Front Brakes: the Final Chapter

Let me say this up front.  EMPI brake conversions should be avoided unless you're willing to suffer great pain and agony!!  These kits are flawed and have been since 2005 and no one at EMPI really seems to care, let alone the other internet businesses that sell this garbage!!

When we last left our happy builder, he was pissed that the rotors wouldn't seat right.  Here's why!
(Special thanks to Dan McMillan from Bradley GT.com for posting these pictures.)

So I managed to find an out of work machinist in Ellensburg, WA who turned these rotors for a case of beer!  Awesome guy, you just don't see charity like that these days.  Maybe he was swayed by my story of woe, or perhaps he was happy to have something to do.  Either way, I have rotors that should work and a new friend!

I couldn't wait to get these home and slap them on "Big Red" (nickname for my Bradley).  It took very little time since I spent hours doing it over and over trying to figure out what the @#$% was wrong with them in the first place.

Now, they work great.  I just hope anyone that decides to buy EMPI front disc brake conversions will do a little research before they dive in.  Or better yet how about the the internet companies post some directions and technical help for these kits on their sites? 

EV Wiring

This is where things start to get exciting.  This is where you string the welding cables, hook up the cables to the motor, but don't hook up the batteries until you're sure you get it right.
The first thing I needed was a shelf to put it all on.
I mounted the shelf directly to the fiberglass trunk area with 6 inch L brackets, 5/16 bolts and large fender washers.  You can see I mounted the pot box (accelerator) and controller fan (they tend to get hot) underneath.  What you can't see is the controller will be mounted on top of a heat sink, which when combined with the fan should keep this one plenty cool.

I needed to drill a hole into the back of the backseat area.  My concern was this might not be strong enough to support over 200lbs of LiFEPO4 batteries.  I thought I'd do a stress test (yes, I had a plan B in case the batteries fell through the seat area.) and use some old silicone cell batteries I have laying around.  These worked good in my Sparrow but I wanted more range - hence the leap into lithium.  I will use these batteries for all my testing.  The Curtis controller will take a lower voltage.  Eventually when everything is working, I will replace the Curtis with the Kilovac 156V controller from my Sparrow and lithium batteries.

Upon closer examination, the thickness of the fiberglass is more than enough to support the weight.

Next was the chore of cutting some more cables, cleaning up the old cables with a wire brush and a coating of Noalox.  This helps insure a good contact and also makes up for the corrosion, lack of conductivity between two unlike metals.  I also received some of my safety EV supplies.  In this picture is a 12V inertia switch - that shuts down the entire 12V system should you experience a crash.  There's also two big red buttons or emergency quick disconnects.  I bought two because the price of a double pole was a $100 more than the price of two single poles.  This will turn the pack into three separate packs, each about 60V each. A good thing to know when you're installing a 100 amp hour pack. There's also a big ceramic fuse that will blow if the amperage goes above 500.  When a controller blows it goes into an amp sucking frenzy.  Talk about rapid acceleration, this would make a Prius look like a go cart!

So here it is all together, the shunt was removed from the Magic Box (positive flow) to the negative flow.  This is because the Blue Window needs it that way.  The shunt can go on either side, it just depends on what type of current you need to tap into for things like - ampmeter, voltmeter, etc.  Most simple wiring diagrams found in EV books will show it on the positive side. In my Sparrow, it was on the negative side - BTW that's a very complicated wiring schematic.

Good News/Bad News Brakes

I continue to struggle with these new disc brakes by EMPI.  I found a post on samba.com that listed a lot of the problems I've endured and it was posted back in 2005!  Do these guys not care about quality control?

The good news is Charlie finished my washers.  The ones that are in front of the grease bearing seal.

The original in on the left.  The new one is on the right.  The thrust washer, the one that comes in the seal kit is at the bottom.  The thrust washer goes toward the bearings, the grease seal washer is just inside the bearing housing.
Needless to say I was exited to maybe, just maybe get my wheels back on today.  Then I ran across this....

The instructions state that if you have a swing arm, you need to use the included spacer.  What spacer?  There wasn't any in the kit.  Great...now another email to Kustom1warehouse and probably another week's worth of waiting.  Unless, I call Charlie and have him make me one.

So why did this happen?  Because it's a 1967 swing arm - the one year that VW decided to use some longer axles.  They discontinued this practice after 1967.  Lucky me!

I found some washers from Ace Hardware that will do the trick!  They are 1 1/4 inch inside diameter.

Four (times two sides) at 80 cents each is a lot less than $5 each with $10 shipping!!!
The final result - it works!  Maybe the next time I order something from one of the internet companies, I'll add the real spacers to my list.  But for right now, these will do just fine.

It's nice to have wheels back on the car.  Even though, I'm not ready to drive her and will probably ahve to take them off again, it looks much better.

Pretty Brake Lines

Braided brake lines are the hot rodder's wet dream. That and all cables in braided fashion.  Needless to say, this is more costly than the usual steel line.  The cons with the steel lines are you have to carefully bend them and figure out how to bubble the ends.  This gets complicated with that long brake line that goes from the front of the car to the back. Look at the way it twists and turns, like a snake it slithers around impossible corners to the back of the car. The pros for braided lines, they are flexible and the ones I bought were pre-made in various lengths.  They are very strong and help to give a firm brake pedal.

You can see one line in place and another has just been removed - rusty!

One thing that is interesting is the cost compared with the length.  A 10 inch line is $10.  A 48 inch line is $16.  Since the long line is about 82 inches, I put a 3 foot and 4 foot line together.

Notice in the picture how I painted the chassis area under the master cylinder.  This area tends to get wet and stay wet therefore it rusts.  I scrapped off what I could and then hit it with multiple layers of Rustoleum.  The other side was done as well.  I hope to replace all lines with these braided lines before I get ready to bleed them.  Right now it's just the front and the long line to the back that are done.

Battery Cables

The Pulsar used 2/0 welding cables to connect the batteries together.  Since I want to reuse the snake - or longest cables that run from the back to the front of the car, I'll need to change the lugs. (I want to say this is about 12 feet long) The Pulsar used 6V batteries with a standard terminal.  I'll need to change these to lugs that fit a 8 mm bolt.  The LiFEPO4 batteries I use have a 8mm bolt that attaches each battery together in what they call a serial configuration.

This also allows me to connect a cable to another cable easily should the cable not reach all the way.  Simply bolt them together and cover with some insulation of some type.  I like to use foam pipe insulation and electrical tape so the connection doesn't touch anything.

To convert the cable you have to have the right tools which you can get from any EV store.  First you use the monster size wire cutters and slice right through the end of the cable which cuts off the terminal.  Then use use the razor slicer and chop off about a half an inch of rubber sleeve to expose the wire.  Now slide the lug over the wire and fit everything into the sledge hammer type crimper.  Carefully hold the crimper while you pound away with the 5 lb sledge hammer.  That last part is putting on some shrink wrap so it covers any exposed wire.  Use a hair dryer or something similar, I have a heat gun in the photo. Notice I have black and red shrink wrap, this makes it easy to remember which cable goes to which connection.  If you hook the cables up the wrong way, you can get one heck of a shock.

Of course most of us EVers like to play with electricity anyway.  We just do it with extra care and safety.  : )

Front Brakes, the Saga Continues

The new front brakes were wobbly and rubbing against something.  When I looked real close it was the bolts.  That back of the rotor was rubbing on the bolt heads.  To prove this point I mounted the bolts in from the other direction - just like they were when the brakes used drums.

The new disc rotor then mounted correctly - fully seated to the back.  I tried some different bolts - the one where you use an allen wrench to tighten.  Nope, that didn't work.  The final solution was to grind down the bolt head on the side that was next to the rotor.  The bolt is still functional and can be tightened.
From there it was put on the rotor with the back bearing and grease seal mounted.  Push in, then add the front bearing and thrust washer, and last the tightening nut with the 6mm screw.

The final step is to put on the caliper, the disc brake pads are already in place, and bleed the brakes.

This caliper come already painted so hopefully it won't rust right away.  I read where someone complained that the EMPI back calipers and rotors rusted right away after the first rain.
I ordered some new braided brakes lines, so once they get here I'll be able to put it all together.  I'm getting closer to completing this part of the overall project.

Removing the Rat Nest!! Pre-EZ Wire

Just look at those wires!  OMG, I don't even know where to begin.  I'd pull out my hair - if I had any.  The rusty ground wires that I have noticed along the way..no wonder nothing works.

This is the Rat's nest.  The owner I bought the car from stated, "The guy I bought the car from said he had rewired the car - from what I saw, he had no business doing that!"  Wow, just look at this.

When I pulled the fuse panel, some of the ceramic fuse holder tabs were missing.  Some of the connections looked like the original 1967 wires.  Here's the answer - EZ Wiring.

Does this look neat or what?  I will have 21 fuses that are up to date, color coded and the function of each wire is printed on the wire every 5 inches.
Right now, I'm enjoying cutting out the old crap out to be too worried about putting in the new.  Check it out, the best place for a rat's nest is right here!

Where's the Defroster?

I saw where a fellow Bradley owner opened up his defroster and found a 12V ceramic heater that would blow into the vents to warm up the window area.
The original VW Beetle had the heat coming from the gas engine and you'd open up a vent to have the heat travel from the rear along a pipe to come into the passenger area.
This defroster/fan is pain in the butt to get to. You have to lay upside down on the bottom of the floorboard and try to get the screws out. Then because a couple screws were completely rusted, I ended up ripping it out.  Not as bad as it sounds.  This whole box is under the hood vents and they're not accessible in any way except through the firewall.  BTW I had dropped a wrench down the vent and was finally able to retrieve it, along with probably 15 years of dirt and leaves.

Here's the front side, the side you get to see upside down.  The ducts attach in the front then go straight up to the windshield.

Here's the other side, this sits in the box, inaccessible except by the front.

So...where's the defroster?  I guess I don't get one?  Maybe the defroster was only for the GTEs?  WA state law requires a defroster in every car.  Well, let's add a 156V electric heater.  These gems will take a variety of voltages and can get quite toasty.   With that fan in the back, it should work very well. So... do I add two heaters?

Or just one?

One that's directly in front of the blower?  Either way, I'm going to have to glass the heater in place so it doesn't move and the air blows directly through it, not around it. Another consideration - this only provides heat for the windshield, there's no option to vent the air elsewhere with a dampener.  Maybe install a second heater in the back to go to the feet? Hmmm.

Battery Boxes

Batteries can weigh a ton- literally.  The Pulsar that I acquired the parts from had 120 volts worth of 6V batteries.  That's 20 batteries at 60 lbs each.  OMG, that's a huge load for that little car to carry.  When I tried putting 156V of 13 batteries at 50lbs each, there was a significant difference in acceleration but range suffered.  Therein lies the problem every EV builder faces, do I design for speed or do I plan for range.  You can't have both - or can you?  Within the last couple years the newest technology became affordable - lithium batteries.  Last year I put 48 LiFEPO4 batteries in my Sparrow.  The results were amazing.  Compared to the AGM batteries that were in there before, the sparrow was lighter, faster and the range more than doubled. And because I built a larger pack than what I use, they should last up to 10 years.  I can easily say that I won't ever go back to AGM or Sealed Lead Acid batteries again.
The batteries in my Sparrow are in their second year and doing great, but a three wheel car has it's limitations,  that's why I bought the Bradley.  I'll take the batteries out of the Sparrow and transplant them into the Bradley.  Yes, the Bradley will use a little more juice than the Sparrow but it will be nice to have that extra wheel and be able to take a passenger for a ride.  Having given you a little background on the batteries let's look at the plan to arrange them in the Bradley.

This is the front battery box.  It will connect to the front of the chassis and hang off the bumper steel poles.  There will be 20 batteries, each at 7 lbs, so that makes about 140 lbs.  This frame uses 1 inch box tube with 1 inch L brackets.  With all that road stuff flying at the batteries, thery're going to need some protection - a box.

This is the first draft of the box, it's too tall.  The original battery boxes were 14 inches tall for those heavy 6V batteries, and my LiFEPO4 batteries only need 10 inches.  That's for the battery plus the battery Management System on top and the wire connections.  This box will have a lid with a spy glass area so I can see if the batteries are equalized (a red light on the BMS).
If you're keeping count there's 28 more to go.

This box came form the backseat of the Pulsar.  So this is where I saved some money.  As you can see, I used to have a waterbed heater attached to keep the batteries warm.  I'll get rid of that because the LiFEPO4s don't mind the cold at all. This will hold 2 6 packs and 4 4 packs.  Think of this back box being split down the middle.  The wiring will go from the left rear to the front then back to the right rear then to the magic box and controller.You can what I'm talking about by looking at the diagram I have created.

Here's the finished backseat box in place.  After I trimmed it down and set it in the back. However, I'll have to lose the box so the batteries will fit.  I could unstrap the two sixes to make 4X5 packs.  The problem is when they strap these cells together it's very difficult to get them back in place.  The cells are strapped to keep them from swelling.  Swelling can happen from over charging and over discharging.

The back seat area batteries will be strapped down and the frame will be mounted through the fiberglass to either a plate something.  The bars will help keep the batteries strapped and from tipping over.

The next problem is reinforcing the backseat area to withstand 200 lbs of weight?  Do I add more fiberglass or reinforce with plywood and contact cement?  Another Bradley converter used 100 AH AGM cells in the back seat - that was close to 400 lbs.  I'm sure he did something to compensate.

Will that be too much weight on the back axle.  Nope, the original gas engine weighed approx 200 lbs.  The electric motor only weighs  80.

Magic Box

Most EVers will put together a "magic box" that contains most of their high voltage connections.  Here's mine.

What we have here is the main fuse, the contactor, the shunt, a couple relays and two fuse terminals or blocks.  You should have seen what I started with.  I removed quite a bit and will remove some more. (Now if you don't understand any of the terms I'm throwing around get a book on how to convert your car to electric - there's plenty out there that are written by folks a whole lot smarter than I am.)

I have a "Blue Window" that replaces a lot of EV gauges with a screen display.

So all these gauges you see above will go out and the Blue Window will tell me amps, tach, state of charge and voltage.  The speedometer might stay, providing the cable will reach the right side rotor disc. If not, I'll use a TOM TOM or GPS equivalent.  Cars that are older than 10 yrs don't require an odometer in WA state.

Here's a peek at the Blue Window.

That means all these wires will be replaced by two, maybe three wires.  I love simplicity.  More to come on this one....BTW, you should the see the rest of the wiring - UGLY.  I ordered the EZ wiring kit which is color coded...more to come on that one too!

The Trouble w/ Disc Brake Conversions

NOTE: This problem is associated with the 1967 swing arm - VW decided to use longer axles that year.  They stopped using them the following year - lucky me!!  This is why the standard brake cable was slightly too short.

There's a couple problems with installing disc brakes with these conversions kits.  The emergency brake lines for the rear brakes ended up being too short by about a 1/2 inch.  While trying to stretch the cables to fit over my emergency brake handle something went kablooey and my handle fell apart.  OK, I planned on buying a chrome one someday anyway. Now I get to wait for those parts to show up.  In the mean time, I carefully cut the rubber tube around the cable so I would get more cable into the tunnel. (this was not as easy as it seems, there's a spiral cable under the rubber that protects the other cable. This seemed to work but I won't be able to know for sure until the new handle gets here.  This seems to be a common problem.

In addition to the rear brakes quandry, I am working on trying to get new large washers made for the rear axles.  In the seal kit you get the thrust washer but you don't get the grease slinger washer which is much wider and goes in the bearing casing in front of the grease seal.  Why do this?  The side that didn't have it had grease all over the underside of the body.  After trying several auto parts stores, to include VW specialty stores and national chain types, I tried a couple salvage yards.  Still no luck.  Time to call a machinist, Charlie, the same guy that did my adaptor for my electric motor.  I sent him the part yesterday and hopefully, he'll be able to make me a couple pairs in case I need an extra set.  BTW this is unique to the 1967 VW.

Next I finally received my front disc brakes in the mail - yeah!! Guess what?  No instructions.  That's right, after some surfing the web I found that this was another common rage against EMPI.  Good thing I had that Bug Me Video disc on brakes.  I watched it and then found a site that had all the written instructions for the install.  By matching up the visual with the written I should be able to get'er done right away in no time flat, right?!  Step one - install the caliper mounting bracket.  Oops, wrong size.  Back to square one with Kustom1auto parts.

OK - my bad. I ordered the link pin set instead of the ball joint. Well, now I have to send back the brackets, the bearings and the racers.  Then put my old racers and bearings in the new discs.  Here's what the racers look like in case you didn't know.

The racers is the collar that inside the disc.  There are two in each disc. You can use a screwdriver or punch with a hammer to drive it out.  Also here's the order that things go back together.  Kinda like an exploded view.