I’m thinking about rebuilding the hv battery myself to cut down on cost is this still a viable option? Where’s the best place to buy individual cells?
If you have the original 1st gen battery, you'll probably want to buy a couple of newer packs, either 2nd or 3rd gen, to rebuild with. The 1st gen modules will probably not be any good. Or you can buy a new one at Toyota for about $2000.
You can't mix different gen cells, as they are slightly different sizes. Find a local prius parts recycler, look through Craigslist SM-G950U ?
Original (2001-2003 build date) Gen1 modules are all pretty much garbage or soon will be garbage. If you like the car, best option is new gen1 dealer battery for around $2000 if you can buy wholesale. You can also buy used Gen2 modules, but it won't be as good as a new battery and you need 38 modules for a gen1 pack. You are rolling the dice with aftermarket "rebuilt" packs. Junkyard packs are also a waste of time. I had a customer recently buy 3 junkyard gen1 packs over the internet. All were bad even though the selling yards said they were good...they don't have a way to test them LOL! COFI, if you want no headaches we charge $2500 installed for a brand new Gen1 Prius pack at our Boulder Shop. Sales tax additional, core required. http://www.BoulderHC.com
