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1972 Plymouth Satellite Tesla Swap

72SatelliteLEO

Well-Known Member
Local time
2:20 PM
Joined
Sep 6, 2016
Messages
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Location
Denver, Colorado
Finally began working on my 72 Satellite. I have had the car for two years and took a long time to decide on what direction I wanted to go with the car. I considered making the original 318 a turbo stroker, or a 400 big block (Turbo of course), Turbo Gen III Hemi, Hellcat, Hellephant, or Tesla Ludicrous.

I have a Turbo 340 Dart I built a while back and love everything about it, See the build Here: https://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/threads/1969-dart-gt-340-efi-e85-turbo-build.278468/

Instead of making another car just like the Dart, I decided on the Tesla Swap. This is a steep uphill learning curve, and I set rules for my builds. Must be a turnkey street car with ability to cruise, tour, track, and show. I know this is not going to be popular with everyone, but as least it is not an LS :)

Here are some specs of the Tesla Swap:
Full Tesla Model S subclip including independent suspension, brakes, halfshafts, motor, inverter, limited slip differential
Motor is a Ludicrous drive unit capable of 636 horsepower at 400 volts / 1400 Amps
Torque at the half shafts can exceed 4,000ft/lbs.
16,000 RPM
Battery will be a full 90kwh Tesla battery pack and should put range over 200 miles of normal driving .
Charging will be CCS, capable of 110, 220, and fast DC charging.

Here is a video slideshow of the project so far:

 
Would really like to see how this works out - I've been interested in doing a Tesla powertrain swap into a classic for giggles
 
It looks awesome and I can’t wait for a better connection to watch the video! Wondering, are you going to add a speaker for the exhaust sounds we all expect and desire??
 
Pretty cool swap !! So where does the motor actually sit ??
 
Would really like to see how this works out - I've been interested in doing a Tesla powertrain swap into a classic for giggles

Me too, been waiting for batteries to get up to speed.

I wonder if your final weight will be less than the Model S? May as well go for the biggest shot and wait for next year's Maximum Plaid powertrain...three motors and > 100 kWh batteries. :) https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/tesla-model-s-plaid-elon-musk/

That is going to be a beast, I say keep pushing the power limits...swaps are going to get really interesting as time goes on.

It looks awesome and I can’t wait for a better connection to watch the video! Wondering, are you going to add a speaker for the exhaust sounds we all expect and desire??

I think speakers are a good idea when going slow near people. Might as well make it sound rowdy.

Pretty cool swap !! So where does the motor actually sit ??

The motor is part of the rear subframe/suspension. Almost like a diff in an independent rear setup. It will all fit where the axle was. Hope to get my motor soon and I will make another video.
 
So what about all the electronics to run that thing, is that simple enough to move over? I'm thinking of guys doing Hellcat swaps and they have to swap over just about everything but the washer bottle !!
 
So what about all the electronics to run that thing, is that simple enough to move over? I'm thinking of guys doing Hellcat swaps and they have to swap over just about everything but the washer bottle !!

I am trying to go aftermarket on most everything to make it universal. The motor was purchased from Stealth EV who swapped out the Tesla control board in the inverter for their own. Kind of like using a Holley Terminator on a Hellcat. This will allow adjustments such as power output, regen, etc, to be made from a phone. I am also planning on using a display/controller from Polykup.com, which will allow onscreen adjustments and monitoring. The battery management system will be an Orion 2 96 cell balancer with canbus that will communicate to a 6.6kw charger/DC-DC converter.
 
This looks like a super cool build. I know several people are speculating that EV's will eventually take over the auto industry (I think there is a thread on it here too). I have my doubts but this could be a blue print to keep our cars up with the future of technology. I can't wait to see the progression of this car.
 
New autos are definitely going more electric, and there are many aftermarket options showing up. I have been talking about doing this for some time, and I have seen a dozen or so other vehicles Tesla swapped. They are fast and kind of cool, but not Mopar Muscle cool.
I have done many other builds and although I love forced induction, and loud engines, I wanted to try something new.
I had to come up with a lot of pros to outweigh missing out on classic Mopar sound, turbos, and modern Hemi technology. Here is what I have come up with:
  • American made.
  • All the torque from 0 to 16,000 RPM.
  • No turbo lag
  • I live in Denver and EV's are faster at altitude
  • Independent rear suspension.
  • 50/50 weight balance.
  • Easier to find a charge station than E85
  • Always ready to roll with a full charge from home.
  • Nothing to leak on floor (probably)
  • Stealthy quiet when I come home late from Mexico.
  • No emissions from car for my wife to dislike.
  • Ability to run on every fuel known to man.
  • Get to watch people get worried when they think I'm icing their charge station with a fat stinky Mopar.
  • Haven't seen one yet
 
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Seems like an interesting build and hope you the best of luck with it. I do have my concerns/questions about it though.
If the motor output is increased, will that affect the amount of miles you can travel between charges?
How experienced are you with electronics and wiring? Figuring out the transmission functions with that could be challenging.
Will you be buying a ‘skate’ for the chassis or splicing a Doner vehicle?
Have you calculated the battery weight and size to the location of the car to get the 50/50 balance?
How will it be insured? Not sure if a standard insurance company will cover a custom build of a car that is extensively modified.

Overall it is a different build and can see it being fun when it’s done. Fingers crossed that you don’t have too many issues with the build.
 
Seems like an interesting build and hope you the best of luck with it. I do have my concerns/questions about it though.
If the motor output is increased, will that affect the amount of miles you can travel between charges?
How experienced are you with electronics and wiring? Figuring out the transmission functions with that could be challenging.
Will you be buying a ‘skate’ for the chassis or splicing a Doner vehicle?
Have you calculated the battery weight and size to the location of the car to get the 50/50 balance?
How will it be insured? Not sure if a standard insurance company will cover a custom build of a car that is extensively modified.

Overall it is a different build and can see it being fun when it’s done. Fingers crossed that you don’t have too many issues with the build.

I'll do my best here to answer your questions.

Motor output will affect range exactly as a gas motor would. If you give it more pedal, you will get less range. There are no modifications to the Tesla Ludicrous motor that I want to do right now. I doubt the car will have enough traction to even load the motor to it's max output.

I have been wiring more than my fair share my whole life. As far as electric cars go, it is like a giant high voltage stereo install. This is my un-terminated EFI install.
Dart EFI wiring.jpg


No transmission, just a single speed differential.
tesla-p85-motor-2.png


No skate, or splicing...Just fitting the Model S subframe where the axle was. It is 4 large mounting points just like the front K-member and houses the motor, inverter, and differential.
IMG_20191111_154905.jpg
IMG_20191111_142048.jpg


Battery consists of 16 modules that weigh 55lbs each. They can be placed anywhere in the car, but for packaging I will probably group 12 under the hood and 4 in the rear. The motor in the rear of the car needs to be offset with battery weight in the front.
Tesla-battery-module-front-angle.jpg

I assume I can get Hagerty insurance, have not called them yet.

I think issues come with every build, just have to overcome them.
 
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Outside speaker and a control unit that works off the the tach that varies the pitch.
 
Thanks for the info, I was super curious on that stuff. Hope it goes together well.
 

Like it or not
This might be the only way to keep
One of these cars on the road in 30 years.
They are pushing for zero emissions
Cars here in about that time.:mad:
If I was in my 20's this would be something
I might want to explore.
I hope he pulls this off
 
Ok, here is an update on progress:

I have recieved all of the EV parts I will need, and I have mounted the motor/suspension. It will take a few posts to show all the pictures.

IMG_20200130_113705.jpg IMG_20200220_150940.jpg IMG_20200220_165352.jpg IMG_20200220_170030.jpg IMG_20200220_171904.jpg IMG_20200220_172300.jpg IMG_20200220_172358.jpg IMG_20200220_174427.jpg IMG_20200220_175353_01.jpg IMG_20200220_180512.jpg
 
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