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I couldn't see how bad the welds were until I got the coating removed. Mine was rattle canned and not powder coated.
As for the rear seat delete it would be lighter if I was more experienced with fiberglass. It is probably 50-75 lbs. shoot me your email address and I can send you some pics on how I made it. To say it was quite involved is an understatement.
I couldn't see how bad the welds were until I got the coating removed. Mine was rattle canned and not powder coated.
As for the rear seat delete it would be lighter if I was more experienced with fiberglass. It is probably 50-75 lbs. shoot me your email address and I can send you some pics on how I made it. To say it was quite involved is an understatement.
Time for some pictures, Car has been washed, and put up on the Quick-Jacks. I also managed to weigh the car at its current equipment level.
I had previous posted a number around 1,780 with the glass installed. That was however, an erroneous senior fart moment, and the correct weight WITH glass installed as it sits now is 1,896 lbs.
The current weight estimate for all equipment, interior and seats installed is around 2,134 lbs before power plant/drive train install. A stock '90GT weighs around 3,500-ish lbs
so that leaves 1,366 lbs to play with before reaching stock curb weight.
Currently working on the door cards, and carpeting on all the interior trim pieces. Pictures coming next week of that.
It is a 1:1 scale 3D printed version of the large Tesla unit. Stock power is around 450 HP, with the sport version going up to over 560 HP. Yes it fits very well once the gas tank is removed. The battery box needs some trimming but it is huge and very deep, so there is plenty of room still for a 12V Lithium accessory battery.
Having been driving a Tesla for the last 4 years made me realize there is no way I am going to put a gas engine back into this 928 project. No oil changes, no maintenance, no drips or leaks. All sealed systems, just get in and go for a drive. "Fill up" at home, always walk out to a "full tank" every day if required.
The swap technology for these conversions has come a long way so I will utilize one of several companies out west, a couple in CA and one in AZ. Haven't discussed the details with them yet.
But I'd say that is the direction I'm taking this project. In addition, Tucson AZ is an emissions city, so the only way to do the Corvette conversion would be to have 4 catalytic converters installed which there simply isn't enough room for in order to make it neat. More cities and states will eventually have to follow the CARB requirements, so this will make it future proof in that regard.
I know some folks will be pulling their hair out and have a cow, but that's OK, it's not going to be for everyone. I for one prefer the instant torque and insanely quick acceleration in near silence
The non-drivetrain modifications such as electrical etc can be utilized in any 928 so that information might come in handy for some folks down the road.
Will post updates after my move.
Cheers!
Carl
Just discovered that you are considering the electric conversion... how exciting! Like you, I got hooked on the fun, convenience, and reliability of driving my Tesla. So I totally understand your reasoning and goals. Not everybody will understand, but I'm with you!
As I was considering selling my 928, my cousin in Germany offered to convert it to electric for me. He has an electric drive company that makes everything from theater curtain movements to bus and truck conversions. But the cost would have been more than the value of the car, and I didn't want to take any risks with it.
A few random thoughts:
1. The large drive unit was used in the RWD and Dual Motor Performance models. It was Tesla's first drive unit. Turns out there were a few things to learn. Initially, they failed because of a bearing issue. It took them a while to figure out why (electrolysis) and how to fix this (with ceramic bearings), so make sure you don't use a drive unit older than about 2017. The newer the better. But even the new ones tend to leak coolant into the inverter housing after a while. Go to the website of QCcharge.com and look-up thier drive unit video! Current rear drive unit replacement (including labor) is about $6k, so a new motor itself should be about $4500 or so.
2. You are lucky that you are relatively close to Gruber Motors, in case you need anything related to Tesla electronics or batteries. They are the premier specialist in the US for these things...
3. Someone recently told me about a conversion where they were able to preserve full Supercharging capabilities. Tesla NACS charge port, plug and charge through the Tesla account of the donor car. With that set-up, you could drive anywhere. I wish I could remember who that was, and what type of car... I'm getting old!
4. Consider coming to the 2023 Tesla Takeover event at the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo, CA, this summer. All California Tesla Owners Clubs, many vendors and interesting speakers will be there. Last year there were about 1400 visitors if I'm not mistaken. You may be able to make some new connections that can help you along the way.
Great information that you shared, thank you so much. And I'm happy to hear you are still enjoying the Tesla ownership. They are amazing cars.
Thank you for the link, I will check that out, and Gruber Motors is on my "visit" list this spring to discuss options.
The progress is slow due to my eye issue, but it is slowly progressing. Currently working on getting the interior carpeting and trim re-installed.
Hoping I can get some progress pictures up shortly.
Take care and enjoy!
Carl
Originally Posted by Nicole
Just discovered that you are considering the electric conversion... how exciting! Like you, I got hooked on the fun, convenience, and reliability of driving my Tesla. So I totally understand your reasoning and goals. Not everybody will understand, but I'm with you!
As I was considering selling my 928, my cousin in Germany offered to convert it to electric for me. He has an electric drive company that makes everything from theater curtain movements to bus and truck conversions. But the cost would have been more than the value of the car, and I didn't want to take any risks with it.
A few random thoughts:
1. The large drive unit was used in the RWD and Dual Motor Performance models. It was Tesla's first drive unit. Turns out there were a few things to learn. Initially, they failed because of a bearing issue. It took them a while to figure out why (electrolysis) and how to fix this (with ceramic bearings), so make sure you don't use a drive unit older than about 2017. The newer the better. But even the new ones tend to leak coolant into the inverter housing after a while. Go to the website of QCcharge.com and look-up thier drive unit video! Current rear drive unit replacement (including labor) is about $6k, so a new motor itself should be about $4500 or so.
2. You are lucky that you are relatively close to Gruber Motors, in case you need anything related to Tesla electronics or batteries. They are the premier specialist in the US for these things...
3. Someone recently told me about a conversion where they were able to preserve full Supercharging capabilities. Tesla NACS charge port, plug and charge through the Tesla account of the donor car. With that set-up, you could drive anywhere. I wish I could remember who that was, and what type of car... I'm getting old!
4. Consider coming to the 2023 Tesla Takeover event at the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo, CA, this summer. All California Tesla Owners Clubs, many vendors and interesting speakers will be there. Last year there were about 1400 visitors if I'm not mistaken. You may be able to make some new connections that can help you along the way.
my favorite 928 has always been the early OB cars with a lack of rear spoiler and no rubs. i had a euro '78 5spd in white and just loved that clean look.
i'm late to the party, but i just wanted to mention how great your car looks with no rear spoiler or rubs. i think this really makes the later cars look much more unique with a 'throwback' look of sorts. hard to go wrong with FM10s also.
Way over due, but here are some updates to my project. After a long search for suitable speakers, I found a few years ago a brand called AudioFrog. I had a chance to listen to those speakers and came away very impressed.
Finding suitable speakers that fit well in the 928 door has never been very easy, but I found these to fit very well due to their shallow mounting depth, and they sound (and look) good IMHO. They come in two model lines, and even though sites like Crutchfield show that either one will fit depth-wise, in reality, it is not so. The less expensive GS mid-woofer line does not fit depth wise (without adding a spacer), so I went with the mid-range GB40s for doors and rear quarter panels, and the GS10 tweeters for doors and rear quarter panels, along with the GS410C cross overs. The pictures below shows one speaker surface mounted and the next one flush mounted in the car to verify proper depth fitment, and the flush mount is the way I am going.
Door cards have been stripped of all old carpet and foam, and new (1mm thicker) upper foam added. I also added a thin (3mm) foam layer to the carpet area for additional sound proofing. This foam can easily be sanded and the pictures only show the initial sanding of high spots due to substrate imperfections. While "I was in there", I decided to add silverknit carpet to the inside of the door armrest storage pockets, as I never liked the factory flocking. Adding carpet reduces vibration noises from any loose object in there and it feels better to touch (IMHO).
My goal for this interior is to play with tactile feel and subtle patterns, having surfaces that are discrete yet has some pattern/feeling in order to break up the solid blackness. The carpet is silverknit space grey if I remember correctly.
Also started working on a lock solenoid issue, where they stopped responding. Turns out the Infinitybox system was continuously driving the lock solenoid, which burned out the actuator. The system needs to be reprogrammed to only do a short pulse, and so I decided to add some connection and warning labels for future reference.
The remaining interior pieces (dash, center console, cassette box, instrument pod etc) have been sent out to get professionally done, and the final pictures show some progress on those items. I am going with a mix of leather and Alcantara for these.
The leather I chose has a a bit more grain than stock, and is much more supple to the touch. More to come
I am taking the path of the turtle....slow is steady, steady is fast
Meanwhile I'm taking the slow and unsteady approach. Small burst of activity and then get busy with other projects or lack of funds for the next couple years. I think your approach is much better!
Though I'm slowly working on reducing the number of cars I have. My 924 will get a major service this summer and then it's going. My Cayenne too sadly. My other 928 is long gone too. With only my 90 928 hopefully it'll start getting the money and attention it deserves...
Meanwhile I'm taking the slow and unsteady approach. Small burst of activity and then get busy with other projects or lack of funds for the next couple years. I think your approach is much better!
Though I'm slowly working on reducing the number of cars I have. My 924 will get a major service this summer and then it's going. My Cayenne too sadly. My other 928 is long gone too. With only my 90 928 hopefully it'll start getting the money and attention it deserves...
Less distractions, more progress
Hope to see you post your progress. What's the end goal? Full stock restoration?
03-01-2023 | 01:09 AM
