EV Pusher Project

Archive Page Five

The results of today's efforts is an aluminum top cover for the rear compartment. Although I intend for this to eventually be covered by a vinyl tonneau cover, I'll want something that a knife can't slit open for security reasons. For now, this fitted sheet of previously-Crown-bus-roofing will eliminate the aerodynamic drag that the large open area caused.

Also visible is the fuel filler cap, which I began installing in preparation for mounting the original fuel tank in the trunk. Yeah, I know, I said I was going to do this a couple of months ago, but I'm getting to it now, OK? I have almost exactly one month to try and get ready for the SolWest renewable energy fair in John Day, OR, a round trip of 500+ miles over the Cascade and Ochoco mountain ranges. At this point, I don't have a chase car arranged, and I'm still not too sure about the cooling system on this pusher. Great idea, taking it over two passes and into the desert in July all alone, no???

Not evident in the photo is the square metal tubing spreader the I welded in to hold the rear clip at the proper width, or the 1.6 liter diesel core engine and automatic transmission that I ordered and paid for at the wrecking yard yesterday. The engine and transmission won't be ready for the John Day trip, as the engine will need to be properly rebuilt and installed with the AT. That ought to take me about another year...

Yesterday, one of the local wrecking yards had an "all-you-can-carry-for-$35" sale. They did have a few Rabbits, even some diesels, but the cars were so packed together that it was almost impossible to get the doors open. Added to this was the hazard of cars stacked three and four high. Sometimes I had to climb up a tower of teetering vehicles, only to find that the parts I wanted were on the car, but not accessible. I did manage to get a flimsy plastic and light steel bumper (known as a "Euro Bumper") that is perfect for the rear of the pusher, but I didn't pay the full price for it and some small parts. The original "5 MPH" bumper weighed a lot, and stuck out too far. All I can say is that I'm grateful that the wrecking yard I usually frequent is laid out like a parking lot, with the cars well-spaced, not stacked, and the lot is fully graveled and not a mud hole.

Today, I ordered some custom sheet metal parts to help me join the front and rear clips, and purchased and fabricated some angle iron to support the fuel tank. Here's a story about getting the trailer licensed at the local State Department of Motor Vehicles.

Onward. I try to shake off the doldrums brought on by post-vacation depression, and set my sights on John Day or bust.

July 7, 2001. Here's a job I've been dreading since cutting the car in two, dealing with the transition between the old floor metal and the new rear clip. It's mostly done now, but involved laying on the ground scraping thick grease and dirt off of the bottom if the floor pan, grinding off the layer of paint, then welding custom 1" x 1" 18 gauge metal angle to stiffen the end and make a vertical edge for the metal which will enclose the space between the front and rear clips. None of that shows in this photo, and neither does all of the preparation for installing the fuel tank which was done last week. Before I can finish that, I need to remove the temporary supports for the rear clip, which requires this fabrication, so I must forge onward.

See those two 4 x 4's stacked up under the rear of the trailer? Those were my pillows for the better part of the afternoon while I used the gas welder to lay beads overhead. Of course, the top of the floor pan has an undercoating layer of something that burns like napalm, and it ignites with every weld done from the bottom. In all I'm going to be pretty glad to see this phase of the project finished as soon as possible, like tomorrow!

July 12th. Nothing unusual about continuous interruptions, I had a bunch since last week, and tomorrow is the first day of the Oregon Country Fair, which I am supposed to be working. This morning, I went over to the wrecking yard and picked up my new (used) engine and automatic transmission. both of which you see here after unloading at home. Although it doesn't show, this engine has a ****chrome valve cover**** Oooooh.... Began tearing the cylinder head off so I can take it to a machine shop and have it checked out. The wrecking yard will exchange it for another if it turns out to be warped or defective, but I need to know that before the 30 day grace period expires.

July 21st. A week-plus with no updates, but a lot of work accomplished. The head on the core engine was defective, it had a huge crack that I didn't need a machine shop to find, so the wrecking yard gave me a replacement, which is at the machine shop being tested and rebuilt.

Over the course of the last week, I've finished the bulkhead at the rear of the trailer, built a proper mounting support for the muffler, welded up a reconfigured filler pipe and installed all of the hoses for the fuel tank, designed and consigned a spacer for the AC generator pulley on the front of the engine, welded up the AC generator adjustment arm, installed new wiring and a slave relay for the towing lights, built a proper bracket for the LPG fumigation cylinder, and a whole bunch of stuff I can't remember right now, but yes, I was busy!

Today, I received 10 gallons of Biodiesel fuel, compliments of Ian and Tomas of Eugene Biosource. These fellows had a booth at Energy Park at the Oregon Country Fair last weekend, and I approached them about buying some fuel for my trip to SolWest next Friday. The were most gracious and accommodating, and are allowing me to use the fuel in exchange for future consultation or fabrication, although I still think I should at least pay them what regular petro-diesel would have cost me for the trip.

Anyway, here I am "washing" a sample of the fuel using water and compressed air. This process removes any residual methanol and lye from the reaction process. It's really and extra-credit step in making the fuel, but I wanted to have some involvement in the process, and it seemed like a kind of backwards way to get hands-on experience, starting with the finished product, then working my way up to making it from used vegetable oil.

Speaking of hands-on, I did manage to slop a little of the fuel on my hands while putting in the hoses and air stones. It's great! No stink and no phobias about toxic solvents leeching into my skin!! Thomas and Ian arrived in a VW Vanagon diesel which was running on this same fuel, and it only emitted a slightly greasy smell similar to candle paraffin. This bus has a newly-rebuilt engine that has been and will only be fueled by Biodiesel.

The next week is sure to be hectic, as I prepare to make the trip to John Day. Watch for at least another few updates before I leave.

End of the Month update. July 31st. In this photo, after six days of frantic preparation, I'm as ready as I'll ever be to leave for my trip to Eastern Oregon. A bicycle rack has been added to the tongue of the trailer, and sheet metal cut from the old doors has been welded to the sides of the pusher to enclose the holes left by the old wheel arches. The details of the preparations are now lost, but suffice it to say that I spent the last few days before the trip working on the trailer 15 hours a day.

Now all that's left is to hit the road and burn up some pavement. Sharkey's Big Adventure is chronicled in SolWest 2001.