# '77 Datsun 280Z Conversion. Any Help?



## AgatsumaSoubi (Sep 20, 2007)

New Information as to the Car itself:

Rear Wheel Drive
Steel Unibody
2630 lbs. Curb Weight

I don't know how much that helps. Was wondering if the car would end up lighter too...


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## mattW (Sep 14, 2007)

First of all congratulations! Its great to see another person getting excited about the advantages of electric cars! Unfortunately, most EV conversions as far as i know are more likely to add weight than to lower it, although the motors are significantly lighter this gain is offset by the large volume of batteries required for significant range. The main question you need to ask is; What do you want to use the car for? Generally speaking electric cars at this stage of production need to compromise on at least one area. It is possible to contruct a light car with great performance but it will generally cost a bit more and have a short range between charges. If you would like a car that can travel large distances you may have to compromise the performace by adding more battery weight. It is possible to have both range and performace but it put your bank balance on a serious diet (see Tesla Roadster). Electric cars are excellent for specific applications and by doing the conversion yourself you are able to completely customise this to your own needs. The 280Z is quite a good car for a conversion because is has plenty of room for batteries and is resonable aerodynamic. Also, the 280Z added both a larger engine and more 'luxury' items to the 240 and 260 so it would be possible to reduce a lot of the curb weight with the removal of some of those items. There is a link on the forums about conversion kits, Electro Automotive is the most experienced and is a good place to start looking, but it is also good to shop around. Their conversion kits start at US$5575 + Batteries. Your car is a on the heavier end of the scale for conversions so when looking for a kit you should probably look at the more powerful motors and controllers. Hope you have found this helpful, if not there is plenty more information at your fingertips by browsing these forums  and the rest of the internet. Welcome to the wonderful world of EVs!


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## AgatsumaSoubi (Sep 20, 2007)

Thanks a ton MattW!
I'll mostly be using the car for short commutes to school or work. However a bit of added range would be nice.
Those are some useful facts about the 280Z as well. I'm going to call the owner today and talk to him about the car. It seems to be the perfect candidate.
I might grab the Deluxe Universal Kit from Electric Automotive. I don't really have the income to roll out an AC powered EV so I'm going to stick with the DC kit. Would the upgrade to the 9" motor be a good buy or will the 8" be enough?

They used the 9" in the Honda CRX shown in the Gallery of the EA site.
It weights approx. 2319 ibs. They get a range of about 60 miles. I'm looking for a range of 50-70 myself. Which I decided after thinking of what I would use it the car for.


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## moldiebrownie (Aug 29, 2007)

As MattW said, most coversions add weight to your car..especially if you end up using flooded lead acid batteries like most of us do..see this thread http://www.diyelectriccar.com/forums/showthread.php/battery-question-15.html They weigh about 70lbs each and you probably will need some upgrades to your suspension and brakes. I upgraded my Civic's rear suspension and brakes using Acura Integra parts. Here is a site that will show you how to do the same for your car. Save the link, If you choose floodies for your conversion..you will need it! http://www.msu.edu/~levesqu6/links.htm


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## mattW (Sep 14, 2007)

Generally the biggest factor that effects range is the batteries. If you are only doing short trips and don't want to add too much weight to the car then you could use 10-12 12V batteries. Conversions that require longer rangers (need more capacity) generally use 20-24 6V batteries to make up the same voltage but with many more Ah of capacity. To get a general idea of performance and range try this ev calculator: http://www.evconvert.com/tools/evcalc/ There is already a 1975 280Z in the system so you will be able to see how your design choices effect the final product. 
Two things to check when buying the car is for rust and whether it is a manual. Automatic transmissions make conversions quite a bit more complicated.


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## AgatsumaSoubi (Sep 20, 2007)

So I calculated the range and things like that.
This is with 24 Trojan T-105's
http://evconvert.com/tools/evcalc/?...wnd=0:sec=195:asp=60:rim=14:rr=0.015:bs=0.003:
Would It be better to use 36 T-105's?


This is with 24 Deka 9A31's
http://evconvert.com/tools/evcalc/?...wnd=0:sec=195:asp=60:rim=14:rr=0.015:bs=0.003:

Any other ideas?


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## AgatsumaSoubi (Sep 20, 2007)

I guess as of this point, I'm looking for a decent range at an average of 55 - 65 mph.


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## mattW (Sep 14, 2007)

The limits to how many batteries you use are weight and price. The cheapest i have seen t105's is about US$140 +shipping and they weigh 62 pounds each. So for 24 your talking $3360 and 1488lbs. 36 would probably be pushing the weight limits of the car. For long range vehicles a lot of people convert suv's or light trucks. You can fit a lot of batteries under/in the tray and they are rated to carry the weight. You might want to do a bit of research in other ev's that have acheived the performace you are after so you can see how expensive/how possible it is to do.


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## AgatsumaSoubi (Sep 20, 2007)

Maybe a 1977 Volkswagon Vanagon?
Which I can't find the weight specs for...
Would it be worth converting?

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?sid=&nid=443&tab=list/view&ad=312352

I also formulated a list of cheap cars that might be easy to convert:
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=443&sid=&tab=list/view&ad=140867
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?sid=&nid=443&tab=list/view&ad=215007
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?sid=&nid=443&tab=list/view&ad=282396
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?sid=&nid=443&tab=list/view&ad=313733
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=443&sid=&tab=list/view&ad=302429
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?sid=&nid=443&tab=list/view&ad=272023
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=443&sid=&tab=list/view&ad=157857


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## AgatsumaSoubi (Sep 20, 2007)

I am really liking the 1979 Fiat 124
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=443&sid=&tab=list/view&ad=302429

It weights 1955 lbs.
I did the calculations on a small aerodynamic RWD car and it put me where i want to be with range. 
What do you think?

http://evconvert.com/tools/evcalc/?...wnd=0:sec=195:asp=60:rim=14:rr=0.015:bs=0.003:


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## moldiebrownie (Aug 29, 2007)

I have actually seen this conversion http://www.austinev.org/evalbum/159 
in person. The guy had all the batteries in one large box center of the bus. The box was vented and had a padded covering. Looked like an easy conversion...well at least where batteries are concerned. I had to wonder about range though...not exactly a light or aerodynamic vehicle. You can see the battery box a little on this link.... http://www.electroauto.com/gallery/bus.shtml

Btw..you've seen this thread http://www.diyelectriccar.com/forums/showthread.php/favorite-donor-car-541.html right?


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## mattW (Sep 14, 2007)

Yeah the fiat stood out to me as well. It looks great and would make a nice conversion. Check out these three:
http://www.austinev.org/evalbum/1131
http://www.austinev.org/evalbum/401
http://www.austinev.org/evalbum/111

If you look at the last link, this guy squeezed in 15 8V batteries into the car, you would have to work out if there was enough room for 24. Otherwise looks good.


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## AgatsumaSoubi (Sep 20, 2007)

If you look at some of the pictures in the last link...that guy has waaay to much trunk room lol.
He also said he was getting 98 miles at 30/40 mph with US2200 Batteries...
I bet i could cram at least 18-20 into the '77 124 spider.
I guess i'd have to see 
If it came down to it, I could always do some 'custom' fabrication.
At least I'm semi-versed in that.


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## mattW (Sep 14, 2007)

Sounds good buddy, think you should go for it. Hope it all goes well!


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