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MAINER MARK KANDUTSCH’S CLEAN 1972 SAAB 96 CONVERSION
I did all of the bodywork with steel, and a minimum of bondo
I had to have the transmission rebuilt, an unexpected expense
The new paint job turned out pretty good
“I chose a SAAB 96 for the project for several reasons. First, I just like them.
Second, they are streamlined and lightweight, with narrow tires and a
relatively smooth under-body, and finally they do not have power steering.”
“The batteries are Interstate U8VGC 8 volt golf cart batteries. I
got a deal whereby the dealer sold me 17 (he had that many in stock)
for the price of 15. I had planned for 120 volts total, but all the
components can run on up to 144, so I arranged the battery boxes to
accommodate either 15 or 17 batteries. It will be interesting to see
whether the extra 2 are more weight and trouble than good, or not.
The battery boxes are vented through the black plastic hose, out
through a small vent behind the rear window. Obviously the car has
become a two seater.
The power brake vacuum pump came from ebay. I am not happy with
this and I think it will be the last holdup getting the car on the road.”
- This interior view shows it unfinished. The small white panel
contains the battery monitor and switches for pre-charge resistor, 12-
volt converter, and an unused switch and pilot light for the heater
when I install that. There is also an indicator for the motor
overheat circuit.
One thing that gave me some trouble was figuring out how to connect
the Link-10 monitor without causing a path to ground for the main
battery pack. I did not want the weight of an auxiliary battery, and
the manufacturers instructions depict a totally different 12-V
converter configuration from what I have. I ended up powering the
meter from the 3 most -negative batteries in the pack for a total of
~36V. The Link 10 can run on any voltage from 12 to 48.
Here is a picture of the adapter plate I made from aluminum on a small
lathe. It is bored for a compression bushing (keyless coupling). I used the
center part of the original clutch disc, centering it with a spare clutch shaft
right in the lathe, so I could drill the bolt holes while the disc was centered
and the disc held square in the lathe chuck. This worked well.
- I used the Netgain "impulse 9" motor, and the Logisystems 750 amp
controller. These are probably larger than actually needed for this
car, but I got them that way for the possibility that I might re-use
them later in another project if the present one is not suitable for
some reason.
- I did not have access to a large milling machine so I fabricated the
motor mount from aluminum plate I had left over form a boatbuilding
project, cutting the large holes with a router on a compass bar.
This uses the original engine mounts in the SAAB engine bay.
To align the motor with the transmission, I stood the motor up on end
and carefully set the trans over it with the clutch shaft engaged,
then shifted it slightly side to side until it did not vibrate when
the motor was turned with 12 volts . Then I clamped it there and
drilled the holes in the aluminum plate using a pilot guide I made on
the lathe.
What I failed to realize, though, is that parts are rather
scarce for this Saab. The car I bought had quite a lot of rust, which I repaired
with steel and just a little Bondo. Unfortunately the transmission
needed to be rebuilt, which increased the overall cost. I had thought
I could do it myself, but it turned out to be more involved than I
had thought.
The SAAB transmission features a free-wheel which can be locked out
if desired. I have had the car on the road once for a very brief
ride so far, and did not try the free-wheel at all. I think it may
make shifting easier for this clutch-free car. Because of the extra
weight, I replaced the rear springs with some front springs, which
are a thicker wire size but same diameter. These had to be shortened
slightly, and when installed markedly increased the capacity of the
rear suspension, and the car has actually finished with the same
suspension height as when it started.
- I am looking forward to getting this car out on the road soon, and using it
for my daily ride to work & around Mount Desert Island.
Mark Kandutsch
HERE IS NEW INFORMATION FROM MARK KANDUTSCH
ABOUT AN IMPROVEMENT TO HIS SAAB EV
I thought I’d let you know about the first year with my “Electro Saab” ... It has been my daily driver since March, and I put about 4,000 miles on it, basically around Mount Desert Island and Ellsworth, up to Donnell’s Pond, etc. I recently decided to make a new coupling for it, since the old one, in which I basically bolted the clutch disc onto a homemade aluminum flywheel, was a bit sloppy. Here’s how one can be made with only a small metal lathe for machinery.
3 inch by 1 inch disc bored and faced with a small lip.
A splined hub taken for an old clutch plate is turned down and a matching recess is cut into another steel disc. Then the spline hub is brazed into the middle of the disc.
Slide the disc, with the spline hub brazed in, onto an old clutch shaft and use that for a mandrel to turn the mating surfaces. This makes the piece concentric even if the braze joint is not exactly square.
This shows the pieces on the motor shaft, using a compression bushing from McMaster-Carr, Inc. Six 1/4 inch capscrews hold the pieces together.
I hope others can use this info - Mark
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