seeking info 40 series body 80 series chassis

[3lud13]

Im sure I have seen multiple threads sites and forums full of this sort of stuff but now I am thinking of doing it I cant find anything.
Im wanting to remove the body of the 80 series and turn it into a 45 dualcab ute. Wondering how well the body will fit the chassis as I currently dont have the cab or chassis close by but have a friend who has a 80 series going cheap and thinking of buying a fibreglass body from noosa fibreglass. So before parting with some large sums of money I thought I better check for fit before anything else
link to the site I will get the body from www.ozeastfibreglass4wd.com.au
and the chassis is a series 1 80series hz motor 5speed box though I will probably later change motor out for the hdft.

 

[ColoradoCarlisle]

Redline cruisers just started doing that as well

I would love to do this too
Best of both worlds IMHO

 

[winnie]

not sure about the underpinnings, but I thought I read in a thread here that Aqualu offers an aluminum body for this kind of project ... could be an additional option besides fibreglass ...

 

[watrob]

I have a Oz East body (extended), it will cost you around $12k finished (that's if you put it together yourself). Also your talking about making it wider & longer for a 80 series chassis which Oz East could do but that will cost you I would say another $5-$7k easy, a lot of work in that. Wiring, instruments etc, would say its a min $25k cost without labour, and that's a lower end estimate.

Trust me I know, and you will have a hard time getting it engineered, full fibreglass conversions have to go over the Queensland Transport pits, have to have a letter from Qld's Transport that your doing a full fibreglass conversion & a reply from them saying you can go ahead otherwise when you show up at the pits they won't even look at it, (Oz East is registered with them) and you have to use a steel roll cage which must be covered by a minimum of 20mm thickness of industrial grade cushioning (rubberised foam), and 20mm wall thickness is hard to find and it not cheap (no going to the Clarks Rubber store).

Every fibreglass panel has a Oz East stamp on it, he has registered them with Queensland Transport as per there requirement, so you will have to be carefully if you alter them yourself liability wise in a crash.

I reckon your build will be over $35k easy?

 

[3lud13]

Redline cruisers just started doing that as well
I would love to do this too
Best of both worlds IMHO

That is kind of my train of thought too I love the look and shape of the 40 but I really want the extra height of coils better engine and whatnot of the 80 plus I kinda decided sometime ago I really want an 80 series

not sure about the underpinnings, but I thought I read in a thread here that Aqualu offers an aluminum body for this kind of project ... could be an additional option besides fibreglass ...

Well Im in Australia and as much as I would love an aluminum body I think the shipping may end up abit exxcessive

I have a Oz East body (extended), it will cost you around $12k finished (that's if you put it together yourself). Also your talking about making it wider & longer for a 80 series chassis which Oz East could do but that will cost you I would say another $5-$7k easy, a lot of work in that. Wiring, instruments etc, would say its a min $25k cost without labour, and that's a lower end estimate.

Trust me I know, and you will have a hard time getting it engineered, full fibreglass conversions have to go over the Queensland Transport pits, have to have a letter from Qld's Transport that your doing a full fibreglass conversion & a reply from them saying you can go ahead otherwise when you show up at the pits they won't even look at it, (Oz East is registered with them) and you have to use a steel roll cage which must be covered by a minimum of 20mm thickness of industrial grade cushioning (rubberised foam), and 20mm wall thickness is hard to find and it not cheap (no going to the Clarks Rubber store).

Every fibreglass panel has a Oz East stamp on it, he has registered them with Queensland Transport as per there requirement, so you will have to be carefully if you alter them yourself liability wise in a crash.

I reckon your build will be over $35k easy?

Yes I do kind of know about the Queensland laws about the fibreglass body as I was living there when I had my last 40series and is actually how I found noosa fibreglass I really wanted a fibreglass tub then but couldn't afford it now its more within my realms.
It doesn't need to be longer as I just want the cab and will end up building an aluminum tray for the rear but you mentioned wider what is the width difference do you know?
Maybe it could be easier to find a couple of old cabs and do abit of cutting and pasting then (well welding)
Still planning and thinking about it atm and gathering information currently haven't said yes to my mate with the 80 series yet still deciding and seeking advice

 

[watrob]

The difference in width would around 4", its not the body so much but you have to widen the guards at least and when that happens its starts to look funny. Although I am bias because of my build, you have to look at the long term thing.

Lets face it, you spend big $ it has to last, be enjoyable to drive and your partner (if you have one) will enjoy the vehicle as well and final it mostly won't be your DD.

You mentioned you had the dollars to a certain degree, so where will be your most expense (build it good, build it once), mostly likely the fibreglass body, but they don't rust, so once built & painted will last, hardly any maintenance. Its easier to work with metal but then you will then be fighting rust for ever because your starting with 30 year old metal to begin with (there are no aluminium tubs in Australia).

Also Oz East is going to retire in the next 3-6 years, then there are no fibreglass bodies in Qld anymore, so if your going to do fibreglass, do it now. I treat my 43 as hobby, its not my DD, its what we use on the beach, pull our jet-ski, small boat, fishing, supping, BBQ and day touring up the beach.

My current 40 lasted 7 years so far, but the beach destroys leaf spring, shocks and anything metal, although my chassis is gal dipped a lot on the metal components were not, this time they are. Engine wise I was told put in a 12ht, I went 2H, jet-skies in 2007 weighed 300kg, today a 3 man ski weighs 478kg, at 2H cannot drag that thru soft beach sand at high tide and let alone drive two locked diffs with 33" tyres.

A 40 has no room in the back after you install a bench seat, a 43 has, a 45 dual cab would be brilliant , how would you do it. Walk into Oz East with brief case, as him to build the body (he could, he did my one of 43) and then build the chassis to suit.

I think I have just had a Martin Luther King moment, I had a dream, I have Oz East building something for me at the moment, wonder if we ask him to build 2 what the cost would be?

 

[Sporty Forty]

I was going to do my 40 series quad cab on an 80 series chassis. Chassis is sitting here, but I went to the 45 car I have and will be using that and putting 80 series rear and GU front on it and getting ute body and putting a full swb body behind it. should give 4 doors and a cargo area. Was going to do dual cab ute but decided on going this way.
Also using the 45 chassis allows me to keep club rego and not have to jump through the adr's for the 80 series.
You could always get 2 utes bodies and graft them together.

below is a photo of a dual cab being done here in melbourne. running pootrol gear and ls1. he's been working on it for a few years now and progress looks low. Running on a 47 chassis with an extra 400mm in the central area.