I hope the same holds true for my project. I have recently realized that I have had the S2000 in my possession for six months, and have not accomplished much more than planning and disassembly. After sitting down for a short period, and putting things into perspective, I realized that I have to accelerate my work. Summer is approaching quickly, and I need my car by then.
That said, I have begun to order parts, and design more in my free time. I hope that once I begin receiving parts, my work will go along quicker and I will be more prolific on the project throughout the week. Once I get the gist of the process, I pray the project will be completed in about six months.
/ End rant /
Now, to the interesting part!
Since the last update, I have completed a couple of small things.
After discovering the immense amount of space the soft top occupies, I went directly to removing it.
Originally, I had anticipated purchasing a hard top for the car, but after driving it while it had a gas engine in it, with the top down, I found my decision to use a hardtop or soft top fluctuating.
Replacing the soft top is expensive, but a hardtop is even more expensive.
After removing the soft top (which is extremely heavy), and finding an immense space available for batteries, I made a final choice to purchase a hardtop.
Since an OEM hardtop would have a cost rivaling that of the entire car, I will most likely go with a cheaper, more aerodynamic approach. A knock-off Spoon 2 piece hard top from VIS will most likely be the winner in this hardtop showdown. Not only will it make the car appear more stealthy ( :D ), but it will also increase aerodynamics, while still allowing for the space previously occupied by the soft top to be used for battery placement.
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| VIS Spoon Replica Top |
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| What I hope the car will look like with the top installed |
After much deliberation, and studying, I have decided to shy away from using an under/overdrive. Cost, extra work, and extra complications involved while using a transmission have been the primary deciders for me.
Instead, I will use a direct drive approach, coupling the motors directly to the rear differential. With this decision, it will be necessary for the weak stock s2000 differential to be replaced with a 8.8" Ford pumpkin.
A day or two after posting on craigslist proved successful, and I picked up a 8.8" with 3.73 gears for $75 from a man half an hour away from my home. Work has already begun on adapting the large chunk to fit into the s2000.
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| The 8.8 with cover removed |
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| Some calculations showing RPM vs. MPH |
A major effort to design a suitable motor mounting plate has been made over the last two weeks. I have done an innumerable amount of research on the topic, until I stumbled upon the John Wayland's dual 8" warfield design from late 2000.
John employed a simple U-channel design, constructed out of a single piece of aluminum to hold his motors in place.
I seized the opportunity, and designed a common plate for my dual 9" motors, taking ideas from John, and introducing some of my own.
While I have not completed the final rough draft, I have already a metal worker assisting me, and should have the basic U channel out of the shop by next Wednesday.
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| John's common plate |
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| Another view |
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| Another view, without motors |
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| My first draft of a common plate |
I also purchased a single Kilovac Bubba contactor, its a lot bigger than it looks!
