The team reached a major milestone today when we removed the Supra’s engine with Adam Clark and Calvin Harris. I can say that we were all shocked by the amount of fluid that leaked from the engine. Nearly all of the floor was covered in some sort of grease, ranging from bright red power steering fluid to clear brake fluid. The chemical spill reminded us of just one of the many reasons to goelectric.
The next task was to clean out the engine bay and engine. We rolled the car and engine hoist out of the shop into an open area with the power washer. Getting the car outside came with several difficulties. On our first attempt, the drive shaft of the car started scraping on the ground, so we tied straps from the drive shaft over the top of the car. Unfortunately, this meant the doors of the car would be completely strapped tight as well. Several more creative attempts failed, including one where a person sat in the empty engine bay and held the shaft up with a broom, so we eventually had to saw off a piece or two from the car. Once the car got moving, it started leaking yellow fluid, so we had to stem the flows.
In the parking lot, Calvin gave us a demo for the power washing equipment and we got to work blasting the sludge out of the transmission bay. After power-washing the car, Adam gave us a quick pop-quiz on pieces of the pulled motor. We reviewed which parts of the engine could and could not get water in them; for example, the oil reservoir cannot have water in it, but the water pump (engine cooling) can. Next, we took several pictures of our engine so we could post a listing on Craigslist. Our plan is to post a listing for each part of the engine as well as a listing for the entire engine itself, so we can have it sold as quickly as possible. Based on other listings and a local Supra enthusiast, We expect to sell it between $750 and $1,500. To conclude the morning, we power-washed the garage and organized some tools.
In the afternoon, we learned and practiced how to use a tap and die set. These tools help clean holes for bolts and also form threads. I am sure this skill set will be invaluable once we start fabricating pieces for our electric build. To end the day we had three important discussions on the direction of our car. Our first discussion concerned the location of the electric motor. This will likely be one of our biggest decisions to date, and we have several good options. I think we will likely place the motor in the front of the engine bay for display and maintenance purposes. If we do this, we will need a custom drive shaft, which will be expensive, but we would not have to add a steel bottom to the Supra since there are existing load bearing structures in the engine bay. The next discussion was about battery chemistry and number. This conversation incited our last discussion which was about the future of the EV car and club. Overall, Friday was a very productive day, and I cannot wait to work more on the car.
Note: I have a feeling the car, and blog, will get a name very soon.
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