Electric truck/trans question

[sevenwalls]

I am in the middle stages of converting my 1988 Ranger, 2wd, that used to have the 2.9 litre motor in it. I have replaced the rear axle with one out of a 99 Ranger(7.5, 4.10) and am in the process of upgrading the braking system with the front brakes off a 2005 ranger.(I wanted bolts, not split pins to hold them on; that was just scary seeing how they were made. But they worked)
That is just back ground in case you needed to know.
I will give you some infor on electric vehicles since most people do not actually know much about them. Most common electric vehicles use manual transmissions. They are more efficient and an electric vehicle is specifically a study of being efficient with the electricity that you have stored onboard. They have tons of torque at startup (100% at 0 rpm) which actually tapers off with more rpms. Rpms for electric motors do not normally exceed 7000, although a select few(like on the Tesla Roadster) can go to at least 11,000. I guess the question I have is, is there an rpm I need to stay under when using an automatic transmission or will I rupture it if I go too high?
The second question is one that I have been debating with a couple of guys here in town; Do I need a special torque converter for use on my electric ranger? Like I said I have all the power at zero rpm and a normal gas engine is constantly turning, therefore always running the "pump" in the auto trans. With an electric motor, it actually stops at all lights, therefore expending no energy(the whole efficiency thing). Anytime in traffic you stop, the motor stops, so everytime I step on the "gas" will I get a jerk when the rotor starts to turn in the trans? Or will it be a smooth start; starting at what rpm of the motor? I am not sure if I am explaining it well enough. I know that we can't start a car that has an automatic transmission in it if it is in gear. That is due to an electical lock, though. What would happen if you started the car in drive with no lock? Does it start moving even if the engine is not up to speed? When would it actually start tranferring power through the trans; can we actually determine that rpm? I don't know and frankly, I don't know how to figure it out.
I have seen some good stuff from some of the tech advisors and wonder if you can shed some light on the subject.

Thanks,
Andrew

 

[AllanD]

I'm just curious how you are adapting brakes from an '05 onto an earlier ranger.


I'm almost as curious as to why you didn't simply swap '95-97beams/knuckles/brakes
onto you '88 which makes the job a simply bolt on.

You don't want an automatic at all.
a torque converter is a complete waste of power and effort

Not to mention a reduction in range.

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[sevenwalls]

The only problem with not using an auto trans is that I want to be able to use them for other vehicles as well. I am not planning on just using Rangers for conversions but also minivans and other cars that do not have a manual option. Also, "soccer moms" do not necessarily want a manual trans. They would rather just unplug and go with no shifting or anything else to think about while driving.

About the brakes, the only reason I was going to do the 05 brakes is that I had them available cheap. If the 97s switch over w/no mods then I will just use the ones off of the truck I currently drive. I already have upgraded them so I guess its a win/win situation.

 

[AllanD]

The two piston brakes off of a 1995-97 Ranger will swap onto an ealier 2wd ranger
but only as a complete setup.

On an '88 or earlier the bearms are completely different than the '89-up beams
(the balljoints are different and the way the spindle/steering knuckle mounts is completely different)

the difference between an '89-94 2wd beam and a '95-97 beam is subtle, but it's there...

Like I said just swap the beams over and you are there.

There is NOTHING on the front chassis of a '98-up 2wd that can be used
on a truck '97 or earlier.

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