Green Machine - On the Road...

[steve]

Well, I finally understand this after reading it 3 times (a reflection on the reader not the author), great solution, great work.

I am thinking of using 2x PC cooling fans to supply side window vents on my build, mounted in the dash base.
Perhaps 30mm fans to fit under the dash base on either side. 3D print the ducting & fittings.

[steve]

[...]
Regards sealing, I used to sell Repairite neoprene sealant in a tube, one of the very few products that actually did what it said on the box. Even Walls Ice cream used it on their machines. put a bead along the joint and cover with cling film, when set remove film, trim and fit cover or don't use film and use as a glue.

I will have to Google that product, I am wondering if it could help with the canopy/roof seal (behind the occupants heads) a job I am dreading ..

[Spacenut]

I have to say that LED lights certainly chuck out a lot of lums, very pleased with the results on mine but I now have the E mark question, is there one, do they comply?

Regards sealing, I used to sell Repairite neoprene sealant in a tube, one of the very few products that actually did what it said on the box. Even Walls Ice cream used it on their machines. put a bead along the joint and cover with cling film, when set remove film, trim and fit cover or don't use film and use as a glue.

Hi Peter - that sounds like an interesting product, I will have to check it out. The method of application is exactly what I was considering for the PU adhesive. Once the cling film (or other non-stick media) is removed and the adhesive cured, the covers should fit so closely that little or no water should get in.

I think that once I can cut the water ingress down, the fans should be able to keep the condensation at bay.

As for the LED lights, if they are not obligatory then they could be disconnected for road use. The widespread adoption of DRLs has allowed a lot of certified LEDs into the marketplace, but the big light bars are for off-road use only, at least in the UK. I think that applies to aftermarket LED headlights as well.

Lauren

[Peter]

I will have to Google that product, I am wondering if it could help with the canopy/roof seal (behind the occupants heads) a job I am dreading ..

Not sure if Repairite ltd is still going, judging by the dismal failure of the products I was supposed to demonstrate I would be surprised.
neoprene in a tube is different to Sikaflex though but I use that now days.

[Spacenut]

Gosh it is wet right now. I finished work yesterday afternoon and took the car to work so I could stop off in Petersfield to do some last minute Christmas shopping. Setting off in pitch darkness and rain was not fun, made less so when I found the entire East Hampshire fleet of bin lorries filling up at the local petrol station. Fortunately there was a pump free, but on the opposite side of the car from the filler cap. Fortunately the hose reached (just), and I have to put the nozzle in at a funny angle anyway to stop the auto-stop triggering, as the swirl pot under the front wing is quite shallow. I always put in the requisite amount of fuel additive first (Castrol Valvemaster in my case), together with 97 octane super unleaded.

Onto the motorway and I can barely see the catseyes it is so dark and wet. Still, an otherwise uneventful drive down to Portsmouth. Coming back it was daylight (just), but the persistent rain and lack of side window sealing made exiting the car park at work an unpleasant experience - not enough steering lock and tightly packed spaces (laid out in the 1980s when cars were a lot smaller) and a closed canopy to keep the rain off resulted in many bites of the cherry! I made it eventually, and with the demisters on full blast ventured out onto the fearsome A3...

I took things easy on the motorway, giving the heater a chance to dry out the interior a bit and also to avoid any aquaplaning on the rivers of water coursing across the road. I must admit the Vredsteins do feel a lot more secure in the wet than any of the other tyre makes I have used, but I suppose their reputation is founded on their wet weather performance. Fortunately the rain had eased off by the time I got to Petersfield, but the entrance to the telephone exchange car park was flooded to a depth of about 4" (the pavement was just visible above the water). Oh well - deep breath and drive gingerly through it; I'm really glad I welded up all those holes in the floor!


Once home I could see that the headlamp demisters had been working hard on the driver’s side, but both covers were affected by heavy misting. I really need to sort that out, together with those side windows!

The statistics for the trip made for interesting reading - I covered 44.2 miles in total, in a cumulative time of 1 hour and 17 minutes at an average speed of 34.3 mph. What was more interesting was the average fuel consumption, which in spite of the filthy weather and heavy electrical load was a resounding 47.4 mpg, which I reckon is not bad even by today's standards, and all achieved with carburettors and set of points

Here's hoping for some drier weather over the Christmas holidays!

Lauren

[BlueNova]

Struth Lauren!! Sounds like a difficult trip. I know it's good to keep improving the design details but you don't want to come a cropper whilst testing in such bad weather!

Maybe it would be safer to keep the Nova for fair weather driving? Note to Phill, Gmacz and myself (once I'm on the road) up here in Bonnie Scotland ... we better start planning for the 2 or 3 days each year when we can safely drive our Novas!

[Peter]

Sounds like that was a perfect day, for testing.

4", that's nothing. we have had really bad weather here with lots of cars floating down high streets in the floods to end up stacked against each other in a heap, so much rain and as for the poor sods that park under their apartment blocks, wow. 7 dead so far. (And we still don't get the 200 winter heating allowance,)

This was sunny Fuengirola. The follow on after the add, is worth a look too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dq3ifm7NVwU

[Spacenut]

Struth Lauren!! Sounds like a difficult trip. I know it's good to keep improving the design details but you don't want to come a cropper whilst testing in such bad weather!

Maybe it would be safer to keep the Nova for fair weather driving? Note to Phill, Gmacz and myself (once I'm on the road) up here in Bonnie Scotland ... we better start planning for the 2 or 3 days each year when we can safely drive our Novas!

I'm not testing, just making observations during everyday use. I don't go out in all weathers - apart from a sprinkling on the verges (evident in the "ascent of Little Switzerland" video), the Nova hasn't been driven in snow, and only occasionally in icy weather. This endless rain seems to be more and more a characteristic of Winter weather down here, but it is very reassuring to note how well the side window demisters work, even in incomplete form, which makes driving in the wet so much easier. When I went to the New Years Day show at Elsted all those years ago, my nearside window steamed up so badly I couldn't turn right for fear of being T-boned, so I had to make quite a lengthy detour to get home! No problems now - and the added bonus is the clear view of the external rear view mirrors.

As for negotiating floods - well, with only 4" ground clearance, the Nova was certainly not designed for country pursuits!

Lauren

[Spacenut]

OK, here is the conclusion of the headlamp demister project. With the cover removed from the nearside headlamp pod, I marked out and cut a slot in the base...



I fabricated a support bracket for the two fans out of aluminium...



You can see how the fans fit into the moulded duct below...





I wrapped the fans in resin-proof tape and bonded the duct onto the underside of the headlamp bucket, ensuring that the end of the duct covered the slot in the base. Leaving the fans in place ensures that they can be easily removed and replaced once the adhesive has cured (I learned that lesson the hard way on the driver's side).

I then fashioned a trim ring to cover the slot and bonded it into place...



The trim ring ensures that any water that gets into the headlamp bucket is routed to the drain hole in the inside front corner.

Once the bonding adhesive had cured I removed the tape from around the fans and reinstalled them together with a filter fabricated from some offcuts of a cooker hood carbon filter and some expanded aluminium mesh. I plugged the Molex connectors into the PCB bonded under the access cover and confirmed operation of both fans.

Lauren

[Buffy]

Very interesting update, and the way the weather is at the moment I am sure you will be able to test for results quickly !