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79series ute onto 80 series chassis

Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 10:19 am
by micntor
Gday all,
I currently roll around in a 79 series ute with the 1HZ, slow!! Just bought a rolled 80 series with the 1HDT in it.
What I'm wondering is the legality of dropping the ute body onto the 80 chassis? Then I get turbo plus wider track plus coils (YAY)

Has anyone done this swap before?

Thanks

Mic

Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 6:01 pm
by crozza
People seem to chop up an 80 intoa ute easy enough, so why cant you make a ute into an 80??? Even though it remains a ute anyway..cant see a problem myself.

Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 6:45 pm
by Barno111
Heaps of people put 75 series bodies on 80 chassis's!

Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 7:02 pm
by ShortAss40
I've had a chat to an Engineer in Vic about something similar, and he said you can put a newer body on an older chassis, but not the other way around.

Also if you want to repair the 80 series, or chop an 80 series into a ute, I've got a body sitting in my driveway if you want it!

Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 8:09 pm
by Wambat
why cant you put the older body on the newer chassi? i want an 80 chassi under my 75 maybe, get a better motor, wider track, and better cvs, plus the ability to go for longfileds. oh an coils.

micntor, i think it would be a relatively easy mod to do, i belive it would be miles easyer than putting coiled diffs under the original chassi and swaping the motor out,

Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 10:07 am
by stock.as.arock
mate i was thinkin the same thing just the other day sept i wanted my 75 to go on one and i dont even think they change the body much if any between the 75 and 79 keen to see if it can be done

Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 10:53 am
by micntor
Cheers for the info guys, Sounds doable!!!
A build up thread will follow in the coming months.

Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 4:06 pm
by crozza
This idea has been floating around in my head aswell. 75 series body onto a 80 series chassis. Only reason why I havent done it is I havnt found a rolling chassis as yet.

the time will come..

Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 4:22 pm
by +dj_hansen+
Wambat wrote:why cant you put the older body on the newer chassi? i want an 80 chassi under my 75 maybe, get a better motor, wider track, and better cvs, plus the ability to go for longfileds. oh an coils.

micntor, i think it would be a relatively easy mod to do, i belive it would be miles easyer than putting coiled diffs under the original chassi and swaping the motor out,
This has been done, call Autocraft in Geelong on 5221 1371 and ask for Darren.

Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 6:49 pm
by Joombi
has anybody done this in Queensland and have it passed?
I want to do this to my 75

Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 9:52 pm
by soenke
we have done that with a J4 cab...dealing with the german TÜV ain´t easy, but it was no problem, just registered the car as the 80 further on, with slight modifications...
Image

You could use wider front fenders from arctic trucks http://www.arctictrucks.com/Frontpage/About-Us/History , they fit perfecty and would cover the wider 80 front axle nicely...
Image

Greetings Sönke

Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 10:11 pm
by booykj
gday,

am in same boat, inherited the old girls 80 series stock as... getting 79 series body soon off a mate.... am wanting to do the same conversion... i rekon with wider stanc and coils all round it will look boss.


Will be hard to decide wat to drive between my gu ute and this when its done... haha

Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 10:41 pm
by loosecanon
hey mick, yea mate im in the process of dropping my 40series tub on an 80 series chassis, you can get a body to chassis conversion mod plate done, ive seen a scat tub on 80 series chassis done and plated just the other day so should'nt be a problem, but have a lood at patrol diffs to under there a lot stronger

Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 1:00 am
by soenke
hey loosecanon
If you want to go with the old cable-speedo (as it suits the J40 best) , you´ll need the 80 powersteering wich goes without a electonic speed signal. You re going to mount the engine further back?? other options would be to put the radiator in the back or use an body-lift for the cab as we did...


The J79 has an electronic speedo, but I don´know if the 80 powersteering can read it...

Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 12:38 pm
by Wambat
+dj_hansen+ wrote:
Wambat wrote:why cant you put the older body on the newer chassi? i want an 80 chassi under my 75 maybe, get a better motor, wider track, and better cvs, plus the ability to go for longfileds. oh an coils.

micntor, i think it would be a relatively easy mod to do, i belive it would be miles easyer than putting coiled diffs under the original chassi and swaping the motor out,
This has been done, call Autocraft in Geelong on 5221 1371 and ask for Darren.
hey mate, im not saying it hasnt, im just asking as some one else said that you cant do it legally.

and i agree with crozza, finding the rolling chassis is the problem.

Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 3:36 pm
by stock.as.arock
has anyone got any pics of a 75 ute done

Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 10:03 pm
by micntor
Sweet info!!!
loosecanon, did you hit any major problems so far? different bodyy i know, but all info is helpful.

Mic