Hi all! I'm brand new to this scene and just recently started to really begin researching for this project I've had in mind for a while now. I've had this 97' coupe for 4+ years that has undergone many engine rebuilds and repairs, ultimately costing me > $10,000 with nothing to show for it. The car has been sitting for the better part of a year now just waiting for a way to get back on the road. For a while I was just planning on rebuilding the turbo setup I previously had, but now I'm thinking EV, as it would be similar priced and far less prone to breaking down, if at all.
The car is manual transmission, lowered, and has very little to no rust. She's way too sedimental to sell as a shell at this point. But perfect (I think) for EV!
With that out of the way, here's my initial plan + thoughts + questions:
I'd like to source my parts locally if possible, and don't mind cutting some corners for this initial setup. From what I've read Ill need; Motor, Controller, Battery pack, and charger as the bare minimum to get the wheels turning. There seems to be a lot of variation in motor/battery choice, especially for civics as I heard they're somewhat easy to convert.
The video "
World's Cheapest Electric Car Conversion" is what initially sparked my interest for doing this. All jokes aside, would there be a way to do something similar using a larger + nicer motor (forklift maybe?) and an actual battery pack? I've seen several 3/4hp, 2hp, 5hp, and 10hp AC & DC motors available on craigslist/marketplace in my area that are pretty inexpensive. Also have seen a few people selling individual Nissan leaf battery packs as well as off-brand packs and single 18650s.
They were able to hit 50mph+ with 4 big dudes in the car and drive it for several minutes before it began to smoke... using
that setup. If I were to do it using mounted battery packs +controller and only drove it with max +1 person <40mph.. that would be reasonably safe, right?
With the help of my friends I'll have access to a engine lift and welder (mig + tig). There're also many welding and metal fabrication shops in the area I could potentially reach out to.
Here are photos of the car along with a couple photos of motors I've found today for sale. If someone could tell me the feasibility of either of them I would highly highly appreciate it!
Thank you to anyone who's kind enough to reply to my dumbass! Glad to be aa new member of this community!