But it wasn't done, was it?

Not quite, but here's a summary of the past year's progress that lead up to the test drive.

Zilla Cooling: Thanks to excellent component selection by Ryan Bohm of EV Source, I mounted a super durable and quiet pump below the custom Baby Optima Coolant Reservoir, and fabricated a inner fender wall out of 1/2" HDPE, yellow of course. In this, I cut two portholes, and mounted a double-wide PC radiator and single cooling fan such that air is pulled in on one side, and exhausted on the other.

Another unfinished item was the Jim Husted-created Adjustable Brush Ring timing handle. It was not built with a method of securing it, as I thought I'd add a remote cable or servo control. However, inthe interest of simplicity, and wanting to allow enough learning time before risking Blowing Something Up (because I didn't have to), I built a jackscrew mount onto the motor, enabling easy adjustment, but not on the fly. Hand-fabricated from brass and polished to a high sheen, it sets off the motor nicely.


Lastly, the monster 12 pole disconnect switch from a power station was installed under the dash. Upon energizing the circuit, a current leak was discovered. So, the body is hot. Full pack volts, but no measureable amps, but I'll have to get that source identified ASAP. Good friend Stephen Johnsen became extremely frustrated by a similar fault, only to eventually find that some black rubber hose that was being used as chafe guarding was actually somewhat conductive! (a lotta carbon black in that compound!)