alberta mac
addicted but not cured
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That one's a beaut !
79 dual cab dreaming ... (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter ukaviator
- Start date
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I keep thinking of doing that to the-78 I got, but with my new job I won’t have the time.
79 series single cab boxes can be had if you know where to look.
I have yet to see an actual double cab brought into Canada. Someone prove me wrong
I have yet to see an actual double cab brought into Canada. Someone prove me wrong
I sent an email off to one of the big body builders who did most of the 75 series dual cabs and asked them if it was possible to buy the extra bits. They said the parts were built by them but the rules have changed in Australia and its now illegal to increase your seating capacity.
I don't know for sure, but I believe that NHTSA regulates which kinds of car parts can be sold and installed on road vehicles in the US. They are under the FMVSS (FMVSS). Correct me if I am wrong, but one cannot legally import a body for installation on a road worthy vehicle, if that body does not comply with FMVSS. Cars and their associated parts that fall under the 25 year rule are exempt, so I believe you could buy an old 75 series cab and install, but anything newer is, I believe, not legal for import, and thus not allowed for install. Sorry to be a wet blanket, that is, if what I say here is correct.
Whether FMVSS is strictly enforced is debatable, as evinced by the number of cabs installed in the US on vehicles, some even to a very high quality. And, one could debate how sensible FMVSS is in this case, if the replacement cab is more structurally sound than something rusty that it is replacing. I don't know how kit car applications interact with FMVSS.
I agree that it would make an awful nice setup.
Whether FMVSS is strictly enforced is debatable, as evinced by the number of cabs installed in the US on vehicles, some even to a very high quality. And, one could debate how sensible FMVSS is in this case, if the replacement cab is more structurally sound than something rusty that it is replacing. I don't know how kit car applications interact with FMVSS.
I agree that it would make an awful nice setup.
Hello,
Yes, Japan did not get an "official" dual cab until the 30th anniversary models.
However, I have seen a few (read: less than four) dual cab 75/79 Series for sale in JDM auctions. They looked factory, but it is possible they were chopped 77s. This is the last one I saw there; the listing mentioned a frame number that started with HZJ79.
View attachment 1832194
I would look for a South African modified dual cab 75 in good shape; any 79 is still too young at this time for import. I would make sure the truck complies with the 25 year rule. A good excuse for a trip to South Africa, I guess.
Juan
Last edited:
Eco 45
Supporting Vendor
It’s irresponsible to engage in such baseless speculation. Shame on you. This is why people go to law school. It is indeed possible to legally import a body, and subject to your state’s rules to mount it on a legal chassis. Profitt’s did it, perfectly legally.
Yeah, I think the discussion is about a unmodified original vehicle.
c2dfj45
Supporting Vendor
Not the most significant thread resurrection I've seen on Mud but 18 months is, I think, bringing it back from the dead.
Disclaimer: I did not attend law school. I have, however, read A LOT of government regulations related to vehicle importation, and spoken with other members here on the forum whom I respect and believe have knowledge well beyond my own.
@DenverWoody, I must respectfully disagree with your assessment: "...irresponsible to engage is such baseless speculation. Shame on you."
I see you are in Denver. After our shelter in place order eases up and we can share a socially distanced beverage I would love to meet up and discuss further. Always trying to educate myself and would love to hear your perspective.
He said "I don't know for sure" and "Correct me if I am wrong". It's not like he's proclaiming what he says is 100% factual.
That said, posting "Shame on you." and accosting someone for a nearly 2 year old post is a bit out of bounds. One might call it irresponsible.
Pour a scotch and take a load off, man.
bottombracket
SILVER Star
Wait.....what......I know something about a 4 door LC79??
Maybe I do
Duuuuuuuuuude......if that’s 79 #3.....
Wow, we only have a handful of single cab 79 Series currently running in the U.S. and we're already talking about the next great thing. We're a fickle bunch. 
bottombracket
SILVER Star
If I could procure a quad cab body right now (without selling a kidney) there’d be one more 79 single cab and body in the classifieds.
gilmorneau
SILVER Star
What, do you guys never check the classifieds? There's a Meano quad cab 70-series available right now! Ha!
See here:
forum.ih8mud.com
BTW, for the record, I did go to law school, and the above isn't as clear cut as @DenverWoody would make it seem. He's right that "subject to your state's rules" it could be OK to mount a legally imported body onto a "legally in the USA" chassis as far as your State government is concerned. But as the United States is a Republic, and consists of State governments and a Federal government, there are two sets of rules to play by. Sometimes they conflict. As far as the Federal government is concerned, when you start piecing together your own car, you become the manufacturer, and thus are bound by relevant FMVSS. That said, the chances of anyone at the Federal level giving a sh*t is minimal.
See here:
SOLD - Meano 75 series dual cab body, so cal
Hey everyone, I’m looking to sell my project. I have a 75 series dual cab body custom built by meano in South Africa.It’s in pretty good condition given that it’s an 87 body. I was going to put it on a stretched 80 series frame. Things change and would like to get $6500 for it, that’s what I...
forum.ih8mud.com
BTW, for the record, I did go to law school, and the above isn't as clear cut as @DenverWoody would make it seem. He's right that "subject to your state's rules" it could be OK to mount a legally imported body onto a "legally in the USA" chassis as far as your State government is concerned. But as the United States is a Republic, and consists of State governments and a Federal government, there are two sets of rules to play by. Sometimes they conflict. As far as the Federal government is concerned, when you start piecing together your own car, you become the manufacturer, and thus are bound by relevant FMVSS. That said, the chances of anyone at the Federal level giving a sh*t is minimal.
Premise #1 ..... I'm not a lawyer, I haven't stayed in a Holiday Inn Express in years and I have no interest in getting in the middle of this thread however I am curious about this statement.
"As far as the Federal government is concerned, when you start piecing together your own car, you become the manufacturer, and thus are bound by relevant FMVSS."
Are the thousands of guys that take these old bodies and mate them to modern frames and drive trains somehow breaking a federal law?
"As far as the Federal government is concerned, when you start piecing together your own car, you become the manufacturer, and thus are bound by relevant FMVSS."
Are the thousands of guys that take these old bodies and mate them to modern frames and drive trains somehow breaking a federal law?
gilmorneau
SILVER Star
Probably, in most cases. As with everything pertaining to the law, the answer is: "it depends". (And "who cares?")
The Federal government defines an automobile manufacturer as “any person, partnership, corporation, association....engaged in the manufacturing or assembling of passenger cars" (15 USCS § 1221 Title 15. Commerce and Trade; Chapter 27). Automobile manufacturers (in your hypothetical, that would be the hot rod builder) are required to comply with USDOT FMVSS as of the date of manufacture. Most hot rod builders probably don't. There's also the EPA. If the motor in said hot rod is not EPA certified, with all original emissions equipment in place and operational, it's a violation of the tampering provision of the Federal Clean Air Act (CAA) (42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.) .
That said, and to reiterate the important bit of all this, the above are really just technicalities as they relate to the average hot rod building citizen. While Federal laws do exist that cover such instances, the Federal government mostly leaves the job of regulating "one-off" vehicles to the States. If a hot rod makes your local and State authorities happy, no one from the Federal government is likely to come looking for you, even if your car violates Federal statute. That is, the chances of anyone at the Federal level enforcing said laws is minimal, to say the least. Effectively zero.
Note that @Reinhardtius original point (from 2018 lol...) was that the legalities of importing a newer than 25 year old body and attaching it to a US legal chassis are, shall we say, fuzzy. About that he is correct. A less than 25 year-old car body could only be legally imported if any part for which there is a relevant FMVSS is removed or destroyed prior to importation. Which is pretty much the whole thing. Assuming you could get the body past Customs, and in the unlikely event that someone at US DOT got a wild hair and decided to come after you for it, your legal bills could mount quickly. Maybe you win, maybe you lose. But again, not likely to happen and at least no one at the State level is likely to care once it's in the US.
Look, I don't care what guys do. A guy wants to put a new 70 cab on an old 80 chassis? Good for him. It's his money, it's his risk (such as it is). I get to enjoy his build thread and say things like: "look at that cool truck!" Would I do it? No, but that's just me.
And lastly...to clarify my bona fides, while I did go to law school, I am not a practicing attorney, and certainly not one specializing in Federal Motor Vehicle law. I do however, have a pretty good understanding of how the law works (for what that's worth).
pure and simple answer, as soon as you touch a data tag you can get in federal trouble with anything.
There is no staff to find this UNLESS people start pointing fingers which is what some on this forum do.
The best advice is to keep a low profile and get a cab in as parts to build off of. Finding parts are a trick as rear doors are unique and front doors should be same as pick up (or 76?).
There is no staff to find this UNLESS people start pointing fingers which is what some on this forum do.
The best advice is to keep a low profile and get a cab in as parts to build off of. Finding parts are a trick as rear doors are unique and front doors should be same as pick up (or 76?).
FJBen
SILVER Star
The most simple answer is the right one.
