Well today certainly was a mixed bag. First I cut off the axle, chain, and bushings for the pedal assist. I then took apart the original battery box.
I made a battery tray out of scrap steel, and then proceeded to weld it to the frame.
However, I had neglected to remove the controller from the frame. So after I got the batteries strapped in and wired together the bike no longer turns on. The controller was killed by the welding current passing through the frame.
I'll have to order a replacement controller, install it, and then see if the DC-DC converters are dead too.
$65 error