chop it into a ute or sell it? whats it worth?

Post by **over land 4x4** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 5:33 pm

ok i was going to sell it then i was going to keep it and do a ute chop on it
but dont think im up to it anyway if i was to sell it how much would it be worth? and how much work to make the soft top body into a ute?

Post by **want33s** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 5:42 pm

Just my opinion ... but...
I reckon SWB's look stupid chopped down..

I think you'd be doing well if you got $350 for the rolling chassis and body.
Jas.

Post by **greg** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 6:11 pm

Am I the only swb sierra owner that hasn't worked out what the benefits are of cutting the back off the car???

I mean - absolute best case - you could end up with something that looks like this

In answer to your question though, I have previously swapped 4 sunnies ($200 equivillent) for an 85 drover rolling chassis and body...

Post by **Gwagensteve** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 6:56 pm

There are benefits?

*hmmm.. thinks really hard*

It's an afternoons work
It might work up a thirst.

That's all the benefits I could think of a ute chop.

That looks like a clean rolling chassis and tub. If they're matching numbers I reckon there's $250-$500 in it as is.

If you cut it into a ute? I hear scraps worth $70 a tonne.

Steve.

Post by **flyinwall** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 7:40 pm

where are you as i am after a project if you are near the sunshine coast ill give you $400 for it

Post by **over land 4x4** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 9:09 pm

im in vic so dont think this one is for you

Post by **alien** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 10:11 pm

Keep it as it is and build it back up... pretty sure years ago Skippy on here made a wooden tonneau for the back which supported a fair amount of weight... so all the benefits of a ute, but retaining the body and back space undercover.

Post by **Santos** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 11:11 pm

alien wrote:Keep it as it is and build it back up... pretty sure years ago Skippy on here made a wooden tonneau for the back which supported a fair amount of weight... so all the benefits of a ute, but retaining the body and back space undercover.

fibreglass tub and a drop down gate, its so easy.. you know you want too

Post by **grimbo** » Wed Jun 11, 2008 10:24 am

over land 4x4 wrote:im in vic so dont think this one is for you

I'll give you $100 for it and I'm serious

Post by **sierrajim** » Wed Jun 11, 2008 10:56 am

Put it on ebay, send Grimbo the link

Post by **grimbo** » Wed Jun 11, 2008 11:07 am

sierrajim wrote:Put it on ebay, send Grimbo the link

shhhhhh I need some new shelves and this would be perfect

Post by **tjm_tj** » Wed Jun 11, 2008 12:46 pm

chop it.....
then there is one less orginial drover around...
if we kill off enough of these things the value might go up

Post by **greg** » Wed Jun 11, 2008 1:41 pm

Jim,

Perhaps you can post up some pics of your own sierra with the mq diffs as a case and point...

Looked great as a swb full bodied sierra with way loads of tyre...

then you chopped the back off it and promptly got tired of it and parted it out.

Post by **fool_injected** » Wed Jun 11, 2008 2:16 pm

Gwagensteve wrote:There are benefits?

If you cut it into a ute? I hear scraps worth $70 a tonne.

Steve.

My bloke is actually getting over $200/tonne

Please send your scarp my way

Post by **over land 4x4** » Thu Jun 12, 2008 9:57 pm

im not going to chop it i dont think its a job i can do with the tool's time and money it will need so if any of you want to make an offer on it is now up for sale

Post by **GRPABT1** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 2:38 am

You can all lick my bag...

Better tyre clearance, heaps more storage space, raised fuel tank, stronger, cheaper rego/insurance and IMO it looks hot

Post by **basketcase** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 8:55 am

GRPABT1 wrote:You can all lick my bag...

cheaper rego

How do you get cheaper rego from a ute?? In qld it goes off cylinders not seats. And if that was the case I would be getting mine blue plated as a two seater today. Have been told that Vic goes off number of seats??

Post by **grimbo** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 9:31 am

over land 4x4 wrote:im not going to chop it i dont think its a job i can do with the tool's time and money it will need so if any of you want to make an offer on it is now up for sale

where?

Post by **GRPABT1** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 12:55 pm

The cheaper rego bit was because sometimes people get stung with registering as a convertible for a soft top. AFAIK convertables are a little dearer possibly due to insurance. Mines a soft top but registered as a ute.

Post by **sierrajim** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 2:29 pm

Better tyre clearance, heaps more storage space, raised fuel tank, stronger, cheaper rego/insurance and IMO it looks hot

Having had a soft top cut into a ute, a hard top, a factory ute and hard top thats been chopped to an extended cab ute.

1. If you spend the time you can clear tyres with tubbing of the rear.
2. Cleaver thinking results in great storage capacities (Gwagen steve might be able to post a pic or two of a car he's built for another guy)
3. Ute's draw LOTS of attention, it's very hard to make it look like it was built that way. If you get pulled over it doesn't take a brain surgeon to work it out.
4. Most ute conversions weigh lots more than a soft top with a good 4 point cage
5. You do not need to cut the back off your car to lift your tank (see point 2/cleaver thinking)
6. Unless your ute conversion is engineered your insurance is null and void.

My old red car wasn't engineered. Driving it as a full body wasn't so bad. As a ute, well it made it stand out a little more. It cleared 36" tyres with factory panels.

Post by **Guy** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 2:34 pm

Love that look...

Post by **sierrajim** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 2:36 pm

I'll build another one just like it one day as a Bush car when my other one gets a little too modded to drive on the road.

This does give me wood.

Post by **grimbo** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 2:38 pm

always thought your red one was cool full bodied. I've never liked the ute chop SWB, just look wrong to me. And yes Markil's LWB is very cool.

Would be interested to see some pics of this mystery GWagen Zuk you're talking about

Post by **over land 4x4** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 3:48 pm

grimbo wrote:
over land 4x4 wrote:im not going to chop it i dont think its a job i can do with the tool's time and money it will need so if any of you want to make an offer on it is now up for sale
where?

sorry forgot that bit im in geelong can call me on 0407181515

Post by **DeWsE** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 3:54 pm

Jim, my girlfriend is going to hate you tonight! She'll definately be making way for that picture of the full body rig!!

I wonder with some more guard manipulation would have those tires fitted without the bodylift?

Post by **sierrajim** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 4:00 pm

DeWsE wrote:Jim, my girlfriend is going to hate you tonight! She'll definately be making way for that picture of the full body rig!!

I wonder with some more guard manipulation would have those tires fitted without the bodylift?

Tyre clearance - yes the 36" tyres would fit with no body lift. The rears were tubbed, the front inner guards removed then re attached higher up the guard. There was still 2 inches between the top of the front wheel arch and the bonnet.

I'd run abody lift again simply for sill clearance, being able to lift the transfer case that little bit and so that the fuel tank could be lifted without sticking too far out of the floor.

Post by **GRPABT1** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 4:10 pm

In the end it's personal preference really. I never said utes were "better" just defending them by saying they do have advantages.

I bought mine ute chopped already for $3000 and it suits me for what I like to do in it. And yes the ute chop is engineered.

Post by **DeWsE** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 4:15 pm

sierrajim wrote:
DeWsE wrote:Jim, my girlfriend is going to hate you tonight! She'll definately be making way for that picture of the full body rig!!

I wonder with some more guard manipulation would have those tires fitted without the bodylift?
Tyre clearance - yes the 36" tyres would fit with no body lift. The rears were tubbed, the front inner guards removed then re attached higher up the guard. There was still 2 inches between the top of the front wheel arch and the bonnet.

I'd run abody lift again simply for sill clearance, being able to lift the transfer case that little bit and so that the fuel tank could be lifted without sticking too far out of the floor.

I hated my body lift, but i can't remember why. But I did swear i'd never do it again. I understand what your saying about the tank/tcase and sills. I remember shane lifted the tcase without the bodylif but it envolved some cutting of the floor and it was a headache getting the bolts done up especially with the tcase ring around it.

It was MK diffs right?

Post by **sierrajim** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 4:53 pm

DeWsE wrote:
sierrajim wrote:
DeWsE wrote:Jim, my girlfriend is going to hate you tonight! She'll definately be making way for that picture of the full body rig!!

I wonder with some more guard manipulation would have those tires fitted without the bodylift?
Tyre clearance - yes the 36" tyres would fit with no body lift. The rears were tubbed, the front inner guards removed then re attached higher up the guard. There was still 2 inches between the top of the front wheel arch and the bonnet.

I'd run abody lift again simply for sill clearance, being able to lift the transfer case that little bit and so that the fuel tank could be lifted without sticking too far out of the floor.
I hated my body lift, but i can't remember why. But I did swear i'd never do it again. I understand what your saying about the tank/tcase and sills. I remember shane lifted the tcase without the bodylif but it envolved some cutting of the floor and it was a headache getting the bolts done up especially with the tcase ring around it.

It was MK diffs right?

MQ diffs.

After having had a string of cars that have been of duibius legality (non engineered) I'll try to avoid going down that track again.

There is always an easy way to do something and a hard way to get the same end result. A body lift is just the easy way to get clearance, lift the transfer case etc without modifying a tunnel, cutting too much sheet metal off and so on.

Post by **tjm_tj** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 9:15 pm

i think you should take advantage of the chop and extend your wheelbase

i did a 4-5" stretch.... but it needs to be longer

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chop it into a ute or sell it? whats it worth?

chop it into a ute or sell it? whats it worth?

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