From: clare@snyder.on.ca   
      
   On Wed, 26 Feb 2025 16:38:48 -0700, Bob La Londe    
   wrote:   
      
   >Back Story:  About 3-1/2 to 4 years ago my dad had a brain tumor   
   >removed, and it came to my attention that he was not managing their   
   >affairs very well.  He and my mom were receiving social security, and he   
   >was doing various handyman type work.  He had some other assets, but he   
   >was hoarding them instead of using them.  I stepped in and took over for   
   >a little while, but out of respect I kept him in the loop.  When he   
   >would tell me something, I'd put in my time and work to make it happen   
   >and find out how it would work out and he would try to horse trade with   
   >me I quit.   
   >   
   >Example:  He said he would like to sell a fifth wheel trailer he owned.   
   >I looked it, up checked the market, found how much others selling the   
   >exact same trailer were asking, and how long theirs had been on the   
   >market I knew for a fact what they wouldn't sell for, and what I would   
   >have to settle for in order to sell it.  He tried to negotiate with me.   
   >He literally burned my time without regard.  I'd have been ahead if I   
   >had just made stuff in the shop and given him money.  That was the   
   >proverbial straw.  I'm not faulting him.  He literally had a hole in his   
   >head.  Not his fault.  He just wouldn't let me do what I needed to do   
   >without throwing my time in the fire.   
   >   
   >One thing I did do was line up a renter for a commercial property he   
   >owned.  I was working out the deal at the same time as my peeve, and   
   >then turned the renter over to him because I wasn't going to have my   
   >time wasted again.   
   >   
   >My dad passed away a year ago, and I wound up taking over everything   
   >again.  I'm actually a bit overwhelmed, but that's beside the point.  At   
   >least because of the time my dad was recovering from his brain surgery I   
   >had all his account names, passwords, and I have his cell phone.  I was   
   >able to just step in and make short term decisions quickly.   
   >   
   >Among other things I took over working with the renter until they moved   
   >out at the end of last year.  They were from out of the region, using   
   >the property as their local base of operations for a solar generating   
   >station they were working on.  While they were here (for three years)   
   >they accumulated some stuff.  Trying to get out before the end of the   
   >year they had a truck sitting in the yard with a blown engine they   
   >wanted to just get rid of.  I told them if they couldn't rid of it they   
   >could leave it behind, but they would have to provide the title or I   
   >would charge them what it cost me to have it hauled away.  I figured   
   >worst case scenario with the title I could load the truck on one of my   
   >trailers and get a few hundred bucks from a salvage yard with the title.   
   >  Enough to make up for my time to do it.  A few weeks later the title   
   >arrived in the mail.   
   >   
   >I got to looking at the truck and its better, and worse than I thought.   
   >The motor is not rebuildable.  They already had it out of the truck   
   >laying on the ground half apart.  All of the front trim, radiator, grill   
   >parts are all out laying in the bed of the truck.  Probably made it   
   >easier to pull the motor.  They had told me "The motor is completely   
   >blown up, but the transmission is good."  I got to looking at it and the   
   >body is straight.  All the trim is there.  The interior is full of   
   >desert dust as any vehicle that sets around here gets, but its intact   
   >and in good shape. If it had a good motor (less than 3 grand for a reman   
   >(4.7L) long block, and a couple grand in additional parts to do it   
   >right), it could be made into a decent truck again.  The only real   
   >cosmetic negative is for some reason beyond my understanding one end of   
   >the front bumper is bent up and out.  Not impact or wreck damage.  Maybe   
   >getting pulled out the sand or something by somebody who doesn't know ho   
   >to do a pull.  The sheet metal behind it is all perfect for its age.   
   >2013 Dodge Ram 1500 Extended Cab.  Its a Dodge.  I am sure there is   
   >stuff that doesn't work, but cosmetically it could be a nice truck.   
   >   
   >The thing is I don't need a truck for serious truck things right now.  I   
   >bought the new F250 FX4 back around the end of August last year for   
   >truck things.  With its 6.8L engine it develops more horsepower and   
   >torque than the 6.6L turbo diesel in the 07 Silverado I sold last year.   
   >There is one thing though.  The F250 only averages about 11.8 mpg.   
   >   
   >Finally getting to the point:   
   >   
   >I got it in my mind to do AN EV conversion on that Dodge.  Not for heavy   
   >hauling or road trips, but for going to the hardware store.  A few   
   >sheets of plywood.  A couple bags of ready mix.  That sort of thing.   
   >   
   >I kinda had a plan.  I was going to use LiFePo batteries instead of   
   >lithium Ion because they are safer.  Since its short range it wouldn't   
   >matter.  100 miles range would be fantastic.  50 miles range would be   
   >more than adequate.  This lets out the obviously killer deal in EV   
   >motors.  Ford released the Mach-E crate motor dirt cheap.  I mean cheap.   
   >  I think the original OEM price was around $3-4K, but you can buy them   
   >from a number of reputable sources including the big name racing stores   
   >for $1.5K or less.  Power and torque are very good.  It also requires a   
   >400V battery.  That lets out cheap battery options.  It doesn't come   
   >with a controller, inverter, charger, etc.  I could make any gear train   
   >parts, but the rest adds up, and the companies that have proven gear to   
   >work with it aren't even selling any of it to the unannointed.   
   >Basically if you buy that motor hoping to do an EV conversion you will   
   >be bread boarding everything from scratch or you will have to turn your   
   >vehicle and motor over to one of the CABAL and pay them to do   
   >everything.  Pricing is very closed mouth, but those who have dared to   
   >defy the priesthood have said the minimum cost is around 20 grand and it   
   >goes up very quickly from there.  Basically it makes it all pointless.   
   >Might as well drop a remanufactured 4.7L gasser in it be out 6 grand   
   >including all new front/top of the engine stuff.   
   >   
   >The thing is I don't necessarily need the 285 true horsepower of the   
   >Ford Mach-E.  A Hyper-9 is only 144 volts nominal 90ish horsepower.  It   
   >would work just fine for a local only surface street pickup truck with a   
   >gear box instead of a transmission, and its only about 5 times the price   
   >of the Ford Mach-E crate motor.  Still needs   
   >controller/inverter/charger/batteries, etc.   
   >   
   >I really want to do something with this truck.  Its to nice to throw   
   >away, but in the end I may just haul it to a salvage yard.   
   >   
   >   
   >   
   Got an old electric fork lift flying around???   
   far from state of the art, but it will make a dandy parts chaser.   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)