# Help plan Nissan 300ZX Conversion



## rickpalen (Apr 13, 2018)

I have a 1994 Nissan 300ZX convertible whose engine just died. I had bought the car a couple of years ago with the intention of eventually converting it to electric. Looks like fate forced my hand. 

I have followed several of the conversions in progress here including NutsandVolts 300ZX with the Leaf motor and the R32 Skyline with the Tesla drivetrain. 

My question is what motor/drivetrain would you guys use? 

I want the converted car to perform much like the ICE version in terms of acceleration. That is 5-6 second 0-60 times. I would like to be able to easily sustain 80 mph on the highway. 

I'm concerned that the Leaf drive would be under powered. I really like the looks of Netgain's new AC motor but is it enough motor? Would a Tesla drive really fit for a Novice DIY? I wonder about the AC 35X2 or the UQM motor from the Coda? 

What do you guys think? ????


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

rickpalen said:


> I want the converted car to perform much like the ICE version in terms of acceleration. That is 5-6 second 0-60 times. ...
> 
> I'm concerned that the Leaf drive would be under powered. I really like the looks of Netgain's new AC motor but is it enough motor?


The Leaf motor would be underpowered for this purpose if Nissan's 80 kW power limit is retained. With a different controller, the Leaf motor reportedly can produce much higher power for at least brief periods.

Netgain's published performance graph for the HyPer9 also peaks at 80 kW (over a much narrower speed range than the Leaf), at a very low DC link voltage (and over a thousand amps from the battery). I don't know what it will do with more voltage.


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## steveclunn (Sep 5, 2011)

DC Net gain DC motors took the drag track 8:4 at 186mph... we here at GREEN SHED CONVERSIONS use a LOT of DC motors.. been converting 25 years now...


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## rickpalen (Apr 13, 2018)

steveclunn said:


> DC Net gain DC motors took the drag track 8:4 at 186mph... we here at GREEN SHED CONVERSIONS use a LOT of DC motors.. been converting 25 years now...


Which DC motor would you use? Direct drive or reduction or transmission? 

It seems like the newer stuff is AC?


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## Kevin Sharpe (Jul 4, 2011)

rickpalen said:


> What do you guys think? ????


Try searching the forum with the phrase "300ZX"... here are a few results 

300ZX Electric Conversion

Tesla Powered Nissan r32 skyline

Nissan 350z conversion using 2014 24kWh Leaf donor


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## rickpalen (Apr 13, 2018)

Kevin Sharpe said:


> Try searching the forum with the phrase "300ZX"... here are a few results .


Yes, I have been following those for the last few months. I haven't seen anything new on the 300ZX from Nuts&Volts in quite a while. I am really interested to see how the Leaf drivetrain performs. The 350Z is considering the Leaf as well but he is still really early in his build. And the Skyline went with the Tesla which also took some major re-engineering. 

I was hoping for something simpler, maybe with an off the shelf motor and maybe direct drive or a simple gearbox. I just don't want to put a fortune into this and end up with something that's anemic and not fun to drive.


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## Kevin Sharpe (Jul 4, 2011)

rickpalen said:


> I just don't want to put a fortune into this and end up with something that's anemic and not fun to drive.


What are your performance and range requirements? What's your budget for parts?


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## rickpalen (Apr 13, 2018)

Kevin Sharpe said:


> What are your performance and range requirements? What's your budget for parts?


I hope to have 0-60 times in the 5 second range - like the 300ZX twin turbo. I would like a top end of 90+mph and be able to cruise at 75mph for an extended period. Most of my driving will be around town however. I usually drive about 20-30 miles per day but I would like a range of 80-100 miles for Sunday joy riding. It will be my daily driver. I plan to make PS/PB, heat, and AC work. I'm planning about 10k for motor, controller, and accessories, and another 10k for batteries, BMS, charger, etc.


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## Kevin Sharpe (Jul 4, 2011)

So,

0-60 times in the 5 second range

top end of 90+mph and be able to cruise at 75mph for an extended period

range of 80-100 miles for Sunday joy riding

It will be my daily driver.

I plan to make PS/PB, heat, and AC work.

Given your acceleration, range, and high speed cruise requirements I'd recommend you look at a solution based on the Tesla 'large' drive unit with open source controller, and volt batteries. I think this can be done for $20K in parts if you shop around.

If you go this route you'l be in good company with comparable conversions on the road. Damien's track day and dyno tests will confirm whether your performance requirements can be met. Chris's drift car will confirm that the performance can be replicated in multiple cars. My VW will probably confirm that the 'small' drive unit will not hit your acceleration requirements.


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

Kevin Sharpe said:


> Chris's drift car will confirm that the performance can be replicated in multiple cars.


I hope Chris provides a correction if I am mistaken, but I believe that his drift car is a stripped-down Skyline body without even a heater or interior panels, let alone air conditioning. A useful comparison, but not quite direct.


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## Kevin Sharpe (Jul 4, 2011)

brian_ said:


> A useful comparison, but not quite direct.


I was referring to the drivetrain/battery not creature comforts


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

Kevin Sharpe said:


> I was referring to the drivetrain/battery not creature comforts


Sure, but acceleration depends heavily on weight, which is going to be different because of those creature comforts (and the rest of the vehicle).


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## rickpalen (Apr 13, 2018)

Are there any straight forward formulas for acceleration given a value for torque, weight, and drag? I have seen them for top speed and range.


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## jthiani (Apr 13, 2019)

did this build start yet ??


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## rickpalen (Apr 13, 2018)

I haven't started yet. Still planning....

Haven't picked a motor/drivetrain. I'm concerned that I can't find a motor for a reasonable price that will give this car the quickness and feel of the ICE version short of using a Tesla drivetrain. The Tesla would require major surgery, likely beyond my skill set, and require a much higher voltage battery pack. 

I like the new Netgain AC motor but not sure it is powerful enough. Another fellow here is doing a conversion with a Leaf motor, but again I worry that with this 3500lb car, it will not give the zippy performance we expect.

I am open to ideas.....


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

rickpalen said:


> Haven't picked a motor/drivetrain. I'm concerned that I can't find a motor for a reasonable price that will give this car the quickness and feel of the ICE version short of using a Tesla drivetrain. The Tesla would require major surgery, likely beyond my skill set, and require a much higher voltage battery pack.


Any motor with a single-speed drivetrain will require relatively high voltage to maintain output power over a broad enough speed range. It's not coincidence that all recent production EVs use a single-speed transmission and about the same voltage (typically 96 NMC or similar voltage cells in series, with some now going to 108 cells).



rickpalen said:


> Another fellow here is doing a conversion with a Leaf motor, but again I worry that with this 3500lb car, it will not give the zippy performance we expect.


A Leaf motor would need to pushed about as hard as anyone has to achieve the target performance - to much more power than the stock 80 kW of pre-2018 models, and even past the 160 kW of the current Leaf Plus.


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## ElectricSpeedShop (Dec 4, 2018)

Just curious how you came up with the 3500lb weight? As Brian stated below, your weight will heavily influence your acceleration. It will also influence your range. 





brian_ said:


> Sure, but acceleration depends heavily on weight, which is going to be different because of those creature comforts (and the rest of the vehicle).



Which model are you starting with? 



3,186 lb (1,445 kg) _2 seater non-turbo T-top
_
3,373 lb (1,530 kg) _2 seater twin-turbo __T-top_
3,310 lb (1,501 kg) _2 seater twin-turbo hard top_
3,432 lb (1,557 kg) _2 seater convertible__ T-top_
3,313 lb (1,503 kg) _2+2 non-turbo __T-top_
3,602 lb (1,634 kg) _2+2 twin-turbo __T-top_
When you "de-ICE" you should be able to drop a few hundred pounds. I would then look at the weight of your motors & batteries (they will be a majority of what you add back). You can then manipulate different weights, based on different motor/battery configuration options, into your equations for performance.


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## Nuts&Volts (Dec 20, 2011)

Keep in mind that’s for the manual transmission weight. The auto is supposedly about 120-140lbs heavier. I used ~3450lbs for the staring weight of my NA auto 2+2. 

In my build my goal is get to 3000lbs. Currently estimating about 3130lbs with leaf motor, Volt inverter and 44kWh pack. I’ve done quite a lot of work removing weight by removing features. Like rear wiper, AC system, manual steering, unused wiring, etc. I’ll try to add more details to my build soon. 

The engine and transmission alone were almost 700lbs


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## ElectricSpeedShop (Dec 4, 2018)

Those look like good numbers! I wouldn't be concerned about the leaf motor if you get the right set up! Some guys over on openinverter.org were getting like 300HP. Worth checking out!


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