Growing TO DO List Excitement

The growing TO DO list on the Electric Booger is becoming quite long. My insurance will run out sometime in August, when I can hopefully tackle most of these things before the fall/winter commuting begins.

1. Vacuum accumulator - It does not have one right now, which means the vacuum pump runs for a second each time the brakes are applied. I would rather have it run for a few seconds after every 2 or 3 brake applications. This will be made of some 4" PVC pipe. Simple.

2. Vacuum pump indicator light - once the car is rolling, road noise is such that I cannot hear the vacuum pump. I will wire the [unused] engine oil light into the the vacuum pump circuit so I know exactly when it runs. I will then be able to react accordingly if I notice anything abnormal, indicating a vacuum pump failure.

3. Left door mirror - it is cracked. Has been this whole time. I am a procrastinator, what can I say....

4. Right axle - the right CV boot is torn and the CV joint is clicking like crazy on left hand turns. Maybe I can use my leftover [unused] radiator as trade in value at the auto wrecker.

5. Battery monitoring - eBay parts are on their way for the new and improved system that I have mentioned in a previous post.

6. Battery hold downs - something better than my current tie down straps would probably be a good idea.

7. TPS potentiometer - I am getting very erratic throttle signals after the car sits for a day. After a few cycles of the accelerator pedal (before or after turning the car on) and it is fine. I am going to try some good electric contact cleaner, and if that doesn't work I will have to buy a new pot.

8. Redundant throttle return spring - for safety in case the return spring in the pot box breaks.

9. Heater core - barely any air comes out of my heater vents because the [unused] heater core is plugged solid with crap - dust, dirt, leaves, etc. Removal takes days - a very nasty job - so I will try to cut into the heater box to dissect it out of there without disturbing much else. It's not like it needs to be in there anyway. There's no hole that duct tape cannot patch!

10. Tachometer - it would be cool to have it working. Maybe weld some pickup tabs on the  motor coupler, install a passive magnetic pickup and wire it into the ex-distributor position sensor wiring? Should work.

11. Lower grill block - this will keep the front two batteries from getting soaked in the pouring rain.

12. Controller cooling fans - I have two small 12V fans all ready to go.

And finally, the most exciting one......

13. NEW MOTOR. Well, new to me anyway. My friend Darin, co-creator of the infamous Forkenswift, has given me one of the two motors that he gleaned from a forklift to build his ultra-low-budget EV. All I have to pay for is shipping from Ontario. The Electric Booger will soon share DNA with a famous car!

It is a hydraulic pump drive motor from a 16,000 lb Baker electric forklift - 8" diameter and 15" long. It weighs in at 110 lbs, as opposed to my currently (PUN!) undersized 65 lb motor, so motor cooling should no longer be an issue. But the best thing is that it is a series wound motor (as opposed to my separately excited motor), so I will be able to ditch the field controller and the glitchyness that come with it.

My car will soon be smoother, quieter, faster and more efficient. Just when I thought I was all finished!