When I read the comments readers have made concerning my write-ups, a few souls are against any changes to the originality of a vehicle. Others are more lenient if someone wants to shove a different engine under the hood. Our readers take the “live and let live” approach in nearly every situation. Unless an EV conversion comes up in the conversation, then it is all torches and pitchforks. So I am looking forward to reading the comments on this 1931 Ford Model A pickup EV conversion for sale on Craigslist in Vancouver, British Columbia. While this conversion to electric propulsion has been well done, we are left with a lot of questions as we examine it further. The $74,995 asking price will certainly come as a shock to readers as well. Do you think EV conversions are the future of our hobby? Would you consider one? Thanks to T.J. for the electrifying tip and for stirring the pot around here as well!
At the beginning of automotive history in the United States, electric cars made up a respectable percentage of the market. Vehicles like the Electrobat in 1894 opened the public’s eye to EVs. Later, Detroit Electric became the dominant force in the EV marketplace. At the time, the country was sorting out which form of energy (petroleum, steam, and electricity) would work best. It took a while for a network of what we call gas stations today to materialize, but there weren’t that many municipalities that enjoyed reliable electricity sources either. Electric vehicles were marketed to women and one of the very real reasons why was that cars had to be hand-cranked until Charles Kettering invented the electric starter in 1912. There were also issues with noise, pollution, and the finicky nature of early internal combustion engines. By the 1920s, steam and electric vehicles were being left in the rear-view mirror. There have been fits and starts of electric vehicle production since then, but the new wave of electrical vehicle production, thanks in part to government subsidies, has developed enough momentum to secure 6.8% of the market in 2024 according to Edmunds.com.
With all those electric vehicles out there, more than a few have hit the junkyard. There is also a small, but growing effort to adapt electric vehicle technology to re-power existing vehicles. Couple that with the ever-increasing cost of rebuilding the engine on a vintage vehicle and the difficulty of finding parts to do so and you see the possibilities for our hobby. While we will still have plenty of vehicles with original engines, and more than enough high-horsepower engine transplants, this technology is coming whether we like it or not. It is the way of American hot rod builders to experiment and adapt. Traditionalists may balk, but many are familiar with this technology and are not afraid to rock the boat.
This 1931 Ford Model A pickup is one of the first EV conversions seen on Barn Finds. The seller hints that it was an existing hot rod when it went through a refurbishment in 2019. Body modifications are rather conservative. While it lacks the usual hot rod handiwork of chopping the top, channeling the body, and stamping in louvers, it does have the modern touches of LED headlights and taillights, and a new set of wire wheels shod with Firestone Destination radial tires. It is finished in two-tone pearlescent white over black fenders and running boards with a black leather interior with suede door panels and a suede headliner. The bed slats are polished wood and a tonneau cover comes with the truck.
Above we can see how the digital gauge display was integrated into a Model A instrument cluster. The car uses an EVnetics Soliton 1 motor controller in its electronics package. We assume that this ties together the accelerator, batteries, and electric motor to maximize efficiency. This doesn’t appear to be a cutting-edge setup though. Most newer EVs have regenerative braking to maximize the range of the vehicle. This truck has a conventional set of Wilwood disc brakes on all four corners with no apparent mechanism to allow for this technology. Driver and passenger can, however, enjoy such niceties as a heater, USB ports, and a wood-rimmed steering wheel.
Under the hood is a NetGain WarP 11 electric motor instead of the traditional flathead four-cylinder the truck left the Ford factory with. It is paired with a direct-drive single-speed transmission to get the power to the ground. The seller tells us that it is factory-rated for 43.7 horsepower and 135 ft-lbs of torque. To contrast between the original engine and the new electrical motor, a Model A engine weighs in the neighborhood of 400 lbs. and belts out 40 brake horsepower and 128 ft-lbs of torque at 1,000 RPM.
Unfortunately, we are not told much more about the vehicle and how it was built. It is a likely assumption that the box in the bed and maybe even the box on which the seat is perched are where the batteries are housed. What type of batteries, the vehicle’s range, and even its top speed are not disclosed. A look underneath reveals a lowered solid axle front suspension up front with a coilover rear suspension with a conventional late-model rear end in the rear. The frame may be an original Ford unit with extensive modifications.
This is an interesting exercise in what is possible when it comes to converting an older car into an electric vehicle. The price is steep and there are still a lot of questions, however. It would be interesting to drive it for a while to see if this is the future for some collectible vehicles or just an oddity. One thing is for sure though. This is not likely to be the last EV conversion we see on these pages.
What are your thoughts on this EV conversion, and the future of EV conversions for collectible automobiles in general? Would you consider one? Why or why not? Please share your opinions and thoughts in the comments.
“..interesting exercise..” Too many unanswered questions to be much more than an interesting novelty. With the lack of technical details the ad seems more geared for someone who has to tell others they’re unique. The attention to detail insofar as fit and finish appear nicely done but for the description it doesn’t appear to be much more than possibly an in vogue cute truck.
FWIW, $74,995 CAD (roughly $51,698.87 USD right now) will buy a stripper Rivian or Silverado EV pickup-but they’re not as unique..
🤮🤮🤮
Just printing the letters “EV” on BF is like throwing a side of beef into a tank of sharks…
I am positive about EV antique vehicles. To me the joy is to have people wave and ask you to blow the Arooga horn. They could care less what’s under the hood. When you look at the older models Michigan’s, Case, Thomases ETC, sometimes the engines are nowhere to be found. So, for people to remain seeing such obscure manufactures why not use EV components.
This strange looking “hot rod” for $51, 698.87 is going to be sitting around for quite a while. I can’t think of a single car person who would want this in the first place or pay out that much money for it. Maybe Elon Musk should buy it and start and EV museum.
Robert Downey Jr has several classics that have been converted to EV’s and at some point was planning to open a shop to perform swap’s commercially. Chevrolet Performance even has an eCrate conversion on their website, but offers no price,
As Bob Hess suggests, the buyers probably aren’t traditional “car guys”, he’s right, but they are someone with large amount of disposable income that is looking to make a performative statement. That fits perfectly with many in the entertainment industry, there will be others too. Look at how often people on this site that state the main reason certain generic cars should be considered for purchase is that it will “draw a crown at coffee and cars”. This featured truck and other converted classics fulfill that motion on steroids.
Steve R
I have owned 40+ vehicles, from a Honda Civic to a Unimog, and spent my career in the custom vehicle industry. I have also built a number of EVs, including a Porsche and a 32 Ford roadster. Am I still a “traditional car guy” or am I now excommunicated? I must have missed the electrons forming the dividing line between “car guys” and “non-car guys”.
My father worked in jet engine development in the USAF right after WW II. People laughed at those also…
I’m sure that Robert Downey Jr. is a BIG influence on car guys. I suspect that the majority of his automotive knowledge was gained making license plates back in the 90s.
This is a crazy price even if it had the original little engine in it.
I guess you can hear the rattles better? That alone would make me nuts…
That’s an excellent answer!!
This looks basic upgrading and low power output information to warrant price.
These old trucks weren’t built for speed. The electric is still no power for highways.
Good luck on sale…
without the charging infrastructure like with gasoline it really doesn’t matter what incentives uncle sam offers， keep my gas engine piff to novelty electric
Someone needs to do the right thing and take the electric motor out and put a 350 in it like Henry Ford intended.
Lol. A small block Chevy like Henry Ford intended. I really hope I am interpreting this correctly as sarcasm. Made me laugh anyway.
I just wanted to get ahead of the Ford guys lol.
I was going to say it’s no different than swapping a Chevy V8 into one.
The brakes themselves at the wheels don’t look or function any differently for regenerative braking. It’s a mode for the electric motor to switch to generating when not actively accelerating or braking moderately. The amount of drag the motor will employ to slow the vehicle is an electronic function.
I see more and more of these conversion and this is no tin lizzy Look at this chassis. I am looking to do this to my 39 Ford truck . I have a garage full of Hot Rods and muscle cars, Some are supercharged and all have huge camshafts and manual trans. My wife drives a plug in hybrid Ford and we just love it. but this car is the future of Hot Rodsing, look around boys this is going to happen In fact I am going to find out more and more about this car See you down the road Morley
Isn’t this the perfect example of someone
“customizing” a vehicle to their own taste, then
searching for a person who has the same taste as them?
I’d think maybe somewhat less so than say a person that owns a ’69 Charger and decides to paint it yellow with purple flames with purple velour interior. That car is going to have to attract a very specific buyer unless it is priced way under market value. However, I would think this ol’ Ford having been electrified will appeal to those that care about virtue signaling as much or more so, than the vehicle itself.
I like this conversation. It’s not a hot rod, but that’s OK. It’s a looker, and would be a lot of fun to putter around town in. I’d own it, but not for 50 grand. Love them or hate them, there’s a place for EV conversions. EV conversions like this will help ease some of the pressure to get rid of all ICE classics.
To each his own. But don’t try to sell me on EV’s when you have to mine the chemicals to produce the actual battery to use and a Tesla, today, uses 65% fossil fuels to produce the electricity for their own charging stations.
A lot of negative reactions here about electric vehicles, and misinformation. I think there’s just fear that these electric vehicles will overshadow the classics, gas powered vehicles. Nothing could be further from the truth. I grew up with a classic mustang, loved it, still do. I’m looking forward to my first electric vehicle, the learning curve- like it was for my Mustang. Like when hot rods were first being built after ww2 and the people building them, always pushing boundaries, creatively, performance wise too, this will happen with electric vehicles.
Was the government urging you to buy that Mustang? I don’t remember them giving $7500 credits, when I bought mine.
I rode in a friend’s Hyundai Ionic 5N EV over the holidays. Looks like a stealth fighter, has about a 200 mile range and can produce over 600 HP. Not only did it smoke just about every ICE vehicle that I have ridden in on straight line acceleration, but where it really excelled was on a ride out to the coast on a really twisty road. Amazing handling. It (or its successor) will likely be our next vehicle, once we no longer have a need for all wheel drive and high ground clearance, and we retire our RAV4. We have two car rental places in town if we decide to drive to Nova Scotia…
Be sure to have solar power on your home first to charge your new EV vehicle. I THOUGHT that $.25 per kw/hr was a super savings over $4.99 a gallon gasoline. However, a tech savvy employee of mine did the math on his new Prius Plug-in and discovered that the out of pocket $ comparason of fuel to electricity MPG v/s KwHr charged battery mileage from the grid is pretty close.
I actually LOVE the electric 33 Ford- espceially when it passes me on the Freeway! HA! Yes, talk about UFO’s–. THIS IS PROBABLY AS CLOSE AS ANYONE CAN GET. I am surprised if the Aliens are not already flying around in Cesna’s now. Probably a good move.
Battery technology is evolving so rapidly everytime I turn around thera something new. New batteries use metals we already mine in abundance like iron and magnesium. Piles of coal are sitting around unused because power plants using it are being phased out, and yeah renewables are gaining market share. Don’t want an EV? Don’t buy one. When gas is over five dollars a gallon you’ll be rethinking your position. One thing I’ll agree to, I’ll never buy a Tesla because Musk is a flaming lower orifice.
You must not live in California. They are pushing renewable energy, power bills are up 50% in the last few years, my dads bill was $600 last month for a 1,300 square foot house he keeps at 72 degrees and lives in an area where the weather never dropped below 42. On hot days the state routinely issue brown and blackout out warnings during peak hours, typically 4:00-9:00pm and tell people not to charge their EV’s. Renewable’s are not anywhere close to ready, coal is going away, but natural isn’t being used effectively. One day, solar and wind may be able to carry the load in a cost effective manner, but if that day comes it’s decades away.
Steve R
I guess you’re going to be really sad when gas starts going below $2.00 a gallon. And you know that’s coming, again.
And just what do you base that “observation” on big c?
Don’t hold your breath…
And I quote: “Drill baby, drill.”
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Grill, baby, grill…
Come up to Canada as gas is well over $5 a gallon.. Well into 6+. Mind you our gallon is a bit bigger and our dollar is lower than the American it’s still pretty expensive, but I’ll keep my ICE until I have to give up driving as I can’t afford all the hook ups for a carport plug in. When touring in the interior of the province no problem finding a fill up.
Cheers
kenzo
I live in an area where extraction industries have produced huge tailings piles. Recently, there has been discussion that the tailings, considered waste from the search for copper, may contain large amounts of materials used in battery production. The material from these piles may be reprocessed to remove these materials. Win-win?
2 chance for those crackling realistically compacting any thing positive. 1- slim 2- fat!
Too bad my “thumbs up” button doesn’t work.
Now if they only made urinal screens with Muskox’s face on them…
You can buy a running and driving GAS one for under $20k or you can over pay for this thing under the false sense of saving the environment somehow
Where are you going to buy a gas vehicle new for under 20K? Also, if you think EVs won’t make a difference what would you do to save the environment? Or maybe you think the environment doesn’t need saving.
This isn’t the forum to discuss EV and gas vehicles effects on the environment but you can do your own research on both sides of the argument and figure out who is right.
Again, apologies for a non-functional thumbs up button. Perhaps it just needs a recharge…
Biggest problem here is that it’s not a very good EV conversion.
A brushed DC motor has the rubberband acceleration, poor regenerative braking and bad efficiency. The bad efficiency isn’t only hurting the range, it also makes the motor running hot where the controller more quickly will have to limit current. Also reliability is noticeably worse than when using modern brushless technology.
And there’s no information about the battery. What size, chemistry and age/condition it’s at. So even if you would want this nice truck, there’s a lot of money to spend to bring it up to snuff.
About the brakes… a previous commenter is indeed correct that you will want a perfectly good conventional brake system also for an EV. Even with a system with good regenerative braking (which this isn’t) there can be situations where you can’t do that well enough (emergency braking, if the controller for any reason trips or if the battery reaches its fully charged state and can’t take more energy)
Agreed.. almost. These are not bad components, they are actually pretty good for a conversion of this sort. However, these components do not justify the asking price. The total omission of the type and quantity of batteries installed doesn’t give me much confidence of what is hiding in that box.
You were right Jeff. It’s a torches and pitchforks lynch mob for the EV conversion.
EVs are the future, we’re still in the “get a horse!” stage of development. If we don’t invent and innovate, we’re goners – the Chinese, or whoever, will eat our lunch.
I disagree. EV’s are not the future, they have their own set of problems with the environment as well. Strip mining for the lithium, which is a limited supply mineral that is non renewable. Toxic waste when the batteries become unusable just to name a few. I am not against clean energy, but this isn’t it. We would do a better service to the environment by developing Hydrogen powered vehicles that remove the hydrogen from water. Just a tank full of water and anybody know the waste product of burning hydrogen? It’s water. EV’s are science fair technology. They work on a small scale but not on a large one. Just exactly what’s going to happen if everyone starts using EV’s? The power grid can not handle that. I mean look at California now, their power grid can’t handle everyone using their A/C in the summer, imagine a couple million car chargers added to that.
Currently, it takes more energy to isolate the hydrogen from water or natural gas (where it most frequently is generated from) than it can produce. It isn’t feasible to run an I.C.E. on hydrogen due to storage requirements like high pressure, low temperatures and then its volatility (imagine 40 million little Hindenbergs roaming the streets in the hands of road ragers). What hydrogen powered vehicles that do exist use electric motors for drivetrains. The idea that you will one day be able to fill your tank with water and drive off is extreme science fiction.
There are new technologies in development for Hydrogen power. BMW is said to be a big backer of hydrogen development, one such development is what is referred to as “dry hydrogen” which allows storage in a state that is not nearly as explosive. The fear of a bunch of little hydrogen bombs driving around will be a thing of the past. The major advantages of hydrogen are range, and the fact that you can refill in less than 5 minutes. How far will you go on 5 minutes of electrical charge? And before anyone says hydrogen is produced from fossil fuels, just exactly how do you think electricity is produced, and how do you think the minerals are being mined? Fossil fuel.
actually better than ev. if one of the big boys would look at it, is true hybrid.
use petro fuel to generate electricity and use only electricity to provide motivation. then a very small steady state petro motor in tandem with a much smaller battery pack could be substituted for almost any ice engine in any light duty vehicle. what we bench raced marrying existing forklift tech and then engine computer tech seemed to max out in the 3/4 to 1ton class.
we did this in the late 90S early 2000s and figured a metro fi motor and a properly wound dc brushless motor could drive an existing transmission with lead acid batteries combined for less weight than the then the current small blocks. with the steady state computer giving much cleaner tailpipe results. with current puters, new forklift control systems and new battery tech the gains might even beat the diesels in the one tons and into the medium truck class
You might look at the issue of hydrogen embrittlement with long term exposure of the components.
New model 3 Tesla starts about $42,500, and the mirrored chrome doesn’t hide the fact that half the bed is gone. Nice looking truck though
Is this the topic where the resident know-it-all is silenced?
We can hope.
The world is not ready for EV/S WHEN THEY HIT THE ROADS AND EVER ONE IS RUNNING THERE AIR, THERE WILL NOT BE ENOUGH POWER TO CHARGE YOU CAR OR TRUCK, THINK ABOUT THIS, PISS ON EV;S
Caps lock broken, joe? And you really should see a doctor about that urinary incontinence issue…
Even though I’ve read your post 4 times, due to the grammatical and spelling errors, I’m still not sure what you’re saying except, perhaps, that someone once told you E.V.’s aren’t worthwhile? Which, by the way is wrong. Maybe not ready to fully replace fossil fuels yet, but will be one day.
They said that in the early 1900’s, too! Lots of EV manufacturers back then, as well.
I think the prime candidates for electric conversion are aircraft carriers like the 1970s Cadillacs and Lincolns — they were underpowered anyway and their whole ambition was to waft along silently .
I understand that Neil Young had his “Lincvolt” rebuilt after the tragic fire. But haven’t read anything about it since around 2008. Anybody find more recent reports on it?
You lost me at “EV”…. I’m out.
Limited vocabulary? It stands for “Electric Vehicle”.
Nice looking truck I know that. As far as motivation I think of this one as kind of like a golf cart but bigger and heavier. There are hobbyists who take ordinary-looking cars and convert them with high performance electric motors that turn the cars into high-G sleepers. I’ve seen a few on youtube, a 60’s mustang, a 70’s datsun, and a VW Bug. I admire that, have no desire to do it myself but respect the performance just the same.
I’ll let all of you drive EVs until the government stops the cattle drive to buy them. Making everyone switch to a technology that’s not sustainable is the new wealth and redistribution of wealth by the powers in control. Until better technology comes along I will quietly wait.
this particular find stirred up way too much bickering and arguing over somebodies take on a vintage truck.
Ignorance is obviously alive and well heading into 2025.
I was in the EV design and conversion to make new cars ( Mitsubishi mini vans,) in the 1990’s and after 10 years in the business, gave it all up after determining that there will never be a payback from owning an EV. The cost of the batteries alone is more per year than the fuel cost as well as charging the batteries cost more per mile than petrol. Not to mention that the. Charging waiting time on any given trip would make a trip almost double the time to get anywhere along with the bordum of the wait. I know, because I have been there.
What I find a waste is that this truck went from 40 HP to 47HP. For the time and money invested I would want a lot more power.
This is a cheap DC motor 180v could be lead acid batteries even
This is a cheap DC motor ,180v could be lead acid batteries even
They swapped the engine for a motor ! I like it. They make an EV 1951 Chev. pickup new for 150K !
I am OK with swaping an engine in an old vehical, to make it more dependable,and easier to drive.
Just keep the take-off parts in a safe place,so they can be offered back to the new buyer.
Should make everyone happy !
A lot of work and well done….but a hard sell at that price if it was even all original. Good Luck, there is always someone out there with lots of money to buy an expensive novelty to make a statement….even if it leaves you scratching your head why.
I’m not ready to buy an EV, or rather they are not ready for me. That doesn’t mean I don’t support the EV concept. It means, IMHO, battery technology is still in it’s infancy. It means the lack of charging stations is still crippling. And it means that as long as charging a battery takes longer than filling a gas tank, we are not likey to see massive numbers of EVs replacing ICEs. But rates of technological development are snowballing. Answers that we don’t expect in fewer than ten years could show up in a matter of months.
The needs to minimize carbon-based energy while developing renewables are imperative. We in the old car hobby can rationalize that we represent such a trivial proportion of the carbon-based energy demand that electrification of our treasures will never be a threat. But will the fuels and lubricants we require still be available 50 years hence? At prices we can afford?
Ultimately, we ICE guys will probably have to convert or perish. But we may join a new faction of EV enthusiasts who will love the new EV (or???) technology with the same passion.
Now…THAT’s my kind of GOLF CART!
There’s even room for 2 full sets of clubs in the bed… and maybe room for a Caddy!
(Maybe not a 472/ 500)
The electric vehicle is not the way to go. .he most miles per charge they will get is around 250 miles. You will have to spend half of a day to a full day charging the battery. which will add days to a vacation or shorten a vacation depending how far you are going for the vacation. It is also taking a lot of minerals out of the planet to make the batteries. Then another problem is where to get rid of the batteries when the batteries go bad and need changed which is every 3 years. Then the price for the batteries to get them changed is another problem. They are too expensive at $5,000 maybe more per battery. I will never get an electric powered car i will stick with gas powered. And I would never change an engine with a different one unless it is the direct replacement engine and date correct from the factory. Changing the engine to a newer one ruins the value to a old car.
Oh yeah another thing about electric vehicles the money you are saving from not having to buy gas you are putting that money you are spending that on the extra electricity you are using to charge the car.