DIY hybrid conversion

Steven,
You've got an interesting project ahead of you. Personally, I'm more interested in production vehicles, however, there is a whole community involved with DIY conversions of ICE to EV that deal with most of your concerns all the time. Look at http://www.eaaev.org/Info/forums.html for forums of experts on this.
Good luck and we'll hope to see a writeup on your project in a couple of years.

my idea take an ol school beatle. automatic transaxle might have to substitute the 3 speed with some thing a lil more practical for the high way maybe an aftermarket or a 5 or 6 speed out of a posche if you could find something like that on the cheep.

Replace the body with fiberglass over foam if your any good at fabricating something like that. And generally put the lil frau on a general diet mag wheels that sort of thing if you can find em in the proper size.

Take the pancake four out fix it up sell it scrap it recyle it what ever is most practical. Replace it with a small inline 3 or 4 cyl tractor style diesel maybe 40 hp or so you wouldnt want it much heavier than 200-250 lbs

take the torque converter to a shop that can fabricate a gear to it around the outside

take out the starter replace it with a 72 volt electric vehicle motor or motor gen might have to mod it but should mount up fairly simple

motor controler
Step down system to run your lights accesories

6 large or 12/ in parrellel smaller deepcycle "Quality" Batteries such as optimas you can mount them nearly anywhere in nearly any position that they will fit.

Anyway the multiple motors w a charging while breaking sounds complicated and might cost you a perfectly good ride those motors would have to be synced up not only with ea other but your gas engine if theyre not youll burn through your tires allot quicker long story short keep it as simple as possible and do as much reasearch as possible.

theres a guy on youtue made a cycle from a donor bike verry simple set up pure electric gets 10 mile range charges in less than 3 hrs he did his whole progect on like a 3 grand budget

We can adapt to these high gas prices by building hybrid adapters for our single fuel source cars -- go here for many ideas and links: http://peswiki.com/index.php/PowerPedia:Hybrid_Adapter

I done alot of research on the all new honda accord hybrids. I wrote a review on it. I think that you will find it interesting.
http://www.ehow.com/how_2352834_honda-accord-hybrids-worth-money.html

Here's a thought for a quick, cheap and easy way to do it. Splice and mate a motor into the rear drive shaft. Have a mechanical linkage from the accelerator to the motor control. Make it a plug in. For the first 40+ miles or so you will have electric motor assist and that would take some of the load off the engine.

You could probably adjust the linkage to give you more or less electric assist. You would have a choice of batteries and configurations. I would start with deep cycle lead acid and maybe upgrade

My guess is you would get about a 30 - 50 percent increase in MPG

Here is a list of high power DC motors
http://www.surplusrecord.com/sre/034188.htm

You're right about that not being easy, or cheap.

Why go to all that trouble for meager gains? Listen, go to Home Depot and buy a hundred dollars in parts like I show you in my book on using water to Save Gas . Build it and install it in a weekend. Start saving 20%,30%, 50% or more in gas from the first day.

Your '69 Firebird would love the cleaner fuel and the sludge getting cleaned out from the inside.

You want a mini Hybrid? Make it a Water Hybrid and you'll never go back.

Bob
Hybrid Water Car-Run Your Car On Water