1987 Oldsmobile 442 Electric

[88 Gutlass]

I’m currently in the process of converting my 1987 Oldsmobile Cutlass 442 to electric. It still has the original 307 that came with the car, and I’m keeping it in the car until the new motor and batteries arrives. Just so that the car is still enjoyable and not just sitting off to the side.

The first thing I swapped out in preparation for the ev swap was the original Saginaw style steering pump for an electric pump out of a Volvo it was the cheapest and easiest to get in a junkyard.

Some hot rodders who want to save hp and not run a belt driven steering pump also might find interest in this swap.

The swap was pretty straight forward, I only had to fabricate some brackets and make some an6 lines. I read somewhere the Volvo pump generates about 900psi so you need a pressure line that can withstand that, I used some ptfe line and it worked fine.

I filmed the whole swap and posted it on my YouTube page, I’m planning on making a series of episodes that document the swap.

This being the the first episode, I’d definitely appreciate some pointers or advice for future content.

I subscribed to your YouTube channel to watch this unfold. I have see some of the EV conversion over in the Uk.

 

[64nailhead]

Only problem is, I'm not sure which is worse

It’s a no brainer for me.

I like the idea of daring to be different and I commend the OP for finding a viable use for one.

I dislike the entire concept of EV’s for the ‘Everyman’ (or woman) daily. But I won’t go down that path as it is well travelled here and elsewhere.

Good luck OP, but I’m sure I’ll be dead by the time this becomes a popular swap.

Hey ck80 , I’m coming to South Carolina, Georgia or whatever Lee state you’re in with an LS in the trunk to swap your car in the middle of night so you can have a moment of confusion as to why your car runs so well.

 

[ck80]

It’s a no brainer for me.

I like the idea of daring to be different and I commend the OP for finding a viable use for one.

I dislike the entire concept of EV’s for the ‘Everyman’ (or woman) daily. But I won’t go down that path as it is well travelled here and elsewhere.

Good luck OP, but I’m sure I’ll be dead by the time this becomes a popular swap.

Hey ck80 , I’m coming to South Carolina, Georgia or whatever Lee state you’re in with an LS in the trunk to swap your car in the middle of night so you can have a moment of confusion as to why your car runs so well.

If you drop it in the trunk and we get an ice or snow storm.... I guess I could see that.

 

[BlairC_789]

Very cool. I hope to do something like this eventuall, so far I’ve only done small projects like a 4 wheel drive electric go kart (quad 2000watt 48v motors), an electric 2 wheel drive bicycle (dual 1500watt 48v motors), and a couple others. Maybe when I’m out of college I’ll get the time to do something like an entire car

 

[hunter_alexander]

I love the energy, the passion, but why to a 442? I cant be behind that. There are so many 80's Cutlass cars out there to hack up instead. Good luck on your endeavor but I am not with you on this.

 

[john87442]

Going to have to agree with hunter Alexander on this one it seems a bit sacrilege to me in my humble opinion to take one of the greats away for the experiment. It’s like this badge was given to the few and not that many made through the years. Although this is only my opinion along with God hates it when a Chevy engine sits in the cradle of an olds. That one is true. And yes I am drinking whiskey why do you ask?

 

[Tony1968]

I'm in for this one. My sister has a Tesla and it is wicked fast. I am torn because, well, a car seems to lose its soul when it's so quiet. I need to hear it. Need to feel the rumble.
But being different is what hot rodding is all about. So have at it.

 

[doood]

Uncool. I'd rather see you swap in a Frod ecoboost v6 than an electric motor. Cool to see the wife helping out some in the video tho.

 

[Hurricane77]

Good for you. It'll be interesting to see how it turns out. There's a couple 'crate' electric drivetrains out there. Though sounds like getting your hands on a wrecked Tesla might not be as hard as one might think. Read something recently that the repair costs are quite high, so insurance companies a writing them off fairly easily. (yay, another disposable appliance)

I like stuff that's different. Been half assed thinking of a K-series swap or something equally blasphemous. Something different. If it pisses off some diehard purist, whatever.

 

[Hurricane77]

YES! Definitely not another chevy motor in an Oldsmobile, no ones done that before

Hell, even GM did that all through the 80's. I think most of the Canadian Cutlasses were Chevy 305 rather than the Olds 307