New Scorpion owner, trying to get acquainted to the things that need to be done to get this thing working

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pligles

Low Mileage
So a family friend gifted me one of his scorpions that was sort of his parts car. It’s got no engine, and a lot of rust, especially around the floor pans and inside the frunk. I’m mostly just looking for advice and resources about how to go about fixing it up. I’ve managed to get a set of fiat brakes to do the Riven motors brake swap and am considering using a Nissan leaf motor and a Resolve EV controller, but those are currently taking second fiddle to actually getting the body and frame de-rusted. Y’all know of any resources that would help me do that? My plan right now is to strip the car down to just the frame and buy a cheap MIG welder to patch the rust holes and reinforce the frame, but I haven't done automotive bodywork before, so I’m really hoping there’s a YouTube video or something that would help me learn. Any help would be appreciated!

cheers
 
Portland, OR, it looks like.

I would have the chassis dipped once it is stripped. Get it down to bare metal and then have the entire thing submerged to remove all the paint, filler, rust and whatever else might be stuck to it. Then you will know exactly what you are working with. An alternative would be having it media blasted, but that might not get all the little inside passages.

Here is a video that demonstrates how the chemical dipping process works.


You are aware that these are monocoque (unit body) cars, not a body-on-frame arrangement, right?
 
I'm in whole hearted agreement with Nigel! Also, my favorite saying is "free cars are the most expensive cars you will ever own".

Anyway, good luck with your E-conversion.
 
pligles said:
So a family friend gifted me one of his scorpions that was sort of his parts car. It’s got no engine, and a lot of rust, especially around the floor pans and inside the frunk. I’m mostly just looking for advice and resources about how to go about fixing it up. I’ve managed to get a set of fiat brakes to do the Riven motors brake swap and am considering using a Nissan leaf motor and a Resolve EV controller, but those are currently taking second fiddle to actually getting the body and frame de-rusted. Y’all know of any resources that would help me do that? My plan right now is to strip the car down to just the frame and buy a cheap MIG welder to patch the rust holes and reinforce the frame, but I haven't done automotive bodywork before, so I’m really hoping there’s a YouTube video or something that would help me learn. Any help would be appreciated!

cheers
Click to expand...
Curious as there seems to be so many Scorpions out in the Pacific NW. Any chance this is the car?
portland scorpion.jpg
 
Engine conversion on a scorpion is the least of your problems. Trim trim and trim. Unless you can 3D print everything. Take a look at Monte Hospital’s website before you get in too deep.
 
Pete Whitstone said:
Portland, OR, it looks like.

I would have the chassis dipped once it is stripped. Get it down to bare metal and then have the entire thing submerged to remove all the paint, filler, rust and whatever else might be stuck to it. Then you will know exactly what you are working with. An alternative would be having it media blasted, but that might not get all the little inside passages.

Here is a video that demonstrates how the chemical dipping process works.


You are aware that these are monocoque (unit body) cars, not a body-on-frame arrangement, right?
Click to expand...
The acid etching thing sounds like a good idea! I’ll definitely see if I can find someone near me who can do it. It definitely seems expensive though, at the moment time is easier to come by than money.
 
dherr said:
Curious as there seems to be so many Scorpions out in the Pacific NW. Any chance this is the car?
View attachment 68363
Click to expand...
I believe I have chassis #847, if I’m reading the VIN properly. From what I was told, it was owned by a guy up in Washington, then bought by a friend of my dad’s and stored for several years in Gresham.
 
lanciahf said:
Engine conversion on a scorpion is the least of your problems. Trim trim and trim. Unless you can 3D print everything. Take a look at Monte Hospital’s website before you get in too deep.
Click to expand...
I was definitely planning on printing a lot of stuff. I’ve done a lot of printing, so it’ll probably be one of the more straightforward things on the list for me to do.
 
pligles said:
I was definitely planning on printing a lot of stuff. I’ve done a lot of printing, so it’ll probably be one of the more straightforward things on the list for me to do.
Click to expand...
So if you are successful in printing trim items, post what you can duplicate here as there are many of us that might be interested in any parts you can reproduce.
 
Share some pictures of the car, some of us might recognize where it came from and perhaps give you some history on it.
 
It might be a tad bit rusty, but the price was fair and his plans for it do not involve trying to bring it back to stock, so go for it. Looks to have most of the trim on it. Electric cars are not my thing, but in looking at his plans a little deeper, I look forward to seeing this get built. With the drivetrain and gas tank out of it, there would be plenty of room to have some battery packs in the middle of the car on the firewall and also in the bottom of the frunk for weight distribution. I took a look at that Resolve-EV site and that looks like a great way to go. The Leaf battery pack is one flat unit and likely would fit behind the passenger compartment if it does not have to be flat. Also, the Leaf drivetrain should be more than fun to drive when mounted in a much lighter car such as a Scorpion. If it were my car, I would remove the US bumpers to further reduce weight as well as the pop up headlights.
 
That’s exactly the plan! I’m really not into keeping it stock, so basically anything I can do cheaply I will. I’ve already bought some junk yard fiat brakes for that upgrade i mentioned, and the battery pack should fit as a single unit right behind the firewall, so no fancy mounting/BMS system should be needed. The whole car needs rewiring, so there’s no time lost there vs an engine swap, and after that it’s just getting the suspension and bodywork done.

My hope is to have the major bodywork done sometime this summer, and then start fiddling with the electric motor and things This fall. Not sure how realistic of a timeline that is, but I’m hoping to set shorter-term goals and stick to them Instead of looking at the entire project at one time.
 
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