the electric

dragonsgate

dragonsgate

True Classic

1984 X19 98hp and 184 ft lbs torque from zero rpm, 0-60 in just under 9 sec. I fabricated the glass hood and frontend as well as rear deck and roll panel.

 
Electric?

With that amount of torque this must be electric powered? Or a typo.
Car looks clean :)
 
Welcome, sounds like a big project. I'd like to know more!

Some quesitons... Do you have pics to share of the "engine" bay and battery areas? Does removing the radiator and the new nose create more space for batteries?

How is charging accomplished, and what is the range?
 
Yep, Electric. There are a few converted X19”s out there. I got my first Fiat 128 in 1976. It was a 75 that I bought from a friend. She bought it new but it never ran right for her so I got it and did a miner adjustment and never had any real problems with it after that. I drove that car all over the U.S. until about eight years ago. I found the secret to keeping Fiats running. Drive the crap out of them every time you get in. I got this X19 in 98 and drove it for a short time before converting in Nov. 99. It had issues brought about from neglect so seeing as how I had been thinking about building an electric conversion for quite a while I decided this was an opportune time. I have had a couple Fiats that I modified and always liked the sound of those little fifteen hundreds at 7K+ rpm. So going to almost dead silent at speed was a trip. Even though I liked the varoom I have come to get a kick out of ZZZZZZZ when I punch it. It is especially nice when you are hammering it and come around a turn to find a County Mounty sitting there. If it had been a gasser he would most likely heard me coming from a ways away and been ready for me. I drive this car just about every day. It has much better low end that any of the other Fiats I have driven and will easily cruise at 70mph with a top end electronically limited to about 95mph. The big draw back is range of course. I normally drive 10-12 miles each day some times 25. I limit my range to 30 so I do not drag the batteries too low. I have seen some nice cars on this forum and am looking forward to seeing some more as projects are completed.
 
budgetzagato said:
Welcome, sounds like a big project. I'd like to know more!

Some quesitons... Do you have pics to share of the "engine" bay and battery areas? Does removing the radiator and the new nose create more space for batteries?

How is charging accomplished, and what is the range?
Click to expand...
I will be happy to get some more pictures posted and give some more info if you really want but the day is started and my boss is giving me the fisheye so I better get dressed and make my morning mail run so I can get back home and to work.
 
Very cool. I imagine that the range could be extended with some newer technology batteries coming on the market. I can see your car only getting better as the Tech gets better... Looking forward to seeing more pics...:)
 











First I want to say I am not advocating electric cars. In fact if you have a nice X19 laying about I recommend that you soup it up with a nice ICE unless you do not plan on getting to far from home or when you do go out you don’t mind that it feels like you are leaving with an empty gas tank and the only place to get more gas is at home. Here are some pictures to show a little of what I did. I am not known for documenting my work on cars so pictures are far and few between. The motor is a nine inch Advance DC traction motor. In 1999 when I did this conversion it was top of the line and still is a good motor but there are some newer versions that take higher voltage and amps. AC’s are becoming more affordable also. The motor is attached to the trans with an adapter plate and special made coupler. I won’t bore you with a lot of details of the build. I will give some spec’s. The car is a 1984 with some body modifications. I shaved a little over 40 pounds with glass front and rear. I did a lot of other shaving here and there after removing the engine, gas tank, exhaust, and radiator etc. and got the body down to about fifteen hundred pounds while keeping it relatively comfortable to ride in. Then I started putting the electric stuff in. Everything was going fine until I got to the batteries. Fourteen years ago lead acid batteries was the only thing available for a price that didn’t rival the National debt so that is what I used and to my chagrin am still using. Maybe someday if I ever get a ROI on my redneck 401K (lottery) I will spring for some lithium. The car curbs at 2,760 pounds. It is nominal 144 volts DC with a conservative 500 amp controller = 89 hp peak and 184 foot pounds of torque from zero rpm through 3,000 rpm. There is no clutch as I do not shift that much. I usually take off and drive in second and sometimes third. I have about $9,000 in the whole setup including chargers. The pluses of such a car are… I have not changed oil in 14 years or had to mess with coolant leaks. I frequently pass gas stations except to stop and clean the windshield every once in a while. It coast 2.5 cents a mile unless I drive hard and use more amps than usual then I can get close to 4 cents. The car is very responsive when taking off and coming out of turns as there is no lag time between throttle and motor. (You punch it and its there) Short comings… The biggest argument against is range. 30 miles to a lot of people is way too restrictive while in reality most do not drive more than 25 to 30 miles a day. Charge times are to long is another. My minimum time for a full charge is one hour fifteen minutes. I am sure there are other pros and cons but this is turning into a novelette so I will thank you for not coming down on me for messing up a Fiat X19. I sometimes think I did, and then I go for a drive in it.
 
I think it's cool...

One of my dream projects is something like this for use as a grocery-getter. Add a power cord for the charging stations that are more and more common and you would be golden.

Thanks for sharing the pics. :thumbsup:
 
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