The Hybrid Convertible Project Prius v

I am blessed. My wife is another engineer. We speak much the same language.

The box as it is planned isn't a purchased enclosure, but rather a drip-proof construction of steel sheet-metal panels custom fit to the location under the rear seat. It will have an opening into the interior of the car for the intake duct and an louvered opening into the trunk for the exhaust. The bottom will be the actual floor of the Prius chassis with added holes for duck-billed rubber drain plugs. Venting to the outside will be from the inner surfaces of the lower quarter panels behind the rear wheels where they would not be visible.from the outside.

Bill the Engineer

 

I have considered that. I plan to weld an air deflector around the leading side and include a rodent-proof metal mesh grill to prevent entry. The water from the rain channel at the base of the convertible top will be channeled into a funnel-like arrangement leading to a drain line. Mold should not be an issue, since I don't plan for the car to see much rain. I will likely get caught out in the rain on occasion, but most rainy days will be spent in the garage.

Bill the Engineer

 

Having computer problems. Using my son's computer to send this. Hoping to be back soon!

Bill the Engineer

 

Going to try some shorter posts from my son's laptop. My old computer is toast, but I was able to rescue most of the files.

Just to see what it looks like, I positioned the left front fender forward to mate with the bumper. I think the final result will look fine.

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Bill the Engineer

 

Catching up on the happenings while my computer was on its last legs...

I created a template for the Gen II fuel door back-structure. I then taped it into position on the Firebrid body and cut out the opening. The final photo shows the fuel door assembly temporarily in position to check the fit.






Bill the Engineer

 

My next area of focus was the Prius v gauge cluster. I again created a paper template, this time around the gauge cluster where it would intersect the all-steel Firebrid dash. Unfortunately, it is wider than the existing opening, so cut outs needed to be made. The area will eventually have a custom made cover over the exposed parts of the gauge cluster, but the first priority is to get it mounted and working before it is made pretty.






The cluster is only set in place for now. Brackets to hold it will be designed soon.

Bill the Engineer

 

Last topic for now. I began work to fit air conditioning ducts into the dash of the Firebrid. The original Firebird did not have a/c. (Few convertibles in the 1960's did.) Some time ago I purchased the ducting out of a scrapped Firebird coupe that had factory installed a/c. They aren't mint condition parts, but they will do for now.

The dash of the Firebrid did not have the openings for the ducts. I completed the modification for the center duct easily since they were rectangular cuts.




The side ducts are going to be a little tougher, since they have curved surfaces intersecting curved surfaces. I again made paper templates for the holes, and checked factory photos for the proper mounting locations. The curb side vent should be straight forward enough, but I can see that I will need to make some adjustments on the driver's side to eliminate some interference between the duct and the Prius v speedometer!




Bill the Engineer

 

Very good observations. My intention is to adapt the Firebird steering wheel to the Prius v column. Visibility through the old wheel should not be a problem. The adapter is still only a CAD concept that I plan to flesh-out over the winter when it is too cold to work on the car.

Now that I know where the a/c duct on the driver's side will land, I do plan to investigate altering the height of the instrument cluster to the extent that I can. I had hoped to keep some of the original surfaces in the area, but that looks less likely now. It is just too bad that the Lexus HS250h instrument cluster I have won't work electrically with the Prius v wiring.

Bill the Engineer

 

There won't be any airbags in the finished car, which is OK since the 1967 Firebird didn't have them originally. Keep in mind that the Firebird VIN is the surviving car here. That is on purpose for a number of reasons. The column mounted wiper and headlight controls will remain where they are. The wheel mounted controls will be finding new homes either on the dash or in the console where the shifter had been. The only wiring that I will need on the wheel itself is for the two horn buttons, which I will get from the old Firebird steering column.The final electrical design for where things mount is still TBD, and will be tackled once the main body welding is done in the spring.

Bill the Engineer

 

A bit hard to see this weekend's progress, but it is progress none the less.

The Firebird radiator core support is down lower where it belongs, and now it covers the bottom of the Prius v cooler nicely. It is also shifted a little further back, and the bumper was adjusted a bit further back to match. These parts will be the first to be sand blasted in the spring prior to painting them.





Onward to next weekend.

Bill the Engineer