The EV1 Had Us Stumped… Until We Found Garbage

Thanks to Klover for sponsoring this video! Get up to $400 before payday with no interest, no credit checks, and no late fees. Download today at https://klover.yt.link/k8Fstq5 so they know I sent you! Join this channel to get access to perks: @thequestionablegarage Help Support the Channel on Patreon. New Discord and additional benefits coming soon! Patreon: JaredEveryDay Subscribe to The Questionable Garage ► http://bit.ly/2D4iSp8 Buy our NEW shirts and merch!► https://www.bunkerbranding.com/pages/... Follow us on Instagram ► Instagram: thequestionablegarage ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The GM EV1 is one of the rarest and most historically important electric cars ever built, but restoring one means solving problems no normal restoration shop ever sees. In this episode, we tackle a completely destroyed rear speaker deck and luggage-tray panel from EV1 VIN 212. The original cardboard backing was warped, moldy, water-damaged, and falling apart. Even the donor part GM provided was too far gone to use. With no reproduction available and no replacement sitting on a shelf, we had to reverse-engineer the part from scratch. That meant building our own “poor man’s 3D scanner,” tracing the original shape point by point, converting those measurements into digital files, and using a CNC router to cut multiple test pieces. Then the project took a very Questionable Garage turn: the exact material we needed was hiding in the shipping crate from a brand-new toolbox. A piece of packaging that should have gone in the trash became the foundation for an irreplaceable EV1 interior panel. We clean and preserve the original carpet, recreate the foam and backing, experiment with contact cement, correct mistakes, and fight for factory-level fitment, even reproducing some of the strange details GM built into the original part. After hours of tracing, CAD work, CNC cutting, gluing, cleaning, and test-fitting, the finished speaker deck finally snaps back into the car. This is the kind of restoration work that happens when replacement parts do not exist: part archaeology, part reverse engineering, part fabrication, and occasionally a little strategic dumpster-diving. It may look like a simple piece of interior trim, but every curve, opening, mounting point, and material choice has to work with the original EV1 body. We also sit down with longtime electric-vehicle advocate Larry Paul to talk about the early modern EV era, the Honda EV Plus, the first-generation Toyota RAV4 EV, the “Don’t Crush” movement, and the moment an EV1 test drive changed his life. Larry also brings us a one-to-one replica of the original EV1 window sticker for VIN 212, complete with the correct details. This is not just about restoring one rare car. It is about preserving the engineering, stories, materials, and people behind an important piece of automotive history. Follow the restoration of EV1 VIN 212 as our team works to return the world’s only privately owned, legally titled GM EV1 to the road. #GM #EV1 #CarRestoration #ElectricCar #AutomotiveHistory #RareCars #CNC #Fabrication #DIYRestoration #QuestionableGarage ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Questions? Comments? Business inquiries? Email us at [email protected] Don't have internet and want to send us something? Here is our new P.O. Box! Wrench Every Day P.O. Box 437 Lula, GA 30554 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Facebook ► Facebook: @TheQuestionableGarage Instagram ► Instagram: Thequestionablegarge Jared on Social: Instagram ► Instagram: jaredpink Twitter ► Twitter: TheJaredPink Links to our partners: Have a wiring project? Our Friends at WireCare have you covered! www.wirecare.com Need speed parts? The Holley product line has you covered! www.holley.com