"Saabrina" The Electric Saab 900

2010-03-17T08:35:00.011-05:00

Photo Courtesy of Pundmann Ford
St. Charles, MO

An end to the story, finally.

Those of you that have followed this blog from the beginning might be interested in the fact that the insurer of the Saab finally settled my claim as of February 15, 2010. We were pushing the two year mark and it took the work of one of the excellent attorneys at my brother's law office to finally get me a settlement I can live with. I received payment on March 12th. The company involved didn't admit any fault in how they handled my claim. I have removed references to their name from my previous posts. It will suffice to say that they are known to drive around in SUV's with their name on the side. My ability to persist paid off.

After hearing the good news, we decided to replace my wife's aging Malibu with a 2010 Ford Fusion SEL, Motor Trend's Car of The Year. It is NOT a hybrid. There just weren't any around in my area available. It IS, however a flex fuel vehicle, capable of burning alcohol based fuels like E85. We are quite impressed with it's 240hp V6 Duratec engine and the endless features I am still figuring out how to work. My wife is already spoiled by the Satellite Radio. We looked at and tried other brands of vehicles and nothing compared to what this one could offer. I am sure the executives at BMW and Diamler AG are quite upset about their entries losing to the Fusion in the Motor Trend ratings! I made certain this vehicle was immediately insured by State Auto of Ohio, a most outstanding company that took care of me completely after the fire.

I would like to give special thanks to my attorney Jeremy Hollingshead for his diligent effort in handling my claim. I would also like to thank my wonderful brother Carl http://www.carlwardlaw.com/ for providing Jeremy and the services of his law firm.

In my parting comments, it is important to say that I do miss the Saab very much. It represented 3 years of my life, a lot of sweat, toil and money. I have the satisfaction of having completed it, driven it and knowing that it worked as I had planned. It was a great learning experience. All of that is priceless!

I am working again full time now. I don't have summers off any longer and so it is not probable I will start another project car any time soon. I hope that someone else will get a new generation Saab EV up and running sometime in the future.

So, That's all there is....

2009-06-27T20:18:00.006-05:00

Things have gotten back to normal in the 14 months since the fire. My house is fine now and I am slowly replacing machinery. I was able to replace a lot of tools, my main welder, band saw and a lot of my wood working equipment. Unfortunately most of what I lost took a long time to acquire and right now I have no ambition to start another long term project.

I have enjoyed the other aspects of the past year and it is good to be working in a different profession from teaching.

Life is good, but I still miss the Saab.

2008-10-03T12:33:00.019-05:00

Very Sad News to report much after the fact.

At 3:00 A.M. on the morning of April 17th 2008 a fire of undetermined origin broke out in the front of my garage. The Saab, all of my machinery and all of my work for 3 years was destroyed.

Fortunately my wife and I got out of the house unhurt and the "heroes" of St. Charles County and St. Charles City fire departments ganged up on the fire and put it out before it spread from the garage into the house. The damage destroyed the electric service which came through the garage and we had some smoke damage. The result was spending 3+ months in a condo until my house was fixed and we were able to move back in July 28th. They did a good job on the house and in some ways it is better than ever.

I want to take the opportunity to thank my primary insurer State Auto of Ohio. What a fantastic company that took care of my needs and acted quickly to assist me. I would also like to thank Chris Powers of Nixon and company Insurance adjusters for taking a personal interest in helping me through a rough time.

The Saab, however is insured by different company that is insisting on paying me for a "gasoline" powered car, not the electric vehicle they agreed to cover. The difference in value of course is great, and it may take some time to sort out. "Actual Cash Value" seems to be their opinion and not mine.

In addition to my shop and the car, I also lost my intrepid Ford Ranger. I didn't have time to save either vehicle. My wife's car was spared.

Thanks to all that have given their support and encouragement throughout the project. I will continue to post some updates from time to time.

2008-03-22T10:30:00.008-05:00

This week was 'spring break'. It would have been nice if it was really like spring, and I suppose it was somewhere else, but not here in the St. Louis area. It has been more of a monsoon season. We have a lot of flooding a few miles south of here along the Meramec River. The rain just kept coming for days and didn't look like it was going to stop. I had really hoped to get a lot more accomplished and possibly some more test driving but it didn't work out. With Easter weekend I have had a lot of music work at church also.

There is progress to report, however.

The battery charger returned from a factory modification last Saturday. I hope to re-install it this weekend. Until now I have been individually recharging the batteries which takes forever. The DC converter which replaces the alternator is also part of this unit. It recharges the front 12 volt battery which will run down quickly without it.

I did install and wire in the new Kenwood/Sirius Stereo which is working nicely. This frees up a DIN sized hole in the dash that can be used for several possible applications including virtual instrumentation that others are using. Dash space is a premium. Hopefully I can find one of those pop-out LCD panels and use the insides of an old Laptop PC to run everything. The original factory stereo systems always seem to take a lot of space and lag behind on features found on newer types. I managed to route the antenna wire without drilling any holes by going around the hatch channel under the rubber and inside under the right rear tail light assembly. The cable is more or less invisible by this method.

A couple of weeks ago the drafting and design technology department at my school laid out a 60-2 tooth trigger wheel in with plasma cam and the welding department cut it out for me. It will be used with the magnetic crank position sensor in the photo. This will bring back the tachmometer signal needed by the engine computer by simulating the original sine wave signal the engine used to produce. I have just about finished cleaning up the metal. The plan is to install this on the power steering pulley on top rather than down at the motor. It is about the same diameter as the motor pulley so the rpm should be appoximately equal. I am trying to find a used steering pump pulley hoping to fit all of this up on center using the engine lathe. With luck I will find one on Ebay soon. It should be a lot easier to adjust and calibrate up on top.

This week or next may bring some license plates so I can begin some 'legal' driving on the streets. I am invited to Earth Day this year in St. Louis by the alternative fuels group and to a car show on Father's Day.

It is time to start moving ahead again!

2008-02-10T09:08:00.002-06:00

It couldn't have been a much better day than yesterday, at least for February. Temperatures in the 50's and a slightly chilly breeze, but a good day nonetheless for a test drive! Since my last post, the battery cables have been installed as well as a lot of the other necessary wiring. I decided it would be as good a time as any to do a road test to find out how the Saab would run. Some of my friends from the St. Charles Amateur Radio Club wanted to see the debut and take some photos and videos of the Saab's first day out of the Garage, so I invited them over for the occasion. I have to admit I cheated! Before the photos you see here I made a short run through my subdivision.

I made it out of my rather steep driveway with a lot of ease and decided I would take the chance and go on a short drive. The Saab picked up speed going down the hill near my house and I whipped around a few side streets checking out the brakes and power steering. All of those worked perfectly as expected. The speedometer and odometer came to life and recorded my new first EV mile in the process.

There are plenty of issues that still need to be fixed. Right now the motor stops turning when you take your foot off the pedal. With an automatic such as mine it loses hydraulic pressure and tells the transmission computer that the engine has stalled. I found this out at a stop sign when I tried to take off again without reshifting from N back to D1. After that I headed back to the house, taking the hill on the way back up at over 30 miles per hour with no difficulty.

The 144 volt meter is erratic (picking up noise) and all over the place so I couldn't monitor the pack voltage, but battery current hit 200 amps for short intervals of time. The heater works. The DC-DC converter was putting out 13.8 volts keeping my front battery charged and running all accessories, and more importantly, the motor starts immediately with no problems at all.

Jimmy Miller KGØKP ( on right) looks on as I explain the PWM motor controller.

Pictures and videos courtesy of
David Livingston WBØRAB

The traction pack with main cables and independent regulators. Each regulator is calibrated to prevent over or under-charging any individual battery. The charger is the box with the fan top left.

The batteries are Carquest NGT AGM type. They require no watering and don't vent hydrogen gas or leak acid.

A view under the hood reveals the motor controller (center) and the air horns (right). With 120 pounds of air they pack 130 decibels of punch!

I can't wait to try them behind somebody at a railroad crossing!

Lots more to do, but so much fun!

2007-12-12T22:43:00.001-06:00

Things are getting close now. I should have posted my progress more frequently, but have had a lot going on the last 3 months. There is much good news to report.

The battery pack and charger are in place. Last week I made up some really great cables with 4/0 wire and a hydraulic press. I am in the process of wiring up the battery regulators and finalizing the system wiring. Hopefully a lot will get done over Christmas break but I have had a lot of band practices and other activities that have kept me away from the project.

The traction pack consists of 12 Carquest NGT AGM batteries. These are the same as the DEKA Intimidator battery some EV'ers are using. Each one is capable of over 1000 amps of current. They require no watering, don't release hydrogen gas, and don't leak anything. I did load testing on each after receiving them and they are very healthy. Their combined weight barely affected the beefed up suspension on the car, so it is possible it will be a bit of a stiff ride. I can always install some weaker coil springs if neccessary for adjustment.

There are 3 fans mounted on the rear deck to circulate air through the trunk. These serve two purposes. In the winter heat from the passenger compartment will help warm the batteries. The charger/dc converter must also be cooled when the batteries are being charged and when it is producing power as the car is driven. There are two 12 volt fans and two 120v fans including one on top of the charger. During the summer when I don't want the heat, I will install some ducting to force air out the trunk vent to the rear of the car. Right now it is winter here so I don't want to worry about it. The charger is fully regulated and will allow the proper charging of each battery including a float mode as needed. The AC power input is wired so that the car will not start if the cord is plugged in.

After the battery cables are installed this weekend, the voltmeters and any other wiring needed for a possible test drive will be added. The excitement is mounting as the day approaches for a drive out of the garage. It will be the first time the car has left the driveway in two and a half years! If all goes well I will have a video of the first drive to post.

Gotta get this thing done!

2007-09-13T22:38:00.000-05:00

It has been a while since my last post, but I have been busy with school starting again and other obligations. I have made progress, however, and have a lot to report.

St. Louis has cold winters, so I decided while waiting for the battery charger to come in from Belktronix in CA to do some work on the heater.

The 1500 watt heater and it's control circuitry has been completed. It gets very hot quickly, but posed some challenges getting it to run properly. The core is made from a "Titan" brand heater that cost $19 at Walmart. After doing some testing on the plastic it was mounted in, I decided to cut out a piece of acrylic referred to by many as Corian (tm). They make countertops from it and I have made a lot of the insulators and other components from it. It has a higher melting point than the frame the heating elements are mounted in, so no problem there. The photo shows the Saab heater core on the left and the all electric version on the right. The heater is ceramic, and puts out more heat as more air blows through it.

The Saab uses a sophisticated environmental control system that regulates by temperature rather than the simple knob type heat/AC control, so I had to design a circuit that would control the heating elements and prevent them from being on if the fan was off or running too slowly. A set of relays, under the hood, (also installed now) will switch on the 144 volts to the heater and the controller on the side of the heater box will take care of the rest.

For the techno types out there, I used an LM339 quad comparator to monitor the fan voltage and shut down the relays if the speed of the fan is too slow. Due to the design, the voltage is zero when the fan is at full speed. At about 6.5 volts I have it adjusted to shut the heater off. It keeps the heater box from melting if little or no air is blowing. The motor that used to open the air mixing flap now trips a microswitch to turn on the heater. The piece holding everything is also machined from acrylic and is bolted to the side of the heater box on the passenger side. I have some options open with the circuit to include some temperature regulation as well at a later time. It all works as predicted. If all else fails I incorporated a thermal limiter on the heating element.
So it was one of the more inexpensive
parts of the project to do.

Currently I am designing a frequency to voltage converter to restore the tachometer. I should have something to report on that soon.

I promised in my last post to include a photo of the Kenwood/Sirius satellite radio I got off Ebay. I am really pleased with how it works and all it does. I have less than $50 in the whole rig and it even gets the satellite broadcasts when I hook it up! I have to pull the dash front out to install the volt meters and it will be put in at that time.

Above: The control interface

Left: The Ceramic Heater installed in heater box. The wiring runs through the old heater core tubes out to the front of the firewall.

Kenwood Sirius Radio/CD Unit

With the arrival of the battery charger Tuesday, things are getting close now!

With a battery pack and a bit of luck I will soon be going down the road.

2007-07-21T22:13:00.000-05:00

It was a very hot week until yesterday so a lot of work was done with the garage door shut and the air conditioning on. I don't think I am going to be happy about the electric bill, but the car has to progress. In the last month I have focused on wiring issues and the last several days exclusively on the serpentine belt drive system.

I am proud to say that represents the last of the major mechanical fabrications. It was a real challenge to say the least. Many parts were required that had to be designed, cut, drilled, welded and machined.

Some time ago I modified the original
engine pulley and installed a taper lock hub for attaching it to the motor. It is cast iron and presented some real issues. It will need to be replaced as soon as I can find an aluminum billet pulley that can be machined out the same way. The center unit can be removed and reused in the new pulley. This will save horsepower. My pulley and torque converter still weigh less than a conventional flywheel like most EVs use. For now it has served in setting up the system which runs very well and quietly. There is not a good excuse for wasting power. Especially in an EV!

There were a lot of parts and brackets needed. I drew them and cut them out as cardboard templates. I then used a steel chop saw and grinder to cut them the rest of the way out. Arc welding was used frequently in the process. I use 3 different kinds of welders on the project.

Getting everything aligned was a big task. Also designing each piece had to take into consideration the stress forces in each direction working against them. I had originally planned to reuse the Saab belt tensioner but there wasn't room for it to fit so I designed a robust manually adjustable tensioner using the Saab pulley.

In the end there were several pieces but they worked as planned and the power steering and air conditioner are now reconnected. The steering passed a test with a single battery spinning up the motor today and after about a quart of fluid turns the wheels now with the greatest of ease! I will test the air conditioner tomorrow by hot wiring the clutch and see if all the pressures are up and it blows cold air. It doesn't appear to have leaked during the conversion process.

Earlier in the month I connected a lot more wiring and traced down a lot of other circuits that will be needed. The starting circuit now works with the key and is tied into the motor controller integrator box. The throttle and many other wires are also connected. I still have several instrumentation issues to resolve.

It turns out after my last post that I may be worried for nothing about the speedometer not working. I expected it to register with my wheel spin test but it is run off the right rear wheel via the ABS sensor. The wiring is complex with several computers that have to remain in the car for the brake system, transmission, air bag & other systems to work correctly. I believe I am understanding what is going on but it will take some time to trace it all down and re-integrate it back into the process. The most difficult of all is the ECM (engine control module). I got lucky and found all the information I will need on the signal data and control lines. It is a Bosch Motronic 2.8.1 used on other vehicles than Saabs! It will take some time.

In theory I could put batteries in the car at this time and drive it down the road. Some things won't work right yet, but it now has brakes, steering and essential safety equipment all working. I don't have the charger but am told Belktronix will have it done in a couple of weeks for me.

I bought a complete Kenwood/Sirius stereo Rig off Ebay for a super low price 2 weeks ago. It is a single din type that will free up some space in the dash for instruments that are needed. I hooked it up the other day and it is already subscribed to my amazement. It plays MP3s, CDs and is really a great looking unit. Lots of choices in music! I will have some pics of it up by next post.

I am getting closer all the time but also anxious.

Left: Power steering and Air Conditioner

Right: Maze of additional wiring now in place.

2007-06-16T09:29:00.000-05:00

This month marks the second year of the project. There are great things to report and exciting news! With some extra batteries and some cabling, today I finished the preliminary tests on the drive train.

After raising the car on to some jack stands and powering the motor up with 24 volts directly, it was exciting to see the transaxle engage and the wheels spin in both directions! My adrenalin level was a lot higher than usual to say the least.

I find it interesting how the things I often worry about the most turn out to not to be problems and those I hadn't considered turning into issues. I anxiously awaited the speedometer to register, but alas, it is tied into the engine computer and nothing happened. This evening I will get out the wiring diagrams and figure out what to do about that and the tachometer. I did find the connector for the tach sensor recently. I know that is going to take a homemade interface circuit of some sort. They are not big problems, just annoying. On the good side of things, the anti-lock brake system powered right up, the power brake system went on line and stopped the wheels mightily, and the motor runs very sweetly indeed.

Dennis Pestka from Ellsberry, MO, a fellow Ev builder brought me some excellent 4/0 super flexible cable a few months ago that will carry the huge currents to the motor easily. With some connectors from a local surplus house and a butane torch, I soldered up all the motor and controller cables last week. The motor is not connected to the controller yet because of the spin testing. I hope to have enough cable left for the battery pack.

Car on jack stands for spin test (left)

Ultra high capacity cable (right)

I made up the differential vacuum pump unit last year and it sat in the back seat until recently. It consists of a Thomas 12v vacuum pump, a Square D vacuum controller and a galvanized box which has been greatly packed with material to reduce sound. With the box the vacuum pump makes very little noise. There is a leak somewhere and I have ordered a vacuum reservoir to install in front closer to the power brake booster. The one under the back seat is too far away and I plan to use it for the air lift system and the air horn I will be installing later.

There is an emergency bypass switch on the front that can toggle the pump on if there is ever a failure of the internal relay or switch. This pumps down to 17 inches of vacuum and switches back on if the vacuum rises to 12 inches.

I bought the pump and vacuum switch off ebay and have less than $100 in the whole unit. The HVAC department at Lewis & Clark made up the excellent box and the frame for the air conditioner cooling fan I installed a couple of weeks ago. It is mounted in front of the A/C condenser unit the same way it is done on a BMW. Crowding under the hood is reduced and I was able to mount the main 12v battery frame in area it would have taken. Right now the only air conditioning I need is that in my garage, so it is a project for when I start driving the car.

The contactor/shunt box (below) was about an 8 hour build. It is made from a Square D cutoff box typically used for an air conditioner in your home. The contactor is on top and the 1000 amp meter shunt for monitoring motor current is the gold colored piece on the lower right. It is secured to the motor controller platform.

The vehicle Integrator box (clear with LEDs) is used to sequence and start the motor via the controller. The controller works as a throttle for the motor. The integrator came with the Belktronix controller. I also finished installing the throttle under the gas pedal and have to run the wiring. It is an optical unit and fully isolated from the system. The old throttle body acts as a return spring and will be used eventually to control the idle level of the motor so that the air conditioner and power steering keep working and the transmission doesn't slam into gear.

Vehicle Integrator (below)

One thing is for certain. My enthusiam for this project is greater than ever! It won't take much more than a battery pack at this point in time to make the car go down the road. I still need a charger and other things, but I they will come in time.

It now comes down to money and patience to get everything right. They (EV'ers) call what you get the "EV Grin" when you drive your creation down the road the first time. I am SO looking forward to that!

2007-04-22T22:30:00.000-05:00

The motor controller is an impressive piece of hardware to say the least. It arrived from Belktronix in California about 3 weeks ago . Recently I fabricated a platform to mount it on over the motor. The mount is made from thick aluminum plate and T material. The location should optimize air flow over the controller which is equipped with a large 48V fan and is thermally protected. The controller is rated at 144Volts and 500 amps DC. There is some other related hardware not shown in the photos.

Included with the package was an optical throttle unit, a vehicle integrator module that starts up the controller, and a main contactor. This is a great value for the money if it works as well as I believe it will.

Also completed is the AC electrical hookup, main fuse block (with 600 amp fuse link), and connection terminals for the battery box. With the help of a big power supply in the trunk, I have been playing the stereo a bit lately and running some electrical systems on the car. Over the next couple of weeks plans are to work on the wiring for the motor controller and the serpentine drive system for the air conditioner and power steering. I have already started machining the original engine pulley to adapt it to the traction motor. There is a lot to be done, but I am starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel. It will be great someday to have the car roll out of the garage on it's own power.

2007-03-11T22:38:00.000-05:00

When I started the project I initially thought it would be good to use part of the original Saab engine mount to hold up the rear of the motor. It turns out after some preliminary attempts at using it, the rubber was shot and it would have been useless against the torques produced by the electric motor. It was ugly and would have stuck up 4 inches above the frame rail.

As of today my re-designed version is mostly finished. This required fabricating the pieces from steel plate and then mig welding them together. The motor attachment ring is a 1/4 inch steel "doughnut" left over from the motor spacers that were plasma cut last year. Another piece of steel plate has been welded to the frame rail and shock absorber bushings sandwiched between the two to make an attractive hanger that can be adjusted to hold up the motor nicely. The good thing about this design is that it can be removed and more brackets to hold the power steering pump, the belt tensioner and the A/C compressor can be added later. The motor is now quite secure in it's mountings. I spun it up for a few minutes today with my single 12v battery. It seemed happy.

Last week I finished the filling port for the air lift system and attached all the lines to the shock absorbers. The fill valve is under a protective channel to keep objects sliding around from breaking it off. It is located on the right rear side of the trunk in front of the tail light. So far they have been holding the 25 pound minimum with no loss. The "Highjackers" can take up to 200 pounds of air depending on load requirements. Bryan at Belktronix has nearly finished the motor controller and it is in the testing phase. Each week brings the project a bit closer to what will someday soon be a working EV.

2007-02-11T20:13:00.000-06:00

The central bus is mostly finished. What I thought would be an easy job turned out to be a lot more work than I had foreseen. In order to handle the extremely large currents that could someday peak at nearly 1000 amps, #4/0 wire has now been installed and routed from front to back. The connector block will have a cover to prevent accidental exposure to the 144 volts from the traction batteries. It required several hours to machine the pieces from acrylic plastic and aluminum. The wires have been enclosed in an extra covering of flexible pvc conduit to make it resistant to the elements. The cables were coated with Ox-Gard(tm)to provide a good connection between the copper and aluminum.

An extra conduit was added to route a heavy #6 gauge wire, a Cat 5 computer network cable, and a 3 wire electrical cable for 110Volt use. Supports were cut from aluminum to hold the conduits in the original exhaust tunnel above the body line.

Everything comes out in the trunk area where two insulated connector blocks will be used to connect to the batteries. The charger/dc converter will be mounted on the crossbar. The hole where the conduits emerge will be filled with injectable foam.

Several days ago I arranged with a supplier in California to build the motor controller. It should be done soon. This week I will finish the wiring in the trunk area, and route the air shock lines. Expect another update very soon.

2006-12-09T21:32:00.000-06:00

The Saab is now a true Electric Vehicle.

With the help of Dave and Ray, two of my friends, the motor was installed today. It was not without some struggles, but in the end, it went in. There are two splines inside the converter and a pair of teeth that run the hydraulic pump that are next to impossible to line up unless you do it the way it was installed at the factory. That requires mounting the converter on the transmission and then attaching the flywheel (spring plate). The hole bored in the adapter plate allowed access to the flywheel bolts. It will eventually be covered over by the tachometer sensor. A magnet was machined into the flywheel before installation.

After some basic tests with the single twelve volt battery, it appears to spin, albeit not really fast. Of course now it is turning parts in the transmission, the pumps, the gears, etc., so I don't expect much yet. About 3 quarts of transmission fluid was needed to make up for that which was lost and what was needed to fill up the transmission filter and cooler. I am pleased with the alignment on the adapter plate. There will be a worry for some time about any irregularities in the connecting hub causing vibration. I have no way to test this without higher voltage and won't know for a while. Whatever it takes I WILL get it working right in the end. At least now I know what IS working in the design and can always remake things that don't.

It now comes down to a seemingly infinite number of other parts and wiring to be added and designed where necessary. It also comes down to money....Some costly parts are still needed!

Christmas break is coming in two weeks and I should get more done then.

2006-12-03T08:41:00.000-06:00

Progress is often measured by inches, but it is progress nonetheless.

I decided today to test the motor with the taperlock hub now attached. A quick jumpering with some battery cables on the right posts and the motor spun up to the maximum speed the 12 volt deep cycle battery will allow. Everything runs smoothly and the hub appears to turn without problems. Of course I knew when I machined the piece on the lathe any variations would be what I caused. Everything appears to have gone on straight and I see nothing that will prevent it from working well when installed on the transmission.

I have started the last part before installing the motor, that of cutting the spacers that go between the motor and the adapter plate. There are about 3 inches of them total with some shims created from the laminated spacers I was originally going to use. I have decided I don't want a big pile of them, so the new pieces are being cut from 7/8 inch aluminum. These will be super reinforced with additional cap screws through the entire stack and through the adapter plate.

I managed to cut two so far and decided to call it a day.

The rest should be finished in another day or two and the motor ready to install.

More to come...very soon!

2006-11-23T13:47:00.000-06:00

Today is Thanksgiving and for certain I am thankful about the completion of the taperlock connecting hub unit!

More than 20 hours of machine work has turned out a piece that looks plenty capable of connecting the motor to the transmission.

A quick run over to Fastenal in St.Peters MO provided the rest of the screws needed for the assembly. Grade 8 bolts (very hard) will be used for all power transmission parts.

This was a pretty big job for me, not having a lot of machining background, but I am proud of the final product. It is made from very hard steel which had to be cut with carbide tools on the lathe. I didn't realize when I started the project I would end up with a machine shop in my garage, but that is how it is turning out. The reality of the matter is there just isn't any support here in the St.Louis area for EV builders, and the guys in CA (where EVs are popular) weren't interested in providing me assistance other than selling me off the shelf products.

Friday I will remove the adapter plate from the transmission, do a final check on the mounting holes and figure out the motor spacer. Since I have the lathe and a milling machine I suppose I can make something a bit more sophisticated than my original plan to use the laminated spacers. I am getting into a "neatness" mode now rather than just function as an outcome.

Thanks to Rick Massey, my colleague and our welding teacher at Lewis & Clark for the "hand of the master" in the superb welding job on the ring assembly. I could have done that here, but it wouldn't have been such a technically perfect weld.

The motor goes in shortly....No doubt about it!

2006-11-02T09:15:00.000-06:00

Sometimes things just don't progress the way I would like. Sometimes it is my fault, sometimes not. I have been waiting and waiting and waiting but with no taper lock hub on the horizon I chose to take matters into my own hands and make it myself. My vendor for various reasons has been unable to complete the work.

As the son of a tool and die maker, I was raised around machines and even worked a time during high school with my Dad in a job shop. It gave me a good basis for being independent. A long talk with him over the phone last week got me moving in the right direction again. He had less doubts than I did that I could do it myself.

Things took a different turn when my new 8" lathe chuck arrived from Enco the other day. The lathe needed something other than the puny 3" chuck it came with if it was expected to be able to spin up the 4" bar of tool steel. The machine is heavy enough at 600 pounds and has a big enough motor so why not?

The first thing required was a backing plate to support the 40 pound chuck on the spindle. For this I rough cut a piece of T6 aluminum 1" thick with a band saw. About 8 hours later I had the finished product in the photos! Since the backing plate was machined carefully on the lathe it has less than .003" runout and now an enoumous "bite" with the big chuck. Special thanks to the guys at Rankin Technical College in St. Louis for the Aluminum and the tool steel bar for the project!

Wasting no time I started work on the hub unit. It will consist of a weld in type taper ring and an innovative method of removal via a threaded rod I will be making when it is finished. The finished product will be 3-4 inches long and will attach to the spring plate (starter ring) on the transmission. I am awaiting the arrival of some carbide tooling from a supplier to do the precision boring necessary on both ends.

With a bit of luck this will all be done in the next few days and it will be time for the motor to go in. This will make my friend Dave very happy! He has been waiting to help me do the install.

Hub Ring and taperlock bushing

Rough cut of the hub unit

2006-06-08T20:55:00.000-05:00

A leap ahead...

The motor adapter plate is now complete and awaiting the connecting hub. Everything appears to line up but the real test will come when the motor is actually installed. Hopefully that will be very soon.

Special thanks to Mike Klos at American Manufacturing for the excellent mill work!

2006-06-05T22:41:00.000-05:00

Summer break is here and I have been finishing some parts of the project. The front motor reinforcement and push bumper/towbar attachment is now welded and bolted in place. The transmission cooler with the remote filter has been installed and the hoses connected.

The new support greatly reinforces the strength of the uniframe cross member and provides a place to attach other equipment like the air conditioner condenser and the cooling fan I have chosen.

The car looks really nice now with the grille re-installed and the new 2" square tube receivers below the bumper! "Sick" as the chopper guys might describe it.

I like to think that about any type of attachment imaginable could be utilized. The first of these is a U-haul towbar I am cutting and redesigning so I can move the car around town as necessary.

With some luck and a trip to Wentzville later this week I will have some parts machined. I am hopeful that the motor will be installed shortly.

Plans call for using a fork lift controller and 3 or 4 batteries until I can get the Zilla Controller from evsource.com . This will allow me to get the car in and out of the garage and drive it around the court by my house for testing out systems.

I am glad that when I started the project I decided to do things right and be patient. As the first year anniversary of the project approaches I can reflect on a lot of great things that have been done to move it along. A lot of help from a lot of good people has been essential. Saabrina will be a great EV someday soon!

2006-05-04T22:41:00.000-05:00

Good things are happening as the school year draws to a close. This week the final plans for the motor attachment hub were finished by Phil Tiller's Design Drafting/CAD class. The design calls for the taperlock be machined from a bar of TGP (very hard steel) shaft. This could take place in the next week or two.

Cory Lohmann Design Drafting student works on Hub with Autocad

Last week the motor spacer laminates were completed and I have a large pile that will be used to set the final distance between the motor and torque converter. Two boxes that are sized for a pair of golf cart batteries were recently made by the welding class as well as a massive support that will reinforce the motor mount and the integral frame.

The support will be painted, fitted with some 2" hitch receivers after some cutting and installed next week. This will allow a wide variety of attachments that can include a tow bar, a police type bumper and who knows what else? Shown in the photo as well is the transmission cooler and remote filter.

I couldn't resist some artistic expression while I was waiting for parts so last weekend I decided to re-design my grille. It was out of the car for the frame work, so why not?

What we have here is the first ever new generation Saab "Electric" grille!

Pretty cool eh?

More to come soon!

2006-04-19T18:34:00.000-05:00

Quite a lot has happened since my last post the end of January. Several items have been fabricated including the front push bumper/towbar attachment, the differential vacuum pump unit and more recently parts for the motor adapter.

After a lot of thinking (which I always do before taking any action) I decided to use a different approach than those I have seen on most EV projects. That idea is to use "laminated" spacers between the motor and the transmission plate to allow for precise distance to the torque converter and save an expensive machining operation.

With the help of my friend and fellow teacher Mike Klos and a computer driven plasma torch the two layers required for the spacer have now been designed and are being cut.

There are two patterns, one with a 3.25 inch center hole and one with a 4.25 inch hole to clear the taperlock hub. The motor mounting holes were also cut into the final design.

The whole process to cut several pieces only takes a few minutes and can be done with several gauges of inexpensive steel, providing a variety of thickness choices.

A high tech improvisation? You bet!

The "bite" notches will provide access to the torque converter bolts.

I will be on summer vacation soon and will have a lot of time to spend moving the project along. Of course the motor installation is the big priority, and I am guilty of dragging my feet getting the design completed. With luck this will be done in the next week or so.

There are a lot of photos I will share in my next post in a few days. I had better get this thing done before Gas hits $5.00 a gallon!

That could be sooner than we all think!

2006-01-30T08:14:00.000-06:00

The motor support is finished. The transmission is now very stable. All metal has been painted and installed on the rubber bushings. By using self-locking nuts I am able to adjust the flexibility of the mount.

I am currently designing the tow bar attachments that will be welded onto the front cross member (not shown). This will allow use of a removable tow bar and push bumper I will design later.

This week I plan to order the taper-lock bushing and finalize the drawings for the motor attachment hub. My lofty goal for February is to get the motor installed!

2006-01-12T08:39:00.000-06:00

Two months have passed since my last post. With the holidays, music work and family activities my accomplishments were limited. Today I received my "corrected" title from the Missouri Dept. Of Revenue and Saabrina is now an official ELECTRIC vehicle.

I picked up the pace recently and have installed quite a few new parts in the last few days.

The 30 amp twistlock AC connector is now installed where the gas used to go. A good purchase on Ebay allowed me to get two complete sets of the plugs (male & female) for $20, a very good savings!

The Lewis & Clark welding shop has been busy again fabricating parts for the motor platform and axle mount. Yesterday I installed the hanger and axle shaft support. This had to be designed from scratch and is bolted and welded onto the frame near the firewall. The axle support bracket floats on two rubber biscuits that can be adjusted as needed.

In the next day or two I will install the 2" tubular steel frame that holds up the motor/accessory platform consisting of a 1/4 steel plate. All of this will be coated with epoxy paint. The front hanger (not shown) has been welded in place and a support made to hold the transmission in place. The car will be a lot easier to roll around now.

Next week I will work out my final arrangments on getting the motor adapter hub made. I will also be designing the tow bar attachments and the accessory rack that sits on top of the motor.

The next major milestone is the motor installation. I will feel like I am on the down hill side of the project once it is in!

2005-11-06T19:32:00.000-06:00

A lot has been done since my last post a month ago. I realized early on in the conversion the rear suspension would never be able to hold up the weight of the batteries, or any extra loads on a trailer hitch. Something had to be done and major re-design was implemented.

With a lot of extra steel in the right places, the car will now support weight greatly in excess of it's original design. The coil springs have been replaced with cut-down Ford Ranger front springs. These alone gave the car at least 3 inches of lift. The original variable-rate springs that wilted when you added any weight at all are gone. This thing will hold an elephant! This weekend I finished installing the air shock hangers and cross-brace (in trunk photo). The battery box is now installed and the entire trunk sealed with injectable foam. The box will soon be finished in Duplicolor truck bed coating.

Saabrina now has an air-lift system to compensate for extra loads. Thanks to a really helpful employee at my local Autozone, I came up with a great set of Gabriel "Hijacker" air shocks. These are mounted directly to the frame of the battery box to provide direct lift. The original shocks were mounted to the body which wasn't strong enough to support additional weight.

Extra lift until batteries are added!

I would like to thank all the EVers that have been sending me words of encouragement, advice and support in the project. Last month Jerry Halstead featured my project on his website. He would like you to take a look at his latest project "EVE".

Next week I will start design on the motor mount/skid plate assembly. It should be fun!

2005-10-06T21:13:00.000-05:00

Today marked the completion of the battery frame & trailer hitch unit. Thanks to Rick Massey and the Lewis & Clark welding class, the rear end of the Saab just got some serious reinforcement! This entire structure will be welded and bolted to the integral frame in the next day or two. Included is an extra heavy duty class IV trailer hitch.

Rick Massey,

welding instructor

watches as the hitch

is welded.

The rear battery box nearing completion.

Early next week the battery box will be completed. Plans call for installing a drain plug and finishing the metal in 2 part epoxy paint. The entire unit will drop into the battery frame and can be removed for cleaning or painting. The 1/8" steel plating will easily support the approximately 700 pound battery array. The class IV hitch will be used for a wide variety of possible accessories. Later this month new springs, an air lift system and some additional reinforcement to the uni-frame will also be installed.

Till next time....

2005-09-24T20:11:00.000-05:00

Today with the help of my trusty bayonet saw I removed the rear trunk tire well. It was basically worthless and I want to keep the trunk as usable as possible. The idea is to hang a substantial box that will support as many batteries as possible.

All cuts were made close to the integral frame channels. Next week I will obtain square tubular steel and fabricate a frame around the perimeter of the hole. This will be welded and screwed into the frame channels and some extra support brackets installed between the coil spring towers. I was a little surprised how thin the trunk metal was! The bayonet saw sliced it out like paper! Some reinforcement and a pair of new coil springs will be needed to hold the approximately 700 lbs of batteries. I will elevate the level of the floor about 2" in the process, matching it to the level of the rear seat when folded down. With the original carpet reinstalled over the battery box it will look pretty much like a factory trunk.

A lot of work remains. Some will have to wait until funding permits. Other jobs just take time. Once the battery box is in, I will be installing a class IV hitch.

You never know...I may need to tow someone who runs out of gas!

2005-09-07T20:52:00.000-05:00

Good News!

The motor has arrived!

My neighbor Denny picked it up for me this morning and it is now in the garage.

The 9" Netgain Warp Impulse will fit nicely with about the same overall length as the original engine block.

I like the logo "Proudly made in the USA"

Don't let the photos fool you. The motor is large and heavy!
That is 1/2 of a full-sized pallet the motor is sitting on.

The folks at Warfield electric know how to make a motor!

This weekend I managed to cut out the profile plate for the transmission adapter. It is half inch T6 aluminum. Since another 1/2 plate will be bolted to the other end of the motor and fastened to the accessory skid plate, the material will be thick enough for the job.

In the next few days I will be doing the layout and drilling out the mounting plate. I will reuse some dowels and make a lot of measurements from the old engine block. Then off to the scrap heap for the old engine! Saabrina will begin her new life with a mighty electric motor!

More to come soon.

2005-08-28T13:30:00.000-05:00

A month has passed since my last post, but things are by no means standing still. The motor is ordered! My Netgain Warp 9 Impulse should be shipped from Warfield Electric in IL very soon, and I am anxious. Work will begin on the transmission adapter as soon as it arrives. Thanks to Ryan Bohm at www.evsource.com for his assistance. A very mighty motor indeed!

In the past month I have done several parts of the project. The vacuum system is getting close to complete. I machined a block of aluminum and the necessary bracket for the distribution system. With the vacuum pump operating, the brakes and vent system are now working. I have purchased a vacuum gauge to go in the top of the block.

This week should see the installation of the vacuum canister and the pump. I will be making a sound-insulated box for the pump and mounting it in the trunk of the vehicle. The main conduits under the floor for the battery cables, vacuum hose and other wiring should also be installed this week.

Several days ago I installed the 1000 amp current meter in the instrument cluster. Some bulbs were removed. The fuel and temp gauges were cut out and some circuit traces rerouted. Being an old "tech" has it's advantages!

An E-Meter is also on the horizon when I figure out where to mount it. The current gauge is probably the most important of the intruments and I needed an analog one in- my- face to keep tabs on the system.

The air conditioner condenser has been remounted on new brackets of it's own and the transmission cooler (lost with the radiator) has been installed, thanks to a scavenged part from an old Lincoln Continental. I am shopping for a cooling fan with low current draw to replace the old power hungry radiator fan. It will be needed for the AC and the Zilla motor controller.

That's all for now! Stay Tuned!

2005-07-28T10:53:00.000-05:00

July 28, 2005

After an 11 day trip to Southern Germany I am somewhat recovered from jet-lag and starting to think about the project again. Just before I left July 12th, I made a trip to Shapiro's in St. Louis for some metal. It was a fascinating trip and I spent the morning looking at the endless amount of salvage and metal. I obtained several pieces of T-651 aluminum plate and a piece of 4130 tool steel bar stock for the motor to transmission hub. The main profile plate will be made from 1/2 inch thick material. The rear motor support will be made of the same.

I have now read all the information available on the working of the Hyundai automatic transmission and believe I understand all the various solenoids and pressure switches. It turns out the tachometer drive is from the transmission, so no serious re-wiring issue there. While away, the 1000 amp meter and main current shunt I purchased on Ebay arrived. I was able to get great deals on both parts!

With some luck a lot will happen over the next few weeks. I have missed working on the project, but Germany Was Fun!

2005-07-07T19:09:00.000-05:00

July 7, 2005

The project is running strong and I haven't had to psych myself up to maintain momentum. When I decided six months ago to go ahead with an EV conversion, I knew there would be challenges large and small to overcome along the way. I have enjoyed every minute, from the sweating and knuckle-busting to the satisfaction that comes with making progress. Each day something happens, physical, mental, or otherwise to push the project along. It all works out when you truly love what you are doing!

Today I passed a milestone. The V6 engine is no more! This marks the "end of major combat" in removing no longer necessary equipment and the beginning of actually putting things back. Sure there will be more things I find that are not needed, but getting the old engine out was a major acomplishment indeed.

With some help from Dave Livingston (WBORAB) a fellow ham radio operator and friend, we managed to remove the engine in about two hours this morning. Everything went as planned and the new hoist I installed for the project effortlessly yanked the old motor out without a hitch.

I got my first real look at the GM/Hyundai transaxle today. My first impression is it will be a lot easier to make an adapter for than a manual transmission. With the flex plate (starter ring) and not having a pilot bearing to deal with, the tolerances are going to be a lot more flexible. Having all contact surfaces turning simultaneously has it's advantages. Who knows? I might set a new standard using an electronic controlled automatic transaxle in an EV!
I will round up some metal next week and do some preliminary work on the adapter profile plate and the accessory rack/motor mount assembly.

I did some power washing on the engine compartment after the hood was re-installed, but it needs some more degreasing before I will be satisfied (and the wife as well). Cleaning the frame rails revealed nice galvanized coating and high metal integrity. I have found no corrosion or rust anywhere on the entire vehicle. To call a Saab "well made" would be an understatement. Over the next few days I will repaint as necessary under the hood.

A good look at the "business end of the 2.5 Liter V6 Engine.

Plans call for the re-use of the engine mount/accessory bracket in order to keep the power steering pump and air conditioning compressor. I am undecided on keeping the alternator, but it may become necessary with the large amount of power equipment on the vehicle.

Early next month I will order the motor, a Netgain Warp 9 "Impulse". It works out the motor is almost the exact same length as the old engine. It could potentially drive the car at speeds around 100 mph with the right battery pack and controller. I believe it to be a great choice for my conversion and much appreciate all the info I have been getting from Ryan at www.evsource.com.

More to come soon!

Photos courtesy of Dave Livingston WBORAB

2005-07-02T09:57:00.001-05:00

July 2, 2005

Movin' Along...

It has been a lot cooler and yesterday and today I made progress on many fronts. The electrical system has for the most part been secured. I bundled the wiring harness, disconnected items that will never be used and started testing everything.

It was a good thing that I looked over the main battery wiring before powering up. This car was heading for a serious fire if it had continued running!
The insulation had fallen off the main battery cable where it was routed behind the engine to the starter and was hanging by a thread. Had it ever gotten against the engine block, the results could have been catastropic!

By using a logic probe and a meter, I have now bypassed or otherwise fooled some of the error warnings I am getting on the SID and instrument panel.

At least one of the onboard computers is now happy! After filling up the windshield wash and setting the coolant sensor to logic low, I finally got a "Check OK" message on the SID. This car sure has neat features! In my opinion it was well ahead of it's time 10 years ago!

I still have some error lights. These include the Fuel gauge (no kidding..the tank is gone..duh!) and the traction control system. I expect the "check gearbox" light to go out once hydraulic pressure is restored. I will probably cut out the fuel & temperature gauges and install the new digital voltmeters I picked up the other day.

Yesterday I received my SAAB technical information disks (6) and have begun research on the electrical system. It turns out the transmission has it's own computer, so in order to get the best results I will need to hook up my logic analyzer and figure out a program for the mobile computer I am installing to "fool" the transmission into working the way I want it to with the ICE removed. The circuitry is well designed and I see no big problem....yet!

The plan is to get rid of the engine computer as soon as I can make the rest of the onboard computers agree. All of this can hopefully be done when the car is running again. The 4 speed automatic transmission will probably be run most of the time in one gear anyway.

The engine block is about to come out, and weather permitting will be gone this coming week. The techs that pronounced the death sentence on Saabrina had it right. The valves got totally rammed into the piston tops (see photo).

In the near future she will begin her 'afterlife' as an electric vehicle!

2005-06-27T16:49:00.000-05:00

June 27, 2005

It has been hot the last several days. I haven't had too much motivation to work on the project. I have spent the time doing a lot of research. It has been in the 90's here in the St. Louis area. I decided to run the air conditioning in my garage and work today anyway. I will hate to see my electric bill this month!

My accomplishments for the day included removal of the starter, alternator, power steering pump, and the rest of the wiring from the engine block. By shooting WD-40 into the open cylinders I was able to get the engine to roll over, a good sign considering I have to be able to separate the starter ring from the torque converter. I can see now that the drive shaft to the right front wheel is stabilized by a mount on the side of the engine. I will fabricate something else as soon as the block is out later this week and start assessing the transmission and making a pattern for the profile plate.

A good days work....

2005-06-23T21:00:00.000-05:00

June 23, 2005

From time to time I will be adding my thoughts and new pictures as progress on the transformation of my 1995 Saab 900 to an all electric vehicle takes place. It is no small project, will take a lot of time and several thousand dollars to complete.

These have a nasty habit of throwing off the timing belt and bending up the valves. So I adopted "Saabrina" an orphan needing a $3000 engine to ever run again!

It was love at first sight! This car was not to big, not to small, and the first time I looked at her, I realized she had it all, appearance, suspension, brakes, and class!

I don't drive a lot of miles. My world exists pretty much within a 10 mile radius of St. Charles, MO. That said, I am getting pretty angry with the price-gouging on gasoline and have decided to do something about it! I really feel sorry for those who have to commute long distances every day. This car will probably not go more than 30 miles on a charge, but electricity in this part of the country is pretty reasonable when you figure it might cost $20 or so a month to operate. I first looked at converting my Ford Ranger to compressed natural gas, making a "bio diesel" and other options, but they still burn something. Why not help the environment at the same time?

So the project is underway. So far I have removed the fuel tank, exhaust system, some engine parts, and the radiator. Much yet to go, but I will keep posting here as I progress. I am getting a lot of encouragement from my friends, those I work with ( a lot of smart folks), and the electric vehicle discussion group I participate in.