Before school is out for the summer, the students who were working on the S10 truck conversion finished installing the complete drive train. We hooked up the motor to a battery charger, as per test instructions that came with the motor, and ran a test with the clutch depressed. Success: the motor rotated!
Then the transmission was placed in 1st and the clutch released. There was an increased draw of electricity, but nothing turned. A quick check revealed that the parking brakes were on. When they were released, the back wheels turned. Here is a very condensed video of the process so far:
A quote from Josh, one of the four guys working on the electric conversion, says it all:
If we grade twelves can do it, anyone can.
There’s a challenge for you!