SudoSeth

I know it’s been a while since my last update, but we’ve been doing a lot with the Deuce.  When we first started working on the truck I thought that all of the electrical wiring in the box was going to have to be redone. John did some testing with the existing cables and figured out that everything should actually work ok. The stock umbilical cable did not seem to join with the breaker box properly, so we decided not to use it. Instead, we disconnected the generator start/stop control buttons and ran a standard household electrical cable from the inverter to where the buttons used to be and then into the breaker box. We are using an APC 900W UPS connected to six Everstart marine batteries from Walmart. Each battery is 115Ahr at 12  Volts, which gives a total of around 8.2KWhrs  if I drain the batteries down to the shutoff voltage. Granted, I have no intentions of taking the batteries down to the 10.5V cutoff, so an 80% depth of discharge leaves me with around 6.6KWhrs, which is still a good chunk of change. Running the inverter at the full 900W would give me about 7 Hours of run time.

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Deuce and a Half

I have a new project. I introduce to you my future mobile “command center”. I plan to rework the shop area of the truck to contain a modern computer network, perfect for use on a job site and LAN parties alike.

This beast of a truck is a military M185A3, similar to a M109A3. This type of truck was used to repair electronic equipment (such as RADAR systems) in the field. It weighs 17,300 lbs empty (17,800 on the last scale I took it over).  Powered by a 130 HP multifuel Diesel engine, this truck will go just about anywhere using almost any flammable liquid. It has a top speed of 55 MPH and a cruising speed of 49 MPH. The fuel economy is, at 9MPG,  surprisingly good for a vehicle of this size. It has a 50 gallon fuel tank, which gives it a range of between 400 and 500 miles. It also costs over $130 to fill up.

More after the jump.

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Cars, Deuce and a Half M185A3

Today is a sad day, although I knew it would come eventually. I have to sell the Delorean that my brother and I own. Although it is a wonderful car and gets lots of attention, there is just no way that we can give this car the care that it deserves. This car has had a lot of work done on it by my dad, but I don’t have the technical know-how to continue working on it. While this car is not in a proper driving condition, it is a fun project to work on. We just don’t have the money to continue fixing it up. Last summer it was running a little rough, but it was able to go up to at least 60MPH on the highway (I didn’t try going in faster than that). The steering seemed fined, with no noticeable shake in the steering wheel as some Deloreans can have. However, it had been three months since I last drove the car and when I went to start it yesterday afternoon it would not start. I’m not really sure on what the problem is, but as I’ve said, I don’t know cars well enough to figure out what is really going on. If you know what you are doing, this would be a really fun project car to work on.

Here are some details about it:

All new coolant tubes (replaced 3 years ago)

Brand new battery (less than 4 months old)

Knight Rider esque light bar on the rear

Fuel gauge does not work

Headlights work, but the wiring needs to be looked at

Dashboard lights do not work (you can’t drive it at night)

Engine needs work: when started it idles at 1500RPM and after it is warmed up it idles at 3000RPM

Fuel pump most likely needs to be replaced

All break lights and turn signals work

Power windows work

5 speed manual transmission works well

Breaks are a little weak, but work

Pirelli P600 tires on the rear

Paint on the rear bumper is starting to peel

Handling is quite good in my opinion

Take a look at the pictures for more information (click on the picture at the top)

Update: Sold.

Cars, Delorean delorean

I took some pictures of the electric bike that I made last summer and added them to the photo gallery. Here are some cool stats:

Kit: Road Runner Conversion kit from Electric Rider
Motor: 750 watt DC Brushless
Controler: 48 Volt
Batteries: Four 10 Amp 12 Volt Sealed Lead Acid batteries (like what you find in computer UPS’)
Top Speed: 25MPH
Cursing Speed: 23MPH
Range: 10-15 Miles
Conventional Powertrain: Intact, 24 speed

Cars bike, electric

I drove my DeLorean over a couple of days ago. I thought you all might be interested in a picture or two, so I’ll be uploading a couple to the gallery in a little while. This DeLorean really isn’t in the best shape. So far after a bit of work I’ve gotten it to be able to start on its own, usually the first try. I’ve also fixed a coolant leak that was causing the engine to overheat. If you watch a video of it on youtube you’ll notice that the RPMs are REALLY high (about 4000RPM idle). I still have to fix this, but this is a bit more involved than some other things. First I have to replace the corroded Idle motor. That will drop the RPMs down to 3000. I also need to replace a couple of hoses that have cracks in them, which might be causing a loss in vacuum pressure. Finally I’ll have to check the Idle control system in the electrical box. I’ll keep you updated.

Delorean delorean, idle, problem