Things are looking up. Both “super” motors are running.
40 peak hp is a blast. 
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I want to know more . Lets talk clay
Lets talk some i come from fast ebikes and now going after the fast gem car lets chat programming some time
What is your target car?
What are you going to power it with?
What are your goals?
What is your skill set?
What is in your toolbox?
Where are you located?
2000 gem i build jet boats and have made a few electric boats . I am a marine tech by trade and have use ofa full machine shop and i also am a electronic tech
As of now high speed ebikes and some jet boats . So now changing over to a gem car
Have more building and welding skills then know what to do with . So lets get building a very fast gem
2 or 4 seat car?
Hmmm… You probably could have picked a better platform to start building off of.
#1 issue is that the 00 (Gen1) cars have a front end design that centers the gearbox in the middle of the car. This limits what motor options you have available.
The longer (big) motors simply stick out too far and hit the passenger wheel and shock assembly. I’ll go measure a 5kw and see if that will give a place to start.
#2 issue is the Gen1 cars are somewhat limited in where you can put a decent size battery pack. It will need to go in as a multiple piece unit (which will make it more complex)
Not saying it can’t be done. Just that it’s not going to be easy.
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I planned on changing the front end . So moving the dif is no big deal i also planned to cut up the battery box to fit larger battery pack .
Well, then it all depends on how crazy you want to get next.
You have quite the shopping list.
Welcome to the
More Money than Brains Club (stolen from J. Leno)
Brakes:
The tiny drum brakes are horrible on the early cars for stopping, but honestly, those cars were only meant to go maybe 15mph. Time for an upgrade.
There are a few kits out that swap in real brakes from big cars, but they are not fully thought out and usually just focus on the front.
Suspension:
I planned on changing the front end
Factory suspension rides like a dump truck. The number 2 asked about mod (removing the lead pack and going lithium) makes the problem even worse. There is great room for improvement in suspension needs. Designing in more than 2 inches of wheel travel would be a good thing.
Factory design (having no adjustment other than Toe) also does not scream “go fast”. Since you are hacking it all off and putting something new on, it would be good to add in some adjustment.
Hey- Why not just go nuts?
I would seriously consider moving the motor to the back and make a rear wheel drive. Gem cars (being front wheel drive) just spin wheels when gobs of Hp is applied. Moving to the back has serious potential.
Get access to a modern day SxS and study up on what they are doing under those things. Better yet, (if you have a wrecking yard near you) study up on what fails and DON’T do that. It has the advantage of also being access to the next level of parts to build from. You get better knuckles, stub axles, brakes, swingarms, etc.
Location?
You never mentioned where you are located. (maybe on purpose?)
There are a couple of guys here that can set you up with big (Experimental) Motor and controller, and even some monster battery packs.
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Location is sequim washington
No sense starting over. Scrap the Gem and find a 2005+. Even a junk one is better than what you have. Lots of big motors fit the newer classics.
15kw ac for example.
I did the conversion you are talking about to my 2000 Gem. To get an AC motor to fit I cut the frame rails off and mounted a 2014 front end on it. Other than all the routing and plumbing I had to weld two pieces of angle on the front area to bolt the top part of the subframe to. It rides great. With the 8.9/1 gear box I have got it to 69mph.
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@bundcur - I remember your build.
Do you still have this car? How is it working out?
At first I thought it rode a little rough. I made a small modification to the front shock mounts to increase the shock travel and now it floats down the road like a 1972 Electra duce and a quarter. It’s been two years since the mod and I love it. Glad I did it. Here is a pic of the brackets I made to make the rear Nev acc replacement shocks fit on the front.
You are still running the tape on the motor vents?
I saw that in your build pics and thought you were doing some fab work and didn’t want crap getting in your motor.