# An EV in 90 Days



## madderscience (Jun 28, 2008)

6.5K (for just the parts) is on the low end of the scale for what it usually takes to build a 144VDC conversion, but is not completely unrealistic with your modest range and performance goals. Perhaps if you watch craigslist or go to you local EVA chapter meetings you can find somebody selling used parts, or buy a non-running or never-completed ev project to get the parts at a discount. Just make sure the parts are worth something. Older motor: quite possibly perfectly good. Old curtis controller: not worth much.

As for time, 90 days assembly time is pretty feasible especially if you get a kit or if all the parts are ready and waiting. The chevy S-10 is one pickup that has kits available for EV conversion that get you everything but the batteries. You basically unbolt the ICE stuff and bolt in the EV stuff. A couple of people working a solid week or two can convert a car if all the parts are ready and waiting, and they are reasonably competent mechanically. 

The problem that will likely blow your time budget is either if you want to convert a more oddball vehicle (like an old datsun pickup or something) then some parts need to be fabricated. The adapter plate and battery boxes will both need to be fabricated most likely. Battery boxes can be done DIY pretty easily and quickly (especially if you use the pickup bed). The adapter plate is somewhat more difficult to DIY due to the strength and tolerances required so most people farm that one out, requiring lead time and possibly measurements from the engine/transmission. This can take weeks or more.

The other thing that could blow your time budget is that some high-demand components have significant wait time in getting them. I know there is a waiting list for production of zilla controllers, for example. when I built my car, my fairly inexpensive charger was backordered and was the last part to show up. So plan ahead so you can order what you need far enough in advance to get it by the summer. One caveat to that: don't buy the batteries until the car is nearly ready to go. They are the only thing that has a shelf life and require maintenance whether being used or stored (maintaining charge), so if you buy them first and then they sit a year because your plans got delayed, you lost a significant part of that investment. Make yourself some battery mockups out of cardboard or styrofoam for ensuring clearances and use them for the build. 

Good luck.
Good luck.


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## benz18725 (Apr 8, 2010)

Thanks for the input. It seems that time is my worst enemy here.

I recently found a vehicle that could be used for parts. It's an old *1982 Electravan 750*. Based off the Ford Courier, it has a 96volt GE motor and GE EV-1 SCR controller. The asking price is $500, but the seller is anxious to get rid of this thing. He says the motor works, but there is not title for the truck. Last inspected in 2000.

Would it be worth it to buy this for parts and put them in a new vehicle, or maybe restore the vehicle as it is? Seems that it needs batteries, bodywork, and lots of TLC.

































Rough condition, to say the least. I have more pictures if anyone wants to see more.


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## major (Apr 4, 2008)

benz18725 said:


> I recently found a vehicle that could be used for parts. It's an old *1982 Electravan 750*. Based off the Ford Courier, it has a 96volt GE motor and GE EV-1 SCR controller. The asking price is $500....


Hi benz,

Don't know if the truck is worth anything, but that is a good looking motor. A 9 inch series wound GE, I think. It alone is worth the price. And it has a nice looking tranny adaptor. Again, adaptor alone is worth the price, if you can use it. Maybe use the tranny too. The controller? Probably take 90 days to get it to work, unless you're familiar with them. If it was in my neighborhood, I'd pay $500 for it.

major


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## TheSGC (Nov 15, 2007)

If you have all your parts you should easily get an EV built in 90 days. I have spent the past few years slowly building my EV because of being in college, and waiting for parts. However, when I break down what I have done, it hasn't been a lot of time. 

When I first built my EV, I had is all completed and waiting for the controller in less than 3 weeks, some of that while still in class. If I had all my parts in and constant free time, I bet I could have completed it in about 3 weeks now that I know what I am doing. But it really took me about 8 months because of waiting for my motor coupling to be made and other parts to arrive, and actually have money.


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## Guest (Apr 22, 2010)

Get the truck for parts. That ge is an excellent motor and has an adaptor too that you can use. Get a newer controller. You should have tons of good littlethings too. Clean it up. Swap another truck and your good to go and will have save a ton of cash.

Pete 

I use a 9" ge


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## benz18725 (Apr 8, 2010)

I thought the controller wouldn’t be of much value to me. I read the controller’s manual (for a similar Electravan 600) and I’m just dumbfounded by it. 

As far as the motor, I have a few questions:

1.I read somewhere that old motors may not be reversible, leaving you with 5 reverse gears and 1 forward gear. How can I tell if this is reversible? It is a brush motor, 9” sounds correct.
2.When I get a converted vehicle inspected, I thought I would need receipts for all the parts. Would this be a problem if the motor is from a truck with no title?
3.This is a 96v motor, which seems underpowered for a truck. If I were to install it on another truck with maybe a 120 or 144v setup, would this be damaging to the motor? What voltage would be just enough for a small truck?

close-up of motor:








bed, battery box:









I honestly think it's a cool truck, I would hate to scrap it after I remove all the parts. Too bad it's in such a condition.


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## Salty9 (Jul 13, 2009)

Aside from the fenders and bed, the truck really doesn't look too bad. Replace the fenders, coat the bed (after repairing holes) with spray-on bedliner, and a paint job will get it looking decent. You would probably want to reinforce the bed for battery placement.


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## major (Apr 4, 2008)

benz18725 said:


> As far as the motor, I have a few questions:
> 
> 1.I read somewhere that old motors may not be reversible, leaving you with 5 reverse gears and 1 forward gear. How can I tell if this is reversible?


Age has little to do with motor reversibility. It needs to have separate field and armature terminals, which it appears to have. I think it is a 4 terminal reversible series wound DC motor. 



> 3.This is a 96v motor, which seems underpowered for a truck. If I were to install it on another truck with maybe a 120 or 144v setup, would this be damaging to the motor?


This motor is probably very similar to the Warp9. Chances are it will run fine at higher voltage. It may or may not have advanced brushes, which could require adjustment depending on rotation direction and present position. I think a lot of smaller truck conversions use the 9 inch motor. Check out the EValbum or DIYgarage.

major


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## dtbaker (Jan 5, 2008)

Salty9 said:


> Aside from the fenders and bed, the truck really doesn't look too bad. Replace the fenders, coat the bed (after repairing holes) with spray-on bedliner, and a paint job will get it looking decent. You would probably want to reinforce the bed for battery placement.


forget the bed, just remove it and save some weight! go flat-bed and hang batteries between chassis rails.

Make sure motor really does work... perhaps get it up on blocks and use jumper cables to power motor direct from one 12v battery to see if this turn over.

Controller I would think you might just scrap and get a new one along with other little bits and charger... motor should handle 96-120v and do just fine powering a small truck like that.


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## Coley (Jul 26, 2007)

You should live in Norhtern Illinois, if you think that the truck is in bad shape!!!!!

We would steal one that good to rework.!!!

I would repair the body enough to pass inspection and concentrate on getting it back electrically ready to run.

Nice find as the motor alone is worth the price.

Don't let it get away...........


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## benz18725 (Apr 8, 2010)

Wow, I didn't expect this..
I'm becoming convinced that this truck is right for me, using the setup it already has. I've created a quick cost estimate:

$500 - vehicle w/ motor
$1100 - new controller
$1200 - batteries
$300 - new fenders
$350 - paint and paint supplies (sander, paint gun, bed liner etc)
$80 - new meters (it doesn't look like there are any in the current setup)
$150 - new high voltage fuses
$100 - inspection, title
$300 - Misc body repair and other body parts
$400 - i'm sure something else is broken that I don't know of.

*GRAND TOTAL: $4580* (give or take)

That's in my budget, but I'm still wary of buying this without a title with the intent of getting one. _How do I know it's not stolen_? Not sure how hard it is to get a new title either.

I'm also worried about rust in the frame or floor pans. There's a good amount of rust in some spots on the ground under the truck.


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## toddshotrods (Feb 10, 2009)

benz18725 said:


> ...I'm also worried about rust in the frame or floor pans. There's a good amount of rust in some spots on the ground under the truck.


That was my first thought. I had a custom project that I invested a LOT of time in years ago. It was based on a Datsun pickup chassis. I had owned the truck for years and drove it occasionally. The body was a bit more rusty than that truck, but not completely gone. I eventually found out the frame was rusting from the inside out! Holes just kept appearing in new places, that I couldn't really see well when the truck body was on it.

I'm not trying to scare you out of it, just saying look well before you invest too much time into that truck. If it seems to be sound enough to restore, get the title before you invest any work in the truck itself. Nothing lets the air out of a project faster than running headfirst into a brick wall of red tape.

All that being said, I would have already given him the $500 for the truck, for the parts! That motor and adapter would be mine by now. Put the controller, and other parts you can't use, on Ebay. Scrap the truck, if the condition and/or title is beyond reason. You can pick up an S10 or Ranger with a blown motor and be well on your way. I would keep the transmission and driveshaft too. That way worst case scenario should be fabbing some new mounts, and having a driveshaft made to connect it to the rear-end of whatever you buy.


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## vpoppv (Jul 27, 2009)

I agree with everyone so far- you just can't go wrong picking up this deal, even if the body is trashed. The biggest challenge in an EV is coupling the motor to the transmission, and that would be out of the way for you....


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## benz18725 (Apr 8, 2010)

I sent the seller an email yesterday asking to go see it. I was planning to take it regardless of its actual condition. Only to find out that someone else is already coming to pick it up this weekend.

How disappointing...


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## TheSGC (Nov 15, 2007)

benz18725 said:


> I sent the seller an email yesterday asking to go see it. I was planning to take it regardless of its actual condition. Only to find out that someone else is already coming to pick it up this weekend.
> 
> How disappointing...


That is disappointing. 

A similar thing happened when I stumbled upon a load of EV parts from a stripped S-10 EV, there were more than 3 people interested, I just got there and hauled it all away first. 

Keep checking Craigs List and the EV Trading post. This is the time of year when I usually can find lots of good EV deals because people are cleaning out the old EV parts, or ended up not finishing the projects over the winter and the EV stuff seems the first to go.


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## DC Braveheart (Oct 12, 2008)

benz18725 said:


> $350 - paint and paint supplies (sander, paint gun, bed liner etc)


 Check this out and save yourself another $300 (though it might take you 90 days to read the threads!)

http://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=2331682&page=0&fpart=1&vc=1<br />
http://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=2655425&page=0&fpart=1&vc=1
http://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=3493382&an=0&page=0#Post3493382


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