Hello! I've been poking around a bit but I finally actually read the where do I start thread, so I figured I would follow the guidelines there.
I have purchased an 1974 Eldorado convertible in good body and top condition. My interest in converting it stems from the fact that it has no motor or transmission, giving me a blank slate of sorts in front of the firewall. It needs body work and a new interior, but those will come down the line. In the meantime, I would like to investigate converting it to electric, or more likely, diesel electric. Keep in mind this vehicle began life as a FWD vehicle.
Thoughts? Laughter? Envy?
Thanks!
Edit:In retrospect, 5-7k is probably incredibly naive. Budget is flexible as I'm still assessing the field.
I have purchased an 1974 Eldorado convertible in good body and top condition. My interest in converting it stems from the fact that it has no motor or transmission, giving me a blank slate of sorts in front of the firewall. It needs body work and a new interior, but those will come down the line. In the meantime, I would like to investigate converting it to electric, or more likely, diesel electric. Keep in mind this vehicle began life as a FWD vehicle.
- My level with auto mechanics is basic, however the car resides at the home of a friend (with whom I purchased it) who is from a family of mechanics and has extensive auto experience. He has good fabrication experience and a good toolset. I have basic machining skills and plenty of experience helping build other sorts of things. So I have skilled resources, but am sure I will need to seek outside services for some fabrication.
- As far as range I would like to get, I am figuring that with the weight of the vehicle, a 20-30 mile range would be the best I could get within reasonable economy, being optimistic. It is for this reason that I am interested in an electric vehicle with diesel range extender of some sort. I would like at least a 200 mile range with one 22 gallon tank of biodiesel/similar. I have no idea how realistic that is.
- Performance-wise, it's an Eldorado, so it's meant for gliding around. My last car was a '77 Eldorado and I could often be seen going 5 under in the right lane. So right lane highway performance is about the top end of capabilities I'd be looking for out of this. I would love to pull an airstream behind it, but that may be a pipe dream.
- I am planning on doing this over some time, but I suppose the answer 'I will put money into it until I'm done' is not helpful. Lets ignore body work/paint and interior replacements etc. and go with a target of $5,000-$7,000 USD to get it moving around legally.
- There have been vague schemes of obtaining forklift motors, light rail motors, and golf car batteries to piece together this project. Also an obsessive and likely futile fantasizing about Bladon Micro Turbine Range Extenders. So only vague considerations of parts, as I am new to this space.
Thoughts? Laughter? Envy?
Thanks!
Edit:In retrospect, 5-7k is probably incredibly naive. Budget is flexible as I'm still assessing the field.
