Day 9 Welding the battery rack
The progress is still good although the battery delivery is again delayed and it is now expected to arrive Monday 5th. The main job today is the welding of the battery rack. It is also time to see how and where the remainder of smaller parts are going to be mounted. These are DC DC converter, 12V battery and the battery charger. And the last part for the minimum requirement is to get the inside car heater back operational but that can be done several ways.
Discussion about the options and preferred is to electric element inside the existing heater module. I come back on the details later. Inside the car the middle console is removed. It looks there is enough space to fit the 5-speed gear shift. The clutch paddle seems more difficult because it is not the original Tribute (or Ford Escape) but one Mazda 3 model foot paddle instead. Another consideration is to keep the original shifter near the steering wheel (remember it was an Auto gearbox so it has one for reverse, 1, 2 and D). Some more shopping may have to be done to get a perfect fit and otherwise the Mazda 3 stuff goes in, or the decision will be delayed and test the car first with the easier option. The plan to finish the project before Christmas is currently at risk and it looks I need to work on it during the holiday break. Anyway, still loads of fun!!!
