Convert It!
by Michael P. Brown
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Book Summary Information
Author: Michael P. BrownContributor: Shari Prange
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1993-11
ISBN: 1879857944
Number of pages: 128
Publisher: South Florida Electric Auto Association
Book Reviews of Convert It!
Book Review: Actual step-by-step conversion explanation
Summary: 4 Stars
First, the copy I got in 2007 is 126 pages with a color cover, bound with the kind of black fabric binding material they use at Kinko's. The pages are in order and all but a couple of the photos are perfectly clear. Oh, and it has an index; that's a nice touch missing from some books.
First published in 1989 but updated in 1990, and 1993. In *my* experience this makes it a very recent book on this subject. The electric car fad peaked back in the 70's and most books date from that time.
Brown actually attempts to take you through the step-by-step of converting your car to battery power. He includes component selection, wiring techniques, advice on battery boxes, etc. There's a lot of detail here.
He does skimp in some critical areas however. The machining of the mounting plate that adapts the electric motor to the old flywheel is kind of glossed over. I'm not sure your friendly local machine shop will help you with this, but I may be mistaken.
And since he lives in California, the fact that the resulting car will have no heater, no defroster, and no air conditioning doesn't matter to him. Oh, and you'll be adding 800 pounds to the weight to your selected vehicle.
I just don't see anyone actually doing this in 2007. You'd do better to buy a Prius or Insight, and maybe get one of the "plug-in" kits. Then at least you'd have a real car at the end of the day.
No one's ever sold a modern mass-produced battery powered electric car at a reasonable price, and I think with all the hybrids on the road, the sun has really set on the idea of a short-range battery only car.
What I REALLY wish he'd write about is how to convert a riding lawn mower to battery power. That's a project more of us could tackle, and you'd actually have something better than the original when you were done.
Summary of Convert It!
This book is the leading how-to resource for electric car conversions. It combines Brown's years of professional automotive experience with down-to-earth language even an automotive beginner can understand. It is not written for the engineer in the laboratory, but for the home mechanic building his own car, and for the average person behind the wheel. Brown speaks to the reader as if talking to a friend in his garage. Before lifting a wrench, Brown answers the most frequently asked questions about electric cars: how fast will it go, how far will it go, how long will the batteries last, how pollution-free is it really, and many more. The conversion process itself begins with choosing an appropriate donor chassis, and stripping it of internal combustion components. Here Brown's experience provide numerous tips and tricks to make the later conversion process easier and more successful. Step by step, Brown leads the reader through the conversion. As each component comes up, Brown gives a little background on the different types available, and the pros and cons of each. He includes tips on layout, design and fabrication at each step, and discusses different approaches for different chassis, such as front wheel drive vs. rear wheel drive. By the end of the book, every part of the conversion process has been discussed. Brown wraps up with a procedure for testing and troubleshooting, and guidelines for normal driving, charging, and maintenance. The book is salted heavily throughout with photos and diagrams to illustrate its topics, and it includes a very thorough index. CONVERT IT has been chosen by the Department of Energy and by numerous schools across the country as the textbook for high school electric car conversion projects.Repair Books
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