WWGRMD? Odd 4x4 project...

So I recently acquired this fine automobile at a very reasonable price. It's a 2010ish Wheego  electric car. Basically a Chinese smart car knock off with a now dead battery pack. It hasn't worked in years, but its a brand new, never titled car. My plans are to make an off road vehicle out of it. My first idea was an MG 6r4 type of car with box flares, and a FWD subframe with a V6 in the rear, but think a fancy side by side-ish thing might be more usable. What's my best bet to a fun 4X4 here? Polaris RZR suspension and driveline? Motorcycle engine? Suzuki X90 frame swap? K series Honda with CRV 4x4 parts? I plan to keep the all electric climate system. It'll be really nice to have a clean project car to work on, lol!  have a sawzall and a welder, and am open to ideas! 
 

EDIT: This is the low speed vehicle version with a 25 or 35mph top speed. I have no interest in fixing it and driving it at 25mph.  

Have you looked into fixing the battery pack?

In reply to ProDarwin :

That would be my priority.

How cheap and easily can you get it going again.  And then maybe use it as an all weather version of a golf cart for running around town, paddock, or compound. I can't see it ever being a serious off road vehicle without completely changing the length, width, and height.

ProDarwin said:

Have you looked into fixing the battery pack?

 

That's no fun. I have zero interest in it as a 25mph golf cart. This is the LSV version with a 25mph max speed. 
However... Wheego quoted us $14k for "new style" batteries that would make it a high speed electric vehicle (60mph!) Its a $2500 car (if you're lucky)  if you do that. Need more 2k challenge type ideas!

This is more like it:

While the rzr mod would be kinda cool, that’s a lot of money, to make rzr less capable!

fix it and use it, would be my plan. 

Off road means no on road vehicle emissions requirements, which means motorcycle engines are okay. Bike engine front and back.

Tesla motor, Volt battery packs, and wheelie bars?

Saron81 said:

That's no fun. I have zero interest in it as a 25mph golf cart. This is the LSV version with a 25mph max speed. 
However... Wheego quoted us $14k for "new style" batteries that would make it a high speed electric vehicle (60mph!) Its a $2500 car (if you're lucky)  if you do that.

I meant DIY it.  Perhaps its just one or two dead cells that need to be replaced?  Perhaps you can double or triple the pack size relatively easily and make it much more capable using a junkyard leaf battery/pieces of one?

To make that thing a high performance machine or off road vehicle seems like it would require so much modification it would just be easier to start from scratch and build something the right way, or buy the right car to begin with. 

Agingwheels on youtube has one of these with dead batteries.  He has an episode where he goes into the attempts to revive the batteries.  It would be worth a watch at a minimum to see what the chassis looks like without the batteries.  He also sounds like the kind of guy that would help out if you had any questions.  

Seems to me that this thread should go meet up with the "best use for a gsxr1000 engine?" thread and buy it a beer. 

OK, swapping out with a Side x Side is tough because they go for big money. Maybe you could find one that was written-off, but that usually means that the wheels were all ripped off in a crash and the suspension is toast.

Used ATVs are much easier to come by. I would look for two Polaris Scambler 400's. They are a 2-stroke and easy to keep running forever, and they run a good CVT transmission. That is important because you are buying two, one to power the front wheels and one for the rear. Dual-motor offroader? Hell yeah! Use the front diff at both ends so you don't have to deal with chains.

Holy crap, a Wheego! Youtube channel Aging Wheels has one of these that is also dead. (His is the high-speed version, but regardless, battery pack went kaput or something.)

If you want to see just how it compares to the Smart car it copied, he has a video on that. I don't know if that will help you turn it into an off-road go kart, but who knows.

Have you talked to the guy with the extra KZ-1000 engine?

BTW, Wheego's wheelbase is the same as a Suzuki Samurai.

Wheego has 79.7 in wheelbase.

Jeep CJ5 from 55-71 had an 81 in wheel base... 

Seems easy enough...

In reply to Fueled by Caffeine :

I like it, but I would go to a TJ for the four link, open up the wheel openings for the stretched wheelbase and give it a rock bouncer type stance.

Fueled by Caffeine said:

Wheego has 79.7 in wheelbase.

 

Jeep CJ5 from 55-71 had an 81 in wheel base... 

 

Seems easy enough...

And an RZR S 1000 has a 79" wheelbase...

B-b-b-b-BODY SWAP

In reply to gearheadmb :

The is too big. 94" wheelbase. 

A $1000 rusted out Samurai would do the trick. If you want to come to SC I have a set of axles, a transfer case and a set of driveshafts I would be willing to donate to a cause like this. With the divorced transfer case, engine and transmission options are limitless.

thatsnowinnebago (Forum Supporter) said:

Fueled by Caffeine said:

Wheego has 79.7 in wheelbase.

 

Jeep CJ5 from 55-71 had an 81 in wheel base... 

 

Seems easy enough...

And an RZR S 1000 has a 79" wheelbase...

 

B-b-b-b-BODY SWAP

The Samurai is 79" as well. I want to stuff the Polaris suspension under one of them. 

My Ranger next to the Samurai. The Ranger is 3-4 inches wider.