Rebooting Rebecca: Turning a Morris Minor Electric. Episode 2: Picking a Motor
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 ต.ค. 2024
- Regulars to the channel will know that Kate (AKA PyoorKate) is a keen classic car fan (as are Nikki and Winter too). And for the last few months she's been busy researching ahead of converting her 1969 4-door Morris Minor Deluxe to electric... a car she's had for most of her life.
Today, Kate explains how and why she settled on the motor she did for her conversion, reveals the motor, and explains what's next in the process.
Watch the video above to find out more, support us with the provided links, and let us know what you think below -- but remember to keep your comments civil!
(If you haven't seen episode 1 of the series you can see it here: • Rebooting Rebecca - Tu... )
Presenter: Kate Walton-Elliott
Produced: Transport Evolved
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Please watch: "2023 Kia Niro EV: Why You'll Want To Drive This"
• 2023 Kia Niro EV: A Fa...
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Such elaboration. Such eloquence. Kate, it is good that you aren't rushing this project and are taking care of other important projects first. It is so good to learn how you have been working to figure out which motor/gearbox will work well in Rebecca. Thanks for sharing this update. Great joy and best of everything to you.
Morris Minors are so cool. Back in the 60s and 70s, they were all over the place.
Morris Minor takes me back! Years ago I went for dinner and drinks with a few friends and we had a designated driver who owned a Morris Minor. In the wee hours of the morning with five of us crammed into this little car we stopped at some traffic lights whereupon a huge Yamaha motorcycle pulled alongside. The motorcyclist revved his engine. Our driver revved _his_ engine. The motorcyclist found this so funny he nearly fell off his bike. But if we'd had an electric motor, could we have pulled away from the lights with some respect? I'd like to think so!
Thant you sharing your story 😅 reminds me of my old ex Post office MM van stopped by the police with13 in it!!! nice police man said just drive steadily home with a 850cc engine thats all I could do fun days 😀😀😀😀 safe slow speeds!!!
So epic, this is about to be very 😎. Can we all agree how hilarious you are, this was very enjoyable and your wealth of experience and knowledge is beyond me,but I was not made to feel inadequate. You gave plenty of information and delivered it such that a simpleton like myself could keep up. Thank you
Nice! I look forward to the next one
In the 80s in Seattle a friend put a Chev 327 in his Morris Minor. It was very weird sitting in the remodeled interior as that big V8 took up a lot of space. His regular daily driver was a Citroen DS16 and I was driving a Renault R16. People though we were rather eccentric, if not crazy, in our choice of cars. I love what you're doing with your Morris!
Great tail so far. Looking forward to the next chapter.
Oh I love the Morris, the traveller is my favourite. We had one when I was a kid. It's the dream to get/convert one
Very interesting project. I can think of a number of old vehicles that would be nice to have as an electric conversion. I can see it becoming a strong cottage industry.
It is , but its quite an up market cottage
!!! Good to see you again! One of my first cars was a French Simca... much like your Morris Minor... I wish I still had it.
My dad had a green Morris Minor Traveller. I would love to get one and convert to an EV so I am watching this series with a smile :)
Getting your act together BEFORE starting the show is always a good thing. Warm dry space - check. Organized work space - check(?). Figuring out what to do next?. I love Morris Minors - I drove a NEW Morris Minor 2 door from Seattle to Chicago and back pulling a 1 wheel trailer with my little brother, mom and dad in 1952 (I was 6 & NO, I didn't actually drive, just rode). Memorable trip - my dad & uncle had to grind the valves in Chicago.
A light blue Morris Minor was the first car I can remember my dad having. I can remember going to pick my baby brother up from the hospital in 1967 when I was three. We also drove from Glasgow to the Banffshire coast for at least two family vacations with four small children in the back. I also remember crying in our neighbor's Morris Traveler because it was too loud. It is just such an appealing little car.
MM has character unlike lot of new cars! thank you
Great stuff, Kate! Thanks
It's been a long time since I found myself laughing out loud at a car video :) Looking forward to the next instalment !
Agree!
Cheers for the update and your humour!! Best of luck!
I appreciate this project and look forward to the progress you make. We have a 1990 Japanese market Mini with the 998cc A+. I’ve been watching the EV conversion market for these cars. There are some European companies working with Minis, but their offerings are expensive! Your approach of using the Mitsubishi EV parts is very cool.
My big sister had about 3 or 4 Morris Minors back in the 1980's.
The first one was called "Lizzy," a brilliant little runner... & together, they used to take me around alot.
I remember it being cold in winter & hot in summer, but always a very cool vehicle to be inside..
I'd love to convert one, to electric, myself!
Thanks for the fun and informative video. I have a 1959 Karmann Ghia convertible which I've owned for many years. But I have not driven it for a long time, and it's due for another restoration. Like you, I have also harbored the idea of converting it to be an EV. It originally had a 36HP 1200cc engine, which I had updated over the years. I have also toyed around with several ideas with using a Netgain Warp 9 motor, hopefully being sold with the other necessary electronic bits from someone else's incomplete EV project. The biggest cost item however has always been the batteries, with new LiFePO4 batteries adding up to thousands of dollars. Most affordable (and successful) conversions that I've seen use the Gen1 Volt batteries. But I've even thought about using the whole drivetrain and chassis from a Chevy Spark EV, as the wheelbase and width are quite close to the Ghia's, and I potentially would not need to re-engineer the drivetrain, and "just" adapt the running chassis/motor to the body. I have also been tempted, and ordered an Aptera, which admittedly costs more, but would be cool, new, and partially solar powered. And with the Aptera being my daily driver, I might choose the simpler path to just fix up the Ghia as-was. Still, I applaud your brave, and well researched approach, and I am looking forward to seeing your classic conversion progress. Best of luck!
Converting an old car to EV is definitely the way to keep these old cars going, as you say the motor was never anything to write home about looking forward to progress!
Have you considered 3D printing the mating plug and fitting push on connectors ?
That is a very good idea if the pin sizes are known. Chances are a sloppy fit to the pins will let them line themselves up.
Another way to go would be to work out a method to put the mating pins onto the connector then bring the 3D printed part down onto them to hold them in place. You don't need the connector body to be able to pull the pins back off.
My very first car was a 59 Morris Minor. Don't have it now but I have huge memories of Dad and I rebuilding it as it came with a very worn out engine. There were lots of them back 1964, parts and spares were cheap and you could work on them easily. Mine was modified as well with dual carbs, and camshaft upgrades and ported and polished head as well as home made steel tube headers. Don't know the HP but it ate VW's for lunch which was all that mattered then
Good luck with the conversion and I'm a bit jealous have to say.
I can still her the distinctive gearbox in my head. Love the jelly mould shape.
Yes the sounds are amazing from a old ice MM and the exhaust pipe 😅😅😅
Great video! I am a new subscriber to the channel and love meeting some of the other members of the TE team. Vikki, you are a good leader!
This video features Kate - but I'm Nikki not Vikki ;) - Nikki.
Oh yes, we know the famous Nikki. Just giving you a shout-out for putting members of your team on camera. And we watched the interview with Winter earlier this weekend, he'll be another strong member of your team
Great project I wish it was mine.
My first car was a minor with a split screen. I had so much fun in it.
"Trying to get under the car without dying" would be very high on the list of my steps to do, too :)
I understand your desire to go with the Morris Minor. My ideal EV would look like the 1968 VW Van or microbus. I love the overall styling of the microbus. The reason I say look like is everything underneath would require updating, steering, brakes, axles, suspension, tires, HVAC, and even the dash.
I always liked the Moggie and started on one (Bluebell) that was given to me when some friends were offered an insultingly small trade-in price. That was a convertible and I had two or three other Minors in the early '70s. All were a joy in their own way, although you had to lift your feet when fording rivers. You'll probably want rid of the gearbox which sadly will remove the traditional lay-shaft whine. I'm not sure what my 0 to 60 was, but I once got the speedometer up to 'empty' on the fuel gauge. A long down hill run with the roof down and a following wind. New big end shells followed as well.
On 10 point scale 10 being exceptionally good I was all ready to give this video a 10. When you mentioned you chose the i-miev motor my heart wars broken. It was like rubbing salt into the wound reminding me that Mitsubishi did not upgrade this fantastic little car.
Then I realized that the heart of the little car now could be a status upgrade to a Morris Minor. So re thinking my evaluation I think you deserve an 11. But I have to confess I'm not about to let my friend Connie see this video because she would probably try to do the same thing.
Awww, thank you! And yes, the iMiEV could have been a modern mini (in ways that the actual modern mini definitely isn't), but Mitsubishi totally squandered that. We loved our old iMiEV though.
^Kate
I too went around classic car shows with my Dad. I ended up buying a 1972 non running Fiat 500 when I was 15. I got it on the road when I was 17 and haven't been able to part with it. I have wondered about conversion to electric but don't think I will in the end. I too love a Moggy.
Thanks for the update, I've been wondering what was going on with the build. I've often wondered how modders get everything to fit without knowing the exact size and shape of things, would there happen to be an archive of 3d scanned parts like engines and gearboxes so you could get your build scanned and then build it virtually? If not maybe there should be.
I can tell this conversion is going to be interesting.
I think you are doing a good thing! These old cars look much better than the cars today that you have to look at the badge to know what brand. A lot of older car had style! the only EV I've seen of late is the Nobe Car, a shame it is a three-wheeler. It's having an old Vespa scooter against the new ones. I would love a new EV styled in homage to the Vespa. You go for it!! Money can't buy class and I'm sure your Morris will be classy.
If you didn't suffer coolant loss on a 300 mile trip in a Morris minor, you'd be the first person to have that happen. My dad drove a Morris minor from Phoenix to Winnipeg, and yes, suffered coolant loss more than once.
You should have said the part number and maker for that connector. Someone like me (not me in this case I think) might have a box of them on the shelf that have not even been looked at for 20 years.
Wolf Tronix solved the unobtainium connector problem by finding loose pins that fit the terminals in the connector. Then 3D printed a connector body to fit. Your problem is the original connector is water resistant while the home made one isn't.
Great script. Keep it goin'
great video and update..... did you look at using a forklift electric motor?
Too bad the after market manufacturers don't start offering complete EV conversion kits for some of the most popular car and pickup models. This would allow us to use a lot of the existing vehicle stock to conserve resources, and even if the performance is not as good as a purpose built EV, it would be good enough for most uses.
Absolutely!!!
I solute your resolve. 🖖🏼
I think that's called procrastinating! Lol
Does this mean you aren't going to install the upcoming Yamaha 350kw and do a review? I heard it was very compact. 😉
That would *rock*, but I suspect it will be exceedingly expensive. Still, Rebecca (and the Insight) hopefully won't be the only EV-conversions we do at Transport Evolved - Winter
Wish something like this was possible where I live. While there is a legal path to do it, getting the car on the road would be prohibitively expensive and time-consuming.
Advice from my experience, don't try and use solar for workshop heating. The equipment cost far exceeds the electric use and it never outputs enough to make a difference
Eek! Every time you say “A Series” Siri pops up.
“I sit on a minor and I smile”
FBI, open up.
I didn't relize that it's gotten so cheap to buy a used electric motor from an actual car. I'm gonna have to start looking around at something other than an old forklift motor and put some serious consideration into converting my 95 dodge neon.
HISTORY" 🌍💚GREAT YOUR PUTING MM BACK ON THE ROAD
😀Makes me smile! thats a good reason, been waiting to see what you have been up to with your Morris Minor👍. Agree with you say A series engine lovely to work on and very reliable. I have a MM 1966 Traveller love the smell of it the central speedo bit like a Tesla! also love me 1970 Land Rover (veg oil) this also gives me a big smile and other people to!
Did like the idea converting the MM to run on wood gas of methane? but electric way is to go!
I think
generation
Lunaz Design does "electrification" of classic cars. Could you colab?
Made of unobtanium hahahahahh. I cant believe it costs to adopt. So easy living in the uk
0 to 62... yes, eventually... 🤣
“Is Rebecca a TESLA KILLER”
What an adventure