Kansas man has converted his classic 1962 Mercury Comet into a homemade electric car and shares what it's like to drive

A Kansas man has taken a classic 1962 Mercury Comet and turned it into a homemade electric car.

The project swaps the original gas engine for modern EV parts pulled from a Nissan Leaf.

It’s a DIY conversion built around affordability, learning, and keeping a classic on the road.

And now that it finally drives, he’s started sharing what that experience is actually like.

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How the 1962 Mercury Comet was converted into an electric car

You may remember when we first covered YouTuber This Old Jalopy as he began turning his 1962 Mercury Comet into a homemade electric car.

At that point, the Comet was still mid-swap, the drivetrain was still in pieces and the car wasn’t yet capable of driving under its own power.

Since then, things have fallen into place. 

The original 160ci inline-six is gone, replaced by a Nissan Leaf motor, inverter, charger, and battery pack, all tied together by a Resolve EV controller. 

The Comet now runs as a complete electric drivetrain inside a car that was never designed for one.

So with the hardware sorted, this homemade EV has moved from the garage to the road.

Now he’s sharing what it’s like to drive

When driven, the Comet still feels unmistakably old-school. 

The manual steering, vibration, and raw connection to the machinery haven’t changed.

What has changed is how it moves.

Instead of coasting like a normal old car, the Comet slows itself down straight away, almost as if you’ve touched the brakes. 

That’s because the electric motor resists the wheels when you lift off, turning that motion back into energy for the battery.

It takes a little getting used to, but it also means the car can often be driven using just one pedal.

Power comes from Nissan Leaf parts, and while it’s not super quick, it feels smooth and capable where it counts. 

Pulling away from lights or slotting into traffic feels easy and unforced.

And despite being electric, the Comet isn’t eerily quiet. 

There’s a soft mechanical whir from the rear, which suits the car – no 1960s wagon should be completely silent.

A few things are still temporary. 

The front wheels are wearing trailer tyres, which makes the car feel a bit vague in corners, and the brakes are still being sorted to better suit the electric setup. 

Even so, the Comet feels solid and predictable rather than unfinished.

Range is still being figured out, but the early signs are promising. 

After around eight or nine miles of driving, the battery dropped from 85 to 74 percent, and the YouTuber has already managed several short trips on a single charge.

What’s left now is refinement rather than rescue – finishing the brakes, cleaning up the wiring, and improving how the batteries sit under the hood. 

All up, this homemade electric car is a success – a 1962 Mercury Comet that’s back in use, powered in a completely different way.

To see more, subscribe to This Old Jalopy on YouTube.

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