Project Mint - update

I did a little more work on the EV project today, and can confirm that the controller seems to be the source of the short. The motor works fine, tested by the inadvisable method of connecting jump leads to the battery and straight to the motor by passing the control circuit. Don't try this at home - fried motor is a distinct possibility, as are broken legs if the car is in gear. But hey, if you're not living on the edge you're probably taking more than your fair share of the planet.
I have stripped out the remnants of the fuel supply system, all the gubbings from the petrol filler flap and vent tubes tot he tank have been stripped and junked leaving me with a nice hole in the side of the car which will be filled with the socket for the charging system. I have measured up and roughed up the three pin industrial style socket and with a little cutting of the inner panel it will fit nicely inside the filler aperture, and by chance an old Tupperware box is just the right size to set it into to keep it all water proof. (it will be reinforced with fibreglass and painted, so the sandwiches inside don't show!) It should look like a neat and professional job once done.
With the motor controller condemned I will probably have to bite the bullet and buy a professionally manufactured one - about £300 for a 72 volt controller. Then it's a case of wiring up and sorting out new batteries.
I can easily fit in 6 x 12volt car batteries to give a 72 volt system. It's just a case of whether 72 volts is enough. The alternative is to use 12 x 6 volt forklift batteries, which hold more power and are smaller, so easier to fit in the car, the downside being they are heavier.

Why is it called project Mint? Because it has no emmisions, so it's liek a breath of fresh air, rather like a mint.