The Hybrid Convertible Project Prius v

Nah, you only need vise-grips and duct tape for those...

 

I have been playing with the idea of making the Firebrid a plug-in Hybrid with one of the commercially available kits. Anyone know of any good incentives for those?

Next project is already scoped out. My wife still wants an all-electric Z3 roadster.

Bill the Engineer

 

Had some fun for a while today in the garage on the project. Since the body is now lower on the chassis, more modifications were needed to fit the right fender to the body.



Fortunately there is still good clearance over the top of the strut towers.



Holding the front bumper up to the car showed me that the fender and hood stretch is still necessary. I will also need to rework the hood hinges....




..but then the sky darkened and it began teaming hard enough to splash into the garage.



Hoping that the evening is better and I can get out there again.

Bill the Engineer

 

96degF on Saturday, and very little time Sunday. Mostly got a bunch of measurements done so I can design the bumper brackets I will need in the front on CAD.




I won't bore you with the hand sketches. On to next weekend...

Bill the Engineer

 

Design of the adapter brackets to mount the Firebird front bumper on the Prius v chassis is coming along nicely.



Next step will be detailed part drawings so I can get them quoted by a fab shop. Some of the bends are too hefty for my equipment.

Bill the Engineer

 

The unpainted aluminum crush boxes that bolt on? No, they are being replaced by the new brackets to hold the Firebird loop bumper and Firebird core support panel.



The new brackets form a "U" shape with the existing brackets that are already on the bumper with a slotted joint. This "U" shape will collapse on impact if necessary, plus the chromed steel loop bumper is much stronger than the aluminum beam that rides behind the fascia of the Prius v nose. These are needed for the appearance of the car to be as original as possible.



The Core Support from the Firebird is what is used to hold the front of the Firebird fenders and hood in position and offers an extra layer of protection. Naturally I hope to never need the impact resistance of these parts, but they are there.

Bill the Engineer

 

Bracket layout completed and detailed part drawings underway.




Bill the Engineer

 

I am really enjoying making these drawings!



Bill the Engineer

 

Cardboard mock-up bumper brackets created using a 1:1 plot of the AutoCAD drawings. Step by step process worked well, but I am still waiting for the glue to dry. Photos of them mounted to the car will have to wait until tomorrow. :-(





Bill the Engineer

 

Cardboard mock-ups of the brackets that will hold the Firebird front bumper to the Prius V frame are done and mounted to the car. Next weekend I will hold up the Firebird radiator support in place to make some more measurements. Maybe not exciting for most folks, but this is a key step to making the bumper, fenders and hood fit properly on the car.





Hydraulic line clearance is just the way I planned it.



I have also sent the drawings out to a fab shop to get quoted.

Bill the Engineer