Mating old bodies onto new cars... interesting concept

[GTR240]

Now I’m not the biggest fan of everything that WCC do, but I happened to catch an episode of “Street Customs” where they took a 69 GTO and mated it with a 2006 GTO. It got me thinking, has anything like this been done in Australia and could you make something like this legal?

Another example: Jonathan Davis’s (KORN) old school Camaro mash up with a new Camaro

Another example: Will.I.Am's custom 59 Corvette C1 body on a cutom-made tube chassis with modern-day Corvette C6 running gear.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMiSBV4JrpM

I know I’m going to get flamed for saying this but I actually think it’s an awesome concept because it means you can own a “BRAND NEW” classic. It can also be achieved without having to chop up “original bodies”

http://www.reinventingwheels.blogspot.com.au/2011/10/blast-from-past-ford-reintroduces-1965.html

Blast from the past: Ford reintroduces the 1965 Mustang

A brand new body shell for the original Mustang convertible is now available to enthusiasts as an 'official' Ford licensed restoration part by Dynacorn Classic Bodies Inc. Instead of spending copious amounts of money fixing rust and welding in replacement panels, restorers can now transplant their running gear and interior parts onto the new body shell. ($15,000 USD.)

 

The main drawback is that unlike the older versions which were 'all American', the new models are made in Taiwan. Hopefully this means that the originals will retain their value and appeal to enthusiasts. According to a statement released by Ford, “New body shells are made with stronger steel and use modern welding techniques, making them better than the original.”

 

An older car is much more appealing to me than any new model on the market today as I have found that the former provides a driving experience like no other. The raw feeling, unrefined cabin noise and distinctive smells that an older car emits combined with the history of the car is what makes classic motoring so much fun!

 

When you buy a new car, one of the most important factors to consider is the kilometres that it’s travelled. With retro rides, you shouldn't care because the body, engine and trim will usually indicate how a car has been maintained irrespective of the kilometres it's travelled. Restoration is about reviving a relic and should never be an easy process.

The hunt for replacement parts both online and at wreckers or buying a donor car is what makes classic cars both unique and enjoyable.

 

Many will contest that this is the painful part of owning an older car, but the rewards of building an automobile that was ready to retire is a fulfilling feeling that can only be truly appreciated when experienced. I wonder if the Mustang reproductions will ever make it onto Australian roads? will ever make it onto Australian roads? It would be nice to see some more vintage vehicles chugging along in traffic.

I'd love to have an old school car that has the practicality of a new car for a daily driver and keep the original "genuine classic" as a weekender. That way you'd get the best of both worlds...

 

[zed240au]

Local guy here in tas has taken a hk monaro and and ve clubsport to get a classic shape with late model drive line and interior not sure if its finished but is well on the way Motor is a ls3 with supercharger which was pumping out 700hp so should be fun drive when finished

 

mick

[nizm0zed]

to my understanding of it, looking at the current ADR's.

 

You cannot make a car look like something else, eg,  if you had a 2008 commodore and changed the body shell to look like a 1986 ferarri (exreme example i know, but whatevs)

As far as the 'rego' is concerned, its officially still a commodore, but following the rules, it should be registered and engineered as a kit car, because it doesn't retain its origional identity, there is a percentage figure, but i cant remember.

now, if you follow the rules and engineer it as a kit car, you then need to either engineer it using the ADR's applicable to the origional car, in this case, the commodore.

The '86 ferarri wouldn't meet the pedestrian impact, ABS, airbag saftey systems ect, and probably a bunch of others that i cant really be bothered of thinking of, so it'd be quite hard to engineer it.

The other alternative that'll get you though, is to engineer it as an Individually Constructed Vehicle (ICV)

This opens up your options a LOT, as you are basically allowed to start from a clean slate, HOWEVER, at the time of inspection, it needs to apply to CURRENT ADR's, including a crash test. That last point means you need at least 1 other purely for the purpose of crashing it into a concrete block. Its not like they'll let you just crash a mock up shell either, it has to be an exact copy.

That becomes very expensive, with the ADR inspections, EPA testing, compliancing ect.

unfortunately its not feasible over here with our strict rules.

I am pretty sure however, that if you use a chassis that is over a certain age, you dont have these issues, hence why many hotrods are mounted on things like Datsun 720 chassis and the like.

In the case of the HK monaro getting the VE transplant, if he is starting with the HK as the 'chassis' then at the end, he'll have a much easier time getting past the ADR's applicable.

If it were the other way round, eg the VE chassis with the HK body grafted on, he'd likely never get it through.

 

bear in mind, none of that is taking into account the 'copyright' aspect of it at all.

im sure if you started knocking up fake Ferarri's and Lambo's, the original copanies would have something to say about that, possibly even a law suit.

Ford in the US has definately done it, right down to things that 'resembled' their cars.

 

Personally, i love the idea, i would love to get a SS camaro and drop the outer body onto the floorpan of a Chrysler 300C

the basic dimensions are real close too.

[sexual_sushi]

Not to exactly the same extent but at the All Jap day here in Brisbane over the weekend a guy had a picture on his mobile phone of an E Type Jag with 370z head and tail lights grafted onto it. They looked to fit the body lines perfectly although I'm not sure if the modern lights did the car any justice 

[Six_Shooter]

I like the concept of new running gear and convenience features in an old car, but cutting one body off and mating another body to a new chassis, just seems like the "easy way out" to me. I do understand there is plenty of measuring, and trimming, etc, especially getting door gaps and such to line up and fit, but it takes something away to me, it takes away that custom or hot rodder feel, of mating many parts together that shouldn't be.

 

This may not mean much to many of you in Australia, but around here, there seems to be a popular trend of using a frame and suspension from an '80s S-10 pick up, (http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1067/1281358209_f2afa3b2dc.jpg) and putting it under just about any body, car or truck. Most of the time the frame hangs low and looks terrible. These chassis cut and swaps just have too much of a close feel to the S-10 frame swaps.

 

I had at one time looked at using a later floor pan and such under one of my cars to get some mounting points for a conversion I was working on, but decided to go the full custom route instead, there was just too much in the way of compromise between what I wanted in the end and what a donor floor pan would give me.

[dat240z]

Isnt this what alot of Z guys have already done. I mean if I have changed my suspension, brakes, engine, box, diff, bushes, new modern guages, seats etc in an old 240z shell?

 

Old exterior, new modern gear?

[Six_Shooter]

Isnt this what alot of Z guys have already done. I mean if I have changed my suspension, brakes, engine, box, diff, bushes, new modern guages, seats etc in an old 240z shell?

 

Old exterior, new modern gear?

 

No, the above are using everything including the floor pan, firewall, and usually interiors from the new donor car, literally pull the body off the chasis, like those 1/25 staic models cars and place it on a different chassis.

 

Fitting a different suspension, especially one that is custom, or custom fitted, seems more hot rod-ish to me, and proper.

[NZeder]

I heard of guy here in NZ putting an Rx3 body on a Batman Rx7 Floor. Also there is an Escort Mk1 body on a cut down commodore floor that I have seen in flesh - lots of engine bay room now aka in goes a Lexus V8 for this Mk1 race car.

[KatoKid]

You Kiwi's are a deluded bunch!

[Scoota G]

After doing the 200B SR20DET conversion with brakes, diff and suspension it made me think it would be easier to mate the top of the 200B to an S13 bottom.

[GTR240]

For those that are interested:

http://www.build-threads.com/tag/chassis-swap/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrrsA1rwe_4

http://www.justauto.com.au/justcars/know/news/70c00c9d-bc6c-418b-a493-ab48c9ac4de5

[RBZ 260]

Mustangs on a fly (or something like that) in SA did an AU xr8 floorpan with 67 mustang top half.

 

Had an efi tickford v8 5 spd manual, abs, airbags, xr8 dash and seats etc..

 

From outside looked like a stock 67 mustang.

 

It was engineered and registered. Apperently not that hard. It had to be registered as 01 mustang custom. Hence it had to have airbags and abs from donor floor pan.

 

Car was recently sold over the border for measly 16k.

Bargain for amount of work.you would never guess it was grafted from two cars 34 years appart.

 

Modification marvel but a big financial flop.