66 bus EV conversion

[evwbus]

Thank you. I bought one. It is exactly what I needed. I bought the kilometer version. I am going all metric, and I figure that this will let me go faster while still obeying the speed limit.

[evwbus]

Btw, the bus is performing well, I am very happy with it. I drive it everyday, and many days it charges the batteries fully just off the solar panels (on the days that I don't drive far).

It is very quiet and has great acceleration (far better than the ICE). I ran a cord out to the street (I don't have a garage or a driveway) and plug it in on days that I can get a parking space close enough to my house. On days I can't, I try to park it in a spot that will get the most sun.

As far as heat, I just put a space heater that runs off the same power cord the charger runs off of. I have it on a timer to turn on at the right time in the morning so the bus is nice and warm and ready to go. Since it doesn't take all night to charge, the heater and charger don't fight for current in the morning. On days when I don't get a preferred parking spot, I just dress warmly, or I can run the heater off the batteries to warm things up a bit. (A heater can drain batteries pretty quickly.)

What still needs to be done:
-body work and paint
-install air ride on front (tired of scraping)
-redo the interior (I still want to convert to walkthrough, any suggestions on where to find the correct sheet metal parts appreciated.)

Why do I want walkthrough? I have five kids, and the whole point of this vehicle is to drive them around town. In the winter I would much rather be able to go back and tend to the kids without having to open doors and let all our heat out.

I am planning on doing spray foam insulation on the interior and under-body. Has anyone done this before? Is it a bad idea?

I am setting up a whole new rear end with a new motor and motor controller on the bench, and am going to optimize that before I swap it over. That will include IRS conversion and air ride on back.

[Loren]

I would not use the spray foam insulation. It is very hard to remove, should you ever desire to do so and it can trap moisture.

[Derek Cobb]

[Stanagon]

[evwbus]

I plan on driving year round, so how do I do that without my body rusting out? Is there an under body treatment? How about an aluminum skid plate across the entire bottom? Washing the underbody after every trip (not practical)? Any creative ideas?

Still looking for suggestions on who can do the bodywork when the time comes (probably in a few months when all the other work is done.)

The air ride is going on the front end this week. Thankfully we have a good machine shop since many of the parts that came with the kit weren't correct and the shop either had to modify or make new ones.

[evwbus]

Front air ride is in. I can't recommend that particular kit (airkewld). The piece they sell that is welded to the top of the shock mount is too soft and twists under load creating side loads on the shock.

We are going to have to remove the bracket that came with the kit (not so easy for a weld in part) and design something better.

Thanks for the recommendation on the speedo, it is in and works great so far.

For the insulation, I was planning on not spraying the foam directly onto the metal, but instead spraying into plastic bags. If that isn't a good idea, what would others recommend? (fiberglass? Foam core?) Heal loss is a big issue for this bus since I have to generate the heat with electricity. Reducing heat loss improves my mileage.

[mandraks]

what you need is an external heater, propane, with a tank, thermostat, remote and timer. many newer vw campers have them, they work awesome, and keep your ass warm for weeks!

Combine that with nice interior panels, good weatherstripping, throw a rug down, etc
_________________
regards

Uli

----------------------------------------
'53 3-Fold Oval, L35 Metallic Blue, looking for a narrow hatch panel

[marklaken]

with your voltage, you can add an electric heater element:

http://www.evsource.com/tls_heaters.php
_________________
Wish List:
1967 Wesfalia SO-42 Parts Needed: Kitchenette, Cot Poles

'65 rear left beetle fender

15" Bus Wheels in fair condition

Mark Laken
Fort Collins, CO

[evwbus]

Found this article from 2007. Looks like it is just important to get the right spray foam and seal any cut edges:

http://www.bodyshopbusiness.com/Article/3112/auto_foam_proper_application_and_placement.aspx

Still researching, but this seems pretty compelling. Any dissenting views after reading the article?

[Derek Cobb]

I read the article and it seemed geared towards the replacement of foam after collision repair on a car the had foam from the factory. These VW didn't have foam and were designed with weep holes in many of the panels to allow moisture to escape from the cavities. Foam will interrupt the flow of captured water (whether it's from splash or humidity) and will likely cause rust damage.
People breath out a lot of moisture, and when conditions are right you can actually see the moisture running down the inside of a cold window. The same thing happens inside the cavities of a vehicle.
I suppose you could thoroughly seal each panel from the inside of the bus, then seal and water access from the exterior, but if it leaks air or water your foam will hold it and the rust will start.
If it does rust, the foam will be a very annoying and possibly dangerous issue when welding in replacement panels.

[Stanagon]

[mandraks]

[marklaken]

[mandraks]

i agree to the heated seats. wifes do love them! i just use them because they are in there, and because i paid for them...
_________________
regards

Uli

----------------------------------------
'53 3-Fold Oval, L35 Metallic Blue, looking for a narrow hatch panel

[evwbus]

OK, not quite, but we built a solar panel trailer and now I can charge the bus off of the solar panels faster than when charging off a 110V outlet (even while driving assuming I am pointing in the right direction wrt the sun). So depending on driving patterns and weather patterns, I don't have to plug in that much anymore.

Pretty cool. I drove out about 10km, parked and had a meeting for an hour and drove back and was still at full charge. This is during winter in Boston, so it should get even better in the summer.

Air ride is in both front and back now and we swapped out the back end for IRS and put in a new rancho transmission that was better geared for our setup. Hit 115km/h and still had more room to go. Will update latest top speed and range when I have a chance to test them (still have never really tested full range).

It is a lot quieter now without the reduction boxes and the new transmission and all new wheel bearings. Also handles better. It is really fun to drive.

[evwbus]

Bus continues to drive well. I am looking forward to my new lithium ion battery pack. We got all the cells, we just need to package them and connect them to the battery management system (BMS) now. The new pack should give more rage while reducing battery weight by about 350 pounds.

I would like to find someone near Boston with a good track record of restoring busses to do the body work and paint. Please reply with your suggestions. We will be replacing several body panels and fixing some dents and rust on those that aren't too bad.

Any opinions about the lite steer power steering conversion kit. I will have better luck getting others to drive it with power steering.

Anyone know where I can get lighter bumpers?

Thanks in advance for all the help.

[Shoyrtt]

These are not correct for your year of bus, but they are lighter bumpers:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=664473

[evwbus]

Thanks for the tip on the bumpers, they worked out well. Bus is coming back from the painter on Friday. I will post pictures when it is back on the road.