Holley Now Sells Bolt-On Kit To Tesla Swap Vintage Chevy C10 Pickups
Got an extra Tesla Model S or X drive unit in your garage?
Electric drivetrain swaps are getting more and more common as the popularity of EVs increases. Tesla builds far and away the most electric vehicles, and therefore many electric swaps are based on Tesla drive units. Even Holley now sells a kit to swap the rear motors from a Tesla Model S/X into a third-generation Chevy C10. It's not even very expensive, either.
The $700 kit bolts to the frame of the truck, which must be drilled and notched to accommodate the new hardware. Welding isn't strictly necessary, but AEM, the company that makes the kit, says it would help improve chassis rigidity. Once the adapters are installed, a Tesla dual-motor drive unit can be bolted right in.
Even Tesla's biggest SUV, the Model X, is not quite as... utilitarian as the C10. As a result, the rear suspension is dropped 4-6 inches versus the stock height once the new unit is installed. The front must be dropped as well to accommodate for this. As a result, the kit is only suitable for street rods. Don't buy one of these thinking you're going to give your neighbor's F-150 Lightning a run for its money.
Different wheels are also necessary because of the new bolt pattern, and they need to be 10 inches wide with around 8 inches of backspacing to accommodate the wider track of the Tesla hardware. That sort of hints at the nature of this kit. Yes, it allows for the relatively easy installation of part of an electric powertrain into a C10. However, EV swaps as a complete package are not simple, cheap, or easy. The system requires high-voltage power electronics that are not included in this kit. And a battery, of course. Tesla Model S/Xs likewise operate between 350 and 400 volts, which will kill you instantly if you put your fingers in the wrong places.
AEM offers most of this hardware though, and if you're willing to dive into a swap like this, it could be a cool build. And it must be said that new crate motors are also pretty cheap.
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