NA crankshaft pulley and gearstick heights?
Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2011 7:53 pm
I'm hoping some of you can help me with some measurements. Some friends and I in Brisbane are converting an NA6 MX-5 to battery electric drive. If you wan't to know more about the project, start here: http://www.evalbum.com/2507
We're keeping the original air conditioning system and we've adapted the original engine pulley to the front of the electric motor and are currently mounting the compressor to the side of it. We still have the original engine outside the car, to take measurements off, and we have some photos that we took before removing it, but these, and other sources, are giving conflicting information about whether I've got the compressor, with its flexible hoses, back at the same height it was originally, within say +- 5 mm. And more seriously, whether I've got the gearbox back near its original height.
So I chose some measurements that are hopefully easy for any of us to make:
1. the height of the top of the gearstick (with the knob unscrewed) above the surrounding plastic console, and
2. the height of the inside top of the engine pulley above the sway bar, and
3. the height of the outside top of the aircon compressor pulley above the sway bar.
You'll need either a tape measure or ruler or calipers and you'll need something straight, short and narrow like a pencil or paddle-pop stick.
For the first measurement, you need to put it in neutral and sit the pencil on top of the gear-stick, projecting backward parallel to the console and measure from underside of pencil to console.
For the second you need to hold the pencil inside the top of the pulley so it is parallel to the shaft and projecting forward and measure from the top of the pencil down to the sway bar.
For the third you need to hold the pencil on the top of the aircon pulley on the cylindrical part immediately forward of where the belt goes, and measure from the bottom of the pencil down to the sway bar.
And if two or three of you can do this we'll have a crosscheck. This would be much appreciated, and if you're ever in Brisbane you will be welcome to have a drive, once I get it finished and registered.
We're keeping the original air conditioning system and we've adapted the original engine pulley to the front of the electric motor and are currently mounting the compressor to the side of it. We still have the original engine outside the car, to take measurements off, and we have some photos that we took before removing it, but these, and other sources, are giving conflicting information about whether I've got the compressor, with its flexible hoses, back at the same height it was originally, within say +- 5 mm. And more seriously, whether I've got the gearbox back near its original height.
So I chose some measurements that are hopefully easy for any of us to make:
1. the height of the top of the gearstick (with the knob unscrewed) above the surrounding plastic console, and
2. the height of the inside top of the engine pulley above the sway bar, and
3. the height of the outside top of the aircon compressor pulley above the sway bar.
You'll need either a tape measure or ruler or calipers and you'll need something straight, short and narrow like a pencil or paddle-pop stick.
For the first measurement, you need to put it in neutral and sit the pencil on top of the gear-stick, projecting backward parallel to the console and measure from underside of pencil to console.
For the second you need to hold the pencil inside the top of the pulley so it is parallel to the shaft and projecting forward and measure from the top of the pencil down to the sway bar.
For the third you need to hold the pencil on the top of the aircon pulley on the cylindrical part immediately forward of where the belt goes, and measure from the bottom of the pencil down to the sway bar.
And if two or three of you can do this we'll have a crosscheck. This would be much appreciated, and if you're ever in Brisbane you will be welcome to have a drive, once I get it finished and registered.
sure you can't fit any more batteries in? 
Actually we're pleased we haven't had to put any in the boot, so you can still fit a toothbrush and change of underwear there. 
Yes it's rather a lot of weight, but we need them for the peak power we're after. However we have an option to unbolt and remove half of them in two blocks, one under the boot floor, the other under the bonnet, for when handling is more important than power or range. We plan to come up with a performance MX-5 electric conversion that we can repeat to amortise the design cost.