Hauling out the beastSteel workEngineIn progress componants board
OwnerCraig A. Cadieux
LocationBridgewater, New Hampshire US map
Email email image
Vehicle1998 Chevrolet S-10
MotorAdvanced DC FB1-4001A Series Wound DC
ControllerCurtis 1231C-8601
Batteries18 Interstate US8VGCHC, 8.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, Flooded
System Voltage144 Volts
ChargerQuickcharge 230 Volts AC
HeaterLiquid Heater from EVA
Instrumentation80-180 Volt Meter
0-400 Amp meter
Vacuum Gauge

Top Speed55 MPH (88 KPH)
Projected
Range50 Miles (80 Kilometers)
Estimate. Need to make 30 mile RT commute in winter with hills. 5 to 10 mile trips to town.
TiresFor now what came with the truck
Conversion TimeIt's a project. Taking my time and learning. Weekend day here, an evening there.
Conversion CostAround $12,000
Additional FeaturesManual steering from older S-10.
Purchased the truck used in June 2008. V6 with Automatic. Purchased a used manual transmission. 134,000 miles.


10/14/08 Based on EV America design. Engine has removed, engine compartment cleaned up and painted, battery box framing welded, transmission mated with motor. Battery boxes are Advantech with 3/4 inch polyethylene foam and painted black.

10/20/08 Installed Motor/Transmission and cut bottom of truck to make room for stick shift. I was a little concerned that the transmission support for the orginal automatic tranmission was going to work for the manual transmission but for now things seem to fit. I need to figure our a motor mount. The mounts for the orginal V6 do not come close to lining up with ears of the motor backet. Also... need to figure out what to do with the passenger brake cable. Currently it runs through where the saddle battery box will sit.

10/27/08 Looking around for engine mounts from a 2.2 l that will fit in this truck. There are a number of EVer who seem to have this set up. Installed the manual steering box this weekend. Went in easy but I now need to raise the front battery box a little to clear . Finished up the battery boxes and insulated them. I think the hand brake cable will wrap around the back of the boxes. Need to consider chafing protection.

11/2/08 Moved the truck in the garage - a little warmer. Battery boxes have been painted and placed in the metal frames. I solved the parking brake problem by removing the cable from the clip on the differential clip. Obtained motor mounts from a 2.2 l S-10 and mounted the motor this weekend. I had to removed the vertical supports for the components board I welded in a few weeks ago because it interfered with the mounts. A lot of PIA cutting and grinding but it made me feel better about the strength of my welds. I'm reconsidering my choice of 20 6 volts batteries for 120 total and thinking about 18 8 volts for 144 volts total. Our max round trip will be 30 miles. 144 volts will get up up the hills faster and will be about 140 pounds lighter. The trade off will be a little less life to the batteries and less range.

12/21/08 I never seem to get enough time to work on the truck but as a whole quite a bit has been completed since the last post in November. It official... I'm going with 144 volts - 18 eight volt batteries with small "L" terminals. I order the batteries from Auto Trends in Bristol (my local Interstate Distributor) and they should be in a month or two. EV America ran the numbers and I only loss a few miles of range, and little less cycle life, but I gain more speed and I'm saving about $400's. The last picture is where I ended the weekend: Most components mounted on the board, the high voltage wiring on the Board completed, and started on the low voltage wiring for the heater. My neighbor Wei rebuilt the rear brakes and we replaced the brake lines. With the vacuum pump and vacuum switch in place we bled the brake system. Oh ya... I put a 12 volt battery motor and heard the quiet purr of the electric motor!

code by jerry