openinverter forum

To boldly go where no one has gone before! Hey Guys, I have finally decided to get off my butt and start this project. I bought this 2007 Nissan Frontier 4 door 6ft bed truck for a good deal a few years ago with the intention of converting it. The engine didn't run very well, but I wound up figuring out the problem and driving it as my weekend toy hauler and Home improvement material getter.

With all the new electric trucks and SUVs coming on the market, I want to be different and have fun blowing minds with this project. After watching SuperFastMatt's Jaguar build on youtube, it gave me a lot of confidence and excitement to pursue my dream of converting a larger vehicle with modern components. The goal is an easy 100 miles per charge / drop dead range around 150. Quick and fun, but reliable. I don't plan on performing any serious towing.

Here is the planned current major parts list:
Tesla Model S/X front drive unit driving the front wheels
Nissan Leaf motor with reduction box attached to the live axle driving the rear wheels
Tesla Model 3 75kwh battery under the truck and relocated penthouse

I'm ready to pull the trigger on purchasing the battery. I believe the Model 3 battery is the most advanced, best bang for my money, and most reliable battery available to me. I would use the whole battery with the charger, dcdc, charge port, BMS. The hardest part of using it is the large size of the modules, but I think I can fit them under the truck by cutting the case up similar to SuperFastMatt. I know the PCS/BMS is not completely hacked yet, but it will take me many months to get the battery packaged in the vehicle and maybe I can help the hacking effort by providing useful information while trying to get it to work.

Pictures of the vehicle FYI, here is my first conversion that I did about 6 years ago. 1972 Datsun 510 wagon with warp9 motor, Zilla 1k controller, Model S battery modules.
https://www.diyelectriccar.com/threads/ ... 10.171402/

Thanks for looking!

First step already completed!
Good to see more people jump on M3 stuff, should increase the chance of figuring it out

I have made a lot of progress on this project in the last year, but I still don't have a main battery. I will catch this thread up and hopefully keep it updated.

I have a 2011 Nissan Leaf motor, gearbox, axles, inverter, and dc/dc. I'm not sure if I will use all of these parts. I got this motor spinning with the original Leaf VCU and the accelerator pedal from my Frontier.

I figured out the hard way the polarity on the inverter DC input. I had it backwards at first and my precharge resister started smoking. The plastic next to where the lug bolts actually has P and N molded into it, dang! Definitely use thicker wire at full voltage and amperage. This is a test setup at very low amperage with no load.

I decided to focus on the front motor first to ensure I actually make this AWD.

Original 2WD front hub. Installed new Frontier 4WD front hubs. The Frontier front axle vs the Nissan Leaf axle. They use the same spline! If only I could fit the Leaf motor in the front. Let's try it. Maybe if I angle it up to clear the crossmember and power steering rack. This is not going to work. It would have to be vertical with the motor on top of the axles to clear everything. If I did that, I don't think the gearbox oil cooling would work. I really need a drive unit with the axle line ahead of the motor. Of course it should be compact, powerful, and aesthetically pleasing too. Hum, what would work here.

I actually tried the Leaf motor, gearbox, and axle hanging vertical before I came to my senses.

I bought a 2018 Tesla Model S/X front drive unit! This is from the alphaautollc ebay store for $1500 shipped with 30k miles.

gigawatts wrote: ↑Sat Feb 04, 2023 4:14 am
The Frontier front axle vs the Nissan Leaf axle. They use the same spline! If only I could fit the Leaf motor in the front. Let's try it.

gen 1 leaf motor(em61) and frontier inner splines are the same? can you take some measurements of both?

gigawatts wrote: ↑Sat Feb 04, 2023 4:14 am This is not going to work. It would have to be vertical with the motor on top of the axles to clear everything. If I did that, I don't think the gearbox oil cooling would work. I really need a drive unit with the axle line ahead of the motor. Of course it should be compact, powerful, and aesthetically pleasing too. Hum, what would work here.

i know of a few rigs with the motor mounted vertically. if anything add an oil pump