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There. I think this worked…

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/nrkbyDMWAA4

Well, heck. Itell take awhile for me to get around to that YouTube thing. But I’ll try.

Has anyone figured out how to post a video on this forum? I’m striking out.

I’m writing a users manual for my completely re-jiggered truck drive system. Labeling all the components and wiring is also in the works. I haven’t videoed the work because most of the time I need both hands and all you would here are swear words as I barked knuckles, bumped my head of dropped...

Thanks! Yeah, I’ll be long gone in 40 years myself. I’m hoping the truck‘ll be in a position to survive that long though.

Well, I have everything connected and running with the rear wheels off the ground. It was very satisfying to see it actually run after all this time. Electrical troubleshooting has been an interesting experience. First, the electric motors had their encoders wired incorrectly at the factory...

The components I’ve bought cost $10,000. That was not including the batteries, which were $18,000. This is not a cheap project and is pretty involved, technology-wise. But try and find a $30,000 electric truck with the style and guts of an M37. I’m doing it for posterity and to keep my truck...

Thought I’d posted this one above. This is the business end of the Tesla modules. The top connections are the negative side and positive is on the bottom. This is a 2P3S configuration, meaning 2 batteries in parallel times 3 and each set of 2 parallel batteries is connected in series...

Thanks! I’m learning a lot about electricity. The charger will be next after the batteries are connected and it has some wires that I haven’t figured out yet. It is an on-board charger that will allow the truck to be plugged into public charging stations. All this stuff is a mystery to me right...

I’ve got the front battery pack installed. It was real tight in my battery box - connecting some of the bus bars was like solving a 3D puzzle! The little wires are for the battery management system. Soldering all thos little guys was a challenge for me. It all checks out at 66V (the batteries...

Whoa, Ferroequinologist! That‘d be handy for heading off a head on!

Good point about high speed reverse! I’ll have to dig into that. The transmission on the M37 is pretty robust and when I had it apart for rebuilding I was struck by how symmetrical it was inside. I think it’ll go in either direction in either gear. I have no desire to reverse at 50 mph though…

John Mc, Thats a good question for which I haven’t a good answer. If this were a Volkswagen, Porsche, or other vehicle for which kits are readily available, I would have scrapped the transmission and gone with a two speed unit that you can get for those cars. I clearly won’t need all the gears...

Tesla drive systems are a whole other animal from my set-up. I’m driving the electric motors on my truck through the original transmission, transfer case and differentials in order to maintain granny gearing in the woods. When Tesla talks of dual motors, they’re talking direct coupled motor/gear...

I’m waiting on my Tesla battery modules (they’re coming from CA). In the meantime, I’ve cut into my trucks wiring harness to rid it of the starter, generator, voltage regulator leads and replaced the heavy gauge battery wire with 8 gauge. I’m making a fuse panel for all the now 12V stuff and...

Sigo, Thanks for that link! The M38 went with lead-acid batteries which, while much easier to work with, take up a lot of space and weigh too much for decent range in a larger vehicle like mine. Honestly, the batteries are the biggest challenge in my conversion. Lithium-ion batterie, while much...

Dennis, I agree. But look at it this way: now the truck is going to be 140V!

I’m just back from a month and change out in Oregon/CA. I’m getting ready to order the batteries and battery management system. Prices of the Tesla modules haven’t budged, so I guess I’m going to spend some serious money now. That ought to motivate me!