I've seen that head gasket in a can stuff plug up so much, saw a water pump frozen solid by goo because someone tried to use that stuff to fix a radiator leak, as well as radiator stop leak... Kinda funny, except that the water pump really didn't want to come off that old "Magnum" 360 it was on due to the goo.
Exactly what I was going to say, that was just the remnants of a head gasket repair in a can. Would be a good idea to flush the crap out of that radiator.
Thank you for not dragging the teardown out for 5 episodes. Fantastic pace to a new project series. I'm excited to watch the rest. You just got a new subscriber.
I can't wait for the inevitable day when, somehow, Robert realize he's created a Monster (900hp AWD escape sleeper), and decide to challenge Cleetus Mcfarland to a race...
@@tarstarkusz If it's just liability insurance, it's probably the same as the stock Escape. The only thing that would be a PITA is convincing them that a beat to shit 15 year old crossover is actually worth a lot of money, if he wanted full coverage not based on the KBB value for a stock car. There are all sorts of insurance options for custom vehicles. There are "agreed value" policies and a decent number of options catering to custom/classic vehicle owners. I'm sure he's dealt with this type of insurance a lot, come to think about it.
I have this vision of a State Trooper looking at his radar or Lidar in stunned disbelief after a completely silent 20 year old Ford Escape blows by him at 150 plus and still accelerating. Way to go Robert! Good luck on both projects!
I'm gonna guess the range will be horrible at high speed with this thing, but it should drag like nothing else (mostly because there's nothing like it)
@@AsbestosMuffins My EV drains 15kwh of usable battery pretty quick with just 40kw motor if I hammer the throttle. I DO have to drive slow to get 50km range with current cold temperature. I swear it was 70km in summer heat. She is slow and doesn't get very far. And I know how fast a 300kw polestar 2 is, so 670kw explorer would surly rip some tire smoke but tiny battery won't last long.
A lot of those random weights are bolted on to mitigate vibration by moving the the CG of components, or just adding enough mass to change the resonant frequency. Usually this happens in secondary and tertiary vehicle testing, so the solution is cast a hunk of metal, sometimes encase it in rubber, and bolt it to the frame or vibrating component. I have a bucket full of gray iron weights that look like kit-kat bars that were cast for this purpose.
Remember to always be very careful when heating suspension components, especially ball joints. The packed grease will boil and then the ball joint will blow out of the frame socket like a bullet and will go THROUGH people. Safety information aside: I love this dang channel. You're doing what I wish I could. Unfortunately owning a big ol' workshop is hard in tiny old England.
I bet you could do it. There are quite a few folks on CZcams building cars in their one and two car UK garages! There are even some in Canada, Throttle Stop Garage is a good example.
completely did not realize AEM EV existed, that's pretty awesome, super excited about this project. My time bomb Miata engine is waiting for the EV conversion game to be a bit simpler(and Cheaper) than it currently is for when it finally goes.
Laughed out loud at the "differential equation" joke lol. Instant thumbs up for that. Definitely looking forward to seeing this beast doing 4 wheel burnouts!
I went through the evolution of laughter at that one simple joke. First a grin, then a snort, then a laugh, then a burst of laughter, then waking up my dogs in the other room wondering Wtf my laughter was.
At the beginning of the video I was like dude you're going to need so many sponsors for this project, and then I was like orrrr just one very specific one. This seems like a huge undertaking, but you're just crazy enough to pull it off. And I can't wait to watch you do it! Best of luck dude!
Once you've got it at full power, you should put a roll cage in it and take it to a 24 Hours of Lemons race. The electric drivetrain is exempt from the $500 budget, and if you can be the first electric car to take a race win, you'll win $50,000! I mean, it'll be in the form of a million nickels, and they'll literally drive it up in a dump truck because that's six tons of nickels, but fifty grand is fifty grand.
@@theyeetus1428 It's an endurance race, maybe in a few years that will be easily achievable but completing the race in first place with an EV would not be a walk in the park lol
Originally, he said that he would love to do this with the bus eventually, but it would be a lofty long term goal. It's awesome to see that it's happening now though!
5:15, I laughed my ass off. Great video Robert, looking forward to upcoming ones. Usually I don't like EVs but converting the bus is probably a better idea than just swapping in a much more powerful diesel motor.
I was maybe wrongly assuming the buses diesel was turned down for school bus use and could easily be upgraded. Maybe cheaper than an EV conversion. Turn up the fuel/ bigger turbo ...Bob's, you're Uncle.
This is easily one of my favorites of yours, Robert, I loved how you were telling two stories simultaneously with the editing. I also just discovered SuperfastMatt, and watched him convert a Mark 5 Jag into EV, doing a lot of the same things you were talking about in here. Popcorn time, baby, this shit is straight gold B-)
@@kaiserruhsam Yep. I started on AW... I think because of Technology Connections' Nissan, and the Almighty Algorithm said "You like weird people doing strange but cool things to cars, you'll like this!" and threw Superfast Matt at me. It was right. I did, an do, enjoy his stuff too.
Converting the bus to electric is just really, really, really dumb. The bus weighs 10 times or more as much as a Tesla and has the aerodynamic profile of a piece of plywood.
Oh wow, it has the No Boundaries roof rack as well! Those are highly sought after Also the reason there's so much room for batteries is because these were offered as hybrids! You could get the hybrid rear window installed, as those have an air scoop to cool the batteries
:-) the hybrids are build a decade later then this model. I doubt they already thought about it back then. We have a 2003 Ford Escape.. (100k miles) Really nice car. It had its isues, mostly because lack of maintenance by previous owners and crappy mechanics. All good now. Perhaps convert it in 3-4 years to EV :-)
Robert, I am so glad your brilliance/craziness has finally been acknowledged with a world-class sponsor. You very much deserve this, and I can’t wait to see how this progresses.
Hello Robert, my name is Chris. I am from sonoma county and I am so excited that you will be coming. I cannot wait to meet you hopefully. Now while I watched your video you said you might not add the inline cooler for the coolant. Now as someone who lives in the area, in July it can reach to 100*F and Sonoma Raceway can reach that and a bit more truely. Usually the track temp is 130-150*F. So you might wanna give real thought to adding the cooler so you do not over heat. Do not need you “Roadkilling” your setup before it is used for what you want it to be used for. Love the idea so much. Your channel is so amazing to me and I love watching your videos so much. I cannot wait to see how this project turns out and then to move onto the bus. Also you have made me want to buy a Trabant some day. Thank you for reading this message. Good luck sir, Chris.
I didn't even know they had an EV division. And given how Tesla wants to be the apple of the car world (Read: hate you fixing your own shit), AEM offering alternative parts is amazing.
It’s getting harder and harder for them to sell performance parts for gas/diesel vehicles. I’ve noticed a lot of companies starting to go the EV route.
I want to add a different type of comment. Your editing, storytelling and general production skills are second to none. I can see why your channel is popular and sponsors want to get on board. Good luck with the projects. Mart in England.
It would be really interesting to see you do a final breakdown at the end of this series of what all you have into it in the ways of cost and labor to see what the total price payout would have been. Either way extremely excited to watch this one
the next generation escape after this one actually switched to an electric power steering setup, the hybrid ones of this generation may have the electric power steering too but those may be harder to find than the regular 2nd gen ones :) can't wait to see this finished!
I'm pretty positive the '09-'12 Escape should all have electric power steering, and the 1st and 2nd gen Escapes are largely the same underneath, so it may fit without major modifications. 👍
Im so glad to see that AEM in jumping on this project with you. I really want to see how their system works and i love their push for Interoperability in the EV field. Also Youre opening quite the can of worms, but with support from AEM I have way more confidence in this project. Love it, keep up the great work!!!!
This is amazing!!!! I have a second gen escape and have been told “it’s a mom car, don’t mod it”. This proves that with enough know how you can do anything!!
I might be very simple, but moments like the one at 15:20 is a large part of the reason why I love this channel. Inpromptu one man dance party in the wood shop might be my favorite background goof to date.
Loving this! Diesel-electric (presumably diesel electric) hybrid bus was a totally unexpected curveball. I predict you will fall in love with the Escape once you have the potential of 900bhp and will need a different motor solution for the bus lol
Congrats on getting Sponsored Parts! Been watching you for the longest time and seeing you grow and reach this type of deal, makes my heart warm up and smile. Keep up the great work!
A friend of mine had the Hybrid Escape. He took good care of it and even replaced the hybrid battery. He loved every single part of it. He loved your channel and im pretty sure he would have been very excited seing you working on an escape
This is some of your best content yet! What a fun project. Your enthusiasm is fantastic! As an aside, you don’t need so many battery packs for the bus if are going to have an ICE range extender. It can be de-rated for EV only mode, and full power when the ICE and batteries are both pulling together. My Chevy Volt offers this when it is in Mountain mode.
That way of going back and forth between being bombarded with information and a chaotic disassembly of some shitty old car was actually really refreshing and fun. Your editing and narration style have gotten a lot better and more entertaining over the years anyway, but this one really stood out to me. Keep it up, mate!
That's the standard Ford practice of having the power steering pressure line make at least three full rotations around the engine bay. These are, in order of flow, the cooling loop (which you've discussed,) the exhaust header flyby loop - to reheat the fluid - and the oil filter access prevention loop. All fords are designed with these three loops. The low pressure return line is mounted near the rear of the car, for packaging reasons
Don't weld the buss diff, its gonna make it turn even worse, if you're worried about traction get a selectable locker for a big rig, or they probably even make them for busses. Also I think you're going to like the escape so much you won't want to tear it apart.
@@theyeetus1428 Because it's going to be connected to a driveshaft on one side. If you have a differential in your motor, the other side of the motor is just going to spin and nothing will happen.
Certainly check the rear shock towers. They seem to be a weak point of that vintage Escape. Adding the mass of the batteries et al won't help if they are compromised by rust.
Oh man, I remember your first bus video in which you talked about a possible EV conversion which you thought was very unlikely to happen. Love the fact it actually will.
I'm excited to see aftermarket support for electric motors to be used anywhere our hearts will desire. It is a bright future indeed. As soon as battery technology catches up and the electric grid capable of sustaining all of it, the sky is the limit!
I must admit I'm not into electric cars, but thinking about it a bit, what you're doing is in the spirit of hot rodders from the old days. Take a car, put a more powerful "engine" in it, and have fun with it. Looking forward to the rest of the project!
What makes it even more exciting is that the secondary market is still the wild wild west, with some parts outrageously expensive and others dirt cheap. Often a startup will fail, and their stock gets liquidated by someone who neither knows nor care about the value. Companies abandon a technology, or overbuild a component. If you have some imagination, there is a lot you can do.
I’m not sure if I should feel bad that you don’t have a shop assistant that’s qualified at your level of experience/madness….! But of course would one even exist..!? We just need to keep an eye out for someone with a hunchback. ❤️🙏🏻🤣🤣🤣 I absolutely love this channel💪🏼🔥🔥🔥👍🏻😂🤣🤦🏻♂️
The bus project will be frickin awesome. I've been waiting for someone to do a hybrid large vehicle, it makes total sense. You can run a load of home comforts off the electric system, you can charge it on campsites or off solar, there's loads of extra power when you need it and you can put a more efficient engine in it to generate electricity
Anyone else think, "oh, so that's where JR's tesla ended up" at first? And thank you AEM for sending Robert the parts so we can all see this unfold! Should be a blast, just keep it dented side up 😁
This is looking like an interesting project, but I am concerned about you reusing that radiator. Considering the sludge and copper that came out of it, I would be worried about the radiator contaminating the coolant passages in the electric motors and batteries. For the cost of a new radiator being relatively low, especially compared to new motors and batteries, I would just replace the radiator, or at the minimum find a good way to properly clean it out.
That or see if re-rodding (if you can find the specialty shop) might help clear things out. Whatever sealant was used to fix the radiator is probably going to hang around, too much of a risk for what you want the car to be, which is a functional EV conversion. (Although I just looked up what a radiator cost OEM, aprox. ~$200 max.) Re-rodding is a specialty these days so the labor is probably worth more than the OEM part.
Good lord, this project looks awesome. I'm so happy you got Holley/AEM to sponsor the build at least as far as providing components. Good luck, eagerly awaiting more content!
Still one of the few channels that I don't mind watching the adverts. Always funny and/or informative and actually add (no pun intended when spoken) to the structure of the video. Another really interesting project from this channel I'm looking forward to seeing more of! :)
You remind me of a friend that I went to school with. He built a ford 351 Windsor engine and put it into a Pinto body (heavily modified). Why, you ask? Because he had them both and he could, simple enough reason. The car would shift through the gears doing a brake-stand, yes, he had a line-lock on it.
Honestly you got me into electric cars. I don't drive (and if i'm being honest probably won't for a while) but you have me really interested into looking at electric cars once I eventually do. You make them seem really cool and fun.
@Anne Frank Vape Pen solarpanels, wind. And you're thinking to not use a generator? And your family is completely off grid, impossibly self providing right?
@Anne Frank Vape Pen have you ever read a history book. TTC on vikings have been pretty good if you're interested. Europeans didn't have cars then so you're anti EV is weird and I don't know if you're using the word civilization correctly aswell. And to using ancient with Europeans is also weird. Like are you one of those fascist right (your name hints towards that aswell) that wouldn't accept actually ancient like Egypt, and the rest of actually ancient civilizations?
This hits really close to home for me, because my first car was an '04 Escape and one thing I always wanted to do was electrify it. I knew there was a lot of space in it, so I looked into it a couple times. Unfortunately I wrecked it several years ago, so I never even got to start. It's awesome watching you do this. Maybe one day I will buy an old Escape destined for the crusher and perform my own swap. After all, now I have a good recipe😆.
Great editing and energy. It may be a character, but it matches the edit style perfectly. I dont like many videos, but this was pretty instant. Keep up the good work man!
This is extremely exciting. I can't wait to watch this all unfold. I really want to tackle something like this some day. Very glad you've got the deadline, that's (probably) going to help the overall project a lot.
"God, I'm weird." Why do you think we're here? We're weird, too!
Can't be more agree, with that
Damn straight
Me weird? I am an airplane.
Most honest and relatable comment and will age well
I don't even have a driving license and I'm still here...!
A lot of head gasket stop-leak additives have copper powder in them. That's probably what you're seeing in the coolant.
I've seen that head gasket in a can stuff plug up so much, saw a water pump frozen solid by goo because someone tried to use that stuff to fix a radiator leak, as well as radiator stop leak... Kinda funny, except that the water pump really didn't want to come off that old "Magnum" 360 it was on due to the goo.
+1 Concur with Danny there.
Exactly what I was going to say, that was just the remnants of a head gasket repair in a can. Would be a good idea to flush the crap out of that radiator.
Yup, I was suspecting either radiator stop-leak or head gasket stop-leak.
Yep those little bits get caught in the leak to hopefully stop it. The extra is also what gets caught in the rad and heater core stopping them up.
This is the EV conversion I never knew I was waiting for!
Thank you for not dragging the teardown out for 5 episodes. Fantastic pace to a new project series. I'm excited to watch the rest. You just got a new subscriber.
You're in for a treat with this channel! Robert is hilarious and a great editor. And exactly the right kind of weirdo. :)
Same!!
yes sir.
I think we're all waiting for the episode where you decide you want to keep the resulting electric escape and end up buying everything again :p
I think it is an incredibly bad and dumb idea. Insurance is probably going to be a royal PITA.
I can't wait for the inevitable day when, somehow, Robert realize he's created a Monster (900hp AWD escape sleeper), and decide to challenge Cleetus Mcfarland to a race...
@@tarstarkusz If it's just liability insurance, it's probably the same as the stock Escape. The only thing that would be a PITA is convincing them that a beat to shit 15 year old crossover is actually worth a lot of money, if he wanted full coverage not based on the KBB value for a stock car.
There are all sorts of insurance options for custom vehicles. There are "agreed value" policies and a decent number of options catering to custom/classic vehicle owners. I'm sure he's dealt with this type of insurance a lot, come to think about it.
@@crudboy12 It's no so much the value, it's the damage those batteries could cause.
Anxiously awaiting the video where we see 900 HP twist the Escape up like a pretzel.
I have this vision of a State Trooper looking at his radar or Lidar in stunned disbelief after a completely silent 20 year old Ford Escape blows by him at 150 plus and still accelerating. Way to go Robert! Good luck on both projects!
I'm gonna guess the range will be horrible at high speed with this thing, but it should drag like nothing else (mostly because there's nothing like it)
@@AsbestosMuffins My EV drains 15kwh of usable battery pretty quick with just 40kw motor if I hammer the throttle. I DO have to drive slow to get 50km range with current cold temperature. I swear it was 70km in summer heat. She is slow and doesn't get very far. And I know how fast a 300kw polestar 2 is, so 670kw explorer would surly rip some tire smoke but tiny battery won't last long.
While towing a trailer! :-D
With that much power, he'll be able to pull wheelies in that car even.
@@Fantaman900 What's your EV that you only have 50km of range in the winter? A plug in hybrid of some sort, or did you DIY an ev conversion as well?
I really love how you dance on the line between madness and genius and you genuinely seem to be enjoying yourself.
15:20 waving guy made my day 🤣
A lot of those random weights are bolted on to mitigate vibration by moving the the CG of components, or just adding enough mass to change the resonant frequency. Usually this happens in secondary and tertiary vehicle testing, so the solution is cast a hunk of metal, sometimes encase it in rubber, and bolt it to the frame or vibrating component. I have a bucket full of gray iron weights that look like kit-kat bars that were cast for this purpose.
I bet they are not as chewy -- or tasty -- as _Kit-Kat Bars._ 😉
@@Allan_aka_RocKITEman That teeth shattering crunch though! Perfect!
That's what he meant by NVH(Noise, Vibration, Harshness) btw.
@@razordrive3238 >>> _'Rock candy'_ on steroids...😊
@@Allan_aka_RocKITEman Since when are kit-kats chewy?
15:23 - There's no reason for you to dance in the background other than the fact that you can and it's why I love your videos.
I didn’t even notice that until you pointed it out.
Remember to always be very careful when heating suspension components, especially ball joints. The packed grease will boil and then the ball joint will blow out of the frame socket like a bullet and will go THROUGH people. Safety information aside: I love this dang channel. You're doing what I wish I could. Unfortunately owning a big ol' workshop is hard in tiny old England.
I bet you could do it. There are quite a few folks on CZcams building cars in their one and two car UK garages! There are even some in Canada, Throttle Stop Garage is a good example.
@@GrayRaceCat I don't even have a garage haha!
@@ivy7642 That could be a problem!
completely did not realize AEM EV existed, that's pretty awesome, super excited about this project. My time bomb Miata engine is waiting for the EV conversion game to be a bit simpler(and Cheaper) than it currently is for when it finally goes.
"completely did not realize AEM EV existed" exactly why they gave him parts for free lol
Laughed out loud at the "differential equation" joke lol. Instant thumbs up for that.
Definitely looking forward to seeing this beast doing 4 wheel burnouts!
👆Mᴀssᴀɢᴇ ᴀʙᴏᴠᴇ ᴛᴇʟᴇɢʀᴀᴍ ᴛᴏ ᴄʟᴀɪᴍ ᴀ ᴘʀɪᴢᴇ
I've had to stop the video - not for laughing, but that made my head hurt... what a painful joke
I went through the evolution of laughter at that one simple joke.
First a grin, then a snort, then a laugh, then a burst of laughter, then waking up my dogs in the other room wondering Wtf my laughter was.
I chuckled, then proceeded to see if any of my colleagues were watching me.
His smirk said it all! He was so proud of that joke and I would be too! That was amazing
"Differential equation" Well done sir! Love keeping up with the things you do and get up to.
At the beginning of the video I was like dude you're going to need so many sponsors for this project, and then I was like orrrr just one very specific one. This seems like a huge undertaking, but you're just crazy enough to pull it off. And I can't wait to watch you do it! Best of luck dude!
5:15 Finally, the quality content I was looking for
Once you've got it at full power, you should put a roll cage in it and take it to a 24 Hours of Lemons race. The electric drivetrain is exempt from the $500 budget, and if you can be the first electric car to take a race win, you'll win $50,000!
I mean, it'll be in the form of a million nickels, and they'll literally drive it up in a dump truck because that's six tons of nickels, but fifty grand is fifty grand.
the issue is range, he'd have to slap some form of generator in the back to keep it running
@@saxreaper I imagine that he'd just need VERY easily swappable batteries.
Are you really serious about the electric drivetrain not counting for the budget? If so, that's very dumb on their part.
@@theyeetus1428 It's an endurance race, maybe in a few years that will be easily achievable but completing the race in first place with an EV would not be a walk in the park lol
@@Timbobjr All you need to do is put a generator in it.
i died laughing at the differential equation
It's the grin on his face when he says it.
OH man. I was groaning so hard I had to stop the video and stop myself from hitting my own forhead over and over.
Yes, it was my kind of humour. Wanted to give the video 5 thumbs up for just that.
I long thought the bus deserved an electric conversion, and as an EV fan, I admire your dedication to these projects
Had this video running while doing something else an drinking coffee...
Almost spit on my keyboard at 15:30 :D
Somehow I'd forgotten the bus was going to be range-extender electric and I am now EVEN MORE HYPE for this.
Originally, he said that he would love to do this with the bus eventually, but it would be a lofty long term goal. It's awesome to see that it's happening now though!
@@coltondoescars I think it's fair to say that "long term" is already here.
it's gonna end up being a 900hp wheely bus isn't it?
@@jeremymcginnis7258 True. He did start this project a number of years ago at this point.
5:15, I laughed my ass off. Great video Robert, looking forward to upcoming ones. Usually I don't like EVs but converting the bus is probably a better idea than just swapping in a much more powerful diesel motor.
I would have never expected that you were an Aging Wheels fan.
Made me laught too, not much because of the joke but by the fact that it looks like Robert is about to burst out laughing from his cheesy joke.
Also found the cameo funny at 15:24
I was maybe wrongly assuming the buses diesel was turned down for school bus use and could easily be upgraded. Maybe cheaper than an EV conversion. Turn up the fuel/ bigger turbo ...Bob's, you're Uncle.
@@Demoncarlie I even started to waive back to him there.
you're not just a great engineer, but a great cinematographer and storyteller as well
This is easily one of my favorites of yours, Robert, I loved how you were telling two stories simultaneously with the editing. I also just discovered SuperfastMatt, and watched him convert a Mark 5 Jag into EV, doing a lot of the same things you were talking about in here. Popcorn time, baby, this shit is straight gold B-)
i've been watching aging wheels off and on for a bit now but i think i went the opposite way around. matt's jag is so dope
@@kaiserruhsam Yep. I started on AW... I think because of Technology Connections' Nissan, and the Almighty Algorithm said "You like weird people doing strange but cool things to cars, you'll like this!" and threw Superfast Matt at me.
It was right. I did, an do, enjoy his stuff too.
Converting the bus to electric is just really, really, really dumb. The bus weighs 10 times or more as much as a Tesla and has the aerodynamic profile of a piece of plywood.
@@tarstarkuszThat's nice dear, let's get you back to bed
@@gamemeister27 OK gamma.
Oh wow, it has the No Boundaries roof rack as well! Those are highly sought after
Also the reason there's so much room for batteries is because these were offered as hybrids! You could get the hybrid rear window installed, as those have an air scoop to cool the batteries
:-) the hybrids are build a decade later then this model.
I doubt they already thought about it back then.
We have a 2003 Ford Escape.. (100k miles)
Really nice car.
It had its isues, mostly because lack of maintenance by previous owners and crappy mechanics. All good now.
Perhaps convert it in 3-4 years to EV :-)
@@fhorst02 the hybrid has been available since 2005.
Robert, I am so glad your brilliance/craziness has finally been acknowledged with a world-class sponsor. You very much deserve this, and I can’t wait to see how this progresses.
Hello Robert, my name is Chris. I am from sonoma county and I am so excited that you will be coming. I cannot wait to meet you hopefully. Now while I watched your video you said you might not add the inline cooler for the coolant. Now as someone who lives in the area, in July it can reach to 100*F and Sonoma Raceway can reach that and a bit more truely. Usually the track temp is 130-150*F. So you might wanna give real thought to adding the cooler so you do not over heat. Do not need you “Roadkilling” your setup before it is used for what you want it to be used for. Love the idea so much. Your channel is so amazing to me and I love watching your videos so much. I cannot wait to see how this project turns out and then to move onto the bus. Also you have made me want to buy a Trabant some day. Thank you for reading this message.
Good luck sir,
Chris.
"Because I want to" Is the best reason to do anything with cars
This is incredibly smart for aem to sponsor you. I had no idea they made all this plug and play stuff. God luck and good speed.
I didn't even know they had an EV division. And given how Tesla wants to be the apple of the car world (Read: hate you fixing your own shit), AEM offering alternative parts is amazing.
@@NEEDbacon So that makes AEM ev the Other World Computing for Tesla.
It’s getting harder and harder for them to sell performance parts for gas/diesel vehicles. I’ve noticed a lot of companies starting to go the EV route.
I want to add a different type of comment. Your editing, storytelling and general production skills are second to none. I can see why your channel is popular and sponsors want to get on board. Good luck with the projects. Mart in England.
It would be really interesting to see you do a final breakdown at the end of this series of what all you have into it in the ways of cost and labor to see what the total price payout would have been. Either way extremely excited to watch this one
4:06 😂”and the dent” man this dudes funny and entertaining hes got a new sub
the next generation escape after this one actually switched to an electric power steering setup, the hybrid ones of this generation may have the electric power steering too but those may be harder to find than the regular 2nd gen ones :) can't wait to see this finished!
He could probably find an electric steering rack from the same generation quite easily as it was used in 2005-2007.
I'm pretty positive the '09-'12 Escape should all have electric power steering, and the 1st and 2nd gen Escapes are largely the same underneath, so it may fit without major modifications. 👍
Im so glad to see that AEM in jumping on this project with you. I really want to see how their system works and i love their push for Interoperability in the EV field. Also Youre opening quite the can of worms, but with support from AEM I have way more confidence in this project. Love it, keep up the great work!!!!
👆Mᴀssᴀɢᴇ ᴀʙᴏᴠᴇ ᴛᴇʟᴇɢʀᴀᴍ ᴛᴏ ᴄʟᴀɪᴍ ᴀ ᴘʀɪᴢᴇ.
I know nothing about cars, but in Need for Speed Underground 2 AEM was an optional mfr for parts and I remember picking them on logo alone. 😆
You've got a LADA! Looking SO much forward to seeing more about that 😎
This is amazing!!!! I have a second gen escape and have been told “it’s a mom car, don’t mod it”. This proves that with enough know how you can do anything!!
5:15 This kind of humor is why I love your channel
Damn, these are both very ambitious projects, can't wait to see the result of both, hope everything goes well!
Damn, my adhd really appreciated this style of presentation. First video I haven't skipped ahead. Also super cool build man
The dude dancing in the doorway at 15:25 killed me.
I might be very simple, but moments like the one at 15:20 is a large part of the reason why I love this channel.
Inpromptu one man dance party in the wood shop might be my favorite background goof to date.
Might be too under Dunn.
👆Mᴀssᴀɢᴇ ᴀʙᴏᴠᴇ ᴛᴇʟᴇɢʀᴀᴍ ᴛᴏ ᴄʟᴀɪᴍ ᴀ ᴘʀɪᴢᴇ.
Loving this! Diesel-electric (presumably diesel electric) hybrid bus was a totally unexpected curveball.
I predict you will fall in love with the Escape once you have the potential of 900bhp and will need a different motor solution for the bus lol
Diesel + battery.
I remember aging wheels hinting about an option like this when he started working but said he wasn't confident on making a build like that
I love that line concerning the Hellcat! Great stuff Robert! 🙂
The editing, the comedy, THANK YOU CZcams ALGORITHM!!! Subscribed
Congrats on getting Sponsored Parts! Been watching you for the longest time and seeing you grow and reach this type of deal, makes my heart warm up and smile. Keep up the great work!
A friend of mine had the Hybrid Escape. He took good care of it and even replaced the hybrid battery. He loved every single part of it. He loved your channel and im pretty sure he would have been very excited seing you working on an escape
Wow 2005 model year, I did not know Hybrid Ford Escape started soo long ago. I was puzzled why it would need a battery replacement.
This is some of your best content yet! What a fun project. Your enthusiasm is fantastic!
As an aside, you don’t need so many battery packs for the bus if are going to have an ICE range extender. It can be de-rated for EV only mode, and full power when the ICE and batteries are both pulling together. My Chevy Volt offers this when it is in Mountain mode.
Congrats on the sponsor!! And thank you very much for the little dance extra at 15:22 😄
I lost it at the differential equation. That's pure gold. Thank you for the best laugh I've had in a good while!
I don't know why but that "differential equation" joke had me in stitches. 🤣 Don't change Robert.
Dude!! I spit my coffee all over my iPad with the “differential equation”. You are Gold 😂
Oh god yes I have a hybrid escape and this is what I would love to do please update regularly the more details the better.
That way of going back and forth between being bombarded with information and a chaotic disassembly of some shitty old car was actually really refreshing and fun.
Your editing and narration style have gotten a lot better and more entertaining over the years anyway, but this one really stood out to me. Keep it up, mate!
That's the standard Ford practice of having the power steering pressure line make at least three full rotations around the engine bay. These are, in order of flow, the cooling loop (which you've discussed,) the exhaust header flyby loop - to reheat the fluid - and the oil filter access prevention loop. All fords are designed with these three loops. The low pressure return line is mounted near the rear of the car, for packaging reasons
Always like a video which starts by immediately providing factual information. "This is my bus, it's big".
This was my first truck, same exact one except mine was black. Couldn't be more excited to see a car get electrified! 💯💯😁
Don't weld the buss diff, its gonna make it turn even worse, if you're worried about traction get a selectable locker for a big rig, or they probably even make them for busses. Also I think you're going to like the escape so much you won't want to tear it apart.
He's not welding the bus dif. He's welding the Tesla dif.
@@jeremymcginnis7258 i guess that part got a bit confusing
@@jeremymcginnis7258 Why though?
@@theyeetus1428 Because it's going to be connected to a driveshaft on one side. If you have a differential in your motor, the other side of the motor is just going to spin and nothing will happen.
@@user2C47 I can't imagine Ford escape diffs NOT vaporizing almost immedietaly under 450 hp
This is a really cool project! Even just as a r&d project. Can’t wait to see the whole setup converted for the bus!
Congratulations on being the first CZcamsr who doesn't say "orientated." I'm not alone in the world.
Oh heck yeah, I can't wait to see how both electric conversions go!
Nice to see your clone getting some air time in this episode too @ 15:23
He's been known to split off by mitosis to make his jobs easier, that one is likely doing some woodshop stuff
Certainly check the rear shock towers. They seem to be a weak point of that vintage Escape.
Adding the mass of the batteries et al won't help if they are compromised by rust.
Commenting for engagement because this channel needs and deserves more subs
Editing on this was next level.. love the interspersed work on the car and project planning reviews. Looking forward to the result.
Would be willing to bet the copper was one of those "fix a headgasket" fluid things. Awesome project, looking forward to this one!
Oh man, I remember your first bus video in which you talked about a possible EV conversion which you thought was very unlikely to happen. Love the fact it actually will.
I'm excited to see aftermarket support for electric motors to be used anywhere our hearts will desire. It is a bright future indeed. As soon as battery technology catches up and the electric grid capable of sustaining all of it, the sky is the limit!
15:25 caught me off guard in the best way. Little Easter eggs like this are what keep me watching, thanks Robert!
I laugh every time Robert inserts two of himself in one frame, so great!
I must admit I'm not into electric cars, but thinking about it a bit, what you're doing is in the spirit of hot rodders from the old days. Take a car, put a more powerful "engine" in it, and have fun with it. Looking forward to the rest of the project!
Why did you put quote for engine? :D they are still engines
@@2008tourer An engine uses either internal or external combustion. A motor relies on electric induction.
What makes it even more exciting is that the secondary market is still the wild wild west, with some parts outrageously expensive and others dirt cheap. Often a startup will fail, and their stock gets liquidated by someone who neither knows nor care about the value. Companies abandon a technology, or overbuild a component. If you have some imagination, there is a lot you can do.
@@ArthurRoy13 engine is a much broader term than that.
Like...a difference engine for example
@@ArthurRoy13 an engine converts energy into motion. The energy source is irrelevant. Electric motors are engines.
I’m not sure if I should feel bad that you don’t have a shop assistant that’s qualified at your level of experience/madness….!
But of course would one even exist..!? We just need to keep an eye out for someone with a hunchback. ❤️🙏🏻🤣🤣🤣
I absolutely love this channel💪🏼🔥🔥🔥👍🏻😂🤣🤦🏻♂️
The bus project will be frickin awesome. I've been waiting for someone to do a hybrid large vehicle, it makes total sense. You can run a load of home comforts off the electric system, you can charge it on campsites or off solar, there's loads of extra power when you need it and you can put a more efficient engine in it to generate electricity
Hi Robert! The cut at the top of the radiator is a common thing, I think it allows for expansion of the core. As for the smash on top, I dunno.
Anyone else think, "oh, so that's where JR's tesla ended up" at first? And thank you AEM for sending Robert the parts so we can all see this unfold! Should be a blast, just keep it dented side up 😁
That differential equation joke was just pure gold, thank you 😅
Wow, this channel keeps getting crazier and I love it.
I've been watching this channel for years, and I don't think I've ever seen him have as much fun as he did in this video
I'm really looking forward to the Lada introduction video!
"so I can take it out of the test mule..."
riiiiiiight. This Escape will become CZcams legend.
Great job with the Hook in your next video to get people to come back and look at this one. It worked!
This is looking like an interesting project, but I am concerned about you reusing that radiator. Considering the sludge and copper that came out of it, I would be worried about the radiator contaminating the coolant passages in the electric motors and batteries. For the cost of a new radiator being relatively low, especially compared to new motors and batteries, I would just replace the radiator, or at the minimum find a good way to properly clean it out.
That or see if re-rodding (if you can find the specialty shop) might help clear things out. Whatever sealant was used to fix the radiator is probably going to hang around, too much of a risk for what you want the car to be, which is a functional EV conversion. (Although I just looked up what a radiator cost OEM, aprox. ~$200 max.) Re-rodding is a specialty these days so the labor is probably worth more than the OEM part.
Good lord, this project looks awesome. I'm so happy you got Holley/AEM to sponsor the build at least as far as providing components. Good luck, eagerly awaiting more content!
The differential equation earned my subscription. This is my kind of channel.
MVP, baby! That advice is always hard for software developers to take, isn't it? 😂 It takes so much creative energy to make a project smaller.
I used those Chrysler Pacifica cells in an MG conversion and couldn't be happier with them. Excited to see where this goes!
Still one of the few channels that I don't mind watching the adverts. Always funny and/or informative and actually add (no pun intended when spoken) to the structure of the video.
Another really interesting project from this channel I'm looking forward to seeing more of! :)
Best reason for a project 😊 hats off to AEM for sponsoring
You remind me of a friend that I went to school with. He built a ford 351 Windsor engine and put it into a Pinto body (heavily modified). Why, you ask? Because he had them both and he could, simple enough reason. The car would shift through the gears doing a brake-stand, yes, he had a line-lock on it.
Honestly you got me into electric cars. I don't drive (and if i'm being honest probably won't for a while) but you have me really interested into looking at electric cars once I eventually do. You make them seem really cool and fun.
You think those oil refineries will still work after that war and emp....
@@Jimunu well my tanks of gas at home will
@Anne Frank Vape Pen solarpanels, wind. And you're thinking to not use a generator? And your family is completely off grid, impossibly self providing right?
@@Marco-yk8kp you do know that gas have a best before date?
@Anne Frank Vape Pen have you ever read a history book. TTC on vikings have been pretty good if you're interested. Europeans didn't have cars then so you're anti EV is weird and I don't know if you're using the word civilization correctly aswell. And to using ancient with Europeans is also weird. Like are you one of those fascist right (your name hints towards that aswell) that wouldn't accept actually ancient like Egypt, and the rest of actually ancient civilizations?
Ooooh very excited for this. I had no idea AEM Ev existed, so this partnership is already working for them!
10:06 One of the great equalizers LOL
this is going to be a great series. i cant wait!
I love him, if I'm ever having a bad day he always cracks me up. Also this plan is amazing and I'm excited to see the result!
this is awesome and you are talking so fast you definitely had your coffee this morning
Very cool project! This is the future of hot-rodding.
This hits really close to home for me, because my first car was an '04 Escape and one thing I always wanted to do was electrify it. I knew there was a lot of space in it, so I looked into it a couple times. Unfortunately I wrecked it several years ago, so I never even got to start. It's awesome watching you do this. Maybe one day I will buy an old Escape destined for the crusher and perform my own swap. After all, now I have a good recipe😆.
I'm very excited about this one and I predict this will take your channel to the next level.
Great editing and energy. It may be a character, but it matches the edit style perfectly. I dont like many videos, but this was pretty instant. Keep up the good work man!
New to the channel, 2 minutes in and I'm subscribed. It wasn't even a choice, just the right thing to do. Thank you
This is extremely exciting. I can't wait to watch this all unfold. I really want to tackle something like this some day. Very glad you've got the deadline, that's (probably) going to help the overall project a lot.
Hopefully that means we also get more videos?
Awesome ! This is a really cool project and I'm glad that AEM partnered with you... that is a wise choice by them, and you.