ELECTRIC CAR PROJECT 9311 DIARY, SEP 95
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9/3/95
Cut piece of 3/16" x 1-1/2" flat steel for backer plate. Drilled
pilot holes in rear crosspiece and backer plate. Positioned in car
and drilled pilot holes in car. Drilled out all holes to 5/16"
diameter. Installed. Is slightly off center but who cares. Cleaned
off more adhesive residue.
Oops! Backer plate can't go all the way across car because there is
a bump in the way. Will have to be two pieces. Designed. Also
removed an unused bracket on left underside that was in the way and
undercoated the scars.
9/4/95
Made backer plates. Drilled matching holes in backer plates, battery
rack and car. Tried installation with 1" bolts. Look OK. The backer
plates have notches on the edge near the 5/16" hole. The plate with
two notches goes on the right side; the plate with one notch on the
left. The notched sides go toward the front of the car.
9/5/95
Cut front piece for battery rack. Cut "ears" for front of battery
rack.
9/6/95
Continued design of rear battery rack.
9/7/95
Continued design of rear battery rack. Decided to use support at
front of rack that runs from one side of car to the other. Cut the
piece. Now must design "legs" that go from support to rack frame.
Complicated by fact that support is at angle relative to
front-to-back horizontal.
9/8/95
Continued design of rear battery rack. Cut some "legs" out of wood.
9/10/95
Fabricated left leg for rear battery rack.
9/11/95
Fabricated right leg for rear battery rack.
9/14/95
Updated drawings of rear battery rack.
9/15/95
Took rear battery rack, front piece, ears and legs to welder and
got them all welded together. Now must locate front support and get
it welded.
9/16/95
Ground welds flush where needed. Installed the rack with all six
bolts tightened full up with legs resting on forward support.
Tightening the bolts pulled the sheet metal up nicely. The rack is
tilted slightly to the rear and is level crossways but the right
leg does not press down on the forward support as forcefully as the
left leg. Put front battery box in the rack and it wobbled, the
right front corner being high. Raised right leg about 1/8" and
wobble stopped but now things not level. What does it all mean?
Reinstalled rear deck trim without screws. Removed more adhesive
residue.
9/18/95
Marked position of front support for welding and removed rear
battery rack from car.
9/19/95
Had front support welded to rear battery rack.
9/20/95
Located holes in front support and drilled. Enlarged holes in car
to 1/2" diameter and installed 3/8" rivetnuts. Enlarged holes in
front support to 7/16" diameter. Cut rear battery rack stop plate.
Located and drilled holes in rack and stop plate.
9/24/95
Reconfigured workspace for woodworking.
9/25/95
Removed more adhesive residue. Finished design of rear battery box.
Cut plywood pieces.
9/26/95
Did routing on battery box pieces. One screw up: beveled vertical
edges of side pieces instead of just bottom edge. Will fill gaps
with plastic wood. Drilled holes. Installed screws. Removed screws,
applied Nail Pro adhesive and replaced screws.
9/27/95
Applied plastic wood to unsightly gaps on battery box. Sanded.