# Consensus On Using A Leaf For Parts!



## Karter2 (Nov 17, 2011)

I dont have a solution, but i have contemplated similar projects.
I concluded that the feasibility of success was fairly poor due to the following ..
Depending on the recipiant vehicle ( classic, kit, different make, special build , etc etc) and the condition of the donor (damaged, wreck, flood damage , etc) ..the scope of the task is large.
A wide range of skills and experience is needed from basic mechanics, fabrication, machining, etc , electrical/electronics (advanced, coms, as well as AC drive / power systems experience)..
Then you have to also understand the vehicle compliance etc to meet legal requirements.
And above all this , you need the financial, time , and workshop tools and facilities, in order put it into effect
I relaised my own shortcomings in some of these areas, but i also suspect that very few "DIY Hobby" type folk would be able to pull that off with out some help
Like the EVTV set up...and even they are still "progressing" with some of their repurposing of Tesla components.


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## Duncan (Dec 8, 2008)

I fancy doing this for my next vehicle
The biggest obstacle will be my wife's strange idea that I don't need another project car

As far as I can see if you are going to do anything to a modern cay you are going to have to battle with the CANBUS

The rest of it is pretty minor - suspension/chassis - not that difficult

So nowadays you can
convert an old car - with no onboard computers

Or you have to bite the bullet!

And if you are converting a newer car using a complete Leaf as a donor gives you a complete kit that you KNOW works together - the problem then is your existing car!


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## Karter2 (Nov 17, 2011)

Has there been any of these "full system swap" type projects actually completed ?


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## MrZion (May 4, 2016)

Karter2 said:


> Has there been any of these "full system swap" type projects actually completed ?


Back from the dead! sorry this last month has been quite crazy for me. I initially was thinking about the possibility of using a leaf, but after talking to a leaf technician, as well as jack richards from evtv and some other major parts/conversion shops across the states, they all say a resounding don't do it.
Then surprisingly, I decided not to do it...


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## foxr (Apr 16, 2015)

Was there reasons given for this? I like you have heard of tons of people even putting the entire system running on a bench but only seen the motors used in action like in a crx putting out 250hp.


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## Karter2 (Nov 17, 2011)

Read post #2 for some of the reasons.
Basicly, its very complicated (f'ing trick !) to get all the systems integrated and "happy" in a different vehicle without a lot of skills and experience.
And these days its even harder to comply with legal requirements once major alterations are made to a vehicle.
Running a motor on a test bench is one thing (and no small achievment itself), but getting a complete drive/control/inverter/battery/bms/ canbus system etc...running reliably in a different vehicle, is a whole different ball game.
I only know of a few Leaf (or Tesla) motor transplants and those use a modified or non original motor controller/inverter.


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## Duncan (Dec 8, 2008)

I disagree
I have not (yet) done this - but I see it as easier to put a complete Leaf system into another car than to try and get all of the donor car's CANBUS systems working with some third party cobbled together system

I'm a mechanical engineer (retired) so this is not my forte but If I had a complete Leaf I would say that stripping it all and getting it to work on "the bench" would not be that difficult
When stripping a car you usually cut wires - because it's easier - doing this type of teardown I would cut the actual car away from the wires

Once it is all on the bench

Mechanically fitting the parts - no real difficulty if you feel sufficiently competent to modify suspension where needed

Then its simply (LOL) fitting the wiring

The only bit that would worry me would be the ABS and the people who have done the bench builds say its not needed

This would give a complete already certified system - so all of the EMS stuff should be easy

Maybe next year


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## dedlast (Aug 17, 2013)

Duncan said:


> When stripping a car you usually cut wires - because it's easier - doing this type of teardown I would cut the actual car away from the wires


Having recently completed a teardown, I found that you don't have to cut anything but cable ties. Even the firewall connections are removable without destruction.

Now I just have to get the carcass out of the way so I can "bench" test it all.

Bill


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## Moltenmetal (Mar 20, 2014)

I was really excited to keep up with miscrms in-vivo transplant of a Leaf into his Saab Sonnet, but he hasn't posted since May of last year.

It seems to me there are degrees of re-use, with increasing levels of complexity with potentially increasing cost savings:

1) Re-using Leaf batteries- already a well-established thing, with big savings over using the old LFP cells (but Volt cells may be cheaper). Doing this would have saved over 1/3 the cost of my build, which would have been welcome savings!

2) Re-using the batteries and the motor/transaxle with someone else's inverter: the UMC is not only working, but for sale now, is that not right? That allows the power stage of the existing inverter to be re-used, while lobotomizing the entire front end of the inverter and its unpleasant ties to the existing vehicle's VCU. Swapping out the inverter also allows you to push more power out of the Leaf motor- a hell of a lot if you take a look at what the CRX guy did! His is amazing, but I don't think he even salvaged the power section out of the Leaf inverter, he just started more or less from scratch with his controller.

3) Adding the BMS and charger to 2)- would require some CANBUS hacking and reverse engineering for sure. Definitely already well beyond my personal skill and frustration tolerance level!

4) Re-using the whole car- an "in vivo" transplant. Wow, that's a complex task- so many wires, so many parts not actually necessary in your own car. plus the displays etc......but you get the BMS and the charger as well as all the other bits. 

5) Just buying a working, used Nissan Leaf out of California for $7000 USD, and driving it.

Unless you're putting the powerplant into something really cool, why would you bother with anything other than 5)?


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## piotrsko (Dec 9, 2007)

Because they are ugly and not a Ford


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## lottos (Jun 22, 2008)

Moltenmetal said:


> I was really excited to keep up with miscrms in-vivo transplant of a Leaf into his Saab Sonnet, but he hasn't posted since May of last year.


Same here. He seemed so close to being finished and the first to do one.

Disappointed...


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## Caps18 (Jun 8, 2008)

I could see it being much more of a mechanical/structural engineering challenge to take all of the leaf parts and place a shell of a different car over top of it. I don't know what would happen and all of the problems that would entail. But, the electrical, drive shaft, and EV side of things would not be a problem.

This is an expensive GT40 shell that might need Tesla like speed to make it worth it. But, I would think that I would have had an easier time moving all of the Leaf parts into an Chevy S10 than researching and buying all of the parts one at a time like I had to do. But, I can't be certain, and besides the high speed charging, I think mine will be better in the end.

http://race-car-replicas.com/rcr40-kit-details


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