Massachusetts man tries to convert Tesla Model 3 into Performance version in 20 minutes and things go off the rails

This Massachusetts man tried to convert a Tesla Model 3 into a Performance version in 20 minutes, and things very quickly went off the rails.

Giving himself an extremely tight deadline to try and get his Tesla Model 3 upgraded was a disaster waiting to happen, especially with a false start caused by an incorrect part.

The plan was to use parts from a donor Tesla Model 3 Performance model and put them in a ‘dead’ rear-wheel-drive standard range Model 3.

When the transfer was complete, the EV’s base software revealed he’d made a misstep, resulting in a hugely frustrating end to the DIY transformation.

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He tried to convert the Tesla Model 3 into a Performance version

Every now and then, someone attempts the almost impossible.

Sometimes it’s a huge success, but more often than not, it’s a bit of a disaster. That was the case here.

Introducing a ‘dead’ rear-wheel-drive Standard Range Tesla Model 3, YouTuber Richie Rebuilds revealed his plan to convert it into a performance model in just 20 minutes.

The plan involved changing out so many parts, virtually the entire EV, the front and rear motors, battery pack, inverters, suspension, braking hardware, and all the control modules, using a Performance Model as a donor.

However, even the best laid plans go awry, and it was quite surprising to see quite how quickly everything managed to derail.

How the conversion went downhill

Richie had set aside 20 minutes for the upgrade, but immediately hit a snag when he realized he had ordered the wrong battery.

Things went downhill even faster when the job began to get a lot harder than he anticipated, with the battery and subframe alignment, bolt tightening, and wiring taking far more than the 20 minutes he’d allotted for.

When he finally got the EV powered up, it had so many faults in the form of TPMS, airbags and even a configuration mismatch.

It became clear he’d made a mistake at the very start.

He didn’t update the car’s base software before he swapped modules, making access to necessary service and configuration functions almost impossible.

Sometimes if something seems impossible, it may be a good idea to put more than 20 minutes aside to try and do it and risk disappointment like this YouTuber.

Or just get a professional to do it.

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