Re: My Dusty 71 GMCe Electruck
 

you've heard of death by a thousand cuts, well this ended up being design by a thousand cuts

after attempting to trial fit this newly augmented inverter bracket I of course realized it would now not clear the battery lid tray thingy, so I lopped a section of the left wing off (that hurt, cause I am all about symmetry)

Re: My Dusty 71 GMCe Electruck
 

second attempt, FAILED again but only by this much

I need to recalibrate my eyecrometer

Re: My Dusty 71 GMCe Electruck
 

at this point I've reached the I don't give a **** any more phase of the gentle trimming and I just went for it, and whalla a perfect fit every time !

Re: My Dusty 71 GMCe Electruck
 

alright, these cables better reach

this is just a trial fit, the black plastic cable bracket is just loosely dangling on there (I didn't have the energy to deal with it that day)

Re: My Dusty 71 GMCe Electruck
 

today the stare down began between me and the first gen Chevy Volt DC DC converter, I hoped I could will it to connect itself to the BMW 530e Battery Safety Box

so this thing is like a alternator in the car, and I don't want it to have a permanent connection to the high voltage battery, so I am thinking if I tap it into the Safety Box aka the Contactor Box on the output side then it will only make a connection to the battery pack when the contactors are closed

Re: My Dusty 71 GMCe Electruck
 

maybe this will work

that may be a 20 amp fuse I may shove something lesser in there or morer I don't know, whatever you recommend

I am also entertaining the idea of just shoving this entire black BMW Safety Box into one of them electrical plastic boxes and not even putting it's flimzy OEM lid back on just using the lid from the bigger electrical box, bonus if I can find an orange one

fun little 4 part series on what a Safety Box is:

BMW 530e Safety Box Contactor Box 1

BMW 530e Safety Box Contactor Box 2

BMW 530e Safety Box Contactor Box 3

BMW 530e Safety Box Contactor Box 4

Re: My Dusty 71 GMCe Electruck
 

Me: gonna get a lot done in the garage this weekend

The Weather Forecast:

Re: My Dusty 71 GMCe Electruck
 

and then it was time to mount the second gen Toyota Prius electronic power assist steering brain module thingie

well the first thing I learned is that the lid comes off

what kinda alian space ship mounting bracket is that ?


Prius Power Steering Module EV Conversion 1

Re: My Dusty 71 GMCe Electruck
 

then it was off to the Organic Outdoors Finesse Station, OOFS

Re: My Dusty 71 GMCe Electruck
 

I must admit I was very surprised how nicely this Toyota part bolted up to the Chevy truck, only one extra hole had to be drilled in the truck frame


Note: this module originally lived inside the cab of the Prius so it is not weather proof or tightly sealed at all !


Prius Power Steering Module EV Conversion 2

Re: My Dusty 71 GMCe Electruck
 

So the goal for this month, July 2023 A.D. (Another Deadline) is to have it run and drive !


we've been working kinda hard at lowering the bar so far to meet this important self imposed arbitrary deadline

Re: My Dusty 71 GMCe Electruck
 

could this be the final to do list?

• 1. mount the BMW E46 throttle pedal

• 2. Integrate Damien's BMW Safety Box control Arduino code into the VCU (the old pre Zombie version)

• 3. Wiretize all the low voltage wiring (VCU, Inverter, Throttle, Safety Neutral Switch, Resolvers, Water Pump, Oil Pump, Steering Module, CAN Bus, etc.)

• 4. Decide how to connect the second gen Chevy Volt battery charger high voltage orange wiring

• 5. Install some digital gauges (I am having a good friend Artur Kustusch - Jaguar XJR EV Conversion fandangle for me)

Re: My Dusty 71 GMCe Electruck
 

Only in a dream! Is there ever not a to do list?

Re: My Dusty 71 GMCe Electruck
 

I literally joke with my wife that even after I'm dead she'll find use for me and give me something to do, and she goes, "yeah I'll donate your body to science" God, I luv that woman!

Re: My Dusty 71 GMCe Electruck
 

Still enjoying the updates on your progress. I sure hope you do a "public viewing" of the finished truck some day. I'd love to see it in person. ;)

Re: My Dusty 71 GMCe Electruck
 

thanks for the kind words, I know you are in NorCal but just for reference I am only 10 minutes away from the Sac "International" airport so swing on by any time you want, bring a ratchet

Re: My Dusty 71 GMCe Electruck
 

so I snuck out and mounted the Lexus transmission electronic "oil" pump controller to the frame this morning again using pre existing stock GM factory bolt holes? (for what I hope is the last and final time) before it got to 80°F at 8:00 am

yup, yet another OEM bracket that looks like it just fell off of the USS Enterprise, but what do I know I'm not a Star Wars fan

dang it I just realized I fed those frame bolts in the wrong way, that will never pass tech, don't let Robert see that!

Re: My Dusty 71 GMCe Electruck
 

Good progress!
I don’t believe I’ve ever heard of someone using a OOFS in triple digit temps before:)

Re: My Dusty 71 GMCe Electruck
 

OK, I'll bite?

Re: My Dusty 71 GMCe Electruck
 

Early stages of Alzheimer’s??

Re: My Dusty 71 GMCe Electruck
 

OMG, touche ! did I run into the one guy who actually read my thread ? luv it

Re: My Dusty 71 GMCe Electruck
 

can you guess which grommet I needed ?

Re: My Dusty 71 GMCe Electruck
 

so my local Harbor Freight claimed to have a box in stock


you can't make this stuff up folks !

Re: My Dusty 71 GMCe Electruck
 

five stores later...

Re: My Dusty 71 GMCe Electruck
 

anybody wanna 179 piece grommet set, never been raced !

Re: My Dusty 71 GMCe Electruck
 

Could you please give info on the 3 hole device on page 1656? What are its functions and dimensions, etc? Thanks

Re: My Dusty 71 GMCe Electruck
 

aha yes the Dual QC3.0 Cigarette Lighter Socket Splitter, USB Car Charger Socket Panel Switch 250W Waterproof 12V Dual USB Charger Power Adapter Outlet with Aluminum Shell for Car Boat Marine, or as I like to call it: The Hole Filler

Re: My Dusty 71 GMCe Electruck
 

Nope. There's at least two of us :), but half of us are blindly following along and have no idea what your talking about since you're not messing with an SBC or an LS :new:

cool project, keep after it

Re: My Dusty 71 GMCe Electruck
 

Thanks, Ski

Re: My Dusty 71 GMCe Electruck
 

tell me you luv wiring without telling me you love wiring

Re: My Dusty 71 GMCe Electruck
 

Looks like you could use that broken Craftsman for a turn signal stalk. :lol:

Re: My Dusty 71 GMCe Electruck
 

ooh, I like that idea, but I already have a plan for that

says WW Super 270 Win on it

Re: My Dusty 71 GMCe Electruck
 

welcome and thanks for following along, sometimes I don't understand my own posts, lol

but if you are in the mood for knowing a bit more about the batteries that will power this beast, I just uploaded this new video and it is pretty down to earth


BMW 530e HV Battery Safety Box Control


think of each battery like a 9 gallon fuel tank, and I have two of them, the MPG for EVs is guestimated using 3.5 mpg so about 30 mile range per pack, and my original plan was to run three packs for a range close to 100 miles


however I have recently heard it's more like 4.5 mpg so closer to 40 miles per pack, we can only build, test, and see for ourselves

Re: My Dusty 71 GMCe Electruck
 

I don't know how you all do your wiring, but I don't do anything without my trusty hack saw

on a bit more serious note, repurposing the stock TOYOTA / Lexus OEM relay sockets is a bit of a PIA as there are 4 pin relays, 5 pin relays and umpteenth pin relays, plus some relays served multiple purposes, think rear window wiper and radiator fan type of deal

so as much as I wanted to have them consolidated and nicely mounted together, I only want to use 4 pin relays that are all the same style (not rating) for the oil pump, water pump, steering motor, and eventually iBooster

Why not use aftermarket sockets? Well I ordered some ( R95-160A ) but I am pretty sure they won't come with these really nice heavy duty 8 AWG wires like the stock ones do and the super wide 10mm blades

Re: My Dusty 71 GMCe Electruck
 

Nice work!
For those heavy duty relays you should get the bare terminals and the crimper to match, then you can make the connections with whatever gauge wire you want.
Something like this:
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/p...iABEgK03vD_BwE

Here's a relay with pins
https://vetco.net/products/4-pin-aut...t-high-current

I can't find just the pins, but we have them at work so I know they're available.

Re: My Dusty 71 GMCe Electruck
 

thanks, sound advice, 100% on the bare terminals, and having done a few LS Swaps my collection of crimper thingies grows... and this doesn't even include the 50 Cal that lives in the garage, ha ha

my only concern is the gauge ie thickness of wire the aftermarket relay sockets and terminals support, it seems like the OEM wire is as large as 8 AWG and that is the thickness of your girl friends pinky (back when she was in high school, lol)

here is a properly prepped OEM four pin / four wire relay (as god intended) this one I would say only runs 10 AWG wires (hence the yellow manual calculator for reference)

Re: My Dusty 71 GMCe Electruck
 

it's always a good sign when you get to the Ignition Switch install on your build, am I right fellas?

looks like, she's seen better days

has sum of that patriotic Statue of Liberty tint to her

Re: My Dusty 71 GMCe Electruck
 

meanwhile on this episode of You Can't Make This Stuff Up ! YCMTSU

OUR throttle bracket is making it's way from California to California via Texas, and you wonder why this build is taking so long, well actually it drove by my house on it's way to Texas... I'm looking at you Robert !!! did you have anything to do with this?

Re: My Dusty 71 GMCe Electruck
 

I wanted to tweak it so it would fit.

Re: My Dusty 71 GMCe Electruck
 

ha ha, please reinforce it for my lead foot