Shortening chassis in Queensland

[BundyRumandCoke]

I have bought a SWB Daihatsu Rocky, originally for its gearbox and transfer case to be transplanted into my LWB. This has been done.
My eldest daughter has just turned 17 a couple of weeks ago, so will be looking for a vehicle in the near future.
The chassis on the SWB is absolutely stuffed, rusted everywhere and totally unusable. The body has rust, but it is probably repairable. In my spare parts inventory, I have a perfectly good LWB chassis. So I am thinking of shortening the LWB chassis to suit the SWB, which would involve cutting a section from the middle, then rejoining.
Anyone done this in Qld. DOT here in town know nothing, totally useless, they gave me a phone number for an engineer out of town. I guess it would have to be an engineered modification. Its not a job I would attempt personally. I could cut the chassis, but rejoining would be a job for an engineering works.
Any assistance would be appreciated.

[N*A*M]

it would be easier legally speaking, to do a ute conversion on the swb body and plonk it on an uncut lwb chassis. the body needs work anyway right? cut out the rust and build some sort of extra cab.

[just cruizin']

I've done the design work behind lengthening a chassis, same operation really. Yes it will need to be signed off by an engineer. If you're not going to do the work your self it would probably end up cheaper to buy another chassis. If you do do the work (not overly difficult) get the engineer to approve what you WANT to do BEFORE you do it. Rather then get caught out.

[mickyd555]

id try and sell the parts and then buy her a $500 car for starters. unless she really wants to build something........But a first car just needs to be able to start and drive, does her old man just need an excuse to build....

Legallity is though, check with an engineer, tell him your plans. He will say you need a certified welder to weld onto the chassis, but they dont need to issue you with a certificate. Then the engineer will check the work before you can drive it on the road.

[ISUZUROVER]

Yes it needs to be engineered.

As a guide, a mate in brisbane paid $1800 to have his ute chassis lengthened by 17", including lengthening propshaft, brakelines, exhaust and wiring, and all engineering approvals, mod plates, etc. Naturally your job would be a bit cheaper, but it will probably be $200 for the mod plate alone, and that much again for a certified welder to do the job.

id try and sell the parts and then buy her a $500 car for starters. unless she really wants to build something........But a first car just needs to be able to start and drive, does her old man just need an excuse to build....

My first car was my series IIA landie that I built myself and still own. In my first week of driving it (to uni) I met a chick whose father built her a 1957 series 1 landie as her first car. Some people have cool parents with good taste in cars!!!

[BundyRumandCoke]

Yeah, well, that fact is I dont really need an excuse to build one. Its just that I have so many spares here, I could build one without too many dramas. And do it a lot cheaper than buying one, and at least I would know what gremlins, if any, it had.