Electric Conversion input

Ok. I’m going to discuss something controversial here, converting to electric.
I love my new 225 and it’s staying ICE, however, after reading through the thread about the 1973 Duster on a new challenger frame, it got me thinking about other body/frame swaps.

My 1964 Dart 270 Sedan has a 111” wheelbase, not sure about track width. A Tesla Model 3 has a 113” wheelbase and a 62.2” track width.

Depending on how close an early a’s width is to the model 3, I was thinking that a conversion in which the mopar body was put on the Tesla frame might be pretty great. It would involve a bit of work to make sure all the electronics work since so much of the Tesla system is controlled via the screen, but It would be easier than other conversions since Tesla mounts their battery pack to the frame under the floor and mounts the motor to the rear suspension. The trunk might need to be modified a bit to fit the motor, but the front could become a storage compartment.

if anyone can provide any details about the wheelbases and track widths of various mopar cars and any insight

Interesting concept. Do you realise the Mopar's are unibody and the "body" is all part of the floor which is the chassis. It would be a monumental task to make it happen.

There is a guy doing something similar on YouTube with a Satellite. He didn't swap the frame (not sure a Tesla has a frame?), but mounted the rear suspension under the car and designed his own pushrod shock setup. Batteries in the front, RWD (I think?), etc. Search for "Project Electrollite"

Here’s the article on the Tesla/Satellite conversion.

Project Electrollite: Kevin Erickson’s Tesla-Swapped 1972 Plymouth Satellite - Mopar Connection Magazine | A comprehensive daily resource for Mopar enthusiast news, features and the latest Mopar tech

toolmanmike said:

Interesting concept. Do you realise the Mopar's are unibody and the "body" is all part of the floor which is the chassis. It would be a monumental task to make it happen.

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I was thinking about that. Haven’t figured out a way around that yet. I was thinking perhaps to run some boxed steel tubing along the floor to stiffen the chassis side-to-side at the a, b, and c pillars while the floor is cut out and everything removed, lower onto the Tesla “frame” (battery packs connected to motor and suspension). Connect that and fabricate new floor pans.

Looking at a cutaway of the frame I’m not sure where 2 inches could be saved. I think there may be a crossmember about halfway through the battery pack to add rigidity, which could be removed and crossmembers could be relocated underneath to keep structure for the battery pack.

wish4hemi said:

Here’s the article on the Tesla/Satellite conversion.

Project Electrollite: Kevin Erickson’s Tesla-Swapped 1972 Plymouth Satellite - Mopar Connection Magazine | A comprehensive daily resource for Mopar enthusiast news, features and the latest Mopar tech

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Well that’s a well executed version of my idea lol. Much simpler to take the individual components (batteries, motor, controllers) and mount them than take the entire frame and mount it. Would also help solve the weight distribution I was trying to figure out. Adds weight to the rear but adds back a lot of weight to the front and hopefully keep that balanced.

From what I understand, it will be an absolute nightmare. Mechanically, Tesla's are simple, but their computers are complex. I feel like there are a lot easier ways of doing an EV swap.

I'd probably start with a 9" diameter or greater forklift motor and connect it to a manual transmission. If you want something "cooler" or have better performance, you'd probably have more luck picking up a Model S or X rear subframe and motor and fabricating that into the back of an A-body.

References:
DIY Electric Car Forums
EV West - Electric Vehicle Parts, Components, EVSE Charging Stations, Electric Car Conversion Kits

MuuMuu101 said:

From what I understand, it will be an absolute nightmare. Mechanically, Tesla's are simple, but their computers are complex. I feel like there are a lot easier ways of doing an EV swap.

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Not true. Stealth EV can supply a Tesla drive unit that requires absolutely no wiring other than high voltage, throttle, brake, and pre-charge. Straight from their website: "The Stealth EV Tesla Drive Units handle the pre-charge system and main contactors directly from the controller, no external vehicle control unit required! Throttle pedal and brake pressure transducer link directly to the drive unit with NO CAN input required. Just hook up high voltage, throttle, brake, and pre-charge/contactor box and drive!"
Tesla Small Rear Drive Unit | Motors and Controllers | Stealth EV

Using a programmable power distribution box like a RacePak SmartWire massively simplifies wiring for the coolant system, HVAC, and other 12V accessories. It doesn't get much easier than that.

wish4hemi said:

Not true. Stealth EV can supply a Tesla drive unit that requires absolutely no wiring other than high voltage, throttle, brake, and pre-charge. Straight from their website: "The Stealth EV Tesla Drive Units handle the pre-charge system and main contactors directly from the controller, no external vehicle control unit required! Throttle pedal and brake pressure transducer link directly to the drive unit with NO CAN input required. Just hook up high voltage, throttle, brake, and pre-charge/contactor box and drive!"
Tesla Small Rear Drive Unit | Motors and Controllers | Stealth EV

Using a programmable power distribution box like a RacePak SmartWire massively simplifies wiring for the coolant system, HVAC, and other 12V accessories. It doesn't get much easier than that.

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The point I was making was using OEM Tesla computers, wiring harnesses, and stuff to do an EV conversion is significantly harder than going with an Aftermarket setup (like Stealth EV or EV West) to use a Tesla motor in an EV swap.

What would be the cost?

thesiren74 said:

What would be the cost?

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Prices for wrecked Tesla’s are all over the map. In a perfect world I’d get a model s with severe front end damage. That wouldn’t damage the rear cradle or batteries ideally. Those can be had for around $600-$1500.

MuuMuu101 said:

The point I was making was using OEM Tesla computers, wiring harnesses, and stuff to do an EV conversion is significantly harder than going with an Aftermarket setup (like Stealth EV or EV West) to use a Tesla motor in an EV swap.

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absolutely. Poking around more, not using the original wiring is the way to go. Taking the motor and battery and then controlling it with a different unit would be much easier.

I would like to take a Tesla model S chassis and put in under a new Challenger body. Wheelbase is only 1/2" difference. Track width is a about 2" smaller for the Challenger vs. the Tesla. I think that would be a really cool combo. Here is a pic of just the chassis...

Something you may find of interest, the show, car fix, season 10 episode 4 , is putting a first gen Tesla drivetrain in a Cougar.

I've done a bit of reading on it. For conversions, it seems the best candidates are those that are light and have manual transmissions....like.......my 64 Valiant. LOL

I'm not sure I'm on board though. Battey packs typically weigh between 1000-1500 pounds. Besides all of the reinforcing and possible suspension upgrades just to hold "all that", that's a LOT of "dead weight" compared to a tank full of gas.

The other end of it is the WHY? If you'e consideing it to "go geen" as they say then, you should know that electric cars "right now" are bigger polluters than petroleum, when you consider everything in that process.

Just food for thought.

+2

Battery packs require rare earth materials and cobalt, which are massively toxic and extremely dangerous to people and the environment. Who controls the supply of these battery materials ??? The CCP that's who, unfortunately.

In order to meet the needs for a entire BEV-based transportation system, the amount of battery metals production would have to increase massively. That massive increase in battery production requires a massive increase in battery metals mining.

I would encourage everyone to understand the environmental impact of nickel, cobalt, and lithium mining before thinking that batteries are going to solve our environmental issues. Again we solve one problem (climate change) and create other problems with the environment.

The electrification of transportation will be a thing for a number of years --- auto makers, governments, and industry are geared up for the conversion.

The unknown is whether the consumer will flock to vehicles with range limits, and other unknowns like how much to replace the battery pack.

What about the proper venting and air flow required along with cooling system for the battery packs?

Irony is that the power required to recharge these batteries in transportation comes from either coal fired power plants or other existing sources. Renewables in their best case scenario are anticipated to account for only about 25 percent of our electrical power grid needs.

As of today there are no real plans to expand nuclear or LNG/natural gas resources to meet the increase in electrical needs.

Get ready for California throughout the USA if we don't expand our electrical grid resources.

Think about the brown outs in summer when A/C usage is curtailed, and other rationing attempts.

This is where the whole electrical grid debacle is headed for the USA...

chinze57 said:

Prices for wrecked Tesla’s are all over the map. In a perfect world I’d get a model s with severe front end damage. That wouldn’t damage the rear cradle or batteries ideally. Those can be had for around $600-$1500.

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I have not seen them that cheap. Where are you finding them that cheap????

Was thinking about doing this to a 30s body i have with no floors or firewall.