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After much reading I choose a small GM truck such as the Chevy S10 and GMC Sonoma models because of the frame rail spacing. Small Ford trucks move the frame rails inward of the leaf springs, thus less room for battery packs. I also choose a vehicle with manual transmission, 2 wheel drive, manual door locks and windows, less power consuming devices.
Converted vehicles depending on battery pack size can travel up to 90 miles and accomplish highway speeds on a single charge if designed and setup properly. I plan on installing a set of AGM (absorbent glass mat) batteries for my initial testing with pack size of (12) 12 volt batteries in series. After I have worked out the bugs and fined tuned everything I may replace this pack with a set of 6 volt Trojan T105 or T145 batteries with a total count of 24 batteries. Still at a total pack voltage of 144 volt yet a much higher AH rating, thus further range.
I found my vehicle online at a salvage yard in Indiana specializing in flooded vehicles. At the time when I purchased the truck (two years ago) they had many vehicles from the Katrina hurricane. This yard had all kinds of vehicles, Corvettes, SUV, Harleys, BMWs, etc. Some of the vehicles had much salt water damage, some had little or no salt water exposure like mine. This was evident upon opening the hood of any vehicle and noting the condition of aluminum components. If it was full of white fuzz, it had been in salt water, if it was clean, more than likely it only saw fresh water. Even after stripping my vehicle, bleaching and power washing everything, I still did not see any signs of salt corrosion on the vehicle. And the fact that it came from down south were there is no such thing as snow and road salt made the truck like new underneath.
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