Bunky the eBug: A 30 Day EV Conversion

[Gregski]

On my "Beetle", which had LITERALLY A THOUSAND POUNDS OF LEAD ACIDS in it, half in the rear, half in the front, the assembly manual describes a process to re-clock the suspension one or two notches. Bugs notoriously get saggy butt and need this done anyways.

But, perhaps you need this done in reverse?

Bradley Suspension Notes.jpg

thanks Matt, looking at this video now, dreading having to do this, lots of room for error

[Gregski]

so even with the battery charger and Camry inverter installed that was not enough weight to bring the CV axles to a respectable angle

[Gregski]

so I decided to load up the luggage shelf with the BMW hybrid batteries, but first we had to breath in some ass pestos

and a couple days later I done did this part

I get best results when I use a 50/50 mixture of ferocious tenacity and quality elbow grease

[Gregski]

we had three choices

we went with the 1 1/2" wide C channel

for $22 bones each and we needed four

these will eventually get fashioned into some sort of bracket thingie

[Gregski]

this is literally the perfect place for the BMW 530e hybrid 9 or 12 kWh battery pack, and as a bonus we can keep the modules arranged in their stock OEM configuration, guranteeing cable reachability

[Gregski]

after fattening Bunky up a bit I decided to trim the VW CV axles as well to get a more accurate angle reading

Top Tip: a zip tie can act as a guide on a roundable surface to help you get that straight(ish) cut

well the battery pack dropped us down to about 13.5° still not Good Enuff

[MattsAwesomeStuff]

Mythbuster's rules.

If emulating the circumstances cannot replicate the myth, next try manipulating the circumstances until they do. Just how much weight is needed to straighten those axles?

Also, I have heard before, never straight cut axles you intend to seam. Cut them at 45. That way if they snap off in the sleeve, they're still constrained.

Or go overkill and notch them:

[Ghia66]

after fattening Bunky up a bit I decided to trim the VW CV axles as well to get a more accurate angle reading


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Top Tip: a zip tie can act as a guide on a roundable surface to help you get that straight(ish) cut

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well the battery pack dropped us down to about 13.5° still not Good Enuff

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Man you must be working all hours available!
Great progress and good news, you still have plenty of lowering room left before hitting the bump stops.

[P.S.Mangelsdorf]

Also, I have heard before, never straight cut axles you intend to seam. Cut them at 45. That way if they snap off in the sleeve, they're still constrained.

I will note from experience that even if cut on a 45 and sleeved, you may not realize they have broken until they punch out the wall of the sleeve and leave you stranded anyways. (Then again, that issue may be avoided if you don't go spend an entire morning doing test hits on the newly paved streets of a nearby new development.)

[Gregski]

Commencing Operation Carolina Squat

Step 7. Transfer 3 pounds of dirt and grime from the heating tunnel to the garage floor... ✔

HOUSTON, we have a problem (but I won't tell if you don't tell)

and just like that by sheer luck, we got the driver side moving in the right direction and down to 8.5° angle of the dangle

[Gregski]

the passenger side was next

the broom stick also came out of the center spline section rather than the end cap on this side, and worse I just could not get it out of the end piece, so I cleaned it up and put it back

this cover was jacked on this side as well (note to self: order some replacements)

here I am just measuring the drop prior to loading up this spring, looks like 10° this is achieved by turning the inside splines one click clockwise, and zero twists on the outside splines, KISS (Keep It Simple Dummy)

we always check our work with multiple precision instruments here at Good Enuff Garage (cause we don't have any trust issues at all)

[Alibro]

Did you order replacements yet?

[Gregski]

now with both sides DOWN a click, let's take a look at the numbers, and those of you who know me, know I am a modest man, so I will simply call this PERFECTION !

[Gregski]

Did you order replacements yet?

no sir, not yet, was wondering if JBUGS is a reputable source, or if they are the LMC Truck of VWs ? ha ha I don't care for aftermarket parts and was also looking at maybe landing some used ones, why do you ask ?

[MattsAwesomeStuff]

no sir, not yet, was wondering if JBUGS is a reputable source, or if they are the LMC Truck of VWs ? ha ha I don't care for aftermarket parts and was also looking at maybe landing some used ones, why do you ask ?

JBugs is who everyone in the Beetle community told me to buy from (SURPRISE, Canada not allowed, we get 100% price increases from Cip1, a different supplier).

[Gregski]

JBugs is who everyone in the Beetle community told me to buy from (SURPRISE, Canada not allowed, we get 100% price increases from Cip1, a different supplier).

wait are you saying Canada may be on par with California in terms of sucking for car enthusiasts, and BUGFORMANCE is up the street from me, so that can be dangerous

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[Alibro]

no sir, not yet, was wondering if JBUGS is a reputable source, or if they are the LMC Truck of VWs ? ha ha I don't care for aftermarket parts and was also looking at maybe landing some used ones, why do you ask ?

Didn't you ask us to remind you?
Maybe you told yourself to remind yourself to remember to not forget to order them.

Probably

[Gregski]

I wasn't a fan of the Carolina Squat so I decided to move the BMW 530e hybrid battery pack to the front of the Bug, I love that we can fit 4 modules across and plan to run 8 modules for 530 vols since my onboard battery charger can handle up to 550

but first she got a little baff (yes I am still doing a lot of "bought another rusty POS stuffs in the background") and I only share it as or if it relates to the EVing

I sure hope I used the right fuse soap

so just another reminder, the contents of this BMW 530e hybrid battery pack is what will power the eBuggie (six of these modules to start, perhaps going with eight eventually)

[Ghia66]

I wasn't a fan of the Carolina Squat so I decided to move the BMW 530e battery pack to the front of the Bug, I love that we can fit 4 modules across and plan to run 8 modules for 530 vols since my onboard battery charger can handle up to 550


IMG_7223.JPG

Great move! Bunky will reward you with much better handling as Bugs are notoriously light in the front.

Bonus will be the much nicer stance as well.

[Gregski]

Didn't you ask us to remind you?
Maybe you told yourself to remind yourself to remember to not forget to order them.

Probably

ah yes, see I already forgot, no wonder my friends say my memory is so bad I can hide my own Easter eggs

[Gregski]

Three tomatoes are walkin' down the street. Papa Tomato, Mama Tomato and Baby Tomato. Baby Tomato starts lagging behind, and Papa Tomato gets really angry. Goes back and squishes him and says: "Ketchup." Ketchup. [can you guess what movie this was from?]


let's catch up:

[MattsAwesomeStuff]

[can you guess what movie this was from?]

Trick question. It's not from a movie. It's from Raven McCoy in the pilot of a TV show called "Fox Force Five".

Your shocks might be shot, or might not be.

You seem to only know about air shocks or spring shocks or hybrid shocks. Those are just cheap hydraulic shocks. They have no restorative force. Being soft in one direction and firm in the other is usually how they should be, though you can build shocks with any rate depending on how you drill the fluid passages.

Generally, compressing quickly is desirable, so that when you hit a bump, the tires can bounce upwards without much stopping them, while the cab stays at the same height. In that way, you won't feel the bump. It eventually needs to reset, but you want it resetting slower than it compressed, spread out over time, so you don't feel the impact. If it bounced back just as hard, it wouldn't feel like you had any suspension.

As a consequence it means if you hit 2 bumps in succession, the shock will still be nearly bottomed out, and you don't have any suspension travel left so it'll be a harsh impact. Good for speedbumps and potholes, bad for washboard and offroading.

[Gregski]

Trick question. It's not from a movie. It's from Raven McCoy in the pilot of a TV show called "Fox Force Five".

Your shocks might be shot, or might not be.

You seem to only know about air shocks or spring shocks or hybrid shocks. Those are just cheap hydraulic shocks. They have no restorative force. Being soft in one direction and firm in the other is usually how they should be, though you can build shocks with any rate depending on how you drill the fluid passages.

Generally, compressing quickly is desirable, so that when you hit a bump, the tires can bounce upwards without much stopping them, while the cab stays at the same height. In that way, you won't feel the bump. It eventually needs to reset, but you want it resetting slower than it compressed, spread out over time, so you don't feel the impact. If it bounced back just as hard, it wouldn't feel like you had any suspension.

As a consequence it means if you hit 2 bumps in succession, the shock will still be nearly bottomed out, and you don't have any suspension travel left so it'll be a harsh impact. Good for speedbumps and potholes, bad for washboard and offroading.

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[MoonUnit]

I wasn't a fan of the Carolina Squat so I decided to move the BMW 530e hybrid battery pack to the front of the Bug, I love that we can fit 4 modules across and plan to run 8 modules for 530 vols since my onboard battery charger can handle up to 550

Just be aware that having lots of weight upfront makes the steering really heavy. I've tested it with 75Kg, and that made a very big difference. It was just about acceptable, but testing with with 96kg (8 x VDA355 modules) was really not.

[dbc105]

Really interested in seeing how this High Voltage works out. There is a guy in England with a 240Z or 260Z with a GS450H at 600 volts, I've not seen any details, only a video of him in the car. Being about to do this could really make a fast charging machine.