The CALB CAM72 lithium batteries arrived in the driveway today. Really impressed with how compact these things are.

I’ve totally removed the rear wiring loom, which is mostly about the engine and ECU, but also lights and fuses, etc. I’ll have to remove the circuits we don’t need and splice it together with the DC-Converter, BMS, and Motor Controller where appropriate.

ITT J1772 inlet will replace the fuel inlet, with a little hole filling needed.

Removed the clutch pedal, master cylinder, and hydraulic line. Also removed the brake vacuum line (the electric vacuum pump can be at the front) and old stereo.

Just removed the clutch actuator from the gearbox and gave it a bit of a clean. Really needs stripped, hot-tanked, and rebuilt though. Tempting but not necessary right now.

Have been stripping down the engine too, in preparation for 3D scanning (really just need the mating face and front engine mount, and the passenger-side engine mount bracket). Seems a bit OTT but it’s a nice and simple way to sort out the adapter plate and mounting points.

Engine and gearbox are out and have been separated. Engine weighs about 70 kg with front exhaust still attached. Total is about 105 kg removed from rear, and about 30 kg from the front, with oil, coolant and fuel adding around 25 kg more. So we should be in the ballpark with total vehicle weight.

Made some progress clearing out the engine bay. Rear exhaust and fuel tank are out, along with most ancillaries.

We made some progress with emptying the front end. Removed the spare tyre, jack, metal plate, radiator, A/C condensor, and assorted hoses. Probably the only tricky part was decompressing the A/C… all I can say is it’s wise to wear protection and two layers of gloves.

Initial estimate is 30+ kg of weight was removed, which is about 14 cells up front, plus battery box, brake vacuum pump, and water heater. Lots of handy bolt holes and such for mounting battery box and brackets for the pump and heater.

It’s tempting to save another 8.7 kg with a Back Yard Special bonnet (and 5.3 kg on the boot), but we’ll see how the funds hold out…

Rear covers are off, as is the boot. Also, the softtop has been removed and will be replaced with a new Robbins top.

The car arrived on Saturday, and the delivery driver did an awesome job of rolling it off the truck and up the driveway. Still, it was 5 meters or so uphill and around the corner to get it in to the garage.

I picked up a little 12V ATV winch and pulley (snatch block) from Super Cheap Auto, along with trusty tow rope and shackles I had for the Range Rover, as well as hammer drill, concrete bits, and some Ramset AnkaScrews.

The winch was screwed in to the concrete at the back of the garage with a couple of 8 mm anchors. The pulley went in to the concrete at the front of the garage with a pair or 10 mm anchors. We looped the tow strap around the Beat undercarriage as per the Japanese workshop manual and ran the cable out to the car.

I think we were nearly at the limits of the winch capacity but it pulled the little Beat up the hill slowly and surely nonetheless.

Once at the top of the drive we had to shorten the tow strap and do a straight pull into the garage.

So that’s the hard part done. Now we just need to convert it to electric power. 😉

Good news. Batteries are on their way!