The TesLorean

[David T]

CV joints should always have at least 2 degrees of angle in order for the grease to circulate. Running a joint perfectly straight is a surefire way to have it fail very early

You are correct, it should never be perfectly straight but it never will be. As you drive and the wheels go up and down that should be enough so the joint moves and the grease circulates and the bearings move. As important as the angle is, the length is also very important as a previous poster mentioned. Too short or too long and you will put a lot of stress on the joints and the suspension and eventually something is going to give. At ride height the joint should be "neutral" and at the ends of travel it should be about equal as to length and angle. This is just one of the things anyone doing a swap must consider and work out. Mess up and parts fail prematurely.

[DCUK Martin]

You are correct, it should never be perfectly straight but it never will be.

To not account for periods when it *might be* would be lazy engineering. This is why driveshafts are always offset either fore or aft.

[DrJeff]

More investigative work on the Brake Lines today. Prepared some sample brake line flares using the Eastwood Brake Line Flaring Tool.

Bubble 45 - Male.jpgBubble DIN - Male.jpgDbl Inv 45 - Female.jpgDbl Inv DIN - Female.jpg

So Male fittings are bubble. From the pictures it looks like the DIN setting (for the flares inner edge) is the best fit. Female fittings are Double Inverted (a bubble with the 'bubble' folded back into the line). From the female fitting pictures it looks like the 45 setting (for the flare inner edge) is the correct fit.

Only reservation I have is that the flares I'm comparing to have been cinched down inside a fitting (for 35 years) and may have changed shape slightly.

Jeff

--------------------------------------------------

Found this old thread with brake fittings information from TommyRich in post #6. Excellent table of data included. Thanks to TommyRich for posting.

http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?12...nd-Thread-Size

Here's the direct link to the table of data (as an image).
http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?at...0&d=1438968021

[DrJeff]

Now that I have a design for the battery pack location in the DeLorean, I was able to find the final position for the motor. Previously the motor sat further forward (in the space once occupied by the transmission) and tipped nose down about 40 degrees. Now the motor will sit over the engine cradle with the transmission tipped nose down about 25 degrees. This lessens the angle on the half-shafts.

Tesla Motor Position TopDown.jpg Motor Below the Frame Top.jpg Motor from Rear.jpg Rear Motor Mount Positions.jpg

The motor mount at the side of the Tesla motor was removed and put aside to avoid obstruction. It will still be used, but a bracket will attached to the side of the motor to allow the rubber mount to move to a less awkward position.

The half shafts are 22in and 25in, so closer in length than previously, also removing the potential need for a lay shaft.

This creates some space in front of the motor which could accommodate a pump or other non-high voltage units.

The Chevy Spark EV battery pack will be split into 3 parts, front 2 modules, rear 2 modules, and controller neck. I'll be using the existing shell (carbon fiber) and metal supports, with modifications to maintain the waterproofing after splitting. The two front modules will sit behind the rear axle where belts, oil pan and exhaust used to be. The rear two modules will sit directly above the engine cradle and motor, in the location previously occupied by the intake manifold. The weight won't be quite as low or as central as I'd like, but it won't be all that far from the original DeLorean weight distribution.

I'm putting misc electronics and high voltage (ac compressor, dcdc, heater, chiller, etc.) in the prior fuel tank area. The layout will be serviceable from below by removing the fuel tank covering plate. I'll be adding a splash cover for the fuel tank area to allow any water to drain away.

[Lwanmtr]

Not gonna put batteries in where the fuel tank was? Might help weight distribution.

[DrJeff]

Not gonna put batteries in where the fuel tank was? Might help weight distribution.

They (battery modules from the Chevy Spark EV) simply don't fit. The fuel tank area isn't tall enough, long enough, or wide enough (for sufficient length). I've checked the dimensions of Tesla battery modules (same no fit story). About the only modules that did fit were from the Nissan Leaf and even then they are best built into blocks and the blocks are two large for the fuel tank area.

I should have about 100 lbs of parts in the fuel tank area, which is pretty close to the weight of 15 gallons of gasoline (6.3 lbs/gallon).

Jeff

[Lwanmtr]

Thats too bad. I guess you could put 100lb sandbag up there to offset the weight...hehe

[DrJeff]

Mounts for the Tesla drive unit (motor, inverter, transmission) completed (although not painted yet). The welding is ugly but functional.

I used the existing engine and transmission mounting points for the new front and rear brackets. The Tesla motor has rubber mounting bushings built-in front and rear. I attached the Tesla side mount to the DeLorean frame and made a bracket to adapt the drive unit mount points to the new side mount location.

The drive unit sits more to the left than right for two reasons, 1) the high voltage (400v) DC power cables enter at the bottom right (just forward of the existing RHS motor mount), and 2) to shift the differential as close to center as possible. In the Tesla the rear motor is positioned to the left hand side to leave the differential equidistant from the wheels (in the front-wheel drive Tesla's they use a lay shaft). With the DeLorean engine cradle, the half-axles will be 1-2 inches longer on the LHS than the RHS.

The Tesla motor can produce 250 ftlb at 0 RPM, so the drive unit will be pulling up on the front mount and pushing down on the rear mount. The side mount is principally for stability.

The drive unit is tipped down about 20 degrees (from the level mount found in the Tesla). This is well within the 45 degree limit for the oil pickup. The position was selected to provide clearance for the half-shafts.

Tesla Motor in DeLorean frame 2.jpgTesla Motor Mounted in DeLorean Frame.jpg

Next up axle measurements. Custom axles are needed to accommodate Tesla differential inner CV and DeLorean rear hub outer CV connections.

Jeff
TesLorean.com

[vwdmc16]

That looks the tits! Keep going !

[Jupiterbandit]

That is very impressive! Very much enjoying your journey.