# 1967 Econoline van with Nissan Leaf system



## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

I have been looking forward to more forward-control/cab-over-engine van conversions, because they could result in a very nice van with flat floor and no engine doghouse. So far, Yabert has the best one (Westfalia T3 with Chevy Bolt drivetrain), but it's a rear-engine VW van so it still has the rear step up in the floor. It would be nice if someone could build an early Econoline like this without the doghouse - or with a smaller doghouse that can be stepped over and doesn't intrude into the cargo area.

Yabert managed to use the complete Chevrolet Bolt battery pack, but it hangs low under the van and one end still sticks up through the floor. The Leaf battery pack is an even more awkward shape, so fitting it under the floor would be even more difficult, and a shaft to the rear axle from a motor mounted in the front would make it impossible. These old vans are also very short in wheelbase (90" or 2290 mm for a first-generation Econoline) so there is little room for a pack.

What is different about the Heavy Duty (HD) version? Just different suspension?


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## shnitzel (Oct 6, 2020)

The Heavy Duty means 3/4 ton suspension, 9" rear end and the 240 motor... i think...

for getting started i am just bolting the battery on top of the floor in the van. not permanantly, just to get touring and gaining some experience. i will fully do the van another day. i have already removed the doghouse. my leaf battery will sit where it was and under the seats.

so battery up in the van on the floor. motor under the van connected to driveshaft. no interference.

that being said, do you think i can use the leaf battery unopened? with the leaf contactors and bms? or do i need to open the pack and rewire everything?

Shnitzel


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

shnitzel said:


> The Heavy Duty means 3/4 ton suspension, 9" rear end and the 240 motor... i think...


Thanks. The engine no longer matters, of course, and the rest makes sense. 



shnitzel said:


> so battery up in the van on the floor. motor under the van connected to driveshaft. no interference.


Right - I was only referring to interference when (later) the battery is to be located under the floor.



shnitzel said:


> ... do you think i can use the leaf battery unopened? with the leaf contactors and bms? or do i need to open the pack and rewire everything?


I don't know how workable the Leaf BMS will be for you, without the rest of the Leaf components all communicating by CAN... but I can't think of any reason you would need to rewire anything internally in the pack, unless you have to change BMS.


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## shnitzel (Oct 6, 2020)

I am very ignorant so far with all the "Canbus" stuff. but im learning fast!

im wondering if when the Thunderstruck VCD, the Leaf inverter, and the battery BMS all have their "Canbus" wired together;; if this makes the leaf battery happy.?

it seems the Leaf battery has a computer inside it, and all this runs the internal contactors. so i need to learn to operate the internal contactor relays with the Thunderstruck VCD..???

once again, sorry for my ignorance. i generally dont like asking questions on the net as the info is generally all readily available. however, here i am  and VERY MUCH appreciate your help!

Ill take some pictures soon to keep your interest 

shnitzel


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## Tremelune (Dec 8, 2009)

The contactors are just giant 12V relays. They can be controlled easily from the round connector coming out of the battery pack. Three wires are ground, and then there is a wire each for the negative, main, and precharge contactors. The Thunderstruck VCU has contactor and precharge signals; I use the ignition to trigger the negative contactor to ensure it is engaged before the precharge. The Leaf shop manual is fantastic (though long-winded) and shows the pinouts of all connectors and how they tie in to the system: https://www.nicoclub.com/nissan-service-manuals

The battery has no computer, but the BMS is a computer. Someone on this forum claims to have gotten the Leaf BMS working with some simple CAN commands, but I can't find the thread or the YouTube video. It involved a CAN board and custom code. This is the largest hurdle. If you can get the BMS to work, you won't have to open the pack. You might have to get clever with the contactor logic, though, as they'll need to be closed for charging to work. If you can't use the Leaf BMS, you'll need to open the pack and swap something like the Thunderstruck BMS in ($1500), and splice all 96 wires. You could probably close it back up afterward, but it is nice to use the serial port to see what's going on with each cell.

I don't believe anyone has gotten the Leaf charger to do anything useful yet.

You'll have to figure out your own heater logic. I'm not aware of any feature to heat batteries in Thunderstruck's stuff...You might be able to rig one of the output wires to trigger at a particular thermistor temperature...I dunno. Maybe you can hack the BMS to get thermistor info...

Cool van.


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## lawrencerhodes (Mar 31, 2008)

shnitzel said:


> Hello all!
> 
> I am just about to install my leaf motor in my van.
> 
> ...


Smart conversation as your weight will match or be lower than a Leaf. You will need all of the Leaf electrical system. Brain, buss all of it.


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## shnitzel (Oct 6, 2020)

update and questions...:

i got the old van motor and tranny pulled out of it last night. drug it out from under with my honda and onto the driveway!

i wired up all the leaf components to the Thunderstruck VCM.

i got the Leaf pack internal relays working to precharge the main leads.

and i got the Thunderstruck VCM talking with putty.

when i turn on my ignition switch i hear the precharge and main negative relay click inside the pack. then i check the voltage entering the traction inverter and i see 384V there.

HOWEVER, Putty keeps repeating the line "inverter voltage too low 0v".

i do have the green and blue canbus wires directly from the VCM to the nissan inverter. maybe im missing a terminal resistor or something?

i also have keyed power and ground going to the inverter.

im missing something still.......... ill just keep googling and reading!!!! 

sooooo close to a running bench test.........

shnitzel


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## Tremelune (Dec 8, 2009)

One thing that confused the hell out of me is that Thunderstruck uses green for CAN Hi and blue for CAN Lo...Nissan uses green for CAN _Lo_ and blue for CAN _high_. There's no standard and I just...didn't think about it.


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

Tremelune said:


> One thing that confused the hell out of me is that Thunderstruck uses green for CAN Hi and blue for CAN Lo...Nissan uses green for CAN _Lo_ and blue for CAN _high_. There's no standard and I just...didn't think about it.


It's worse than those two possibilities, and from my memory of the history of CAN I'm not surprised. This Electrical Engineering Stack Exchange describes the situation well:
What is the color code for CAN Bus?
As you said, there is no industry standard color code for CAN, or even a single color coding within a vehicle.


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## shnitzel (Oct 6, 2020)

ha ha ha, ok... watching the "how to videos" they expressed how the colors of the canbus wires lined up. ha ha..

ill switchem tonight and see if thats my problem.

shnitzel


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## shnitzel (Oct 6, 2020)

i couldnt wait till after work... i just slipped out and switched the can bus wires... victory!!!!!!!!! green to blue, blue to green. i have a running bench test!

i set the throttle so it has a dead spot at the beginning. and i set the torque down to 300nm.

pushed the throttle and it spun up! and then it kicked out.... im going to sort out my wires more when i get home and make sure im not getting feedback because of proximity.

thanx for your help!!!!!! im making progress!

shnitzel


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

shnitzel said:


> im making progress!


You joined only 9 days ago with a pile of parts, and now you have a van stripped of its engine and a drive system temporarily assembled and turning... you're making remarkable progress!


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## shnitzel (Oct 6, 2020)

thank you for your compliment! 9 days of progress and then 3 days stumped... ha ha ha...

i cant get the motor to run consistently. i have de-tuned all the settings. i have put 2 x 120ohm resistors on each end of the canbus. i have disabled canterm in the vcu. i have relocated all throttle and canbus wires away from any other wires.. all grounds are seperate and tied to the same bolt on the inverter casing. i have wrapped the canbus + throttle wires in tinfoil and grounded that to the motor... still same...

if i VERY gently press the pedal i can get the motor to move forwards. and i can make it move backwards. sometimes several times in a row. but always by the 2nd or 3rd throttle blip it faults and the green light flashes.

if i quickly press the pedal it revs up, jolts a bit and faults.

so im kinda winning... but confused. thats enough for tonight. supper time and cartoons next!

shnitzel


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## Tremelune (Dec 8, 2009)

It might be worth asking Thunderstruck and sending them your config. They're pretty responsive and might have ran into similar behavior.

I think CAN is more robust than is commonly discussed. I had horrendous wiring in my first iteration and it was never a problem.


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## shnitzel (Oct 6, 2020)

I have emailed Thunderstruck about the issue. Sent them a picture of the config file and my set up.

As i took some pictures for them, i thought i would share them with you! Sorry they are from a gopro, all i had to take pictures with.

shnitzel


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## jbman (Oct 26, 2017)

I had this issue when I first built my Mercedes. Use the command to measure the throttle (thmeasure, I think...) and monitor it while blipping it. I found that poor routing of the ground wire (and grounding it to the chassis away from the VCU) resulting in a lot of noise on the line. This led to the throttle signal occasionally going out of bounds. When that happens, the unit shuts down and has to be power cycled to come back online. I think it’s a safety feature. Check your throttle wiring, make sure it’s twisted, and ground it directly to the VCU. Avoid running it near the inverter or power cables.


shnitzel said:


> I have emailed Thunderstruck about the issue. Sent them a picture of the config file and my set up.
> 
> As i took some pictures for them, i thought i would share them with you! Sorry they are from a gopro, all i had to take pictures with.
> 
> ...


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## shnitzel (Oct 6, 2020)

thanx Jeff! ive watched all your videos....  i do have my throttle grounded to the same point as the VCU. both grounded to the aluminum case of the inverter. the battery is also grounded there. and the throttle wires are routed far from any other cables.

John at Thunderstruck has lead me to a relay issue.

when i turn on my ignition toggle it sends 12v to the precharge relay and the main (-) relay in the pack. then when it senses voltage it turns on the main (+) relay.

i havnt opened up the leaf pack. so far i have just tapped into the 3 relays inside. i am assuming the bms will still keep the pack balanced without the whole car attached??? i am assuming......

i checked for running voltage after VCU startup... i clipped my voltmeter to the high V terminals on the inverter and it reads 383v at precharge, then the VCM clicks the high V contactor and turns solid green on the light. and then the voltage starts to drop off slowly while the green light is still lit. then when i reset the 12v toggle it starts over....

so i have to learn more about how to make this pack work. i dont want to open it up if i can help it. but am willing to do whatever it takes!

so, volts dropping after the main contactor "sounds like it closes".. this is definitely my problem.

Jody Willcock


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## jbman (Oct 26, 2017)

shnitzel said:


> thanx Jeff! ive watched all your videos....  i do have my throttle grounded to the same point as the VCU. both grounded to the aluminum case of the inverter. the battery is also grounded there. and the throttle wires are routed far from any other cables.
> 
> John at Thunderstruck has lead me to a relay issue.
> 
> ...


Ahhh, I see what you’re saying, now. The inverter has a resistor that will bleed off the voltage in the capacitor slowly. If you close the contactor and open it, you may see the voltage drop slowly back to 0 in the inverter. Perhaps it’s an issue of the contactor not closing at all, and you’re hearing the precharge contactor open? Maybe it’s just a little wiring issue.

I can’t help much with the Leaf BMS, I’m afraid.


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## shnitzel (Oct 6, 2020)

does the precharge relay stay closed during running???? i have my main(-) contactor wired to the precharge relay circuit. so maybe after the VCU sees everything is good it drops the precharge relay? if so this would also drop my main(-) relay and i would not have a circuit anymore.....

or does the precharge relay stay closed during running?

shnitzel


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## wjbitner (Apr 5, 2010)

shnitzel said:


> does the precharge relay stay closed during running???? i have my main(-) contactor wired to the precharge relay circuit. so maybe after the VCU sees everything is good it drops the precharge relay? if so this would also drop my main(-) relay and i would not have a circuit anymore.....
> 
> or does the precharge relay stay closed during running?
> 
> shnitzel


While I definitely don't know how the Thunderstuck circuitry works, I drop out the pre-charge just after energizing the main + contactor. The (-) contactor remains on, so the circuit stays complete, till requested to power down. It would be a waste of power to leave the pre-charge relay on. My guess is they turn it off.


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## jbman (Oct 26, 2017)

shnitzel said:


> does the precharge relay stay closed during running???? i have my main(-) contactor wired to the precharge relay circuit. so maybe after the VCU sees everything is good it drops the precharge relay? if so this would also drop my main(-) relay and i would not have a circuit anymore.....
> 
> or does the precharge relay stay closed during running?
> 
> shnitzel


That would probably do it. The precharge contactor only stays on during precharge. I have my negative contactor wired to key on, and the positive and precharge contactors controlled by the VCU.


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## shnitzel (Oct 6, 2020)

awesome, ill change that tonight and report how it goes.

shnitzel


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## shnitzel (Oct 6, 2020)

winner winner, now i will have some chicken dinner! wired the main(-) relay to the ignition toggle and it retains voltage after precharge. runs smooth!

it will rev up in forward and slow down when i release the pedal. the brake switch works and stops the motor when in forward.

however, when in reverse i release the pedal and the motor keeps spinning at constant speed. even if i press the brake switch.. it keeps spinning at a constant speed like cruize control. only way to stop it is to switch it off.

it works as you would predict in forward gear. but reverse wont stop.

so i will research that now and the Leaf BMS. while i rig this motor into place!!!

thanx for your help, i now have a running bench test!

shnitzel


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## shnitzel (Oct 6, 2020)

Thunderstruck tells me:

"Reverse has no regen. When the motor is in reverse idle or neutral it does some interesting coasting action without any regen. In the vehicle you will have enough parasitic drag to slow it down."

so then its time to figure the driveshaft out and the battery bms.

onward!

shnitzel


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## jbman (Oct 26, 2017)

shnitzel said:


> Thunderstruck tells me:
> 
> "Reverse has no regen. When the motor is in reverse idle or neutral it does some interesting coasting action without any regen. In the vehicle you will have enough parasitic drag to slow it down."
> 
> ...


Well, that makes perfect sense, then. Very good! I doubt you’ll be able to use the Leaf BMS, and you may have to crack the pack open to wire up some sensing leads. I’ve used the TSM BMS, and I’m happy with it.


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## shnitzel (Oct 6, 2020)

im about to start the next stage of my project. had to "put out some fires" at work for a bit. now im back to my stuff!

i want to mount the leaf motor and inverter on its side. with the cooling lines all facing up. i dont see any reason why not. anyone see why not???

i have my coupler to mount the driveshaft directly to the motor almost done. if this all works out on the first little test drive i'll invest in the lower 7.4 : 1 gears that are available for the 9" ford differential.

i have enough battery charge to get around the town a few times no problem. so ill get a few test runs up and down the block done with the charge i have (about 90% im guessing)

i still dont have a working charger. i will figure that out last after i get it rolling on its own.

so my last question is about the BMS again.... does the bms not balance the cells when the battery is not connected to the car? what functions if any does the bms do when not connected to the canbus? would it balance during charging? when sitting in storage? or not at all?

thats my progress and questions for today.

shnitzel


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## remy_martian (Feb 4, 2019)

shnitzel said:


> I am purchasing 7.4 - 1 ratio gear set for the Ford 9" differential.
> 
> shnitzel


Where'd you get that ring & pinion? Highest I've seen in my recollection, and used, is 5.14


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## shnitzel (Oct 6, 2020)

7.4 : 1 ring and pinion:









Richmond Gear 69-0420-L Richmond Gear Ring and Pinion Sets | Summit Racing


Free Shipping - Richmond Gear Ring and Pinion Sets with qualifying orders of $99. Shop Ring and Pinion Gears at Summit Racing.




www.summitracing.com





shnitzel


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

remy_martian said:


> Where'd you get that ring & pinion? Highest I've seen in my recollection, and used, is 5.14


Often aftermarket suppliers have ratios (for any common axle or final drive) beyond anything that was available OEM. I was looking at available ratios for the Ford 8.8 (for another project) and found similar ratios.


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## remy_martian (Feb 4, 2019)

Thanks Shnitzel.

I wish that was the case for my C5 Z06 on gears that deep, Brian...

Precharge circuit, IMO, should also serve to discharge the caps when you power off, for safety -- having been lit up by a charged 450V cap on a tube radio I was building, I can say you really don't want holes punched in you from the zap when you thought the power was off, lol.

Having it on during running is pointless, as your precharge resistor gets shorted by the main contactor, in any case.


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## shnitzel (Oct 6, 2020)

im just "slightly" concerned about driveshaft rpm.... well play that by ear. maybe literally. ha ha ha.

i did check the voltage on the system after shutdown and it quickly drains back to 0v. i also have high voltage gloves for reassurance. keeping as safe as i can! thank you for the pointers.

im hoping that the nissan leaf stock bms will do something for me. even if it only balances when charging. or at all. from what i read people are hacking into the batterys through the canbus and checking individual cell volts. if this is possible then i can at least check my individual cell voltages and keep an eye on them. i best do this before i do any miles with it.

anyone think im silly to mount this motor sideways?

shnitzel


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## Tremelune (Dec 8, 2009)

You mean like the output shaft running front to rear? I can't think of any reason not to.

It's long past time for some photos, friend...


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

remy_martian said:


> I wish that was the case for my C5 Z06 on gears that deep, Brian...


While Corvettes always use lots of components from the GM parts bin, the C5/C6/C7 transaxle is unique enough that I'm not surprised that there isn't much aftermarket choice - it doesn't use a final drive shared with any other model (even though the transaxle are based on the common T56 and 4L60 transmissions), and the pinion shaft is downright oddball (due to the unusual configuration). Much lower gearing is not likely to be wanted for many people using that transaxle, and the pinion shaft design may limit how small the pinion can be (and thus limit the ratio) but I understand the frustration. Apparently you can only get 4.11:1.

In contrast, the Ford 9-inch came in everything from family sedans to Mustangs to pickup trucks, and is used in both salvaged and aftermarket forms for everything from rock crawlers to drag racers. There's something to be said for using common stuff, even if it isn't very advanced.


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

shnitzel said:


> i want to mount the leaf motor and inverter on its side. with the cooling lines all facing up. i dont see any reason why not. anyone see why not???
> 
> i have my coupler to mount the driveshaft directly to the motor almost done. if this all works out on the first little test drive i'll invest in the lower 7.4 : 1 gears that are available for the 9" ford differential.





Tremelune said:


> You mean like the output shaft running front to rear? I can't think of any reason not to.


If I understand this correctly, the motor would be mounted with the shaft longitudinal (no reason not to do that), but without the reduction gearbox (because the motor shaft drives the axle's pinion shaft directly); the "on its side" part means rotating the motor around the shaft axis so that the inverter is to one side instead of on top... presumably to make room for other components above the motor. This likely won't matter to the motor (because the bearings are greased so oil drainage doesn't matter) or to the electronics (of course) or even to the cooling (because gravity isn't relevant to the pumped flow).


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## shnitzel (Oct 6, 2020)

exactly brian. i see no reason why not mount on its side. thats the plan then!

i got the driveshaft coupler almost finished. local machinist charged me $20 to make the fiat clutch center fit into my driveshaft end. that may be the only real custom part i need to build!!!!! im loving how easy these electric conversions are.. i may NEVER build another gas car..... ive done lots of turbo cars... sooooooo much work....

i havent done anything really photo worthy since the last photos. when i get the motor mounted ill do more photos. i dont use / own cameras or phones, so its a special day when i use a camera! ha ha ha.

so my last real unknown is the leaf bms. as youve told me i probably wont make it useful... but im having a hard time understanding that its not functioning anyhow...

shnitzel


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## monabuild (Jan 17, 2020)

shnitzel said:


> exactly brian. i see no reason why not mount on its side. thats the plan then!
> 
> i got the driveshaft coupler almost finished. local machinist charged me $20 to make the fiat clutch center fit into my driveshaft end. that may be the only real custom part i need to build!!!!! im loving how easy these electric conversions are.. i may NEVER build another gas car..... ive done lots of turbo cars... sooooooo much work....
> 
> ...


hey you may want to take a look at open inverter forum they have all the info you would need to get the nissan bms working.


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## shnitzel (Oct 6, 2020)

good to know that the bms is possible. i have glanced at openinverter but havnt signed up yet. i also see uksouthwestev has the leaf dc-dc converter and charger running now. so im hoping to follow his lead!

for progress:::

all the stock stuff is out. even the 165lb cast steel weight hiding over the gas tank. thats more than the motor and inverter right there! ha ha ha

i have pulled the battery up into place between the front wheel wells. its a little high but i plan to take my 3/4" plywood shim out. then hopefully the seats sit well enough over the battery with room for me under the steering wheel.

the motor / inverter stack doesnt fit nice so im just mounting the motor seperately from the inverter. i bandsawed the extra aluminum off the motor giving me access to a flush front mounting surface. i am going to trim the tranny crossmember some to fit the motor right where it needs to be. i dont want to modify the driveshaft. im just running it stock which is very short. this hopefully will help me through the high rpm wiggles 

i pressed in new heavy duty u-joints into the driveshaft. its all greased and ready.

the fiat clutch center has been machined to press fit inside the ford driveshaft splines. i still have to drill and tap the motor shaft for a big bolt. i hope the steel is manageable. if it survives a few trips up and down the block i will locktight the hell out of it splines and all and hope it stay in place.

getting the motor mounted in place with the driveshaft installed should be easy from here.

so here are my new questions / concerns. i have separated my motor from controller now. am i best to source a 2010-2012 motor wire harness for it? would the 2010 3-phase wiring seal to the 2013 motor? or should i just build some short copper busbars to stick into the motor and connect the 3-phase wiring to?

i also need another round connector for the 2016 battery. i need to source one of those to permanently wire this thing. any idea what its called or where to find it? its the one where i tap into the precharge and relay circuits on the traction battery.

if i can get the motor wired to the inverter and the circular battery plug ill be rotating tires soon!

shnitzel


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## shnitzel (Oct 6, 2020)

I made a couple little videos to catch you guys up. the first is a basic overview. and then i linked a "channel" where i will keep posting as i progress.

to date everything is in position and the motor is mounted in place. still some bracketry to build before a test drive. but im progressing!

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="



" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>



https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPneGWD7rpu4QUQW9S9GwJQ



hope you enjoy!

shnitzel


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## Evbeddy (Jan 5, 2020)

Hey mate loving the project. 

Keep up the good work


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## shnitzel (Oct 6, 2020)

its been a while... but i made some progress!

van runs. im running it through my second vfd so i know i have 2 working units now.

looots still to do but here is a little video to catch you up so far.






shnitzel


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## Tremelune (Dec 8, 2009)

Very cool. I'm curious to see how the 7:1 rear gears work out. It's not an option for all RWD conversions, but some people have even put 9" Fords in MGBs, so...could save a bit of cost/complexity vs a TorqueBox or full transmission. I wonder what it's like at highway speeds, though a 50-year-old van may have different ideas as what counts as "highway speed"!

How'd you adapt the yoke to the Leaf motor?


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## shnitzel (Oct 6, 2020)

i actually have a 7.4 : 1 ratio gearset. the leaf was 8.2 : 1... so my top speed will be SLIGHTLY higher but not much. and my van is definitely lighter than the leaf. by a bunch......

the van has new shocks etc. should be good at highway speed. im not scared 

ive been driving it around without brakes for the last few days. ha ha ha ha.... very cool! it still has the 3 : 1 gear set in it and i cant believe how it pulls and climbs. the lower gears are going to be awesome!

i got the brakes hooked up last night. bleed them today. then just some van lights etc and ill insure it!

i bought the fiat clutch and used its center section. i had it machined down to be pressed into the driveshaft yoke. i welded it inside the yoke. i drilled and threaded a hole down the center of the nissan motor shaft. and i bolted it on there! seems good. before final assembly ill lock tight it in place to be sure it stays there.

hard to go to work when my van is so fun to play with! but i best go and put some hours in.... ha ha ha.

ill post a driving video as soon as i take one.

and as far as ground clearance. i measure 10" between the motor and the ground. my friends 2005 4x4 chev truck has 9.5" of ground clearance. so i should be good there 

hey "jbman".... your videos are gone!!!! what happened? i went to watch your putty video for reference again and it seems gone! too bad... your videos were a great help to my start....

shnitzel


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## shnitzel (Oct 6, 2020)

I couldnt leave you all hangin. Heres a video of an actual drive! Now i have LOTS to do to wrap this thing up and make it actual road worthy. off to work for a few hours and then bleed the brakes!

enjoy! NO GAS!!!!






shnitzel


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## cemyilmaz (Apr 28, 2021)

shnitzel said:


> I have emailed Thunderstruck about the issue. Sent them a picture of the config file and my set up.
> 
> As i took some pictures for them, i thought i would share them with you! Sorry they are from a gopro, all i had to take pictures with.
> 
> ...


looks nice


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## shnitzel (Oct 6, 2020)

I just put a bit of time into the DC-DC converter. and sure enough it works too! applied power to the red and purple wires. voila! charging the 12v system!

now onto ordering a j1772 plug for the wall and learn to get the charger working!

closer and closer!

shnitzel


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## Evbeddy (Jan 5, 2020)

Hey Shnitzel

Loving the videos and the project in general. What is your plan for reverse?


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## shnitzel (Oct 6, 2020)

for reverse i toggle the gear selection switch! motor goes backwards. soooo simple. i may have built my last turbo project. lovin this e-build!

shnitzel


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## shnitzel (Oct 6, 2020)

I put the van back up on stands for some more updates. Going throught the gears etc.

My next big hurdle is the charger. i am hoping Dave will share his progress with me. I messaged him and am hoping for a response. maybe i can be his beta tester until he gets his car up and running.

heres another video of my progress. enjoy!

shnitzel


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## shnitzel (Oct 6, 2020)

Update::::: Van weighs 3080 lbs WITH ME IN IT!!!!!! sweeeet!
Im hoping someone that has made this charger work will take me in as a beta tester  someone???? im daring and excited to try! going to need a charger soon......

Im happy with the new wheels. They suit the look i think. Got a pack sniffer too!

shnitzel


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## shnitzel (Oct 6, 2020)

I got to drive an actual LEAF!!!! very fun! very peppy!!!! im getting more excited!!!

Almost got my brakes done. differential gears and charger last. then im done....... gotta figure this charger out. hopefully before im done. if so i cant decide whether the 3kw or 6kw.... might go cheap in hopes to still get the leaf one working someday.

heres another video update. hope you enjoy!

shnitzel


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## shnitzel (Oct 6, 2020)

Hello again,

I have my van running fully now. I bought the Resolve-Ev controller and installed it. a bit sad pulling the whole thunderstruck harness out, but ahh well..... anything worth doing once is worth doing 12 times???? ha ha ha.

so i have a fully driving, stopping, charging van!!!!!! sooo awesome! i drove it up to the factory today and plugged it in when i got home! soooo happy!

I think im the first econoline leaf in the world??? i dont know why that matters to me. but i think it is!!! ha ha ha. someones gotta be first 

lots of rattles to work out of it. and get the brakes adjusted a bit better. some shakes, some shimmys.... tidy the wiring with better switches. well get through it!

happy to have shared it with ya. i will post more when i do more. here is a little video of where its at now. filmed a little drive again.

hope you enjoy!

shnitzel


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## QuantumEngineer (Jul 4, 2021)

shnitzel said:


> Hello again,
> 
> I have my van running fully now. I bought the Resolve-Ev controller and installed it. a bit sad pulling the whole thunderstruck harness out, but ahh well..... anything worth doing once is worth doing 12 times???? ha ha ha.
> 
> ...


Very cool build. Love that you brought old iron back to life with new technology. Hoping to do a Leaf build myself -- thanks for being a the bleeding edge showing that these projects can be done.


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## MattsAwesomeStuff (Aug 10, 2017)

I love your shitty van 

Congrats on getting it driveable!

That's the best milestone, when there's still wires jankily dangling all over, you're turning it on by hooking wires around, and yet it still drives. Magnificent


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## Russco (Dec 23, 2008)

shnitzel said:


> Hello again,
> 
> I have my van running fully now. I bought the Resolve-Ev controller and installed it. a bit sad pulling the whole thunderstruck harness out, but ahh well..... anything worth doing once is worth doing 12 times???? ha ha ha.
> 
> ...


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## Tremelune (Dec 8, 2009)

Nice!

Why the switch from Thunderstruck to Resolve?


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## shnitzel (Oct 6, 2020)

i switched just for the charger..,... it cost less to buy the resolve vcm than buying an aftermarket 6kw charger.

i will put the thunderstruck on a project that doesnt need an onboard charger. it will not go to waste.

i have over 500km on the van now. its working great!

its a tin can full of nails at over 42km/h. ha ha ha... so next is harley motor mounts and some sound dampening between the battery and floor. just waiting for the mounts to arrive. ill update after that on the vibrations.

i did check runout on my driveshaft. i see about .025" of runout. and i can make the retractable part of the driveshaft move about .020". so thats over .040" of runout. probably a lot for a driveshaft turning 7000rpm. i might adress this problem after the motor mounts are installed. one thing at a time.....

bit by bit ill work through it. this way i know for sure what matters and what doesnt.

still loving it! daily driver!!!! i even did a 60km trip for plywood last week. work van!!!

on another note, i bought a chrysler pacifica battery recently...... and i have the second whole leaf drivetrain with the thunderstruck vcm. snowmobile???? 4wd civic???? hmmmmm.... best just find the van rattles first 

shnitzel


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## electro wrks (Mar 5, 2012)

shnitzel said:


> so next is harley motor mounts and some sound dampening between the battery and floor. just waiting for the mounts to arrive.


I don't get the harley motor mounts and the vibrating battery? The HV gloves are a nice touch. Have you considered just wearing them every time you you go for a drive-just in case. You got an interesting Mad Max build here, you might as well look the part!


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## stable (Jun 15, 2015)

So inspiring to see someone just get on with it. About to start a very similar project to a very similar (if old British) van.

im excited by theResolve-Ev controller. Am I right that you are utilising the leaf bms and charger with this. Have you really managed to stick to just using the leaf kit without the huge bms and charger costs?

What sort of range you getting?


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