Hear me out: Hilux restoration and electric conversion

Ever since I was a young lad who watched Back to the Future, I've been obsessed with the original Hilux pickup from the 80's. I've been watching Craigslist and FB marketplace for the better part of year, and it seems like prices are finally starting to come down from some absurd highs. Mint 80's Hiluxes are still going for around $20k-$30k, but ones that are beat but salvageable have fallen into the 4-7k range.

Here's the plan. I want to find one that has a solid body and frame, and replace the drive train with an electric setup. So it doesn't even need to run, which means I could possibly find one for even cheaper, maybe in the 2-3K range. Ford currently sells the 281hp Rivian crate motor for just under 4k. The kicker is that you have to find your own battery setup. I'm in the early research stages, but it does seem possible.

Anyone with experience swapping electric motors on here want to chime in? Is this just a pipe dream or would it be possible to do out of my own garage with a basic setup? I appreciate your replies in advance! All in all I believe this project could be done for under 10k, and at the end of the day I would have something totally unique, built by my own hands. I'm looking for realistic ideas here, not a pat on the back and well wishes. So feel free to squash my dreams lol.

 

Price an automotive battery pack. That will put a crimp in your budget.

 

Yeah I've found a Tesla model S battery for $1,600. I've also been watching battery prices as well and hoping that they fall. I don't mind if the project take a few years, so I can wait it out for more manufacturers to start producing battery packs and hopefully bring the price down. I'm also open to daisy chaining several packs together if it can be done safely.

https://www.evwest.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=4

 

Heck, just install a LCE Stage 3 engine and call it a day. I think that runs on pump gas.