alex
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Posts: 62
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Post by alex on May 5, 2011 10:12:26 GMT -5
Its her first car, I'm glad its electric so I can keep the leash short ;<) Shot at 2011-05-05
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alex
Junior Member
Posts: 62
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Post by alex on Mar 27, 2011 21:32:19 GMT -5
okeydokey, here are some reasons to go electric :
1. Maintenance costs that go away are oil changes, belts, hoses, cooling system, exhaust system, gasoline carburetion /injection, oil&gas&air filters, emission control equipment. In the three years that I drove an EV daily I replaced brake pads and tires. Thats it.
2. Charging is done during the night, off peak, so its pretty cheap. Household electricity costs a few cents per kwh x a few kwh = maybe a buck to charge?
3. Modern, flooded lead-acid batteries (low tech) can take 2000 charge cycles, more or less. If you charge every night to commute + opportunity charge during the day thats 1000 days between battery changes.
4. Mean Time Before Failure for an industrial DC motor is about 100,000 hours. At 50 mph thats 5 million miles to replace the motor.
6. Electric power generation is performed at a single, controlled pollution source outside the metropolitan area, gasoline is burned at a millions of point sources all over the city.
7. Its a zero emmision green thing so the chicks dig it 8<)
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alex
Junior Member
Posts: 62
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Post by alex on Mar 15, 2011 19:43:50 GMT -5
Thirteen....daaaang...8<)
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alex
Junior Member
Posts: 62
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Post by alex on Mar 15, 2011 14:43:59 GMT -5
The original configuration is 16x6 volt = 96V. I'm going with Optima yellow tops X 10 = 120V, modern controller, new charger. The old school controller (whistler) from a forklift will handle 120V easily and is made for a GE 20Hp motor. The Curtis controller is a much smaller package tho.
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alex
Junior Member
Posts: 62
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Post by alex on Mar 15, 2011 14:38:10 GMT -5
I too am imagining that something somewhere has to be close. Our esteemed colleague Skip20 compared a stock windshield with what he had access to, not every kind ever made. For the moment I got around the problem by starting over with a complete GT2, now the car that needs a windshield is a spare. Geez, I never thought I'd own TWO of em.
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alex
Junior Member
Posts: 62
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Post by alex on Feb 10, 2011 22:31:12 GMT -5
I don't know how to organize potential buyers; maybe start with a Bradley GT2 registry if there is such a thing. I'd be in for one + spare = 2 for me. The reason I haven't closed the deal, Bob, is because I am still thinking of what to do with the package deal you have offered. I don't have anywhere to put a whole nuther car. All I want is the windshield <)
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alex
Junior Member
Posts: 62
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Post by alex on Feb 10, 2011 10:35:44 GMT -5
I dont think $500 for a new windshield, total cost, is all that unreasonable for a specialty car. I just paid $211 for a new windshield for the wife's jeep....so about twice that..OK. The key words are "total cost", to have to pay another $200 for shipping ,well, I dunno I can justify the cost.
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alex
Junior Member
Posts: 62
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Post by alex on Feb 8, 2011 9:23:05 GMT -5
OK, there are a bunch of smart guys here, lets solve this problem of GT2 windshield availability. Member Skip20 has taken a run at it, from what I read here. What can we do to either help him finish or embark on a similar effort where we can use some common donor windshield? As humans we have built pyramids, empire state building, sent men to the moon....surely we can do a Bradly windshield replacement. What to do first? Somehow compare a real stock one to others? Get measurements someway?
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alex
Junior Member
Posts: 62
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Post by alex on Feb 6, 2011 11:06:21 GMT -5
I read that 500 kits were manufactured, we see recent pics here of one burned, that makes 499.......
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alex
Junior Member
Posts: 62
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Post by alex on Feb 5, 2011 22:48:48 GMT -5
So it looks like I'll have to get a good running beetle donor with a clear title and matching pan VIN, 'cause what I have doesn't have a title. I'm not sure why I bought it without, it didn't seem important at the time. So I'll be a bit smarter this time. If the beetle is complete and runs good then that should save me alot of heartache. Then I'll get the Bradley body painted since it has no glass in it yet, THEN get the glass. Your thoughts?
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alex
Junior Member
Posts: 62
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Post by alex on Jan 13, 2011 10:43:53 GMT -5
I might be able to do that deal...sounds like a weekend road trip to me. Alex
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alex
Junior Member
Posts: 62
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Post by alex on Jan 12, 2011 16:29:53 GMT -5
I also have a Toyota Echo...I hope to never get hit in it either.
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alex
Junior Member
Posts: 62
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Post by alex on Jan 12, 2011 9:41:11 GMT -5
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alex
Junior Member
Posts: 62
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Post by alex on Jan 12, 2011 9:14:11 GMT -5
I'm in Tucson, bought the car in Phoenix last weekend. I'm thinking I'll have to buy another one...between the two make one good one.
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alex
Junior Member
Posts: 62
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Post by alex on Jan 11, 2011 22:11:54 GMT -5
OK, I'll make the windshield priority #1 then. Underpowered is preferable, so auto is OK. That may sound wierd, so here is the back story: My 14 year old daughter was perusing my car magazines, commenting on this feature of that car and that feature of this car and the gull wing mercedes and "why isn't there a car that has everything I want??" Well, we'll just have to build you a car then. The Bradly came to mind as a perfect fit. I thought (as of 2 days ago) that we'd build it electric. That way I could limit top speed and range via the battery configuration. As she gained driving experience I could up the battery voltage. Well, both she and her mom shot down that idea, so now you see why an underpowered VW will be just fine 8<)
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alex
Junior Member
Posts: 62
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Post by alex on Jan 11, 2011 16:40:57 GMT -5
It looks like its never been painted :
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alex
Junior Member
Posts: 62
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Post by alex on Jan 11, 2011 16:13:32 GMT -5
Bought an unfinished GT2. Not certain how smart that was, but here we go. Seems like most of it is there.......no windshield though...from what I read here thats gonna be a challenge. Maybe Skip20 will commercialize his 280Z adapter, one can hope anyway. I think what I will do is pull the body off whatever VW is under it and put one of known vintage instead, one with an automatic transaxle. Your thoughts on what model/year bug/beetle donor car will work ? Thanks in advance...great site, Alex
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