Are you thinking about building your own electric car? A lot of people are doing it. After all, who wouldn't rather drive for $0.04 per mile instead of $4.00 per mile? People everywhere are saying goodbye to the gas pump, oil changes and tune ups forever. If you are wondering where to begin, follow these 6 easy tips and you'll be on the road in no time.
1. Select the right car to convert: The car has to be small and light. The lighter the car, the farther it will go between charges and the higher your top speed will be. Now, be careful because the car must also have enough space to mount the batteries you'll need on board, so don't use a Mini for example. A compact or small pickup truck works great.
2. Select a car with a manual transmission. Manual transmission vehicles convert a whole lot easier. If you can't or don't want to drive a stick, don't worry. You won't have to shift at all once the conversion is completed.
3. Inspect the car: Check the undercarriage, breaks, tires, transmission, etc to make sure there aren't issues there before you buy. I have a mechanic friend I like to take a long with me for this purpose. Remember, you want to find something that is in good shape all around. The electric motor and batteries you are going to use will last a very long time, so you want to make sure the car itself has enough remaining life in it to hold up.
4. Finding that perfect conversion car: If you look around a little, you can pick up a used car with engine damage - or even NO engine - that is otherwise in excellent condition at amazingly cheap prices. Check the local classified ads, on-line auction sites, on-line classified ads, etc. A car with a bad engine isn't of much value to the average driver but it is pure gold to you and me.
5. Pull the motor: Now that you've found your perfect conversion car, you'll need to pull the motor if it has one. This really isn't that hard to do. Rent an engine hoist and recruit a friend or 2 to help. Sometimes you can get a mechanic to do it for you. I've worked deals before where the mechanic was interested in the engine for parts. In this case, they'll often pull the engine for free if you let them keep it.
6. Get a good guide to follow. This is important. The right plans will guide you step-by-step through the entire project. More importantly though, the right instruction manual provides priceless information on how to locate all your parts very inexpensively-and in some cases even free. This one step can end up saving you a ton of money on the project. In most cases, by investing $50 up front for a good set of plans you can complete the entire conversion for $500 or less. Compare this to the $6000 or more that you would spend on one of the electric car conversion kits for sale and you'll soon see the wisdom of this strategy.
The DIY electric car conversion is a great project. Its fun, inexpensive and easy to complete. For more information on DIY electric cars and recommendations for a great set of plans.
1. Select the right car to convert: The car has to be small and light. The lighter the car, the farther it will go between charges and the higher your top speed will be. Now, be careful because the car must also have enough space to mount the batteries you'll need on board, so don't use a Mini for example. A compact or small pickup truck works great.
2. Select a car with a manual transmission. Manual transmission vehicles convert a whole lot easier. If you can't or don't want to drive a stick, don't worry. You won't have to shift at all once the conversion is completed.
3. Inspect the car: Check the undercarriage, breaks, tires, transmission, etc to make sure there aren't issues there before you buy. I have a mechanic friend I like to take a long with me for this purpose. Remember, you want to find something that is in good shape all around. The electric motor and batteries you are going to use will last a very long time, so you want to make sure the car itself has enough remaining life in it to hold up.
4. Finding that perfect conversion car: If you look around a little, you can pick up a used car with engine damage - or even NO engine - that is otherwise in excellent condition at amazingly cheap prices. Check the local classified ads, on-line auction sites, on-line classified ads, etc. A car with a bad engine isn't of much value to the average driver but it is pure gold to you and me.
5. Pull the motor: Now that you've found your perfect conversion car, you'll need to pull the motor if it has one. This really isn't that hard to do. Rent an engine hoist and recruit a friend or 2 to help. Sometimes you can get a mechanic to do it for you. I've worked deals before where the mechanic was interested in the engine for parts. In this case, they'll often pull the engine for free if you let them keep it.
6. Get a good guide to follow. This is important. The right plans will guide you step-by-step through the entire project. More importantly though, the right instruction manual provides priceless information on how to locate all your parts very inexpensively-and in some cases even free. This one step can end up saving you a ton of money on the project. In most cases, by investing $50 up front for a good set of plans you can complete the entire conversion for $500 or less. Compare this to the $6000 or more that you would spend on one of the electric car conversion kits for sale and you'll soon see the wisdom of this strategy.
The DIY electric car conversion is a great project. Its fun, inexpensive and easy to complete. For more information on DIY electric cars and recommendations for a great set of plans.
You too can say goodbye to the gas pump, tune ups and oil changes forever.
