# Where to look for Tesla performance large drive units? Which years?



## CliffordK (Oct 8, 2011)

Look at:
copart.com & iaai.com

COPART selects "Electric" under the "Featured Items".
IAAI selects "Electric" under the options, "Fuel Type".

Sorry I don't know exactly what years to look for. Some states require you to go through a broker which essentially tacks a few hundred bucks to the sale and sells the vehicle back to you.

Prices often jump considerably during the "live auction" period of the sale.

The companies aren't too great with specs on the individual electric vehicles. You may have to go through a Tesla VIN decoder to get details, and even that may be ambiguous.

Somewhere I was occasionally finding build sheets for some of the vehicles. But, lately looking at "More Info" at the bottom of the page, and it lists a bunch of irrelevant info without giving the real juicy data.

Some important info might be:
Battery Pack size. 100kWh (or largest for that year/model) may be a sign of a premium package.
Also look at the VIN. A little ambiguous, but digit 8 lists: 3 = single performance motor, 4 = twin performance motor. Also "P" for "Performance" in some of the earlier Teslas.

Tesla cars often go for a premium price. But, it is quite likely that you would be able to find a complete vehicle for less than you would pay for the motor, controller, charger, and battery pack separately. Then figure out how to part out and sell on anything you don't want.


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## joekitch (Sep 13, 2013)

Eh, I only need the motor though, and I'm not sure I want to get into the car disassembly business, so paying a little premium for that to be separate is alright.

I've noticed several wreckers on car-part with motors for sale although it can be tough to figure out what car they came out of


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## EV-FAN (May 17, 2021)

My friends at Autobahn in San Diego have a steady supply of model s motors. They’re very knowledgeable too. Autobahn Parts - Autobahn BMW & Porsche Parts Dismantler


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## CliffordK (Oct 8, 2011)

Hmmm... What a mess.
Tesla has been moving from RWD to AWD in their performance vehicles. So, that would depend a bit on what you choose. But, assuming RWD, that would knock out quite a few possible models.

With their model (battery) coding Pxx seems to be RWD, and PxxD is AWD, where the xx is related to battery capacity.

I bumped into this page earlier today:








Tesla Drive Units - Small and Large with CAN controller...


Hi everyone, after not converting a car for 7 years, I wanted the best possible motor for my 2nd conversion and started to dig into Teslas CAN bus and learned how to control their drive units. To make the registration progress in Germany a bit simpler, I am using an off-the-shelf, custom...




www.diyelectriccar.com





@marc02228 shows last on line this spring, so hopefully he is still around. He may have some suggestions for different model years as well as part numbers. I assume prices have gone up somewhat in the last 2 years.


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## remy_martian (Feb 4, 2019)

Later years did not put anything on the cars other than "Dual Motor".

Tesla VIN Decoder??? Really? You clearly have no experience with one so why would you suggest it? They're useless and the model year running changes and vehicle markings are as scatterbrained as the CEO even if there was a decoder that had useful info in it.

Anyway, @joekitch, the difference between the performance LDU and the regular LDU is the performance model had larger switches in the inverter (same motor) and are marked "Sport". Unlike what our "VIN Decoder" buddy here is telling you, the regular and sport drives were available in RWD and AWD. Tesla is a total mess.

Go with Autobahn if you're not going to part a car out, though if you're using Tesla Model S battery modules, I think you are better off buying the whole car.


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## ricbarbour (Jul 28, 2021)

if it helps, there are now auto dismantlers that specialize in Tesla and other EV components. Examples:









EV Parts Solutions


Premium used Tesla parts based in Phoenix, AZ.




www.evpartssolutions.com












ZAPASKA EV PARTS


Auto Parts Store in Rancho Cordova



zapaska-tesla-parts.business.site






https://calimotive.com/


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## joekitch (Sep 13, 2013)

There's a place about a 1.5 hour drive from me in the bay area called donut auto parts which also specializes in Tesla wrecks although from what I can tell they also tack on a sizeable eBay tax as that's their primary store front, but I have worked with them on some photogrammetry stuff in the past so perhaps they can cut me a little discount 😅


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## dlaroche1 (Dec 24, 2021)

I did a model S performance in my build. 1974 beetle. However now looking back not sure all of that was entirely necessary. After playing with the car a lot on the road and strip I can only manage to put a couple hundred kilowatts to the ground. It’s great to have all the power but if you’re building a light car like me, it may not be entirely necessary. “ never thought I’d have too much power”. 😳


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## UglyCarFan (8 mo ago)

joekitch: Don't know if you are still looking, but here is a thought: if you use Car-Part.com to search, or other similar sites, you will see the same items listed many times by different yards. In one case, I was calling around to figure out where I could pick up a gs450h in person, being that I'm within easy driving distance of Chicago. One lady finally told me that most of the units are in warehouses, and the individual yards quote what-ever price they like. My buddy just looks for the lowest price for a particular mileage motor, and that often tells you where the unit is located.

Don't know of that will help you. 

By the way, I made a deal to pick up the '68 big block roadster. (C3) Fun stuff. Right now I'm evaluating rear suspension goodies.


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## remy_martian (Feb 4, 2019)

finally....

😂


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## UglyCarFan (8 mo ago)

Yep! Now we shall see what can actually be purchased out of the many options people consider on this site. I'm most interested in the GS450H approach, because I just want a cruiser. It does seem a bit weird to pull a newly rebuilt 427 and then go that way, but what the heck. It doesn't look like Damien is able to get parts right now, and some of his work is drifting into the realm of the BMW 330e stuff. 

It looks like Torque Trends has an adapter now to mate up to a Leaf. That is promising, and very interesting. Need to look more into options to control a Leaf.

Right now, I'm looking at rotisseries, and will start with the chassis. I'm questioning if it is worth springing for a new chassis, since I don't plan to carve any canyons. Now, there is a thought...sell off the entire drive-train and chassis, and just keep the body....


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## joekitch (Sep 13, 2013)

Full chassis rebuild is unnecessary, you can make a c3 dance with the right suspension mods. Also EV west is making an IRS for the Tesla LDU, should make the rear way better


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## remy_martian (Feb 4, 2019)

Got a link to their Leaf offering? Don't see it on their website.

If you go with the 450h, I would not futz with the rear end until the project is done, assuming batteries go under the hood.


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## UglyCarFan (8 mo ago)

joekitch: have you done any of the chassis mods on your project? If so, what brands? I saw a pair of Van Steel offset trailing arms locally, that are priced pretty fairly. But don't know if I need to worry about shoving really large tires under that C3. First project is to get air in the tires and roll it out of my buddies shop. It has been sitting a LONG time.

remy: their site is really klutzy. I think I saw it when looking at the motor adapters. You have to use the arrow keys which on my screen barely show up. I"ll try to find it again today and link it for you. No pricing was listed. I may be in the minority here, but I don't think their drive-box is overpriced. Bolting it up to a Leaf motor that is readily available seems like a great way to go if you can make it fit your chassis. I'm much more concerned about being able to get the required parts to control the Leaf. Or, for that matter, a GS450h, BMW 330E, etc. 

I want to throw another comment in here...like many others, I'm watching sites like Copart, IAAI etc for wrecked cars. If you read the fine print on those sites, they state that they are not responsible for the accuracy of anything on their site. Even basic statements made about what the car has or doesn't have. In my opinion, if you cannot physically inspect the car yourself, I wouldn't assume it even has a battery in it, for example. My searches are for those within about 250 miles of home, so I can drive there. I'd also have to pay someone to buy for me, in many cases. I'm not interested in signing up as a business, and having to go through that.

That being said, I found a cheap tranny I'm calling about today, where I drive easily.


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## UglyCarFan (8 mo ago)

remy: no easy link. Go to their site, then products, more info, adapter plates. Arrow right...

Klutzy site....


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## joekitch (Sep 13, 2013)

i got a lil list from corvette forums on how to make c3 drive gooder that i often refer back to, all these things together help significantly





Improve Handling on C3 Street Driven Vette - CorvetteForum - Chevrolet Corvette Forum Discussion


C3 Tech/Performance - Improve Handling on C3 Street Driven Vette - I just took on another C3 rebuild/upgrade challenge. My buddy has the yellow 1977 C3 that we just did brake overhaul (& front wheel bearings) and end link bushing replacement. He wants me to get a solution to his need/want to...



www.corvetteforum.com


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## D&VsEVJeep (Dec 9, 2021)

UglyCarFan said:


> remy: no easy link. Go to their site, then products, more info, adapter plates. Arrow right...
> 
> Klutzy site....


I emailed them about a gearbox for the Jeep and they never replied. I also heard of others having not so great customer service and their delivery time was like 6-9 months... The Leaf plate is interesting but I am working now with a local shop and we have some ideas for a cheaper speed reducer for the Leaf... Let's see...


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## ryolse (2 mo ago)

Not to be telling others how to bid on items they haven't physically seen. But use caution

There's been plenty of cases where CoPart has sold something just for it to arrive missing the items wanted.

Such was the case for someone near me who's also on this forum that bought a Leaf they physically saw, but didn't think to "tap" on the battery housing. They then won the auction, it was delivered and when they dropped the battery box it only contained the connectors with no cells


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