On 25 Jan 2014 at 8:21, Steve Powers wrote: > I have to say I am partially responsible for its demise.
Actually, I'd lay most of the blame to the museum. I understand that museums' needs and patrons change, but it seems to me that they could have either stored it or found another museum home for it. If I'd been in charge there, with all due respect, I don't think I'd have sold it to an individual unless he were a true collector. Nothing personal, it's just that a prototype like this usually doesn't make a practical daily driver. You don't just swing by Autozone on the way home from work and ask them for a new left front tie rod end for a 1979 ETV-1. Every repair means hand- matching the old part to something from a 35+ year old Chrysler range. That's if you're lucky and it's one of the parts Chrysler used from Omni/Horizon stock. If they custom-machined it, you'll have to do the same, and all you have to go on is a worn-out part. Practically speaking, what you have here isn't much different from a rare antique car. When things break, the car's apt to sit for quite a while before you find the part(s) you need to get it back on the road. This means that regardless of who had bought it from the museum, if he wanted it for daily use, the EVT- 1 might well have ended up parked in a garage or barn anyway. I hate to say it, but this car needs someone who wants it as a piece of history, not as practical transportation. Alas, it probably won't go that way. As you suggest, most likely it'll be plundered for its drive components. An intriguing piece of EV history will end up in a scrap yard. Damn shame. Before anyone asks, no, I don't have the expertise or time to restore something like this. I wish I did, or at least had the resources to hire someone to do it right for me. But I don't. I hope someone else does. Are the original controller and motor still around? Back in the 1990s, I had some dealings with Jim McCullough, who lived in the Denver/Boulder area. I'd originally gotten in touch with him through the DEVC. Jim had been an engineer at Unique Mobility and was very familiar with the Unique Electrek, a limited production EV from about the same era as this (and, I would argue, at least as well optimized, though its fibreglas body styling was - shall we say - polarizing). Jim knew how to work on the Electrek's Soleq controller, and I wonder if he might be able to hack this car's GE controller back to operation too. Maybe somebody from the DEVC will read this and - if Jim is still hanging around out there in CO - let him know about it in case he's interested. Mark Hanson might also know something about the GE controller this used. David Roden - Akron, Ohio, USA EVDL Administrator = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = EVDL Information: http://www.evdl.org/help/ = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Note: mail sent to "evpost" and "etpost" addresses will not reach me. To send a private message, please obtain my email address from the webpage http://www.evdl.org/help/ . = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
