Thursday evening I took a trip to ACE Hardware and picked up some thin steel plate, fasteners, and 12 in lengths of 1/4 in threaded rod. I had made a template of the battery module end last week and used the template to make two steel end plates. After the end plates were cut, drilled, and fitted, the strap holding the half module was loosened enough to slide the plates onto the ends and the threaded rod was inserted through the holes on each corner. Then a large clamp was used to compress the half module enough to get the nuts started on the threaded rod. There is a bit of a recess on the edges where the threaded rod comes through the end of the module, so the hardest part of getting everything bolted up was getting a 1/4 in washer behind the plates, so the plate would seat nicely on the end of the module.
STEEL END PLATE BOLTED TO MODULE
There will be an insulated terminal bolted to the steel plate and a copper bus bar will be bent to connect the battery terminals to the terminal on the end plate. This will be where the cables going to the rear pack will connect and a hole will be drilled between the battery terminal and the insulated terminal to connect the third module, that will be mounted in the front area where the radiator used to be mounted.
Aluminum angles will be drilled to bolt to the bottom threaded rod on the modules, then will be bolted to the deck plate that was just installed. I may put a piece of rubber sheet under the modules so they will have a little padding, instead of just sitting on the deck plate.
EXAMPLE OF ANGLE MOUNTING
Tomorrow I am going to calk and finish painting the outside of the new French Patio door I put in last weekend and will probably do some touch up painting around the inside molding but then plant on going back to ACE Hardware and picking up some more 1/4 in threaded rod to get the other half module ready. I am also going to need to order some more insulated terminals, as it seems all of the ones I had, have already been used.
It is a little exciting as the second module will allow me to drive the Fiero to work, so once the module is installed, I plan to drive the car into Columbus, OH on the weekend to test it. There is a public J1772 charger about 11 miles from home, so if it looks like I am running out of juice, I can stop there to put enough charge in the modules to get me home.
Thanks for visiting,
Randy
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