[Brianc10]

To go LS or to go EV? I want to move my truck form the 1980's into something more modern. I already have a quote to convert it to an LS drive train and I am contemplating on going to EV. I have been interested in this since I had a Chevy Metro about 10 years ago. I found this forum and I hope to learn more about this before I decide to spend a ton of money.

I have a full size 1980 c10, I have seen the E10 that Chevy brought out with their promised eCrate engine but I wonder if I could do better myself. I look forward to learning from everyone.

 

[remy_martian]

When you say "do it better myself", do you mean hire a shop to do it, since it sounds like you're hiring someone to do the LS?

 

[brian_]

Since the conversion could be anything from essentially just replacing the engine and fuel tank with a motor and battery, to building an entirely new vehicle and placing the old pickup cab and box on top, you have a lot of possibilities to consider. Have fun.

 

[57Chevy]

20k will get you an LS swap excluding filling the tank, 20k will get you a very average EV

 

[Brianc10]

When you say "do it better myself", do you mean hire a shop to do it, since it sounds like you're hiring someone to do the LS?

Yes do it myself was a poor choice of words. I don't have a garage anymore so I would have to outsource some of the job. Same for the LS swap, I will do as much as I can to get it ready but I just don't have the resources around me to get it all complete.

 

[Brianc10]

20k will get you an LS swap excluding filling the tank, 20k will get you a very average EV

Understandable, the LS swap will improve my MPG for sure. If I get anything around 12 mpg right now it is a good day. I don't drive it much but I wouldn't want it to be just average. This is why I am here to figure out what I would be looking at. I don't even know what to ask at this point.

 

[remy_martian]

My 6.0 LS GMC AWD AWS gets 9mpg pulling a trailer with a car on it, 17mpg highway on a good day, so don't count your chickens on gas mileage unless you get a Displacement on Demand engine which has/had(?) reliability issues. The '06 4WD Trailblazer had a 5.3 DoD and got around 23mpg before a DoD valve lifter packed it in and took out the bottom end bearings.

Outsourcing an EV conversion will easily set you back the price of a new Silverado or Lightning EV, you know ($60k to $200k). You gotta really want that square body and to make it unique to have a shop do it. My understanding is that many shops had a two year backlog of jobs, and with gas over $5/gallon, everybody and his dog wants to EV convert these past few weeks -- for the wrong reasons.

 

[ishiwgao]

Understandable, the LS swap will improve my MPG for sure. If I get anything around 12 mpg right now it is a good day. I don't drive it much but I wouldn't want it to be just average. This is why I am here to figure out what I would be looking at. I don't even know what to ask at this point.

Together with what Remy said, a LS swap will be straightfoward, cheaper, and many shops/gararges around you will be able to help you "do it better" yourself. A good option as a "for fun" thing

An EV conversion will be expensive, and likely take 10x the time compared to the LS swap due to the very little help available for EV conversions (online or offline). Especially if you are just starting to step into the EV industry (you didn't say how much knowledge you have on electronic components), you might want to reconsider this

 

[tahitiansoul]

I hope you will go EV. I also have a square body 78 blazer K5, and would like to go that route.

 

[52International]

I'm just finishing my 1980 K20 4x4. Ground up restoration, 3.5 years between my garage for mechanical and paint shop. Put in a rebuilt sbc, kind of wished I'd done the LS, but more work, more money. I'd intended to use the drive train for my '52, but when I started, I didn't know what I was doing and when I figured it out, had already decided to make the 52 EV. So I finished the' 80 and made it a much too pretty farm truck. The gas guzzling at today's gas prices are a real downer.

The EV will cost more due to batteries and labor, but I'm betting on huge satisfaction of that high torque motor.

Go EV! You've got tons of space in that truck for everything you need. You'll love it!

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