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Right. I seem to have too much time on my hands or is that butt right now. Talk to me about the sort of thing that you have done, contemplated, witnessed, participated in. Imagine taking my old 79 Chevy Blazer as 4x4 or 2WD as found, that is body beyond reasonable repair or for that matter if it were surplus to requirements and stripping the body off, and then grafting on, a actual working, daily-able older Retro of Vintage body from a car, truck or wagon in a way that is fully legal and MOT standard. Get the picture?? Possible starting point Have some pictures. Pics from Google. MX5 based. Show us more. Tell me why its a terrible idea.
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Last Edit: Oct 21, 2019 12:05:52 GMT by grizz
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All look very do-able! As long as you stay within the 8-Points and don't alter the chassis etc. totally legal an better still NO stooooopid BIVA curse word! Better still, make your own body.
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Dez
Club Retro Rides Member
And I won't sit down. And I won't shut up. And most of all I will not grow up.
Posts: 11,712
Club RR Member Number: 34
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Oct 12, 2019 10:28:07 GMT
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Oct 12, 2019 14:43:34 GMT
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Last Edit: Oct 12, 2019 14:46:09 GMT by nomad
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Oct 12, 2019 17:02:01 GMT
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Probably not what you're thinking of but this started life as a 1981 GMC truck.* *Disclaimer- the chassis may not be 100% standard, unmodified.
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Last Edit: Oct 12, 2019 17:02:22 GMT by ratchart
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Oct 12, 2019 18:40:26 GMT
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1994 BMW 525i touring 2004 BMW Z4 sorn and broken 1977 Ford Escort 1982 Ford Capri getting restored 1999 Mazda B2500 daily driver.
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andyf
South West
Posts: 415
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Oct 12, 2019 19:37:32 GMT
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1980 Triumph TR7.
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Oct 12, 2019 22:57:16 GMT
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I haven't seen much of "Grenade" lately but isn't that what he does a lot? I like the idea. One of my favorites is this one
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I haven't seen much of "Grenade" lately but isn't that what he does a lot? I like the idea. One of my favorites is this one grenade is possibly busy at work or “work” I see him on FB. Thats a nice looking conversion. Its the chassis swap stuff I am interested in for sure.
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Was thinking a while back, my Ranger was parked with a w210 Merc wagon next to it. A toyota fortuner pulled up to the parking on the other side and I couldn't help thinking how cool would the w210 body be on top of the ranger chassis, standing next to the fortuner. Suddenly the fortuner wouldnt seem rather boring. That reminded me of the ford cortina "muscle" that were produced here for a very limited time. Basically a ford cortina pick up, on jeep 4x4 axles. Then I thought, what about a cortina wagon on a ranger chassis. Maybe some day I will build it.
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I'd like to do one of these - Suzuki Sierra provides the chassis from memory.
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fogey
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,590
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Oct 13, 2019 13:07:05 GMT
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Having looked into this myself it is do-able, but there are still rules. DVLA will need to be advised of the rebody. At the very least they will want to see photographs of the original vehicle with Registration plates attached, and the bodyless chassis before the rebody. To fit the new body you can't alter the chassis but must alter the body to fit the chassis. That's as far as I got with my enquiries, (made from reliable, informed sources, not the bloke down the pub . . . . ) there may be other stuff to consider too - suggest you read up on the full rules before starting
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Last Edit: Oct 13, 2019 13:10:35 GMT by fogey
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Dez
Club Retro Rides Member
And I won't sit down. And I won't shut up. And most of all I will not grow up.
Posts: 11,712
Club RR Member Number: 34
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Oct 13, 2019 14:36:24 GMT
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Having looked into this myself it is do-able, but there are still rules. DVLA will need to be advised of the rebody. At the very least they will want to see photographs of the original vehicle with Registration plates attached, and the bodyless chassis before the rebody. To fit the new body you can't alter the chassis but must alter the body to fit the chassis. That's as far as I got with my enquiries, (made from reliable, informed sources, not the bloke down the pub . . . . ) there may be other stuff to consider too - suggest you read up on the full rules before starting Fairly close. The ranger is my second rebody. I’ve already done this one and had it inspected and signed off as A-OK by the DVLA. This also has an engine and gearbox swap so keeps 10 points of the original donor. They will ask to see a pic of what you started with, but it doesn’t have to be complete or have a reg. plate attached. No requirement to show pics of the chassis with body removed. They will also want a couple of pics of the ‘completed’ vehicle and at least 1 has to show the reg. Unless you’re extraordinarily lucky, they’ll send SGS to inspect it. I’ll have to dig out the pics I sent them. Here’s what happened when they came to inspect mine
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Oct 13, 2019 14:45:53 GMT
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Hello all! Yes, I've been super busy with all manner of things from engine swaps to chassis builds- the You tube channel etc. Not getting rich but having a ton of fun. I have however been SUPER BORED with the internet lately so if you see anything I might like DM me or tag me in it. Some days I don't even sit down at the desk to look at stuff because FB has made me think the internet (the world) is totally broken and filled with freaking idiots. I have been following a thread on here though. RR is still a sound investment of my time thankfully. So, on to the matter of the DVLA and chassis swaps. From what I can gather, if you leave the chassis and mechanicals alone and make the body fit on to that while retaining wipers, belts and most safety things- plus do it well- Good welds, sealed seams and with a strong and safe overall appearance, you can get these creations legal over there. EDIT: SEE ABOVE RANGER POST, Dude is geniusActually building it- IF you have the space to do it over there, I say absolutely 100% go for it. I know how most UK guys are fixed for space, a car in a lock up somewhere and only legal parking for one or 2 small cars at home. If you're doing a body swap/chassis swap- I've compiled a few things to consider, a "Grenade's Outline of chassis swaps" that one may find useful: 1. Decide on a budget and stick to it. Do the maths and make sure it fits into the budget. If you have 5k to invest, buy 2 things for around 2k each or less and allow a minimum of 1k for parts, tires, gaskets fluids etc. 2. Round UP with your numbers and expect to go over at least a little bit. The time allotment? On your first one- plan on 225 hours. Maybe it'll be less because the cars over there are so small. Trucks and big vans, double the welding time, fabrication etc. Mechanical skill and fabrication experience can lengthen or shorten this timeline respectively. 3. Decide on a "Fit and finish" level. Meaning that if you want a "Wow, I can't believe how nice this is" kind of vehicle, add more to the time and budget. If this is a dream vehicle for you and you will love and cherish it forever passing it down generations into the family, then go ahead with that perfection pursuit but adjust your time and money accordingly. If that isn't the situation and it's just for fun, then build it that way. Stay safe, but do not stress the details. Gaffer tape, zip ties, just keep that MOT in mind. It can be done. 4.Think ahead with the ruler and tape measure but do not over think it. Over simplify, in fact. The main things to consider are the relationship of the chassis wheelbase and how close the donor body is to that measurement. How will you or more accurately WHERE will you make up the difference? Keep that in mind plus remember that the driver controls, like the steering column and pedal box controls, must remain original if you want to lessen your MOT challenges. Sure- you might get that wheelbase pretty darn close but if the driver is sitting in the back seat- this isn't going to work. Once you've worked that out, the rest is like building Meccano or Lego. Just make a piece out of cardboard and then replicate it in steel. Weld, seam seal, paint. 5. Have fun. If the thing doesn't make you laugh or beam with pride at least a few times each build session, then it's really tough to complete. If something makes you sigh with dread when you think about it, kick it loose, sell it on because you didn't want it in the first place. 6. What about space? Plan on 2 cars obviously but remember that when you dismantle 2 cars you now have FOUR. Or at least junk that takes up that amount of space. 2 chassis and 2 bodies, piles of plastic interior- it's a MESS. 7. Selling off bits to help fund the build- Forget it. If you have tons of space and time to deal with internet people= "How much for this knob" and "Will you take .02 and my used wellies for the engine" bull$hit, then go ahead and sell the stuff but the reality is that your time needs to be spent building the thing not dealing with a few quid here or there. This isn't a lifelong project. Call a scrapper to haul the stuff away and get back to work. Most of it is unusable anyway and finding the right buyer takes months, even years. 8. Ask for help. If you need help ask for it. RR is FULL of super smart people. You tube is a great resource but be very careful where you get your information, some of us are total morons lol (see what I did there). Just because we filmed it doesn't mean we always know what we're doing. Enlist your friends to help whenever possible, have beer and pizza or crumpets- whatever you guys like If that helps you in your quest for a cool and functional build, than great! I'm here to help so holler if you need me. I'm going back outside to stand there and drink my coffee and work out how I'm getting this 580HP engine into the pile of garbage 4x4 ... Yes, seriously. Have a great time everyone!
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Last Edit: Oct 13, 2019 14:49:35 GMT by grenade
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Dez
Club Retro Rides Member
And I won't sit down. And I won't shut up. And most of all I will not grow up.
Posts: 11,712
Club RR Member Number: 34
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Oct 13, 2019 15:09:10 GMT
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Whilst grenade gives some good advice, personally I’d disagree/not fully agree with a few bits. 4.- there’s only so much you can ‘fudge’ and the finished product look decent. Trying to cover big differences in wheelbase or track width is only going to cause you problems that could probably be avoided with a different donor. Also, if there’s some things you really can’t move (legally or illegally!) make sure your ‘new’ bodywork covers them. Classic example of this is people using S10 chassis on early cars and the front mounted steering box sticking straight through the grille or front wing. 7. In the states maybe, but over here everything has a value and it’s often more than you think. Most people won’t talk about what they’re spent on their builds (or don’t want to admit it to themselves!) but here’s some rough costing a on mine. I haven’t fully costed the parts yet but I will do once I’ve sorted out all the receipts. I bough the original 47 truck for £3600. I registered it and sold the rolling chassis without engine for £2500 almost instantly! I’m not selling the flathead v8 as it’s being used in another project, but I’ve had at least 3 people try and buy it off me, all at £2-2500. If I sold it for that I’d have made enough profit for the ranger to be free! Even sieved or damaged engines are worth way more than scrap value. I didnt get to sell many of the ranger parts before I lost them all in the fire, but I put a half arsed ‘breaking’ advert on eBay and did a couple of hundred quid in a few weeks without even trying.that was kicking everything out super cheap, all £10-30 an item. If I’d put in a bit more effort and not lost all the ‘good’ sellable stuff I’d boxed up, I reckon I could have come close to recouping the 1600 quid the ranger cost without selling anything I needed.
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Last Edit: Oct 13, 2019 15:12:38 GMT by Dez
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Oct 13, 2019 15:33:39 GMT
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UK resale market then, Go for it! Yeah, we have so many cars and trucks here that used stuff just is not worth the energy.
I had a running RESTORED engine, gearbox and steering complete chassis with brakes that I removed from a 1951 International Harvester truck, someone did a frame off restoration on it and never finished it. I took expert pics and wrote a good advert- after three months I had ONE offer of 300 usd. Of course I sold it but I had to move it around a half dozen times and keep it covered etc. Nobody wanted it. It was probably impossible to duplicate at any price but nobody wants 80hp drum brake vintage junk unless I find that 80yr old guy 1500 miles away that wants the drum brake hardware for 20 bucks.
As far as the late model, recent year stuff- 2004 Durangos? You can't give that stuff away. I have a hard time getting the scrappers to take it. Body parts, interior bits- ZERO value. Nothing. Same with the V6 Toyota camry shells- less than scrap value.
I agree 100% that if you can actually get money with little effort on stuff that you're not going to need- SELL IT!
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Dez
Club Retro Rides Member
And I won't sit down. And I won't shut up. And most of all I will not grow up.
Posts: 11,712
Club RR Member Number: 34
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Oct 13, 2019 16:06:19 GMT
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Wow, that’s is a LOT different to here.
Over here people DO want all the 80hp drumbrake junk. Either to ‘restore’ something enough to get it registered before pulling it apart again, or for VHRA eligible builds. Ford stuff is always worth most, with Chevy not far behind. Off-brand like dodge is worth less though. I bought the full running gear out of a 37ish dodge truck cos I wanted the wheels and new tyres, and I still got £800 for the used-but-good engine, box and axles.
All the easily removable, easily damaged, easily postable parts for mid-2000s commercial vehicles are pretty in demand. Lights, mirrors, handles, etc. All sells quickly here. Body panels become more of an issue and tend to sell a bit slower, due to not being easily postable, but then I’ve also had very high offers for them of I am prepared to go to the trouble of packaging them, as a lot of people won’t ship them but conversely people don’t want to have to travel to collect. I once had a guy who wanted a bonnet so badly he offered me an extra £50 to go get a bike box from town and package it for his courier to collect.
It’s all about effort vs. Return, but if you’re efficient at stripping, sorting, labelling and listing, you can get a good return on your leftovers if you’re motivated.
I know it’s a bit of a bubble over here, but it really does show how different the two markets are and why so many people are still importing stuff.
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Oct 13, 2019 16:51:58 GMT
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I eventually found the Strange Rover I knew of from way back when. It was for sale back in 2013: www.bonhams.com/auctions/20933/lot/412/
I always thought this was much better than all those off-road MGB bodied Range Rovers. I would try to get narrower Rostyles and road tyres on it though. A 4.6 EFI V8 would work quite nicely in there.
There's a TR7 bodied Range Rover when I can find a decent image - this will have to do for now:
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Last Edit: Oct 13, 2019 16:55:01 GMT by theoldman
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Oct 13, 2019 21:07:26 GMT
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Yep, There's a million parts available here for pretty much everything so your efforts in "parting it out" or "breaking", ends up being less than 10 quid per hour on this side of the bucket. If you guys need something holler, I'll be glad to look around for ya. Stuff is like raindrops around here. That Strange Rover? WOW!!! LOVE THAT. I had a TR7 for a few days, was going to chop it but changed my mind. I thought it would fit great on a Suzuki or a Jeep. Never measured it though. I've got a new Dodge getting chopped for a Hemi build this winter: 54 Dodge. I'm going for a version of a Power Wagon, although these were never used as such. The chassis? Scrap.
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