Hey all, Konnichiwa! This is my inaugural posting. I'm millimeters away from purchasing a 1997 Subaru Sambar JA with plans for an electric conversion. Anyone out there crazy enough to attempt this? Any caveats, regrets, or cautionary tales would be much appreciated. The truck only has 33,000 km on the odometer but still being 27 years old are there any dry-rot problems to look out for?
You will likely need shifter bushings. Mine were damaged/missing when the truck arrived. Check your shocks. What's your plan for the conversion? Battery choice? A decade plus ago, I was thinking about a truck conversion. At that time, a conversion was basically a Curtis controller, a stack of lead-acid cells, and a lot of fab time and material. The Sambar has a fair amount of room under the bed for a battery pack, but the stock suspension and cargo capacity will not support L-A mass IMO. So, lithium cells and BMS.... You should also plan for new wider wheels/tires at minimum, and possibly more beef in the suspension and brakes depending on how the battery pack mass pencils out.
