So this is mostly wishful thinking right now, but I guess it gives me time to research things and wait for prices to come down.
So. What I want to do is convert a Brumby to electric. I've chosen a brumby for a few reasons. At first I was going to do a motorbike, but while that would be cheaper and easier it would require me to get a bike license and isn't very practical since I take my tools home each shift and all that. So I thought a small car would be good, but the tiny ones aren't practical either.
A Brumby isn't the most practical car, considering I have a wife and bub to cart around occasionally, but Mel has her own car (and I can do another conversion later on, really), and the Brumby has an added bonus of having a perfect place to install a generator later on for longer-range trips. They're also awesome.
So yeah. Electric Brumby. Maybe I can show Subaru how they should do their EV, rather than some dodgy looking Smartcar clone! hah.
These are the steps I've figured so far:
Stick it up on jackstands, remove the engine, gearbox, tailshaft, fuel tank and associated stuff, battery, alternator, ect - gut the thing, really.
Sell what bits I can.
Remove the wheels and hubs. Service bearings.
Install mounting brackets in engine bay for batteries and front engine/diff.
Buy two 3-phase induction motors, and a rear diff the same as the Brumby's one. (I could end up putting in two other diffs, depending on ratios)
Install one motor at the rear diff, and one motor at the front diff.
Remove most of the wiring save for perhaps the radio and lighting - depending on it's state and whether I need it or not - EVs have quite a bit less wiring than ICEmobiles.
Customise the dash (tacho to ammeter, fuel gauge to state-of-charge, probably temp to voltage)
Acquire (or build) an engine controller and a battery management system. (tricky and expensive)
Wire the car up for the batteries, BMS, EC, motors, and whatever else I've missed.
Install motor, BMS, EC.
Buy batteries (preferably LiFeP04, as they're much lighter but much more energy dense than lead/acid so the pack will be smaller and lighter but will give greater range. LiFeP04's are crazy expensive, though) and install them.
Get it registered.
At this point it'll be done, more or less, but like most project cars it won't be done by a long shot. I will sell my outback at this time to pay what I owe (swapping one loan for another, really), and use the fuel savings to pay that off while I plan the next stages. (most EVs cost about 3c/km, as opposed to 12c/km for my outback - they probably cost about 7c/km or so when you factor in the long term costs like replacement batteries (every 100,000km or so - more for fancier batteries).
After this I would like to lift it at least two inches, give it a 5-stud conversion and good offroad tyres. Install some kind of (diesel) generator in the tray for longer ranges and a good paint job. Diesel because I would be able to run it on veg oil, biodiesel, jet fuel, or anything else I want really - even diesel petroleum! :P What I'll end up with is a capable offroader with a long range that is cheap to run, and can be run on multiple fuel types.
Now most people would be asking "Why the hell would you do that when a good EJ25 would cost alot less!" Well, a few reasons. Firstly: It's not common, and it's a challenge. I've talked to alot of other people who have converted their cars to electricity and they all say it's great. (There's a Mustang in Armadale, a MightyBoy in Bussleton, a Suzuki tinything in the northern suburbs. Not to mention the people overseas - one guy in NZ just finished his conversion a month or so ago and has already saved $200 (over 500km)) I know for a fact that this configuration will work - there's a '95 Impreza in the USA that has been converted in this way, and is raced against similar petrol cars - and has won!
I'd also like to prove that an EV doesn't have to be the tiny hippy buzzbox that stumbles over a speed hump. Show those damn prius drivers what a real car can do! Though to be honest I'm mostly just sick of paying for godsdamned petrol every couple of weeks.
At some point in the future I'll probably end up doing another one for the missus. Hell, maybe I could make a business out of it - there's already one in Balcatta. But really I just want to do it for m'self.
So in a while I will be looking for a cheap Brumby with good bodywork and structure, but I won't really care what condition the engine or gearbox are in.
Woa. That's a pretty convoluted post.
...i wouldnt mind deleting fuel receipts down to a minimum 
