From: clare@snyder.on.ca   
      
   On Thu, 27 Feb 2025 10:00:17 -0700, Bob La Londe    
   wrote:   
      
   >On 2/26/2025 4:38 PM, 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.   
   >>   
      
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