Firebrid: The Prius v Powered Hybrid Convertible

I guess in a way this brings balance to The Force...

Bill the Engineer

 

FINALLY!!!! The last task in the way of putting the body back on the chassis is DONE!!! On the Prius v, Toyota routes the parking brake cable back behind the Denso A/C unit on the far side from the driver. This made the cable too short to reach the new parking brake pedal position on the Firebird firewall. One last bolt behind the A/C unit was keeping the cable in place. It took an hour and a half with my head upside down lying on the floor of the car, and using three different wrenches to get the bolt loose in the tiny little hole I had access through... but I finally got it. The photo is of the cable pulled out from behind the A/C unit and rerouted to the driver's side. Got-cha you little bugger.



Bill the Engineer

 

Fantastic day out in the garage today. The weather was warm and the promised rain stayed away until dinner time. I'll let the photos speak for themselves this time.













It was a very satisfying day. The body is sitting just where it is supposed to, and both doors work freely without binding. There should be no reason to remove the body again from the chassis

Well, it is two weeks behind schedule, but my wife should have her parking space back in the garage again next weekend. It will be time to put the project away through the cold weather months. If I get any warm bonus weekends here and there I'll pull it out for some minor tasks, but that's pretty much the end of this year's progress.

Time to do some more planning...

Bill the Engineer

 

That's why I bought the lowering springs earlier this year. They aren't on the car yet. Also, the suspension is only carrying the weight of the bare body. The interior, top and body panels will weigh it down some more. Either way it will still look aggressive once I'm done.

Bill the Engineer

 

An few images for those of you who are recent arrivals to the thread. The Firebird body and the Prius v chassis fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. Everything was drawn first in AutoCAD to determine where to cut (and where NOT to cut) to maintain the structural integrety of the final Firebrid design. The body is as low as it can be and still keep the strength needed to drive it safely.






Bill the Engineer

 

Yes. The Firebird side sills are in excellent shape (rust free) as is the structure around the firewall and rear wheelwells. The rust was mostly restricted to the floor panels and trunk floor. The car sat in a garage with a gravel floor for a few years, and a family of mice caused lots of damage once they got in through the holes that developed from the bottom. The frame rot that you would see on a car that drove in road salt was minimal. I know the history of the car. I'm the third owner. I have owned it since 1979 and have LOTS of fond memories driving it. Now it will have a new life. The Prius v underneath was nearly brand new when it rolled over on a cloverleaf during an ice storm. It only has 4,500 miles on the odometer, and hasn't even had its first oil change yet.

Bill the Engineer

 

Here is the current plan. On the road in late 2019, although it will be moving under its own power in late 2018. I would rather drive it to my retirement near the beach rather than have to trailer it there. I plan to retire Q4 2019. My present garage is unheated, so working on it in the cold of Winter isn't possible with my arthritis.

Bill the Engineer.

 

Some images to make the structure more understandable. The Prius v structural elements are mostly under the bottom of the car. The only structural parts that were removed were the windshield area and B-pillar hoop that goes up between the doors into the roof. The side sills are intact save for the area where the B-pillars were removed, and that area is bridged by four thicknesses of heavy gauge steel in the Firebird body door sills.




Bill the Engineer

 

Glad I'm the one with the power tools then.

Bill the Engineer

 

Back into the corner of the garage again for the winter. The cold snap this weekend is brutal. Working in the garage in my winter coat and gloves. My wife will have her parking space in the garage back before American Thanksgiving weekend.

Bill the Engineer