Monster Leaf

[saleem]

I'll admit I was very skeptical, but I think you may be on to something. With a little bit of a lift and maybe some other enhancements, I can kinda, sorta imagine that looking like some kind of futuristic dune-buggy type vehicle.

 

[countryleaf]

Agree. Looks like a mean golf cart!! Good use for an aging EV. Our neighbors just traded in their '13 Leaf on a Tesla, they got $800 (!!) trade-in on the Leaf... Turning it into a dune buggy would be tempting.

 

[LoveMy18Leaf]

2018+ suspension will only accommodate about 30-35 mm of lift in the back. More than 35 and will max-out the shock travel hitting rebound limits…

 

[cwiggy]

Those ATV mud tires are a joke, right??

Nope. They're 14" UTV tires. I added 2" wheel spacers to widen the stance. They are 27 X 9 tires and after a little bit of cutting, and removing the inner fender skirt they just barely fit without rubbing.. I'll update the photos later today. The previous phots were before I added the 2" lift kit.

 

[MillerLF]

I'll be curious to see this project. Sounds crazy but could be fun. We've just put on steelies and light truck tires on the beaten 4Runner and will take it to a mud trail.

 

[cwiggy]

Weekly Progress update:

Lift kit installed, wheel spacers installed, rear of front fender and front bumper has been cut to eliminate tires rubbing. I think I'll have to do a small amount of heavy hammer pounding on the rear of the front fender well. Removing the inner fender skirt has left the "engine bay" somewhat exposed behind the wheels so I'm planning to eventually tape up the larger holes in the fender well with a heavy layer of duct tape so there is only enough room for the wheel articulation and suspension travel, then spray the entire inner fender well and all the body seams that I cut with either a really heavy coat of FlexSeal, or a coat of spray in bed liner to try to keep a bit of addional water off the electronics and motor. I'll post some better photos later but here's where I'm at for now... I didn't take official measurements because I'm not as hung up on the #s but I think I gained about 3-1/2 - 4 inches of ground clearance overall under the body and about 1-1/2 - 2 inches under the rear box axle.
I will say, with less than 10 psi, these tires are SOOOO LOUD on the road but once we take it to our property it will never see pavement again. Our place in East Texas is pretty much all sand.

Next step is to remove the lower portion of the front bumper and retrofit a tubular front bumper and push guard from an older Jeep Wrangler. Ill also install a 3500 lb winch one the front bumper. This will likely require some minor fabrication to make it all fit and to extend the bumper mounts far enough to allow for the winch plate behind the push guard. I might have to figure out a way to put a receiver hitch on the rear because there's no telling what, or where we may have to rescue this thing from.

Here's some photos and a quick video of my son driving it without the front bumper installed.

TO BE CONTINUED...

 

[cwiggy]

I'll be curious to see this project. Sounds crazy but could be fun. We've just put on steelies and light truck tires on the beaten 4Runner and will take it to a mud trail.

I love the older 4 runners. I looked at buying one before I decided to do this project. They make fantastic off roaders with only having to make very few mods. The other thing I looked at was a 90's model Jeep Grand Cherokee and go the classic rock crawler route. There are tons of cool mods available for those old Cherokees so they are super easy to upgrade and make really cool.

 

[uHu]

.....Ill also install a 3500 lb winch one the front bumper. ...

Great build - good idea.
How big a battery can you fit in to support that winch?

 

[FinnishCoffee]

Great build - good idea.
How big a battery can you fit in to support that winch?

It’s a Leaf after all, there’s already quite a lot of battery in it. From what I recall reading the DC/DC converter should easily be able supply something like 2kW of power to the 12v system, a winch won’t be a problem as long as the car is turned on while you’re using it.

 

[MillerLF]

Weekly Progress update:

Lift kit installed, wheel spacers installed, rear of front fender and front bumper has been cut to eliminate tires rubbing. I think I'll have to do a small amount of heavy hammer pounding on the rear of the front fender well. Removing the inner fender skirt has left the "engine bay" somewhat exposed behind the wheels so I'm planning to eventually tape up the larger holes in the fender well with a heavy layer of duct tape so there is only enough room for the wheel articulation and suspension travel, then spray the entire inner fender well and all the body seams that I cut with either a really heavy coat of FlexSeal, or a coat of spray in bed liner to try to keep a bit of addional water off the electronics and motor. I'll post some better photos later but here's where I'm at for now... I didn't take official measurements because I'm not as hung up on the #s but I think I gained about 3-1/2 - 4 inches of ground clearance overall under the body and about 1-1/2 - 2 inches under the rear box axle.
I will say, with less than 10 psi, these tires are SOOOO LOUD on the road but once we take it to our property it will never see pavement again. Our place in East Texas is pretty much all sand.

Next step is to remove the lower portion of the front bumper and retrofit a tubular front bumper and push guard from an older Jeep Wrangler. Ill also install a 3500 lb winch one the front bumper. This will likely require some minor fabrication to make it all fit and to extend the bumper mounts far enough to allow for the winch plate behind the push guard. I might have to figure out a way to put a receiver hitch on the rear because there's no telling what, or where we may have to rescue this thing from.

Here's some photos and a quick video of my son driving it without the front bumper installed.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Man, that looks totally aggressive!

 

[cwiggy]

Man, that looks totally aggressive!

Thanks. I still have quite a way to go. Need to figure out fender flares to cover where I cut the fenders and I have a front and rear pipe bumper from a jeep Wrangler that I'm trying to fit up. I'm trying to figure out how to mount it without eliminating the original mounting bolts from the aluminum bumper brace that was on it. It's gonna have to sit way out front so it doesn't interfere with the charging port.

 

[Drew21]

With the bumper in your most recent pictures, it might be worth cutting off the upper hoop so that you can mount the bumper tight to the vehicle while still being able to access the charge port. In the current configuration you'll be restricting your approach angle and losing much of what you've gained with your lift and tires.

 

[cwiggy]

With the bumper in your most recent pictures, it might be worth cutting off the upper hoop so that you can mount the bumper tight to the vehicle while still being able to access the charge port. In the current configuration you'll be restricting your approach angle and losing much of what you've gained with your lift and tires.

Good thought. The pictures are from the initial mock up. I want to keep the stock bumper behind this contraption to protect the stock components like the windshield washer fluid tank and use this bumper mostly as a winch mount and push guard. It will actually be mounted a few inches tighter to the stock bumper and probably about 3-4 inches higher to address the approach angle. The position in the picture is as high as my floor jack and jack stands would go. I haven't decided on a final design yet for sure. I'm still playing with ideas. Thanks for the suggestion. I'll keep that in my hip pocket if I can't get the approach angle I want with the stock bumper attached.

 

[cwiggy]

Making progress:

I got it about 2/3 of the way painted. Ran out of paint. I need to finish the first coat, wipe it down with mineral spirits and apply second coat to even up the finish, then put a satin clear coat on it. Does anyone on here know how much clear coat I will need to buy to do a quick spray and pray? Can I get a single heavy coat on it with a quart or do I need to buy a gallon?

Next steps:
Mount up the front and rear tubular bumpers and winch. Install expanded metal radiator screen
reinstall front headlights.
paint and reinstall the factory bumpers, if possible.
Have Fun

 

[cwiggy]

Weekly Update:

Got the paint pretty much done. (don't give me too much grief about the rattle can job. Remember, It's a hunting buggy)
Got the front bumper and winch mounted. (still need to fabricate some sort of skid plate to protect the radiator)
Mounting the rear bumper today.

Overall, I think it's turning out pretty good.

 

[countryleaf]

Turning out great! The color is cool too...

 

[ScoopDogy]

Awesome! I have a friend who hates EV's but loves anything off road. I posted a couple pics of your final pics on his Facebook page and told him this vehicle has his name written all over it

 

[cwiggy]

Awesome! I have a friend who hates EV's but loves anything off road. I posted a couple pics of your final pics on his Facebook page and told him this vehicle has his name written all over it

I'm changing people's minds, one project at a time. I'm just glad I'm not the only one who thinks this is really cool. If you look back at my first post, I said "Call me crazy, but..." Here we are a few months later and this thing is turning out better that I had expected. I figured I had a 50/50 chance of total failure but I'm pleasantly surprised with the outcome.

 

[ckracer76]

This is amazing. Some sand off-road pics would be cool to see.

 

[cwiggy]

Okay, I know it's been a while since I posted an update. I now have the roof basket, lights, and homemade skid plate installed. I made the skid plate out of old lightweight trailer ramps like you would use to load up a lawnmower. Cut them into pieces and welded them together and installed with sheet metal screws. So far I haven't had to do any welding on the vehicle. everything has been welded off to the side and bolted on because I was afraid I might fry the battery pack. I still need to pull the wheels off and put the chrome center caps on and tuck a few wires here and there but other than that I'm pretty much done. Once I get it out to my property I will take some videos and pictures tearing up the sandy soil out there.

Let me know what you guys think.