Introduction from SD
06-22-12, 03:44 PM
#1
GSL-EV
Thread Starter
Introduction from SD
Hi everyone.
I have owned 3 RX-7's. My first was a 1982 GSL which I got in 1985. This was Toronado silver with red pinstripes and red interior. I added a fancy car stereo, the glass roof panel and finally a turbo charger.
In 1987 I traded my 82 in on a brand new 1987. The only thing I did to the 2nd gen car was upgrade the Stereo. After some idiot broke into the car and stole the stereo I fixed everything back to stock and sold the car. A break in can and did spoil the fun of this car. This car was a GXL model and was Toronado silver with red leather interior.
In 1999 I found a 1985 GSL in really good condition and bought it. This car was also Toronado Silver and had red leather. I did nothing to this car except a brake job and rebuild the carb and replace the metering pump. I also replace the muffler as it had rotted out. I drove this car until 2005 when it started doing the James Bond smoke screen thing a minute or so after being started. It would do this about 1 day in three. If you have never seen this you get a cloud of white smoke coming out the tailpipe that you can't see through. It lasts perhaps 15 to 20 seconds and then the car runs fine. On the last day I drove it the plugs fouled and I never got around messing with it. The car needed this fixed and it needed the catalytic converters replaced and I couldn't justify to myself the cost. So the car sat in my garage until June of 2011.
I didn't go out of my way to get these color combos, it just happened that way.
When the price of gasoline first hit $4 per gallon I started thinking about an electric and I realized that my RX-7 would make a really nice electric conversion. I started the conversion last June and I am getting close to done now. I am doing a lithium battery conversion and have placed the batteries so as to maintain the same 50/50 weight distribution of the original car. I expect a 0-60 time of under 7 seconds and a top speed of around 115 mph with a range of about 80 miles. The range will be highly dependent on just how much fun I have. The overall weight of the vehicle will be within 30 lbs of the original. The power system I have in the car now will produce 277ft-lbs of torque from 0 to about 3700 rpm and then taper off up to about 6000 rpm. What this means is that when driving the car first gear is unnecessary.
The reason I joined is I am already thinking about my second electric conversion and I am thinking of doing a 3rd gen. What I would be looking for is a car with around 100k miles that has not been modified, possibly with engine or turbo problems.
Don't judge me for converting my RX-7 to electric. It is still an RX-7 and a Wankel has much closer torque curves to an electric than other types of internal combustion engines. It should still drive like an RX-7. Electric motors are still rotaries.
I still have most of the stuff I took out of the car. If someone needs a 12A core that probably needs a minor overhaul we can talk. The carb was rebuilt 7 years ago and the compression at that time was well within specs.
If anyone is interested in converting their RX-7 to electric I will be glad help.
I haven't done a signature yet so that is next.
I have owned 3 RX-7's. My first was a 1982 GSL which I got in 1985. This was Toronado silver with red pinstripes and red interior. I added a fancy car stereo, the glass roof panel and finally a turbo charger.
In 1987 I traded my 82 in on a brand new 1987. The only thing I did to the 2nd gen car was upgrade the Stereo. After some idiot broke into the car and stole the stereo I fixed everything back to stock and sold the car. A break in can and did spoil the fun of this car. This car was a GXL model and was Toronado silver with red leather interior.
In 1999 I found a 1985 GSL in really good condition and bought it. This car was also Toronado Silver and had red leather. I did nothing to this car except a brake job and rebuild the carb and replace the metering pump. I also replace the muffler as it had rotted out. I drove this car until 2005 when it started doing the James Bond smoke screen thing a minute or so after being started. It would do this about 1 day in three. If you have never seen this you get a cloud of white smoke coming out the tailpipe that you can't see through. It lasts perhaps 15 to 20 seconds and then the car runs fine. On the last day I drove it the plugs fouled and I never got around messing with it. The car needed this fixed and it needed the catalytic converters replaced and I couldn't justify to myself the cost. So the car sat in my garage until June of 2011.
I didn't go out of my way to get these color combos, it just happened that way.
When the price of gasoline first hit $4 per gallon I started thinking about an electric and I realized that my RX-7 would make a really nice electric conversion. I started the conversion last June and I am getting close to done now. I am doing a lithium battery conversion and have placed the batteries so as to maintain the same 50/50 weight distribution of the original car. I expect a 0-60 time of under 7 seconds and a top speed of around 115 mph with a range of about 80 miles. The range will be highly dependent on just how much fun I have. The overall weight of the vehicle will be within 30 lbs of the original. The power system I have in the car now will produce 277ft-lbs of torque from 0 to about 3700 rpm and then taper off up to about 6000 rpm. What this means is that when driving the car first gear is unnecessary.
The reason I joined is I am already thinking about my second electric conversion and I am thinking of doing a 3rd gen. What I would be looking for is a car with around 100k miles that has not been modified, possibly with engine or turbo problems.
Don't judge me for converting my RX-7 to electric. It is still an RX-7 and a Wankel has much closer torque curves to an electric than other types of internal combustion engines. It should still drive like an RX-7. Electric motors are still rotaries.
I still have most of the stuff I took out of the car. If someone needs a 12A core that probably needs a minor overhaul we can talk. The carb was rebuilt 7 years ago and the compression at that time was well within specs.
If anyone is interested in converting their RX-7 to electric I will be glad help.
I haven't done a signature yet so that is next.
06-24-12, 07:22 AM
#6
GSL-EV
Thread Starter
Picassa photo album of the conversion.
Link to album.
I need to add more photos to this as I am behind.
Link to album.
I need to add more photos to this as I am behind.
09-12-12, 04:37 PM
#7
GSL-EV
Thread Starter
I made the mistake of checking Craigs list and a local guy had a red 85 GSL-SE for sale. I checked it out and the whole car is in surprisingly good condition. I bought it the next day. I always wanted an SE and since I've been driving it I am constantly surprised by the attention it gets. My black one never got this kind of attention. Closing on 113,000 miles now with no rust I have been able to find. My EV conversion has several areas of rot that needed addressing.
After driving the car I found several issues I will be addressing once I finish up the EV conversion. The brakes seem a little heavy although I know the vacuum assist is working. The left front is sitting about an inch lower than the right. I can't see a problem but the spring must be sagging or some previous owner lowered it and something has gone wrong. The right side looks a little low also. The washer fluid light is on all the time. I did replace the hoses and the Y splitter because it had holes in it and would siphon about half the fluid in the reservoir. The throttle pedal was sometimes hanging up about an inch down but I sprayed everything with silicon/teflon dry lubricant and this seems to have cleared up. The door and window seals need replacing. The shifter boot itself is in good condition but the little plastic tabs have all broken out. The AC is cool but doesn't keep up. The steering is a little vague at the center but I have not tried to adjust it yet. Could be the steering box or some other part of the suspension needs a little work. The rear wiper does not work. I never thought they worked very well even when they did work. The glass sun roof doesnt go up and down. The **** just spins. As a consequence it doesn't seal well and whistles a little at highway speeds. Someone replaced the power antenna with a black rubber type. And the last thing I have noticed is that the hoses to the oil cooler are dripping oil a little.
I love the feel of this car. It is more fun than my 82 was after I added a turbo and lowered it. I think I will just fix the problems and keep it stock. The car has been partially painted but they did a really good job and it still has the original pin stripes.
After driving the car I found several issues I will be addressing once I finish up the EV conversion. The brakes seem a little heavy although I know the vacuum assist is working. The left front is sitting about an inch lower than the right. I can't see a problem but the spring must be sagging or some previous owner lowered it and something has gone wrong. The right side looks a little low also. The washer fluid light is on all the time. I did replace the hoses and the Y splitter because it had holes in it and would siphon about half the fluid in the reservoir. The throttle pedal was sometimes hanging up about an inch down but I sprayed everything with silicon/teflon dry lubricant and this seems to have cleared up. The door and window seals need replacing. The shifter boot itself is in good condition but the little plastic tabs have all broken out. The AC is cool but doesn't keep up. The steering is a little vague at the center but I have not tried to adjust it yet. Could be the steering box or some other part of the suspension needs a little work. The rear wiper does not work. I never thought they worked very well even when they did work. The glass sun roof doesnt go up and down. The **** just spins. As a consequence it doesn't seal well and whistles a little at highway speeds. Someone replaced the power antenna with a black rubber type. And the last thing I have noticed is that the hoses to the oil cooler are dripping oil a little.
I love the feel of this car. It is more fun than my 82 was after I added a turbo and lowered it. I think I will just fix the problems and keep it stock. The car has been partially painted but they did a really good job and it still has the original pin stripes.
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09-12-12, 05:11 PM
#8
GSL-EV
Thread Starter
Maybe I should update the EV conversion as well as talking about the new car.
The EV is only a week or so from first drive. I am going to take it to the 2nd Electric Vehicle Conversion Convention (EVCCon) in Missouri on Sept 26-30 to show off. I know it will be driving around but I wont have the vacuum assist working on the brakes and I might need to water cool the motor controller.
I should be able to turn up the torque to 277ft lbs and that will be present from stall to about 3000 rpm. This is probably too much for the stock clutch to handle so initially I will limit the torque to 150 ft lbs. Because of the torque characteristics of an electric first gear will be pretty much useless. The car will weigh the same as a stock FB at least within 30 lbs either way. Because of the torque curve I dont expect a top speed of much more than 100 mph but then I don't have anywhere I can legally drive that fast anyway. Peak horsepower should be around 145 out of the motor. At that power level this is 223 hp into the motor (166kw) with an efficiency of 65%. Efficiency is much better at highway cruising power levels and should be around 85%.
It should be a lot of fun to drive and I am really looking forward to doing so.
More later!
Doug Ingraham
The EV is only a week or so from first drive. I am going to take it to the 2nd Electric Vehicle Conversion Convention (EVCCon) in Missouri on Sept 26-30 to show off. I know it will be driving around but I wont have the vacuum assist working on the brakes and I might need to water cool the motor controller.
I should be able to turn up the torque to 277ft lbs and that will be present from stall to about 3000 rpm. This is probably too much for the stock clutch to handle so initially I will limit the torque to 150 ft lbs. Because of the torque characteristics of an electric first gear will be pretty much useless. The car will weigh the same as a stock FB at least within 30 lbs either way. Because of the torque curve I dont expect a top speed of much more than 100 mph but then I don't have anywhere I can legally drive that fast anyway. Peak horsepower should be around 145 out of the motor. At that power level this is 223 hp into the motor (166kw) with an efficiency of 65%. Efficiency is much better at highway cruising power levels and should be around 85%.
It should be a lot of fun to drive and I am really looking forward to doing so.
More later!
Doug Ingraham
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