# 98 Honda Civic conversion



## nm5417 (Mar 9, 2009)

I am planning a 98' Honda Civic conversion as soon as it gives up the ghost. It's at 177,000 miles and I'm praying for another year. When the end comes, I hope to have all the ingredients to cook up a quick EV conversion.

-I have fairly intermediate mechanical skills - I have fixed or replaced just about everything outside of an engine block or transmission on many different vehicles. 
-Fabrication skills are non-existent .
-I was hoping to eventually get 100-150 miles of range but since this will be a gradual investment, 50-60 miles would be fine to start with.
-I don't expect to get much performance out of an initial setup for a 50-60 mile range. I would need to get up to 55mph in case highway use is needed.
-The initial money available for this project will be about $1200, and I expect to be able to put 200-300 per month into the project after that to scale-up the range and performance.
-I have considered some different motors - Warp9, Advanced 9, etc. and luckily I have an Interstate Battery store less than 3 miles from my house. I have read that only maintenance-free deep cycle batteries are suitable for a project of this type but not sure - that's why I came here.

Can anyone point me to a good begginers resource such as a kit supplier (if that is recommended) and any books or software to look at?


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## bblocher (Jul 30, 2008)

The wiki section of this site is your best place to start reading. 

$1200 isn't a lot and it will take some time to convert it with that budget unless you really do some leg work. Don't let this be discouraging though as I know of guys converting for $1200 total. More common you'll find conversions that are 6-10k and upwards. You'll need to find some used parts and rebuild them as needed. For example I know of a few who have found old forklift motors, rebuilt them and saved money there. Looking around for used golf cart batteries is perhaps another option.

I hate to say it but 50-60 miles will be very hard to achieve depending on your pack configuration. You'll probably more realistically be looking at 30 mile range with the lead you can safely place in your vehicle. There are a lot of variables to range based on speed and other resistances so this can fluctuate a lot. You'll need to look into lithium for the 50-60 range and even then will have trouble getting 150 miles on a charge without spending a lot on the lithium cells.


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## dtbaker (Jan 5, 2008)

nm5417 said:


> I am planning a 98' Honda Civic conversion


... great car. be aware that Hondas rotate backward. You have to tell your motor supplier when you buy to set the rotation.




nm5417 said:


> -I have fairly intermediate mechanical skills
> -Fabrication skills are non-existent .


... you need just enough auto skill to remove the ICE.  You may want to invest in a class in basic welding. If you can fab battery racks yourself it will save a lot. most use 1x1 angle iron for edges, and box panels out of marine plywood or polypro plastic.



nm5417 said:


> -I was hoping to eventually get 100-150 miles of range but since this will be a gradual investment, 50-60 miles would be fine to start with.


...with lead you are more likely to get 30-40 with a 96-120v system (which is all you'll have room for). Sealed will be less, and more expensive. FLA is still cheaper with longer range. Lithium is next, but not quite there yet for cost/cycle and less 'off the shelf' as people still experimenting with BMS. Initial cost of Lithium is high, life cycles are still unproven.



nm5417 said:


> -I don't expect to get much performance...I would need to get up to 55mph in case highway use is needed.


... easy with an 8" adc motor and 96v for your car. going bigger adds considerable cost as you have to get bigger (more expensive) controller, charger



nm5417 said:


> -The initial money available for this project will be about $1200, and I expect to be able to put 200-300 per month into the project after that to scale-up the range and performance.


...I would suggest putting the money in a separate bank account while you shop and not buying piecemeal, you'll get a better deal if you buy all the big stuff at once... unless you intend to scrounge and salvage and build a beer-budget job. scaling up later can be a problem as you may have to change controller/charger to match increased voltages. Just decide what you want, and stick to it throughout.



nm5417 said:


> -I have considered some different motors - Warp9, Advanced 9, etc.


 you don't need 9". 8 will be fine.



nm5417 said:


> and luckily I have an Interstate Battery store less than 3 miles from my house. I have read that only maintenance-free deep cycle batteries are suitable for a project of this type but not sure - that's why I came here.


not true at all.... flood lead golf cart batteries are still the lowest cost per cycle. You do have to water them, but they will have higher aHr (more range) and are less expensive. gel-mat are safer to handle, no maint, less voltage sag under high accel.



nm5417 said:


> Can anyone point me to a good begginers resource such as a kit supplier (if that is recommended) and any books or software to look at?


I have been thrilled with www.kta-ev.com as a supplier, and got my tranny adaptor from canEV.com The book 'convert-it' is good reading before you start.


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## bblocher (Jul 30, 2008)

dtbaker said:


> ... great car. be aware that Hondas rotate backward. You have to tell your motor supplier when you buy to set the rotation.


I changed the setup of my motor after I got it with instructions from EV America because I have a Honda S2000. It was wrong and I had to switch it back. Perhaps the S2000 is an exception to the Honda rule?


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## TheSGC (Nov 15, 2007)

bblocher said:


> I changed the setup of my motor after I got it with instructions from EV America because I have a Honda S2000. It was wrong and I had to switch it back. Perhaps the S2000 is an exception to the Honda rule?


The Honda S200 is a rear wheel drive, hence the reason why it's different. The easy way to tell which way your motor should spin for a front wheel drive car, is to pop the hood and see where the tranny is. If you are standing in front of the car looking in, and the tranny is on the left side, your motor should spin CLOCKWISE, if your tranny is on the right, it should spin COUNTER-CLOCKWISE.

And to the best of my knowledge, all rear wheel drive vehicles spin COUNTER-CLOCKWISE.


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## bblocher (Jul 30, 2008)

TheSGC said:


> The Honda S200 is a rear wheel drive, hence the reason why it's different. The easy way to tell which way your motor should spin for a front wheel drive car, is to pop the hood and see where the tranny is. If you are standing in front of the car looking in, and the tranny is on the left side, your motor should spin CLOCKWISE, if your tranny is on the right, it should spin COUNTER-CLOCKWISE.
> 
> And to the best of my knowledge, all rear wheel drive vehicles spin COUNTER-CLOCKWISE.


Good info! Thanks.


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