[electro wrks]

Is this gong to be your daily driver, or otherwise get a lot of use, and/or part of a energy storage system?

 

[electro wrks]

Daily driver, dump runner, furniture getter. It'll get spruced up but worked, not a show pony. The CHAdeMO connector will be transferred in case I find a two way EVSE that actually exists and isn't wildly overpriced.

Looks like a worthwhile conversion that will makes good use of valuable and scarce resources! I'm on board with this one.

What motor HP and battery size did you get with the donor Leaf? How do the tracks and WBes compare?

 

[electro wrks]

I wonder if the cab and bed, with these two main dimensions(track and WB) being so close, could be dropped onto the cut-away and reinforced unibody. If so, most of the battery and suspension mounting points could be maintained for alignment and ease of assembly. This is a earlier model (your model is probably close to this) with the sheet metal and B and C pillars cut away(the second picture with the frame structure in red): A new platform developed exclusively for EVs.

The cross member/ fire wall between the A pillars would probably have to be removed for cab clearance and replaced by a lower mounted cross member. AIR the rocker panels/ sills on the Leaf have a large cross section(for battery protection?). There is a lot of room for rectangular tubing to be slid inside for reinforcement. The frame horns supporting the front and rear suspension could also be reinforced for your application. There may not be enough clearance around the back end of the battery for a leaf spring based rear suspension.

 

[electro wrks]

I hadn't considered beefing up and using the Leaf frame. Keeping the battery pack more central to the vehicle and low to the ground certainly appeals to me. Rear suspension would indeed need some attention.

To be sure, the red "frame" in the picture is an integral part of the unibody structure attached to sheet metal and other structures along one, two, or more of its cross sectional corners. It would be a lot of plasma and/or cutoff wheel work to get to the red frame state. If you were careful with your cutting, maybe added some temporary bracing, you could keep it as a roller( a drive-able roller?) This would make it a lot easier to move around and store out of the way. It would probably be good to keep the floor and battery in place for extra stiffness as the cutting and reinforcing of the frame structure is sorted out.

If this type of conversion works out, think of all of the dozens of brackets and mounts all ready in place in the front end of the vehicle for the suspension, power train, cooling, heating, electronic, and other systems. This could save on a lot of work.

Is this a 1/2 or 3/4 ton truck? As brian alludes to, there may not be enough weight capacity in the Leaf stock front suspension for your needs.

 

[electro wrks]

Another observation using a cut down and reinforced Leaf frame: The running boards of the Fargo would be close to, or just above where the Leaf rocker panels/sills/perimeter frame would be located. This would probably define the lowest location of the cab, because of the minimal clearance of the doors opening over the running boards.

Also, you need to think about the modern, refined suspension and braking systems of the Leaf compared the primitive, harsh rideing existing systems in the Fargo. This might make the difference in this vehicle being used as a fun daily and frequent driver over a rarely used one. A rarely used EV is a shame and a wasteful use of valuable and scarce resources.

 

[electro wrks]

And that's nothing at all like either the Ford Ranger EV or the Chevrolet S-10 EV.

I believe the poster in post#23 is referring to my posts about cutting down the Leaf unibody.
What I'm referring to is similar to what custom auto shops do to change a hardtop sedan to a convertible. The remaining frame structure, after the top and parts of the support pillars are removed, is reinforced to make up for the removed structure. Yes brian, I know it is not exactly the same, that's why I wrote the word similar. Please turn down the OCD for once for the rest of us mere mortals!