Parts 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 Mk1 Version Mk1 | Mk2 | Mk3 versions + Timeline Starting to build a few parts onto the main freshly powder coated frame. While the photos look involved it actually only takes a couple of hours to reassemble everything in super clean style. A new evolution of this project over here Off road version (for when you have read this 6 page epic! Or Detailed PowerChair Only Menu

Tighten with care! You might want to undo it one day! The nuts are self locking (use Nylocks - stainless steel)
Fitting caster fork big  |  Fitting caster fork bigger

These are just plastic plugs. Very cheap and disposable. Available from Sunrise Medical, see the parts list at the top of the page!  Fitting new blanking plug bigger |  Fitting new blanking plug bigger

After fitting the caster fork and coating the internal spaces in grease the new cap is fitted by Brian my chief engineer on this project! Most people would use a large soft hammer and a thick cloth. This works too... 
Fitting moss plug big |  Fitting moss plug bigger

Tubeless wheelchair wheels & tyres  big |  Tubeless wheelchair wheels & tyres bigger

The wheels I use are commonly available (Halfords for E.G.) complete with tyres but usually tubed. Tubes are bad! So I order the wheels from here specifically 8 x 2.5 and 100mm PCD like these. They do many other sizes depending on your project. As above.

Stock wheels have several issues. They are too narrow for the tubeless tyres I want to use. So that rules them out already. They corrode on to the motor drive shaft so badly that they cannot be removed without heat and much abuse! Great if you get a puncture at 3 am. If you use some grease to stop corrosion problem then the keyway and key that transmits drive wears fast and backlash develops and the wheelchair lurches about making clunking noises when trying to turn left/right etc. And they are split rims. Meaning you have to disassemble the rims to swap a tyre every time you get a punctured tube... And these bolts also corrode and seize!  Not very good all round then. Stupid method of attachment is the main problem though. Fitting the wheels above using a different method of attachment cures all of these problems and makes the rear wheels practically puncture proof at the same time without the disadvantages of solid. foam filled, or other puncture proof tyres.

Fitting a new motor to the battery tray / swinging arm assembly. Stainless bolts and everything greased...  I hate corrosion.  Fitting wheelchair-motor big  | Fitting wheelchair motor bigger

One fitted, or at least 2 bolts are!  One-motor big  |  One motor bigger

Woo -- Looking good.  My rooms not very tidy though. Its my bedroom/office/workshop/and even has a lathe. I live like an animal.  24v Powerchair Motor big  |  24v Powerchair Motor bigger



Brian, my chief engineer, and long suffering carer, car washer and grass cutter looking at the date on the grease because it ran out already and I only bought it in 1977... How time flies. No wonder its an odd colour.
Grease big  |  Grease bigger

This is the battery tray, rear swinging arms that allow suspension, with brand new 4 pole tall geared motors fitted.
Partly assembled big  |  Partly assembled bigger

Now a Spring / shock absorber is fitted. This is 13 years old. Stripped cleaned, blasted, and powder coated and rebuilt like the rest of the chair! Nothing from the donor chair goes back unless its redesigned, rebuilt, or better than "new".
Powerchair Suspension big  |  Powerchair Suspension bigger

Above: And the other one!  Suspension Unit big |  Shock absorber bigger

Partially reunited with the main frame. Main powerchair frame big |  Main powerchair frame bigger

The motor/battery tray/suspension now fully reunited with the main frame. 6 Bolts!  But now its looking better. Total rebuild time genuinely only about 3 hours, 1 of which was me wasting time with the camera!  Its all in the preparation and planning. And I have done this a few times before.  Powerchair big  |  Powerchair bigger

Cant remember what we were doing here.  Oh yes!  Wheels...  Fitting wheels big | Fitting wheels bigger

I give up... Electric wheelchair build bigger |  Electric wheelchair build bigger

Thrown on floor, time for pub. But now it rolls! And is getting heavy.  Powerchair base big |  Powerchair base bigger

Seat Upholstery big |  Seat Upholstery bigger

Above: The "push handles" have been shortened by about 5 inches with a big hacksaw. Then were filed and powder coated along with all the other black brackets and parts. The reason is that the chair is way too heavy to push anyway. And because in the interests of keeping the powerchair compact and manoeuvrable they just had to be shorter!  After moving the seat back to shorten the chair and help with a multitude of things they were the very thing that hit the wall first so where now in the way. So now they don't hit the wall when I reverse but my head does. That's how all chairs SHOULD be EVERY INCH COUNTS. Anything else means your powerchair is excessively long meaning manoeuvrability is limited. Nothing else at the rear of the wheelchair sticks out further than my head. This keeps it compact and short as the footrest plate is also about 6  four inches further back too so turning in tight spaces or in my van, public bathrooms etc is all so much easier. Or easily possible where it just was not possible before.

As you can see even the seat back bar is refinished...  Powder coated big |  Powder coated bigger

Seat frame, seat back reassembly. Stainless bolts, grease, much care and new upholstery! And its in the wrong order...
Seat Back big |  Seat Back bigger

Seat Frame big  |  Seat Frame bigger

This is the front corner of the seat frame. It used to have a big bulky fitting/connection to allow the swing away footplates to connect to the frame. Until I sawed it off... Horrid old fashioned bulky things that get in the way of my transfers and hit every doorframe and obstacle in the universe!  PowerChairs SHOULD NOT HAVE "CORNERS"! These things are just too bulky for indoor use in small areas. See the stock green chair at top to see what I am rambling about. Or click here

Seat frame moss plug big  |  Seat frame moss plug bigger

With new plastic plug fitted. These are really meant for the other end where the backrest goes, I just ordered 4 instead of 2 from Sunrise Medical along with the rest of my parts.

Here's where the other end needs them!  Moss plugs seat assembled big | Moss plugs seat assembled bigger

Powerchair Linear Actuator big  |  Powerchair linear Actuator bigger

The big black square thing is a "linear actuator",  Woo!  Its a ram with a motor in it. Allows the seat to tilt back to chill with a beer. But this chair can do that on its anti tip wheels with a little use of the throttle!  So you have to remember not to do both together or you land upside down. Been there! Be warned. there are no cuddly safety Nazi "inhibits" on this chair, it allows you to do what you want. This chair requires some actual operator common sense and isn't controlled by the safety Nazis.

Penny & Giles power module big  |  Penny & Giles power module bigger

Power Module. This thing lives under the seat plate and actually is the part that controls your powerchair. Inside is a programmable computer and some "speed controllers" that take the battery power and distribute it to your motors in the form of pulses at high frequency. This one is a standard (and dirty) one. It is 80 amps max. That's "just" enough for a 6mph power chair with a light user. I'm not light, and this powerchair has slightly taller gearing due to bigger wheels so its not enough. The ones that I use on my 3 powerchairs are Penny and Giles Pilot Plus 100 Amp modules.  Only slightly better than stock, but noticeable when trying to manoeuvre on ramps or when reprogrammed to allow 100 percent acceleration and wheelies etc.-- both are exactly the same to look at as this one shown so you cant tell just by looking. This allows more torque and amps to get you over thresholds, and to manoeuvre in difficult conditions once programmed correctly.  

Wiring just involves reconnecting 4 connections. 1 battery, 2 right motor, 3 left motor, 4 the serial data cable that goes to the pod. Very simple stuff that any dummy can do.  Fitting power cables big |  Fitting power cables bigger

Then push all the wires back into the battery box  Wiring Powerchair big  |  Wiring Powerchair bigger

Powerchair power module big |  Powerchair power module bigger

And then add the 2 stainless steel cap screws to hold it in place! Wiring done! 

Fitting the seat frame to the main chassis.  Notice the new home made seat bracket. It has 5 holes to allow the seat to be relocated back by up to about 3 inches. This is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL if you want a controllable light steering chair that can wheelie like a manual wheelchair! It saves battery power and means front punctures no longer slow you down too. There's a drawing somewhere here below...  Powerchair Seating big |  Powerchair Seating bigger

Parts 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 of Mk1 version

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