing is noisy right?

I would bury it away from the cockpit somewhere, not right under the steering column and right next to where your whole wiring harness needs to sprout.

Also, the hoses you use will be trying to crush, not expand, so usually you need to use vacuum hose of some sort. Presumably whatever automotive vacuum hose is standard should be fine.

I don't get why you have all the diameter changes, unless that's just what the fittings on the various components are. Otherwise I'd leave 'em all the same except for the gauge.



> and heres my wooden adapter plate template


You know all about aligning it within 0.005" right? Obviously the outside shape isn't critical, but, hopefully you're not drilling holes yet.


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

MattsAwesomeStuff said:


> That's definitely not happening for me, in either browser. The images are wider than one screen and I have to scroll horizontally to see the text.
> 
> I'm not seeing the same "resizing" buttons that some other people say they're seeing.
> 
> ...


I use Chrome (routinely updated, currently at 75.0.3770.100) on Windows 10 (routinely updated) with the Adblock Plus add-in (at 3.5.2); the ad-blocker is turned on and the auto-sizing works (with the click bar).


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## FlloydsOpelGTEV (May 16, 2019)

MattsAwesomeStuff said:


> I will enjoy my ride when it's ridable .
> 
> Until then I want there to be progress!


lol understandable




MattsAwesomeStuff said:


> Looks good to me.
> 
> - The Pump, Reservoir, MC, and Gauge all need to be in common. Check.
> 
> - You need "store" the vacuum in the reservoir so the pump doesn't have to run all the time. So then you need an electrical pressure switch so that the pump turns on when pressures drops (well, rises), and shuts off when it's close enough to vacuum. They should all be in common, but I guess having it closer to the MC to determine that (as you are) would be beneficial. Check.


not sure what u mean by "in common"...



MattsAwesomeStuff said:


> - I don't know about this, but you might want a valve between the pump and reservoir, because the pump is probably the leakiest part of the system. It may passively drain the reservoir. Maybe the pump has this internally, or maybe it's a non-issue.


i do have a small one way check valve tucked away between the pump and the reservoir, forgot to make sure it was viable in the picture and put it in the diagram tho.



MattsAwesomeStuff said:


> The location of your vacuum pump... you know that thing is noisy right?
> 
> I would bury it away from the cockpit somewhere, not right under the steering column and right next to where your whole wiring harness needs to sprout.


i heard these things are noisy so yes i did kinda question the placement but this just looked like a good flat surface to mount it, havnt powered it up yet to see how noisy it really is yet.



MattsAwesomeStuff said:


> Also, the hoses you use will be trying to crush, not expand, so usually you need to use vacuum hose of some sort. Presumably whatever automotive vacuum hose is standard should be fine.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKw7NkigN3A&t=158s

in the video here hes using tubing from an aquarium, so thats what i went with, its fairly thick i dont think it will collapse under the vaccum should be ok...i hope.



MattsAwesomeStuff said:


> I don't get why you have all the diameter changes, unless that's just what the fittings on the various components are. Otherwise I'd leave 'em all the same except for the gauge.


exactly, all the fitting on the different components are different sizes so had to buy adapters and 4 different sizes of hoses.



MattsAwesomeStuff said:


> You know all about aligning it within 0.005" right? Obviously the outside shape isn't critical, but, hopefully you're not drilling holes yet.


...huh?
not drilling holes yet, started drilling one big one in the middle of the aluminum but thats it.


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## Duncan (Dec 8, 2008)

Why do you want power brakes? - totally unnecessary in a small car and just adds to the complexity


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## MattsAwesomeStuff (Aug 10, 2017)

FlloydsOpelGTEV said:


> not sure what u mean by "in common"...


I'm abusing electric terms to apply to vacuum lines.

I meant that they're all one continuous pressure vessel.



> in the video here hes using tubing from an aquarium, so thats what i went with, its fairly thick i dont think it will collapse under the vaccum should be ok...i hope.


If it collapses, your gauge might not show it (smaller tube is stronger, less likely to pinch itself), and the consequence would be that you can't stop.

This is more likely in hot weather when the tubing is softer. Ben Nelson lives in Minnesota, judging by his accent.




> ...huh? Not drilling holes yet, started drilling one big one in the middle of the aluminum but thats it.


On an adapter plate, the motor shaft and the tranny shaft have to line up within 0.005" of each other. Getting them square isn't too hard, but getting their centers centered with each other is harder.

The outside shape of the adapter isn't critical, that's basically just cosmetic. But when you go to fit your pins, or drill holes for your bolts, you'll need them to be pretty much perfectly positioned.

Depending on who you talk to here, some will say unless you're a specialized machinist you're doomed to failure and no one's ever accomplished it, or, it's easy to do by feel without even a dial gauge. Either way, something to make sure you're not just guessing on.



Duncan said:


> Why do you want power brakes? - totally unnecessary in a small car and just adds to the complexity


1 - The car originally had them. It was deemed necessary then.

2 - Lots of registration and insurance requirements will dictate if it had them during manufacture, it has to have them still.

3 - I straight up asked Opel owners and they said they need the power brakes to stop, and it's disastrous when the booster fails, you almost cannot stop the vehicle.

At 2000 lbs, it's light, but it's not light enough to ignore brake boosters.


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

While I agree that a conversion to unassisted brakes is not likely appropriate, if it is done a proper conversion would likely involve at least a smaller-bore master cylinder (to get higher hydraulic pressure from the same pedal force), not just disconnecting and ignoring the stock booster.

If converting, larger-diameter brakes (which I assume are disks in front and drums in rear) would reduce effort.


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## MattsAwesomeStuff (Aug 10, 2017)

Floyd - Motivate me. How's progress?

I'm almost moved into "my" new shop, but keep lending all my tools and time away to help other people on projects, so no progress.


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## FlloydsOpelGTEV (May 16, 2019)

no progress here either, its too dang hot outside to be out in the garage and im not sure where to put my focus or what to do next, too many small projects within the main project, do i finish my adapter plate or make my coupler or sand blast the engine bay and paint it or sand blast the exterior and paint that? or do i focus my attention on the controller and build that? or instead of building my own controller wait until someone releases one alrdy build and spend a couple grand more for less work? just not sure what direction to go right now what to do next or what to focus on so im just kinda using this summer heat time of the year to get caught up on money and do more research so i can hit it hard when it cools off a bit.


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## MattsAwesomeStuff (Aug 10, 2017)

FlloydsOpelGTEV said:


> im just kinda using this summer heat time of the year to get caught up on money and do more research so i can hit it hard when it cools off a bit.


I have the opposite concern. "Hurry up and get it done in the summer before winter hits"

Motor/controller is my.. well, not my roadblock. There's lots and lots to do before then, but, I have almost everything I need to get rolling so, not having that decided makes it hard.

I'm half-assed hunting for a Prius gen3 controller, half-assed considering using a Prius Gen2 motor while I'm at it and scrapping my beheamoth motor and trans. Damian is sold out of dev boards, and, the dev process for the boards isn't complete either, and, being a low-value project doesn't seem to be his priority. Not knowledgable enough to carry it forward on my own, so, standard open-source woes.


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## FlloydsOpelGTEV (May 16, 2019)

Ok guys I need some thoughts and opinions here on AC motor inverters/controllers for my leaf motor. After doing a buncha internet research its looking like I've got about 3 different options.

1. Ive been recommended PandS controllers multiple times however as their site is currently down ive found an instructables guide on how to build one of his controllers my self.

https://www.instructables.com/id/200kW-AC-Motor-Controller-for-Electric-Car/

After searching Google, ebay and Amazon it looks like I could build this for about $700-$800 and according to the guide this would get me about 286 hp
The downside to this is iv never built anything like this before so it is intimidating me and I'm worried id buy everything , make an attempt and mess something up and end up wasting time and money

2. I found Arlos controller on a forum claiming over 300hp and after speaking with him thru emails this would be available for purchase within the next year at close to 4 grand or $500 for just the assembled power board.
So I could get the power board from him when its available and then build the rest myself using the instructables guide above and hopefully avoid too much soldering.

https://endless-sphere.com/forums/vi...p?f=30&t=63982

3. The original Nissan leaf inverter. From what I've seen I can pick one up for about $250 so this would be the cheapest option and I'm sure it would most likely be the easiest option but I've heard this would also give me the least amount of power since id have to deal with the Nissan programming.

Please lemme know what u guys think which way should I go with this for best results?


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## MattsAwesomeStuff (Aug 10, 2017)

Damien was having luck converting Prius controllers, and even repurposing parts of them as DC-DC and chargers.

However, I think he sold out of his first run test boards and it hasn't been a priority for him to work on them since. I haven't seen updates on it in months.

But if you go that route, if you can find a gen 3 Prius at a junkyard, Damien paid I think ~$100 for the inverter. And I think his board cost $50-100. And then the components to go on it cost whatever they do.

So, very cheap, comparatively.


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## FlloydsOpelGTEV (May 16, 2019)

very cool ill def look into that thanks for the reply


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## MattsAwesomeStuff (Aug 10, 2017)

Bump.

I made minimal progress and posted an update on my thread.

Tag. You're it.


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## FlloydsOpelGTEV (May 16, 2019)

I've unfortunately made zero progress, my DD got rear ended so sold my prelude and bought me an RSX so been modding and working on that tryna get more hp out of her. Opels in the garage.


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## MattsAwesomeStuff (Aug 10, 2017)

> I've unfortunately made zero progress,


I've marginally crawled forward slightly. And winter's hit. Set up a space heater on a timer so that it turns on 3 hours before I get off work, hopefully makes metal safe to touch in the garage.

But, baby steps.


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## FlloydsOpelGTEV (May 16, 2019)

After buying this RSX and it having way less hp then my previous DD prelude i immediately starting researching and planning on bolt on mods and shit to get more power out of her, so after putting a new SRI, header and cat back exhaust i think Im content with it and instead of moving forward with engine swap and everything else i had planned on that I've decide to shift focus back to this EV project 

So after re-reading thru this whole thing to get caught back up on where i left off heres my current 'To-Do' list.

-Adapter Plate, still have the block of aluminum on the bench and the band-saw to hopefully cut it up with just need to get out there and cut and drill.

-Coupler Tube, this probably needs to be made first to make sure the splines line up when i drill that adapter plate. I have the center cut out of my Opel clutch plate and the center cut out of a Fiat clutch plate that matches the Nissan Leaf motors splines just need to weld them together on some type of short tube.

-Battery Mockups, plenty of spare cardboard boxes out in the garage from all the parts and toools ive been buying just gonna cut em up and possibly tape em together to match the dimensions of my Chevy Volt batteries to make sure they're all gonna fit where im wanting to put them.

-Mount Brake System, i think i have all the components I need for my power brakes and ive got it all mapped out as far as where its gonna go and how its all gonna connect together just gotta drill the mounting holes and get the hardware to bolt it all down where i want it.

-Wiring Harness, i ripped the whole wiring harness out of the car from front to back since it was all old and shotty spliced together in many places. the plan is currently to buy many different colors of 12v wire and construct a new one using the old one as a template, the only thing keeping me from beginning this project is not knowing what additional wiring ill need to power all the electronics of the new components.

-Power Washing / Sand Blasting, then of course theres all the paint removal of interior and exterior and wheels. need to power wash the stock Opel wheels and buy new tires so she can at least roll around when shes not on stands

This is all minimal tiny detail type stuff that im tinkering with while i search for viable controller/inverter and battery charger options. 

After being away from the project for a couple months it seems P&S website and store is somewhat back up and running however there seems to be 2 different websites and all they are selling is a board not a full controller so i shot him a message using the "get a quote" thing waiting for a response.

https://pandspowerelectronics.ecwid.com/

https://www.pandspowerelectronics.com/shop

upon re-reading all this tho im wondering if maybe Matt had the right idea in just getting a controller off another car like the gen3 prius he mentioned and just hacking it to work with the nissan leaf maybe using one of those board from P&S? based solely on what Matt said that seems to be the cheapest option just wondering if that will get me the 300+ "hp" im wanting out of this thing.

Thank again for all the help and advise and support on the build sorry ive been away, life happens but im hoping im back at it now.


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## MattsAwesomeStuff (Aug 10, 2017)

FlloydsOpelGTEV said:


> -Adapter Plate, still have the block of aluminum on the bench and the band-saw to hopefully cut it up with just need to get out there and cut and drill.


A reminder, the alignment of the transmission input shaft to the motor input shaft is critical, you have to be within 0.005".

Damien has shown 2 ways of reliably doing this, one by just cutting an access panel into the bell housing and then feeling (or measuring) runout when you feel it's pretty stable. But, do get it really, really close, close as you can.

I noticed the other day there was a transmission where the center is exactly half the distance between the two dowel pins, positionally as well. I have no idea whether that's industry standard or not, but it was for this particular series of transmissions.

Since you were last around, I've mostly abandoned using a transmission entirely. I just don't see a need, not at my modest performance requirements.



> -Battery Mockups, plenty of spare cardboard boxes out in the garage from all the parts and toools ive been buying just gonna cut em up and possibly tape em together to match the dimensions of my Chevy Volt batteries to make sure they're all gonna fit where im wanting to put them.


Apparently there's room under what would be back seats, to drop a full size starter battery without running into clearance issues. So, you might want to explore that area too.



> -Wiring Harness, i ripped the whole wiring harness out of the car from front to back since it was all old and shotty spliced together in many places. the plan is currently to buy many different colors of 12v wire and construct a new one using the old one as a template, the only thing keeping me from beginning this project is not knowing what additional wiring ill need to power all the electronics of the new components.


I gutted my wiring harness last night. It's not as serviceable as I'd hoped, and I need it out of the way to weld the firewall back together anyway.

I might be too cheap to buy so much auto wire, (I'm imagining it to be expensive) and might go to a junkyard, find a truck carcass that the buzzards have already picked clean, and snip those for donor wires.

Most of my Orange (desert) harness is cracked, stiff, and crumbling. Most of my Yellow (humid) harness is in better shape, but rotting a bit.

I do have full wiring diagrams for them, I think, and can always provide feedback or suggest who to ask for it. I have a feeling I'll be in the same boat as you.



> -Power Washing / Sand Blasting


I envy you. I'd love to. But I know that that turns this "summer project" that became "year long project" into "5 year project" where I want everything perfect. I think I'm just going to grit my teeth, patch some paint, and accept it won't be pretty this year. I get stuck in feature creep on projects and burn out almost every time.



> upon re-reading all this tho im wondering if maybe Matt had the right idea in just getting a controller off another car like the gen3 prius


Arber33 is building a controller sort of with Damien for the Gen 3. Damien has another of his own for the Gen 2. I bought a Gen 1 (no real reason) and a Gen 2.

I have no right to complain, it's an open source project that's over my head to contribute to, but, it's been hard to get beginner level support. Even simple questions like "Is this the correct board to buy, and what do I need with it?" haven't been answered. I'd really like to help more, but I don't have anything to offer. 



> just wondering if that will get me the 300+ "hp" im wanting out of this thing.


New progress on that front, I think if you double up the MG1 (starter) and MG2 (electric drive) on the Prius, you can use 500v and 550a, so, ~400 hp. And if you exceed it, it fails gracefully. Toyota engineers were wonderful.

However, I asked around about torque. The ass end is pretty anemic even for the stock ~100 hp. I think it'll handle 120ftlbs if memory serves. Guys said I'm probably fine with more, as long as I don't put down fatter tires, and use my grip as a way of limiting torque but, surely 300hp you hope for is going to sending the diff to the tooth fairy the first time you try it.

You might just want to replace the whole ass end and put the motor there. Maybe swap in a whole EV transaxle. You might be able to use the trans tunnel as a battery funnel in that case.


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