Our "New to Us" Winnie

[T1 Terry]

Terry, just kinda thinking outside the box. If the V10 resurrection doesn't go well, and you finish up going down the V6 hybrid from donor Lexus route, have you had any discussion with an automotive engineer to see what you would need to do to make it compliant?
I kinda like the idea of an EV motorhome for a number of reasons, even though owning one wouldn't quite suit our needs at the moment.
If you have a 10m motorhome and can ditch the roof rattler, there is a bunch of roof space to fill up with solar panels and maybe just do a bit of tour and stay, and have a hybrid toad.
Dunno what the insurance company would say though.

The first step is getting the registration dept (federal) paperwork regarding doing the modification. The next step is the state equivalent, because they need to make money out of it as well, then find the Engineer what can do the NCOP14 certification required for an electric vehicle, no matter who the manufacturer is, from a major manufacturer down to a one-off conversion, it must comply with NCOP14. Once that compliance is achieved, and the vehicle meets all normal road use requirements, then money exchanges hands and presto, registered for use on the road and that is enough certification for the insurance companies to comprehensively insure a motor vehicle ..... the tricky bit is getting full comprehensive insurance for a motorhome, no matter who built it and what type of motor drives it, only a handful of insurers will cover a motorhome .......

If the vehicle is a real one-off contraption, that does meet all the rules and regulations, Shannons Insurance will cover it for the agreed value, even if no one else will ...

It's not like EV conversions are never done and I'd be a first, there are a lot of prime movers already converted to full EV, a lot of rigid body trucks, both factory and converted, ll out there running up and down the same highway as everyone else.

The lunatic hype about EV's catching fire at the drop of a hat, or cigarette butt or something, doesn't live up to the data, the most likely vehicle to catch fire and be destroyed, is a diesel fuelled vehicle, next is petrol, then LPG, then hydrogen ..... and last comes the EV.
Electric buses in China catch fire, but so do diesel buses in every other country but China ..... because they no longer use diesel fuelled buses, all their buses are BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle)
Hybrids have a greater % of vehicle fires compared to BEV, because the fuel powered part of a hybrid is at the same risk as any fuel powered vehicle ..... yet they never specify that it was a fuel fire .... it's always an "electric vehicle" fire, because that makes better headlines to grab a greater % of the gullible general public ......

T1 Terry

[T1 Terry]

I don't know why this oval shaped interface hose just popped up in an article I was just reading on Mr Google, but I thought it might help. Just in case all the other bits you found are as helpful as they need to be. There seems to be a variety of different sizes if you scroll down through the ad.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/39341963997 ... y-rmAi1k-Q

All the bits arrived before we left for the vehicle pickup, and they all fit. The oval part would need to be 4.5" inside diameter, so the smaller one would stretch to fit, the larger one would clamp down with a good worm drive clamp, that silicone rubber is very forgiving. The joiner pipe is 4" diam and the second piece is 4" down to 3.5" ... it actually worked better to squash the 4" aluminium joiner pipe to make it oval shaped, then the transition is smooth ..... it actually looks alright. Just need to round up someone to tig weld the 25mm (1") spigot onto the joiner pipe to attach the idle compensator hose so it draws in the mixed LPG/air supplied by the mixer when the engine is running on LPG rather than petrol.

T1 Terry

[jon_d]

and presto, registered for use on the road and that is enough certification for the insurance companies to comprehensively insure a motor vehicle ..... the tricky bit is getting full comprehensive insurance for a motorhome, no matter who built it and what type of motor drives it, only a handful of insurers will cover a motorhome .......

If the vehicle is a real one-off contraption, that does meet all the rules and regulations, Shannons Insurance will cover it for the agreed value, even if no one else will ...

However, it doesn't mean they have too. They will evaluate their risk and decide accordingly.
Same as; you determining if all the risks of attempting a build will be equally rewarding or a failure.

SInce Shannons sounds like they are your backstop, have you asked them about insurance? .... One would think the insurance discussion is on the project's critical path.

[T1 Terry]

and presto, registered for use on the road and that is enough certification for the insurance companies to comprehensively insure a motor vehicle ..... the tricky bit is getting full comprehensive insurance for a motorhome, no matter who built it and what type of motor drives it, only a handful of insurers will cover a motorhome .......

If the vehicle is a real one-off contraption, that does meet all the rules and regulations, Shannons Insurance will cover it for the agreed value, even if no one else will ...

However, it doesn't mean they have too. They will evaluate their risk and decide accordingly.
Same as; you determining if all the risks of attempting a build will be equally rewarding or a failure.

SInce Shannons sounds like they are your backstop, have you asked them about insurance? .... One would think the insurance discussion is on the project's critical path.

One of the many things to have in place before work commences,
First step is laid up project insurance to cover the cost of everything involved .... the donor vehicle, additional part purchased for the project including conversion boards and batteries, cabling and a list too long to post here

Then an agreed "finished project" value and the criteria required for it to meet the "finished" definition and an assurance that this policy would be made available if required

A price, allowing for inflation and "project creep" to whatever agreed extent that might involve, without a renegotiation of the agreement ....

All things I learnt through the local chapter of the AEVA (Australian Electric Vehicle Association) because the members there have been doing this stuff for 20 yrs or more ......
The importance of getting the initial steps in place before anything moves from the head to paper to the project commencing,
get the legals sorted first,
get insurance cover before you start and allow enough flexibility for changes to the initial plan if parts availability becomes an issue.
Nail down the plan and timeline, the project will balloon out of financial viability without it

Know your own limitations and don't be afraid to ask for help .....

So, the parts are here now, yet to determine if the Winnie will be the project or another vehicle in the fleet, from there, the application to modify a vehicle and a brief outline of the intended modifications .... then wait for this application to be approved, before going any further, neither the insurance nor engineer will engage in any meaningful dialog without that approval number.

T1 Terry

[jon_d]

the application to modify a vehicle and a brief outline of the intended modifications .... then wait for this application to be approved,

I'm not familiar with this step. What is it and where does one apply? I didn't need any sort of application to be approved before starting on the bus.

[T1 Terry]

the application to modify a vehicle and a brief outline of the intended modifications .... then wait for this application to be approved,

I'm not familiar with this step. What is it and where does one apply? I didn't need any sort of application to be approved before starting on the bus.

Here is one NCOP14 https://vehiclecompliance.net/wp-conten ... hicles.pdf
Read through the first few lines of this one https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/driving-an ... or-vehicle

I'd go with "you were lucky and I'd be keep that info to myself" with doing the mods you did to the bus without starting the whole process with an approval letter ...... the re quite entitled to cancel the rego and list the chassis number in the register of never to be reregistered vehicles if they take a dim view of any of the modifications

T1 Terry

[jon_d]

I'd go with "you were lucky and I'd be keep that info to myself" with doing the mods you did to the bus without starting the whole process with an approval letter ......

Na, you've got to remember. I bought the bus which still had seats in it. You'd already started Rustic.
That was about 2008. About 16 years ago.

It was engineered, signed off and registered with its new motor, power steering, gear box, seats and lots of mechanical work.
Then the second stage, of having the conversion done. Also signed off by the engineer and updated on the Vicroads register.

Since then, it's done close to 40,000ks of trips with the family.

I think I ran my project ok - with realistic objectives.




Terry, maybe start writing the application before going to far.

[T1 Terry]

Gunna make sure I need to do a that work first, if it drives well and not too thirsty $$ on fuel wise, I'm guess the project will shift to the Mercedes C240 ..... besides the panel work up the left hand side, it's a nice car. Being a 2001 model will make life easier and I can sell the gearbox and possibly the engine, install the V6 and hybrid transmission as is with all the computer and inverter gear, then later on do the inverter board upgrades and a bigger battery pack and maybe even delete the engine and sell that, then the battery can go under the bonnet
The L110 transmission can be punched up to 250 kw and already has a 2 speed planetary reduction gear set as part of OEM set up, so no serious mods required internally, just changing the control board in the inverter and programming it to suit.

I wouldn't mind getting the improved valve body in the Winnie transmission and upgrading the lock up inverter clutch pack so I can install the manual converter lock up option, a 4 speed with the option of torque converter or direct drive, but no clutch hassles for my left knee really appeals to me

T1 Terry

[T1 Terry]

Some good news, and some not so good news as far as the first engine run goes. It runs quiet enough and smoothly, the bad part is I haven't actually identified the water leak under the manifold. I thought it was a hose that hadn't been tightened sufficiently .... seem that is not the case, it is a major task to remove the manifold again, so that will wait until I'm happy with the cooling system clean, but before I add the coolant.

T1 Terry

[supersparky]

T1, have you had a look at the roof yet, to see if it needs a recoat or not?