On 19 May 2016 at 11:30, Steve Clunn via EV wrote: > Anyone guess a 1980 Ford Courier, ElectraVan ???? Done by JET > ELECTRIC ?
I wouldn't have expected that, but you never know! Didn't you convert a Morris Minor a few years back? Do you have any pictures up on the web yet? Lessee, lessee! ;-) Jet Industries (that was their company name) did build some interesting EVs back in the day. I guess you could call them "factory EVs," in the sense that you didn't convert them yourself - though AFAIK every one of them started its life as an ICEV before Jet stripped out the stinky bits and put in a motor. Falling fuel prices in the 1980s did Jet in (a lesson for those of us who fantasize that factory EVs are here to stay, this time for sure). I think they closed their doors some time between 1981 and 1983; maybe one of our veteran CA members will recall this. Back in the late 1980s, a fair number of EV hobbyists converted cars with surplus Prestolite motors that Jet liquidated. Jet converted Ford Escorts (and a few of their stablemates, the Mercury Lynx), Ford Courier pickups, and Subaru 360 vans. They renamed the Escorts Jet Electrica, and the Soobs Jet Electravan 600. I don't recall what they named the Couriers. There may have been some Jet conversions I've forgotten. Something nags in the back of my mind about them converting a few full size vans. That might have been someone else, though. There were a other commercial converters around the same time, all of which met the same ignominious end. The ones that come to mind immediately are South Coast Technology, which converted Rabbits; and US Electricar of Athol MA, which converted Renault R5s (Le Car), Fiat Bravas, and maybe some others. (This is not the same company as the later US Electricar of CA, which converted S10s and Prizms with Hughes AC drives). At any rate, if yours is a pickup, it's probably a Ford Courier; if it's a tiny van, it's a Subaru 360. I know someone who had one of the Electravans years ago. I drove it once, and thought it was a pretty decent conversion. Getting spare parts for it was a big problem, however. For example, the wheels were weird, only 10" (!) and IIRC were in 2 pieces bolted together. Today you'd probably have to use trailer tires with tubes. I wouldn't want to have a collision in an Electravan. You sit almost right over the front wheels, so anything you run into will end up where your face and chest used to be - along with the steering wheel. David Roden - Akron, Ohio, USA EVDL Administrator = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = EVDL Information: http://www.evdl.org/help/ = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Note: mail sent to "evpost" and "etpost" addresses will not reach me. To send a private message, please obtain my email address from the webpage http://www.evdl.org/help/ . = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org Read EVAngel's EV News at http://evdl.org/evln/ Please discuss EV drag racing at NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
