Tag Archives: prepping

Austin Allegro EV conversion 2: prepping

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This fresh, new update is loaded with prepping, measuring and house hunting as I get closer to actually beginning my Austin Allegro electric car conversion project!

Even though I don’t yet have a place to start the conversion, this new video shows me rolling up my sleeves and getting ready to remove the engine by measuring and weighing the car:

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So, the car weighs in at 880 kg (1940 lbs) which is light, but as you saw in the first video, the car was never built for hauling a lot of weight. And as you know, batteries are heavy!

But now that I have a house, the conversion is able to get underway, so stay tuned!

Austin Allegro EV conversion 1: Planning

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Why am I converting a 1977 Austin Allegro to run on batteries? Well, why wouldn’t I!? The Allegro is an unreliable, slow car with a dirty, weak engine. It’s the perfect candidate for a power upgrade, and in this video I explain how I plan on doing it!

The video below explains my goals for the car conversion, what challenges I expect to find, and of course some of the resistance I’ve met from Austin Allegro “purists”. Yes, they do actually exist, believe it or not!

As you can see, the Austin Allegro is a fascinating vehicle, but converting it to electric power will be a challenge, given the car’s unusual Hydragas suspension system and finding space for the batteries.

The other problem I have is also space-related: where do I start the conversion when I have no garage? Well, that problem is addressed in the next video, so stay tuned!