1964 Corvair Monza EV



Build Basics: Battery Boxes
Jun 13, 2022







Once you figure out what batteries you will use in your car, you can make dummy batteries out of wood or cardboard to test fit. Then you can figure out where to put them, and build frames or boxes to hold them.

My car uses 44 total CALB 180Ah batteries. The original plan was to put 20 cells in the front and 24 in the rear, but I've since changed that to have 23 in front and 21 in the rear due to some modifications I had to make for suspension geometry.
Note the dummy battery used to test fit in the front photo.

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Catch Up / Cooling the Controller
Jun 07, 2022



It's been a long time since I've updated this site so I am going to play some catch-up.

Last fall in my test drives I would suddenly lose power. It didn't take me long to realize the Curtis controller was overheating and shutting things down to protect itself. In fact, the controller's gauge allowed me to see the temperature of the controller and it was pushing 65-70 degrees Celsius! I had to figure out how to fix this.

Fortunately, the Curtis controller was already mounted on an aluminum chill plate with threaded holes for hoses and I just had to run some cooling lines to it. So pictured above is my solution for now - a windshield wiper tank, a PC radiator with dual fans, and a 12 volt water pump. I am now circulating water through the chill place and so far I can keep the temperature (while driving) under 50 degrees Celsius.

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Electric Corvair Facebook Group
Jun 07, 2022


I started a Facebook Group for "Electric Corvair". Not MY electric Corvair, but all Electric Corvairs and the conversion process for those that might be interested.

Electric Corvair on Facebook.

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Charging ahead at full speed.
Sep 06, 2021


1964 Corvair Monza EV - Electric - Charging
After some minor wiring tweaks I was able to get the car to charge from my EVSE via the J1227 plug. I had tried to do this when I first got the car but it didn't work. I could only charge the car from a 110 outlet. I finally set aside some time to check the wiring at the AVC2 module and found the J1227 port pilot and proximity wires were swapped. Easy fix.

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Raise the motor.
Aug 11, 2021




After consult with the internet and smart Corvair folks, It would seem that the only solution to these rubbing issues would be to raise the motor up a bit in the rear. Using some square metal tubing, I added about 1.5" of height to the rear motor mount.

Unfortunately, raising the motor means I need to find a new home for three of the 44 batteries required to power the car. They are too tall for the space they once occupied. However, this does open up some space for a DC-DC converter.

Still, running on just 41 batteries, I was able to drive the car around a bit and all the rubbing issues are gone. The drive axles are now sitting at an appropriate angle within the a-arms.

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