[MELLOcholly]

Hello! I've wanted to convert my Brat for a while, I'm pretty mechanically inclined, but little to no experience with electrical. I've done some reading, and I'm not going to start the conversion for a while yet. I want most, if not all the parts in my garage so I don't get to many stand stills waiting for parts. This sub seems to favor getting an old Leaf to cannibalize, but I've also seen posts about how the batteries don't last long. Is that something I could get a couple of and install them in parallel? I also want it to be fairly sporty (it weighs maybe 1000 pounds right now, so I wouldn't need much) is the leaf motor pretty spunky? I've also seen kits online that include everything you need to mount an electric motor to the existing transmission, which is something I would like to keep. Would the leaf motor or my drivetrain have issues with the conversion since it's an AWD car? Thanks in advance for any tips you guys might have for me!

 

[kennybobby]

i drove a 1980 Brat and the 4WD was engaged in the cabin with a shifter lever Off,H,L, otherwise it was front wheel drive--is the '83 different?

Stacking Lithium battery packs in parallel involves more complexity than just adding some big jumper wires, look up posts by wolftronics for an example from an experienced electrical engineer to get an idea of what's involved.

The laef packs don't have thermal cooling/control so suffered degradation and reduced life, but they are cheaper than buying new cells. In the interest of time, i would suggest to just build your EV using the laef pack and run it till the stirrups are draggin in the mud, then replace or upgrade it with another. The laef motor would work great to drive the front wheels, but it would be a big hairy deal to interface it with the subaru transmission in order to get $4WD. Depends upon your time, budget and desire if you want/need/require 4WD, or just want to get an EV running asap.

Good luck i hope you have success with this project.

 

[MELLOcholly]

I'll look into his posts, thanks! Yea, the 83 high and low but that's it, I don't need the AWD, but I love it so much, especially in the winter, so I want to do everything I can to keep it

 

[brian_]

I also want it to be fairly sporty (it weighs maybe 1000 pounds right now, so I wouldn't need much)...

Do you mean that you have already removed the engine and it's down to 1,000 pounds? That's not possible, since it's less than half of the original weight and less than one quarter of the vehicle's mass is engine.
Did you mean 1,000 kg (2,200 lb)? Yes, that's about what a stock BRAT weighs. It's a compact vehicle, with a short cab, so it's reasonably light.

 

[brian_]

Would the leaf motor or my drivetrain have issues with the conversion since it's an AWD car?

A motor doesn't care what it's driving, only how fast it needs to turn and how much current you try to push through it.

i drove a 1980 Brat and the 4WD was engaged in the cabin with a shifter lever Off,H,L, otherwise it was front wheel drive--is the '83 different?

The BRAT had a very crude part-time AWD system, usually called 4WD (although "AWD" and "4WD" literally mean the same thing for a four-wheeled vehicle) because there is no accommodation for different front and rear axle speeds; it can't be left engaged when traction is good because it won't turn properly. If this is good enough for you, the original transaxle can be used; the alternative is to have much better AWD that can be used at all times, by driving the front and rear axles with separate motors, like every AWD EV in production.

 

[brian_]

I also want it to be fairly sporty (it weighs maybe 1000 pounds right now, so I wouldn't need much) is the leaf motor pretty spunky?

The most powerful engine offered in the BRAT was rated at only 94 HP (70 kW); the stock non-turbocharged engine was even weaker.

Gas engines in cars are rated by their continuous output power, but electric motors in cars are rated by the power they can produce for only a limited period - power output must be reduced when they get too hot. On the other hand, the electric motors can produce that rated power long enough for an acceleration run (to get up to highway speed, for instance) so this usually doesn't matter. Power in EVs is also often limited by the battery and/or the controller, rather than by the motor itself. Leaf motor in Leafs with less than 40 kWh batteries are limited to only 80 kW to protect the battery; later versions are allowed 110 kW (with 40 kWh battery) and 160 kW (with 62 kWh battery), despite the motor being essentially identical.

Powerband is the other issue: the speed range over which high power is available. Electric motors and gas engines are different in this characteristic, and when electric motor power is limited to protect the battery the resulting powerband is very wide so you can use almost all of the motor's allowed power.

So any Leaf motor with any Leaf motor controller, if gearing is properly selected, should provide better performance than the stock BRAT if weight isn't increased, and despite the likely weight increase it should still at least match the original engine.

 

[brian_]

I've also seen kits online that include everything you need to mount an electric motor to the existing transmission...

Those kits are generally designed to work with motors that have a mounting face following a specific industrial standard, and a plain shaft with a keyway. They won't be of any help to install a motor from a Leaf, or any other production EV.

 

[MELLOcholly]

Those kits are generally designed to work with motors that have a mounting face following a specific industrial standard, and a plain shaft with a keyway. They won't be of any help to install a motor from a Leaf, or any other production EV.

Gotcha. I wasn't sure what the difference would be if I bought a production EV to swap or a new motor from one of the many online stores. I guess it's good I found this site!

 

[MELLOcholly]

Do you mean that you have already removed the engine and it's down to 1,000 pounds? That's not possible, since it's less than half of the original weight and less than one quarter of the vehicle's mass is engine.
Did you mean 1,000 kg (2,200 lb)? Yes, that's about what a stock BRAT weighs. It's a compact vehicle, with a short cab, so it's reasonably light.

I haven't removed anything, or had it weighed yet, but it has always been missing the jump seats. I was just taking a stab at the weight knowing my friend and I were able to lift the back end by ourselves. But I was definitely wrong it sounds like!