Engineering

My father (who is an aerospace engineer) stopped by this weekend to help me with the key measurements and dimensions required to design an adapter plate and hub for mounting the Warp 9 electric motor to the flywheel/clutch and ultimately reconnecting it all so that it aligns and drives the transmission as the factory engine would (mechanically). First, we removed the clutch seen below:

Below is a shot of the flywheel after removing the clutch assembly.
And here is what the block looks like with the flywheel removed. You can see the hub in the center (with 6 bolt holes) that will need to be duplicated in steel for the electric motor to mount to the original clutch and flywheel. The main difference being how it mounts the motor shaft via a slotted keyway. Important measurements focused on the relationship of features from the face of the engine flange to the hub along the axis of rotation. Many measurements were taken many times to ensure accuracy for later machining of the adapter parts.
In order to create the adapter plate, my father came up with a scheme to make a very accurate template/tracing of the transmission bell housing flange by trimming a piece of 1/8" plexiglass to match the profile. After a rough trim, we devised a scheme to get the 2 alignment pins represented on the template. This will ultimately allow us to find the center using a few measurements taken from the engine side pins to the center of the hub.
Here's the rough cut clamped to the transmission. What I really like about this idea is that it's rigid but thin material, the transparency makes it simple to se how things line up throughout the process of making it, and it's cheap. The next update will include more information about how this template was completed as well as photos of the finished template.

Demolition: Engine and Transmission

Despite hitting a snag with the drive shafts, I proceeded with a plan to drop the transmission out of the engine bay (gently resting it on the floor) while using the hoist to lift the engine up and out.

I started by installing the factory engine hooks to the proper locations and rigging up the engine hoist and leveler. With the chains taught, I removed the load of the engine from the mounts and proceeded to unbolt the transmission and all of the motor mounts. A bit of wrestling to get the flywheel and clutch clear of the transmission bell housing and I had it free. However, at this point the 'engine control rod' as it's called in the repair manual had escaped me and was preventing the transmission from dropping out. Once I unfastened that, I won.

Here's a closer look at the Yaris engine lowered onto a furniture dolly. I read that this thing only weighs 180 lbs.
Still in need of a cleaning (but hardly dirty), the engine bay looks great. The transmission looks a little small in this photo because it's sitting on the floor about a foot from where it should be. 
Below is a close up of the clutch assembly. Note that there is no pilot bearing to connect the flywheel hub to the the splined shaft coming from the transmission.
With the engine and transmission separated, I can finally get a good look at the splined input shaft, throw out bearing, clutch fork, and of course... the bell housing flange .

Next up, it's time to start planning and measuring. The design of the adapter plate to mount the Warp 9 electric motor to this transmission is critical. All the part have to line up just right to ensure proper operation as well as safety and reliability.

The Zilla controller arrives!

Ordered in August, and received today, my new Cafe Electric Zilla 1K HV controller has finally arrived. This is probably the most important component of my EV conversion. In a nutshell, the controller regulates the flow of electricity from the battery pack to the motor. This particular controller is in short supply (for the time being) and the company that produces them is looking for a partner to continue manufacturing them. For this reason, I placed my order the day I found my donor car in anticipation of the long wait. Here's what I received:

The controller itself is located bottom/center in the photo. It is quite heavy for such a small box. Above it (to the right) is the "Hairball" interface. This little piece of hardware allows for many options when configuring the electric drive system. One important feature I chose for my Zilla is the Hall Effect Pedal Input (-P option) that will allow me to connect the stock Yaris pedal to the Hairball without the need to rig up a potentiometer to regulate speed. Finally, a small bag includes some cables, a small tool, and other misc. bits. I'm very excited to have these parts in hand.