Well, I have been remiss in keeping those interested in my project up to date. Not that I haven’t been busy – no, in fact, the garage expansion project at our new home in Santa Fe has been consuming a bundle of my time. That is, the time when I am not enjoying the splendors of our new life in the southwest!
As for the Z-type, one significant advance was made just after this past Thanksgiving. With some final electrical connections and adjustment to the motor controller, the motor is now operational!!!! Yes I can now turn the key, press on the throttle and hear the whispering whir of my electric powerplant, then shift through the two-speed gearbox with the flip of a switch. All very gratifying after about one year’s worth of part-time work.
However, a major hurdle stands in the way of the Z-types’ first self-propelled foray into the world – that is the remaining need to fabricate the rear half-shafts that connect the differential to the rear (drive) wheels. This has been a sticking point since machine work needs to be done to rear suspension components prior to final suspension set-up, which, in turn, must precede measurement for the proper half-shaft dimensions.
That is where the garage expansion project comes back into play. As you see, our plans included the purchase of a “Smithy” machine. With this lathe, drill press, milling machine combination, the capability is now ours to do the necessary suspension machine work in-house. That will be our very next endeavor, in the hope that the, currently stripped down, chassis will be on the road within a few months!
Of course, the Z-type innards do not reflect the same beauty that the car does fully clothed in its’ sleek, Malcolm Sayre designed bodywork. So, if you wish to be reminded of how beautiful the one and only XJ-13 really was, just visit my homepage and click on the image of the original XJ-13 for more information.
8/30/2009:11:55AM:
More Progress!
Batteries are now series connected. The BMS (Battery Management System) is installed and we have run our first test of the charging system!!!!!! See the short video on the "Project" page.
Pleasantly surprised that, after more than nine months on the shelf, the batteries only lost .01 volts each. When first connected the 17 battery pack registered 340.1 VDC. Amazingly low self-discharge rate! (They are nominally 19.2 VDC each or 326 VDC altogether.)
Attaching the BMS seemed simple enough and has gone into service with a temporary 12v power supply. Only the charging resulted in less than satisfactory results. The chargers, which should attain 372 VDC max, only achieved 359 VDC. The result was the pack charged to a disappointing 347.5 VDC. After some investigation, I will report on how this issue is to be resolved.
7/28/2009:4:15PM:
Wow, am I behind on news!!!!!!!!
The batteries are all installed. The motor/two-speed transaxle is installed (yeh!), and we have moved our operations to beautiful Santa Fe, New Mexico!!!!!!!!!!
I know, I know, that is a lot to take in. However, it has been a long time since I have updated these pages!? So now you know the basics - alot of progress has been made. Next steps are to wire the batteries in series and prepare the main fuse block for connection to the controller. That will be a job for the Fall, since moving house from Philadelphia also has to take place in the meantime.
We are essentially on track for for a strong surge in production over the winter months and an initial start-up of the car in the Spring. Excitement builds as we progress, but life interferes and the pace of the "Z-TYPE" development must take a back seat to the basics of establishing our new home in the gorgeous community of Santa Fe!
3/30/2009:7:00PM:
The Saga of the Batteries!
The batteries have arrived! All the way from China (via JFK airport in NY).
Valence Technologies Lithium Ion batteries ( a Texas company with manufacturing facilities in China), has finally sent the batteries for the Z-Type project. See photos elsewhere on this site!
12/5/2008:9:30 PM:
IT'S HERE, IT'S HERE, IT'S HERE!
"Z-TYPE chassis has arrived!"
The long-awaited shell for our car of the future has arrived from Race Car Replicas of Detroit, builders of well crafted copies of famous cars of the past. They build the chassis and basic body structure under license from The Sports Car Factory of Maryland.
Now the project can begin in earnest!
