Davalos

Any tricks or quirks to adjust the timing slightly to improve the mileage?

Cool - I'm gonna try that tomorrow & see what happens - not much to lose, I guess. Any idea what diameter I should use? Should I over-size it and fill-in, or will that mess with the back-pressure balance?

Wow .. didn't realize there were so many options ... This is the best I could do for a pic of the whole schmeal. My Y-pipe dosn't look like it's got any kind of converter. So many heat baffles, it's hard to tell anything. That's a better pic ... hopefully, you can see it ok. Shouldda tok pics when i had him on the ramps. Edit: ACK!!! Holy crap! I need to practice-up on my re-size!

The Y-Pipe seems ok, and it ends in a rear-facing flange, which seems to be ok; it's the cat-side of the flange is what appears to be rotted-out (front facing) - the neck of the flange, actually - where it gets skinny. Looks like there is only about a 3" space between the flange and the cat itself. I'm gonna see if I can braze something in there. I've seen the soup-can fix ... but I think the temps coming off the Y-pipe are probably way more than that could take. Further-down the pipe (heh heh), I'm sure I could try that. I guess I got nothin' to lose by trying... might at least buy me some time in looking some parts, if it comes to that ...

Nah. Just been a little spoiled while enjoying the shiney new trouble-free existance after the engine-pull/reseal/axle/brake/oil pump/blah blah blah ... My axles are still blue, hehe! I looked-up http://www.overnightautoparts.com/, and doesn't look like they have the converter ... Looks like they have the connecting pipe & muffler assemply (I thin k I've seen it with the tailpipe both welded and flanged-on). I'll give tem a call on Monday. I saw some 'universal gerenics' on ebay, too ... hehe. NOT! That's a good point - I do have a tendency to overkill things ... as far as the break-point, it snapped between the converter and the y-pipe flange - at the skinny part. My guess is that there's nothing to weld-to. Anyone ever tried braizing these things back together? I could see myself tackin' in a couple bolts or something to make a little "bridge" & then fill-in ... it'd sure be the most ghetto thing I've done in awihle but it might make for some good pics, hehe!

Well, I thought I was golden for awihle ... Was following this Ferrari this afternoon (not like I was gonna be able to keep up ... ), when WHAM!!!! I never knew such a tiny little airplane-motor could make so much damned noise! Hehe! Anyway - after I got home, I rolled him up on the ramps & took a peek. Looks like the neck on the flange snapped in FRONT of the converter ... ick. So basically, kinda looks like I need everything from the Y-Pipe back. The muffler itself looks 1/2 way decent, but if I'm droppin' it anyway ... why not? Then maybe I can say "Okay .. now I'm really REALLY golden for awhile!..." wishful thinking, I know. But hey - it'll at least be one less thing to think about. I did some searching on the Boards, and I've seen pepole mentioning the 304 stainless... not sure I wanna spend $600+ ... but who knows? I might be talked into it ... Questions: There are tons of heat baffle plates on the Y-Pipe - so it's really hard to see what kinda shape it's in - any good ways of testing it out, or should I just look for one if it's not too much dinero and throw it in-the-mix, for good measure? Stainless or not? Are the complete Y-thru-Tailpipe really in the $600 range? Or is more like $1200? or $3K? ... If I go with a conventional system, are there any brands to avoid? Any stand-outs out there? Any tips or tricks to look-out for? Looks pretty simple - just a couple hangers & such ... doesn't look too rough. Wish I was farther-along on my electric conversion ... I could just skip this part completely, heh heh. Thanks, Folks!

There are a couple other threads, like he said. I've been using it on & off for about 6 months. There are times when I see a good bump, and other times when it doesn't seem to make a difference at all. But my driving is by no means consistent between tankfills. The one thing I do notice is that the exhaust smells WAY different when I do tanks with acetone. The other thing that I can say is that when I did my complete re-seal in January, I couldn't find a lick of glazing in the motor (has 166K on it), but who knows if that was the acetone or not - it might have been nice & clean the whole time. My acetone cost me $13 for the gallon, and it's lasted me more than 6 months so far, and I have a decent amount left. I haven't done the math to see if it's worth it. I've been stopped a couple times @ the gas station adding it with my funnel (I keep a shot-glass and a funnel in my side-rear cubby ...), and I get mixed reactions from the general public - everything from "wow, that's awesome!" to "You are insane, stay away from me" ...

Distribution: I'm sure I won't have much problem with that ... SOO Much room in the front as-is; let alone going from the current motor, radiator, accessories, etc to a 8" or 9" electric motor. I'll need something to drive the PS hydraulics, tho. Boy ... I guess i didn't even think of 4wd... I have a 2WD ... I suppose that would be the time to do it, eh? ... I'm sure I'll have to do some suspension mods, certainly. The new shocks I put on this guy sag when I put gas in it ... let alone the refrigerators, pallots, firewood, and all the other stuff I haul around. Oh yeah .. and the batteries, hehe.

In the wagon, I assume it's the floor-panel covered in carpet. Not deep enough for tall batteries, but who knows how much space will be in there with no tank ... I don't see getting batteries of much any size in the side cubbies without serious destruction of the plastic... I'm assuming many have stripped-out the backs of their wagons, for numerous reasons. Any pics out there? I would imagine there's a lot more space to work with than what can be seen on a fully-trimmed Loyale

I know what you mean. Once I had one of my Bosch Cordless drill batteries short-out on me, and it got so hot it melted the entire bettery housing & almost set my holster on fire before I was able to get the thing away from me. I still have a pretty big scar on my thumb from getting the thing off. And that was only 24 volts ...

Yep - that's what I was thinking. I was originally thinking about 12Vs & kinda worried that they'd be too tall for that, but I'm looking into 6V and 8Vs now - kinda making the assumption that they'll be smaller in dimension (even tho I'll need more of them). I'm thinking about the weight distribution about that, tho. I'm sure I'll have to beef-up the rear a bit to handle that. I imaine that I'll have to get out the scales & start establishing weights of the individual components as I pull them out to try & keep the balance as correct as possible. Does anyone know the F/R weight distribution on a dry (or wet?) one of these? I remember when I pulled everything this January for my re-seal, the motor was surpridingly light, as was the tranny - I could easily pick up the tranny & move it around - not something I'm used to (used to the Ford C-6). This is both good and bad, I suppose. Light is nice, but heavy components would offset more of what I'm bringing-in.

Okay. They are well-determined. Thank you. Thanks. But I'll keep the Booperoo. The wagon is a smart move on my part, considering I went from a E350 Cargo Van with the 138" wheelbase to this little airplane-motor-havin' dorkmobile. A little Rabbit just won't cut it. Besides. I'd be pulling the deisel out of the Rabbit. If I want a Rabbit, I'll borrow one of my brother's. He smells like french fries when he drives-by. I rely on my automobiles for my living. I could not use public transportation, carpooling, ride-share, taxi, helicoptor or hovercraft. I need to haul tools, materials, appliances, and project junk on a daily basis. I go to multiple different locations weekly. No day is ever the same. I travel from 15 - 45 miles per day in my vehicle. I think i already answered this. My skill level is irrelevant. I will adjust my skills to meet the needs of the project. If that fails, I will recruit the help necessary to both a) do the work, and teach me the skills i will need to maintain the mods. That said, I have torn down motorcycles to the ground and rebuilt them. I have experience in engines, transmissions, hydraulics, welding, HVAC, plumbing, and I can even change a lightbulb. I can carry my own, and I know enough to recognize that which I cannot tackle on my own. Ditto I do have multiple vehicles. I have 2 Vans, 2 Trucks, 3 cars, 4 motorcycles, an Insley 560, an Insley 1000, a Unimog, and 2 CityCars. Oh yeah - and a bicycle. Now ... If I'm reading you correctly, you seem to think that my motivation in converting my 1990 Subaru 2WD Loyale Wagon to an electric vehicle is either naive or not cost effective. Either that, or there is something that I am still missing? So I ask again: what, exactly, do you think I should I do? And perhaps it should be repeated again, even though I think I have made my outcome(s) quite clear: My outcome is twofold: a) to prove and show and advertise to the general populus that it is possible, and that it's possible by someone like me, who doesn't eat Tofu or wear open-toed Birkenstocks; to increase the awareness of the potential and utility of an electric vehicle, and to c) gain real-time first-hand experience so that i can take what I learn and eventually convert my Unimog into a reliable viable delivery vehicle that will REALLY turn heads. I fully realize that today, March 7th, 2007, that for most people, running an electric vehicle is merely transfering the fossil fuel reliance one segment offset. But you must realize that this will not always be the case, and I am more than willing to pay a premium, in many forms, be they financial, social, or poltical until that time. Cost effective or not. The purpose is to prove a point. Evidently, that point is being missed here.

Okay, then. Tell me: what is it, exactly, I should be doing?

I might have my facts wrong. But honestly, it doesn't matter to me, really - I don't view natural gas to be any better than coal or nuclear or anything else - it's not a renewable resource, period. Over the next 10-20 years, if we are to survive at all, the economics of using Solar, Wind, Geothermal, etc. will become more and more feasible. At one point, this nation was nothing but wind-power and solar-thermal. The cheap cost of oil & coal are what drove them to the wayside. Now that we've used all the cheaply attainable oil, the cost will continue to increase with each barrel we pump. This will begin the shift to renewables, and the more demand, the more the costs will go down because R&D money will finally be proportionately put into it, and the economies of scale will kick-in geometrically. I believe Iceland is very nearly 100% independant from anything but renewables for it's power. Their next phase is absorbing the auto-industry - that's a big step, but it's feasible. To me, it's about stepping-up. I don't live month-to-month. Never have. So the fact that it isn't a cost-effective way to move me & my tools around doesn't bother me. It's more about saying "Yeah, I'm willing to take a financial hit now to make a statement about the future for all of us." Someone has to.

No, I hear ya. And it's not a $500 car, it's a $600 car, hehe. The point is to make a statement. And $2500 is worth it to me to make that statement. But I'm not sure $5000 is worth it ... and I might be closer to than than I want to be. We'll see. I'm actually starting with a motorcycle, to get me the basic skills without as much cost of the batteries, etc. Start small, I say. For me, the point is to learn it. The point is to prove that it's possible. The point is to show people that it's not just for greenie-open-toed-shoes-wearin' tofu-stuffin' vegans. And yes, at the moment, grid power is about 95% natural gas. But that won't always be the case. And gas will be $6 a gallon in 36 months - when it's available, mark my words. Without getting into a political discussion - yes, I totally realize it's not a great investment on the quantifiable cost-benefit-analysis point of view. Some things are difficult to quantify. I have spent ... let's see ... more than $12k over the past 4 years on a Vmax that I have put only 2,000 miles on... that's almost $6 a mile. Worth it? No way! But then again ... oh HELL yeah!

Yeah, I know. It'll boil-down to a cost thing at some point, I'm sure. I'm thinking it'll trickle-charge at best - and that might not be worth it from a financial standpoint. But neither will the conversion itself. The point is to drive-by the gas station & and be able to go "nah nah!" Where in Michigan are ya?

Wow - that was one of the most comprehensive outlines I've ever seen. 14 months worth of work! wow!

Wow, this is awesome! Thanks peeps. I've been told DC is the way to go "for beginners" ... And yep - battery placement is going to be key. Weight distribution will be a little better with batteries instead of the tank - the tank goes from like 25lbs to upwards of 150lbs or thereabouts. Zyewdall - that's awesome that you've been well-underway. I'll def. be taking you up on that offer ... Interesting about the 6v vs. 12v batteries...

I'm considering looking into the possibility of converting my Loyale Wagon to electric. I'm thinking it might be a perfect candidate because of the weight distribution Here's the idea: 96-120 volt DC conversion, depending on the needs. For me, as a work vehicle, if I get 50 miles a day out of it, I'd be fine. I'd lose the following (weight): Motor, and most things associated with it Exhaust Gas Tank I'd add: 8" DC Electric motor, bolted right to the transfer-case 8 or 10 12v batteries, 4-6 on racks in front, 4-6 in back where tank and the "mini-trunk" Controllers, chargers, relays, etc. Appropriate gagues, throttle controller, etc I'm thinking I'd budget maybe $2 grand in parts ... maybe a month to do. As a bonus - maybe with a PV solar array mounted somehow on the roof to provide some extra trickle during the day. Whatdayall think? Anyone ever try this?

Yep ... but don't forget the electrical tape for the dash light ...

Drop to your knees and offer Thanks towards The Heavens if it's not Code=34 ...

Ahh ... then you might want to ignore everything I just said .. hehe:cool:

I just did my oil pump, as well as a lot of other things. I had a lot of lead-time, so I had the chance to shop around a lot. The one I got was an OEM one, and it cost me right around $150. I found aftermarket ones from as low as $120 and as high as $190. I have seen a lot of people hatin' on the non-OEM ones, and I took that advice. I have also read on the boards of people who have used aftermarket stuff, and (as of yet) haven't had problems. You should consider doing the cam bearing & timing belts while you're at it. Maybe even the water pump. They're all fairly cheap, and you'll be right there anyway ... I know it sucks, considering I just spent a lot more money than you thought ...

I still don't understand the appeal of Clear Corners ... I just don't get it. I have a feeling someone did it once, like 10 years ago, and i just kinda caught-on as "the thing" to do, like spray-painting your callipers yellow. Because we all know that yellow callipers mean performance. If you have yellow callipers, you will definitely get more than 90hp out of your EA82... That said, I have to concede that it's a big boom that people just can't get enough of ... so maybe they see something I don't.

I remember seeing this before, and for some reason, I thought there were more examples ... I'd love to see some more. Maybe I'll do a better search ...