Classic Mini, outlander rdu

Tell us about the project you do with the open inverter
PEDR0
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Re: Classic Mini (newbie)

Post by PEDR0 »

I’m in northwest england, The Lake District,
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Re: Classic Mini (newbie)

Post by Jacobsmess »

PEDR0 wrote: Sat Jul 05, 2025 12:14 pm So we’re all in on the outlander
Rear motor, inverter, charger purchased.
Glad you bought the outlander motor I linked. I was getting the desire to buy it and I have no need for it!
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Re: Classic Mini (newbie)

Post by PEDR0 »

Jacobsmess wrote: Sat Jul 05, 2025 8:01 pm Glad you bought the outlander motor I linked. I was getting the desire to buy it and I have no need for it!
i had to, they offered me it for £99, i got all 3 for £225, all 2016 and all grade a so less than 60k, some even come with hv cables
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Re: Classic Mini (newbie)

Post by PEDR0 »

so next job is batteries,
is there a post/topic that has battery info with dimensions capacities etc. if not it might be an idea to set one up,
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Re: Classic Mini (newbie)

Post by johu »

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Re: Classic Mini (newbie)

Post by tom91 »

PEDR0 wrote: Sat Jul 05, 2025 7:14 pm I’m in northwest england, The Lake District,
So no changes to any of the chassis and suspension allowed
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Re: Classic Mini (newbie)

Post by PEDR0 »

correct tom, i believe can use hi-lo's or coilovers on the suspension as they are replacement aftermarket parts and are fully reversable. i can pretty much do anything with the subframe if i use coilovers, won't need to though with the outlander, basically no cutting drilling or welding to shell. im not sure whether i would get away with removing the front end, replacing the inner wings with brace bars and fitting a grp flip front, this is a common change on classic mini's but it seems to be a bit of a grey area, it would create massive amounts of room cause you could tub the arches and fill the wings with batteries. this may still be possible as there is the radiator cowl on one inner wing and a grille on the other, they would just be tricky to mount without drilling
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Re: Classic Mini (newbie)

Post by Alibro »

PEDR0 wrote: Sun Jul 06, 2025 12:07 am correct tom, i believe can use hi-lo's or coilovers on the suspension as they are replacement aftermarket parts and are fully reversable. i can pretty much do anything with the subframe if i use coilovers, won't need to though with the outlander, basically no cutting drilling or welding to shell. im not sure whether i would get away with removing the front end, replacing the inner wings with brace bars and fitting a grp flip front, this is a common change on classic mini's but it seems to be a bit of a grey area, it would create massive amounts of room cause you could tub the arches and fill the wings with batteries. this may still be possible as there is the radiator cowl on one inner wing and a grille on the other, they would just be tricky to mount without drilling
Getting your EV conversion past the DVLA is stressful enough when you haven't drilled, cut or welded any part of the chassis.
If you can avoid doing that I would.
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Re: Classic Mini (newbie)

Post by PEDR0 »

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Re: Classic Mini (newbie)

Post by PEDR0 »

PEDR0 wrote: Sun Jul 06, 2025 11:28 am Agreed, read this last night, https://www.hagerty.co.uk/articles/main ... assic-car/
Isn’t this ironic
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Re: Classic Mini (newbie)

Post by PEDR0 »

Charger and inverter landed today, collected mock up subframe yesterday along with spare driveshafts (justincaseifuckup) Whats everyone’s thoughts on vcu, acc pedal, anything else i need to get the thing spinning????
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Re: Classic Mini (newbie)

Post by Jacobsmess »

Zombieverter for the vcu. You'll need a battery or other power source, contractors (at least 1 but 2 best), a shunt or sbox or something else to control precharge, an accelerator pedal, relay to turn on the inverter from the zombie and a few 12V switches for T15/start etc.
If you look at the wiki there's a few good diagrams for the leaf/lexus/tesla setups, may well be one foe the outlander also.
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Re: Classic Mini (newbie)

Post by Turbopete »

PEDR0 wrote: Tue Jul 08, 2025 10:14 pm Charger and inverter landed today, collected mock up subframe yesterday along with spare driveshafts (justincaseifuckup) Whats everyone’s thoughts on vcu, acc pedal, anything else i need to get the thing spinning????
I would definitely recommend Toms VCU (Citini EVS-VCU) Its proven in 2 builds i have completed with outlander motors and BMW phev battery packs - plus when you compare the price against another VCU that doesn't include the BMS it generally works out very good value.
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Re: Classic Mini (newbie)

Post by Turbopete »

Bigpie wrote: Thu Jul 03, 2025 6:53 pm Think they ended up going out of business.
I was one half of this - It all started very positive however there was a massive shift in the perception of EV's in general in the middle of 2022, along with a big hike in electricity bills - both of which obviously had an impact on the conversion market. In the end the only ones that seem to survive are the ones with either massive financial backing or a distinct lack of conscience!
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Re: Classic Mini (newbie)

Post by Alibro »

Turbopete wrote: Wed Jul 09, 2025 11:34 am I was one half of this - It all started very positive however there was a massive shift in the perception of EV's in general in the middle of 2022, along with a big hike in electricity bills - both of which obviously had an impact on the conversion market. In the end the only ones that seem to survive are the ones with either massive financial backing or a distinct lack of conscience!
I just watched your videos.
Really sorry this didn't work out for you, apart from the grief for you guys it would have been a great way to keep more Mini's on the road and usable.
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Re: Classic Mini (newbie)

Post by PEDR0 »

Alibro wrote: Wed Jul 09, 2025 4:53 pm I just watched your videos.
Really sorry this didn't work out for you, apart from the grief for you guys it would have been a great way to keep more Mini's on the road and usable.
i agree, i also enjoyed the build, such a shame as there was a good chance that with the gained knowledge and the help and knowledge on here a more affordable conversion could have been developed, some of the prices for conversions/kits are crazy
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Re: Classic Mini (newbie)

Post by PEDR0 »

any mitsubishi drive shaft experts out there, i was wandering if any other driveshafts fit the pot joints/cups, i searched for the tripod hub and each manufacturer list 6 or seven part numbers.
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Re: Classic Mini (newbie)

Post by Turbopete »

PEDR0 wrote: Wed Jul 09, 2025 6:15 pm i agree, i also enjoyed the build, such a shame as there was a good chance that with the gained knowledge and the help and knowledge on here a more affordable conversion could have been developed, some of the prices for conversions/kits are crazy
I’m working on this now - not as a business - just for fun and I’m itching to convert another - I reckon it can be done lots cheaper now.
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Re: Classic Mini, outlander rdu

Post by PEDR0 »

The build begins, I have recieved my motor this morning so I am ready to start fitting it into the subframe, exciting times. I'm still stuck on the controls/vcu side of things, it baffles me at the moment. I am waiting on some arduino kit arrive so I can try to learn how that all works. it will hopefully help further on down the road. I have been looking at batteries but still not made a decision, I think i'll stick with the outlander charger for now but would ideally like fast charging in the future. I like the leaf batteries so far but I think I would have to go for the latest ones to get the capacity. I think it may be possible to put a layer in the floor pan with a false floor as they are only around 70mm deep. I think I could also fit 4 units between the motor and inverter, there seems to be a lot of space left between the bonnet and inverter so could fit something there, I hope I can fit 4 or 6 down the side also, I'll have to have a measure up once the motor is in. I'm also debating whether I should build this into an already historic mini to make the dvla side of things easier.

Any thoughts, ideas, help and info would be much appreciated
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Re: Classic Mini, outlander rdu

Post by ianlighting »

PEDR0 wrote: Mon Jul 14, 2025 12:45 pm I like the leaf batteries so far but I think I would have to go for the latest ones to get the capacity.
If by ‘latest’ you mean 60 or 62kWh, just be aware that the modules shapes are different to the earlier 24 / 30 / 40kWhs. So not as easy to work with. Also the polarity of the different sizes changes around. There’s a thread I made with dimensions etc somewhere in the Leaf section if it helps.
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Re: Classic Mini, outlander rdu

Post by tom91 »

Dont forget you need to house the batteries in watertight enclosures, they will take up space.

The cables and such will also take up space.

Any welding or drilling done to the mini body will invalidate your V5 if the DVLA check your vehicle. This had happened to @turbopete

also keep in mind you need to achieve at least 72S(300V fully charged) for the outlander voltage range to be happy with the batteries a maximum of 96s (400V charged) is possible.
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Re: Classic Mini (newbie)

Post by Bigpie »

PEDR0 wrote: Wed Jul 09, 2025 6:21 pm any mitsubishi drive shaft experts out there, i was wandering if any other driveshafts fit the pot joints/cups, i searched for the tripod hub and each manufacturer list 6 or seven part numbers.
https://bratindustries.net/product/outl ... -adapters/ is also an option
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