Should I undo this EV conversion

[sovereignsamba]

Last thread got deleted, no idea why. Didn't even have any comments..


Anyways, picked up an EV conversion. Has adapter plate and motor from a Bradley EV kit. Pretty cool piece of history, the Bradley EV was designed during the gas crisis and may have inspired the new Tesla.

As cool as this is, I'm thinking of putting a gas tank and 1650cc dual weber motor in instead of doing repairs on the GE motor. What do you guys think? Car is fairly straight and solid, has some holes punched in it for extra wiring and battery boxes.

[iowegian]

That's a decent looking car with a lot of good panels and parts. Have you considered parting it out? The bumpers alone should bring quit a few bucks.

[otahuhu]

I know it's your car but please don't rush into cutting this car up. What you have is a nice solid and largely complete project with some minor hacks to the rear valence and wiring. If I was looking for a 60s ghia I would gladly buy this car over the multitude of wagged up treasures in the classifieds.

Stick with it, whatever you decide gas or ev, when you get it running it will be more solid than most ghias on the road. What red was it originally?

[didget69]

... it's just a car.
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I never found the need to impress people with any mechanic certifications, trophies or track wins... unless it was for Mom to post on the refrigerator door.

[vwjetboat]

you know what a sleeper that car would be if the EV was finished? it would fly..

[sovereignsamba]

[tommu]

Agree it's a solid car - a rare find. EV is a nice experiment but whatever you do it'll be nice to see it back on the roads. Even if it is 'just a car'.
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[Zappafan428]

Part of the reason I bought my 64 was to be able to convert it to electric sometime down the road. It might not be for a long time, but these cars lend themselves to electric conversion. With so much already installed and ready to go I'd take the final step. These cars scream with an electric motor in them. So you get performance, the one thing lacking from these cars. Not that performance is high on the list when buying a Ghia......but if I could have style and performance in a classic car that's cheap to run....that's the dream.

[sovereignsamba]

Lookn like a rare steak

:2gunfire:

[vwjetboat]

after thinking on this more.. and looking at pictures again.. you would be a fool not to finish the EV it looks like almost all the parts are there minus the motor and battery's

[ivwshane]

I was looking to get this car for its ev setup but the seller never bothered to reply back to my inquiries. The updated pics he put up did show a pretty rusted pan though.

I'm hoping to turn my ghia to electric and I was hoping this car would have been a good start component wise.

Oh well.

If you do go electric, I'll be watching this thread.
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77 westy 2.0 FI
69 ghia coup 1600dp
70 single cab

[sovereignsamba]

Ghias ard the worst to sell, you get the lamest inquiries.

Bushbeaters

Storytellers

Those looking for Craigslist treasure

If you want to buy a car, call the owner and schedule an appointment. An email asking if it's available is basically spam to me.

I got a call from a kid who had the body off his ghia and had completed a floor pan replacement and like many of us found he had rusty lower body parts. He didn't bs me on the phone, didn't throw empty offers without seeing the car. He came down next morning with cash, looked it over with his dad and we made a deal. I still have the Bradley motor and adapter. Sorry you missed it, good luck.

[iowegian]

[John Moxon]

[Joostt]

Save the ghia, either EV or original! It's a good ghia.
I would go back to gas, I just like it better.
Considering cost I think that finishing the EV will be more expensive.

[bluedot]

I looked into an EV conversion for my cabriolet - and with decent range (200 miles) I was looking at 12-15k for the conversion and the batteries. That's 90% batteries by the way.

Too rich for my blood to jump into the EV world yet. Maybe one day!

[jwp67]

I see the motor on the flatbed, keep the electric or at least give it a try. It looks mostly there. Due to costs, most of us will not get a chance like this, you can always go back. If you get it working, selling an EV car with minimal investment could be quite profitable.

[Starbucket]

Where are the batteries going to be? If you want more than 30 miles you will need a LARGE HEAVY battery/s. Think golf cart on two 12 v will go maybe 10 miles. and a ghia 2000 lbs will take how many to go how far. Sell the EV and use the money to change back as it will be money in the bank in the long run.

[vwjetboat]

[John Moxon]