How about no regen without brake. First 10% of brake pedal will start regen then the last 80% will bring on the mechanical braking with regen..Can you increase and decrease the amount of regeneration based on an influence?

 

Well, once again it's been WAY too long since my last update. I've been busy with the new house and a new baby, but mostly I've just been lazy about getting on here and posting.

The E-Stang is finally up and running. I've got new tires/wheels and a top put on it a couple weeks ago so I can finally use it to drive to work and around town. I'm still working on getting all the windows working, so I can't drive it if it's going to rain, but it's been pretty sunny lately so I've actually been driving it a lot.





Streetworks did a great job getting all the bodywork done. I decided to remove all the fiberglass panels and go with a more stock look, so it's back to an all metal body. We also had to replace some rusted out panels. We also got it all primed and ready for paint. I don't have the budget to do the actual paint yet -- hopefully this winter.

My company had a picnic yesterday and included an employee car show. There were some pretty cool cars there. Mine was definitely the ugliest of the bunch, but still drew a decent crowd.



I've got a garage full of interior parts -- now I just have to find the time to get them installed. First things first though -- got to get those windows working!

Like I said, I've been driving it a lot lately. Here's a short video from the driver's perspective.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/2283991...in/photostream

 

Way to stay with it! So often when unexpected difficulties arise, folks give up.

Sometimes "experts" ain't exactly expert.....

Very cool project, I look forward to updates.

 

Well, it's back to the shop for the EStang. Just for a couple days though. I put air shocks in the rear to try to balance my ride height, but the driver's side is sagging.

The batteries weigh 5.5 pounds each and there's 40 of them back there so the weight is about 220 lbs. That shouldn't be excessive, but I think part of the problem is that the batteries aren't quite centered in the trunk. They're a bit on the driver's side. That, coupled with the fact that it's usually just me driving probably puts too much pressure on that side.

Right now, there's just one valve for the rear shocks -- putting equal pressure into each side. I think I'll try separating them so I can put slightly more air to the driver's side -- hopefully that will fix it.

I'm also going to need to drop the front suspension a bit. Right now it sits high and I'd prefer it to be bit lower than the rear. Nothing too aggressive, but I think a slight forward lean would look good.

I'm definitely going to do the Shelby drop, but that'll only gain me a half inch or so. I'm exploring options to lower it more -- I'm guessing I need to drop it by a couple inches to get the effect I'm looking for. Again, nothing too aggressive -- this is a daily driver that's never going to see the track.

Any suggestions on the best (and cheapest) way to do that?

 

I didn't see it mentioned, but I'm curious what front springs you have. Are they stock or 1 inch lowering? To get the front down, I would cut a bit off of them. Try a little at a time so you don't get it too low.

As for the air shocks, please get them off as soon as possible. They are a bad idea. The shock mounts are not designed to support weight.

 

As TX said.....

Air shocks = BAD for early Mustangs with stock shock mounts...

The top mount (floor) is insufficient for air shocks, they will end up coming through the floor.

The only good fix for stock suspension is new springs... Maybe some Grab-a Track 4.5 or 5's...

 

Ok, well, crap. So no air shocks -- I guess that was a waste of money. Wish I run that by the forum before shelling out the bucks for those.

I guess I'll have to go with some heavy duty springs in the rear. I'll check out the grab-a-track ones -- those are just the M+ brand right? Any other good ones out there (e.g. Scott Drake)?

For the front, I'm not sure I like the idea of cutting the springs. What about a drop spindle? Anyone tried that? Any problems with doing both the spindle drop and a Shelby drop?

 

I like the grab-a-track kit: http://www.mustangsplus.com/xcart/19...dling-Kit.html

It says it will lower the front by 1". I'm not sure that will be enough for mine, which is running high as it is now. Could I combine this with the Shelby drop -- and maybe drop spindles? Or would that change the geometry too much?

 

I ordered the new suspension parts. I went with 5-leaf springs in the rear and a 1" drop spring in front. I'm also adding a 1" sway bar in front to help stabilize things a bit.

Eventually I'll have to do something to tighten up the steering too. There seems to be some disagreement on the best (cost effective) way to do that. I've heard some say to do the rack and pinion mod. Others have said money is better spent re-building the stock steering box. Still others say to upgrade to a roller idler arm.

Anyone here want to voice an opinion?

 

I cut a half coil from my front springs and that dropped me about an inch. As long as your front end sits even right now, cutting the springs is a great, cheap option.