Custom Builder- Electric Street Rods

by Bradley Fox
(Portland, Oregon, USA)

I am an industrial Electrician, millwright, and former Aircraft mechanic (USAF). My current project is a shortened 55 chevy Bel air wagon. It has been completely gutted down to a 500 pound shell. The frame is 2" x 4"x 1/8" steel tube. It will have twin battery systems (under floor), so I can run off of one, and regenerate the other.

The suspension is four wheel disc, with Independent rear suspension and a full rack and pinion in the front. There is no transmission. Plans are for a netgain 11" DC motor and matching controller. I have found netgain technologies to have the best, most user friendly equipment on the market.

At the moment, the project is "roughed" together. I will be tearing down, finishing off my welds, dealing with alignment issues, and powdercoating/reassembling the frame.

The finished product will be a 2200# Electric street rod w/fiberglass tilt front end,twin LiPo4 battery packs, and an unlimited range. It is a car that I will have no reservations about putting my family in and driving 1,000 miles!

When it comes to Electric Vehicles, Weight is the biggest issue you have to deal with, as well as battery capacity. Sometimes it is better and more cost effective to start from scratch than to retrofit an existing ICE chassis. If you still decide to go with an old chassis, use something simple such as a VW, Corvair, etc., and do your research before you buy anything.Stay away from old Kostov motors and forklift controllers. You will only be replacing them.

Brad Fox,
Portland, Oregon
e-mail: wirenutfoxx@msn.com