How About An EV Swap Of A 1960 Triumph TR3 As A Lockdown Project?

During the second or even third wave of lockdowns across the globe you still have chances to follow your dreams, learn something new, or convert a vintage 1960 Triumph TR3 into an EV for your own son/daughter. The dad - Ron Toms, made a sacrilegious project to convert a vintage pure performance sports car into an electrical one. 

The homebrew project EV didn't even kee its original drivetrain, but still has an original appearance. The car was bought and almost immediately broke without any chances of full repair. So, after months of endless trips to mechanics and time spent online to find help, he got the brilliant idea of electrifying it. Clever, huh?

The Triumph's car is a Netgain Hyper-9 Hv swapped for the stock ICE motor that added an extra of 43 horsepower and 68 of torque. He also swapped the same weight OEM Triumph drivetrain for a new electric setup. The new electric vehicle has now an 80 miles range and the father will enjoy his son's visit weekly.

The conversion process was a therapeutical one for his son to drive the Triumph in the EV version because every other TR3 he drove before has the smell of exhaust fumes sucking into the cabin and he can now fully enjoy a ride with the top down without any breakdowns. 

This was a real father-son quality time spent during the pandemic. Putting together the father's previous experience in engineering and home solar installations and the son's Boy Scouts automotive badge along with the robotic studies, made this Triumph converting into a real challenge, enthusiasm, and joy. 

One or two days per week and in six months the TR# EV was ready. It took a lot of EV shopping from different destinations, but they managed to piece together a 21 battery pack and a DC-DC converter (a necessary piece for powering from the 12V wiring). 

The converting of the 1960 Triumph TR3 inspired Toms to write a self-publishing book and is a basic guide to EV swaps since he sought information online on forums, youtube, and many of them weren't fully updated. His next conversion project is a '59 Bug.