[briszook]

hey all i have a 95 sierra that has decent running gear, a decent engine. However the body is in horrible shape, overspray, dents, surface rust etc. It's a soft top and what I was wondering is how much work is it to buy a wreck 1.3 softtop say one with a blown head gasket and swap over the body and panels from the donor car to mine?

[Fatzook]

As long as the donor car is the same model ( ie 1L, NT 1.3, WT 1.3 etc) it should just swap straight over. Could be done in a weekend.

[Gwagensteve]

Can be done in a day if you have a few people and are keen. Do consider though that it might mean for subsequent sale or if you need to re register/run the car over of pits. Of course you can swap all the build plates easily enough, but the car still won't match it's registration.

Steve.

[briszook]

what are the builder plates and why do they matter? i'm not changing the chassis or anything just swapping the cabin over. If I change it from a soft top to another soft top I don't think it will need anything? If I swap from soft top to hard top I think it might need a mod plate?

[jdk81]

It depends what your sierra is currently registered as.
Bit of checking on vicroads, out of interest.
Daves4x4 red tin top is called a util
Suzukikid soft top is a sedan
my soft top is a multix
a big fat WTF

From reading the NSW thread about similar issues, i would presume QLD transport are just as random

[Gwagensteve]

You have a chassis number on the chassis and that number is replicated on the build plate (its blue, glued to the body and quite hard to remove) and the compliance plate (riveted on and easy to swap) I imagine your registration label and/or authority has the chassis and engine numbers. Not sure about qld, but in Vic the vin is on the registration label, so you'd need to get a new reg label to swap (or carefully swap windscreens)

If you swap both plates onto the new car, you might have an issue because the registration description won't match the body style. That might get hard to explain.

If you swap only the compliance plate you're committing fraud.

If you don't swap either plate your chassis and body won't match. More problems if you encounter mr policeman and have to go over the pits etc.

I'm not saying dont do it (i have done it with a club members car here in vic) just be aware it might be hard to get rid of. The car I am talking about was never defected or sold.

Steve

[briszook]

The car has been run by me without water for a few hundred km recently. However the engine from what I can tell has always been well looked after. I'm not worried about reselling it at all and I will never let the rego lapse. I plan on just running it until it dies then buying a new sierra and taking parts from this onto my new sierra. The thing is it hasn't had a back part on for over 12 months and has been a daily. It has been completely wet so many times all the seats are fucked, there is surface rust in the tub etc however from what I can tell the running gear and engine are decent and I am really considering buying a body and swapping it over. However it seems like it might be more hassle than it's worth. Do you have any suggestions for my situation? car is 95 soft top, extracts with receipts, 50 mill arb lift with receipts, arb bullbar with built in blinkers, roll bar in the back that is near the pillar takes up no room however it very strong.. all the panels have overspray and and dinged and the body isn't in great shape. I'm thinking i'd get 1000ish cash, maybe if i parted 200 for the bull bar, 150 for the roll bar, not sure on the other stuff...

[Scrawny]

Hunt around for a Tintop and swap the good bits off your soft top onto the Tintop?

[christover1]

Agree, I'd buy, reg and roadworthy a good stock Sierra, then transfer your good bits over once ready

[suzukikid]

Jdk how do you know all this about my car when you have never seen it?

[Scrawny]

suzukikid wrote:

Jdk how do you know all this about my car when you have never seen it?

You'd be surprised at what there is on the Internet if you know where to look

[jdk81]

I went to the first vic trip thread with sierra number plates showing, then checked them on vicroads website.
Anyone can do this.
http://vre.vicroads.vic.gov.au/

If it offends you, you can hide your plates, and let Vicroads know you're opposed to their system as it violates your privacy. Fairly sure how that conversation will go.

Im sure there are lots of other things that can be done with the correct info, that people unwittingly garnish all over the internet (and that's scary)

[suzukikid]

Haha Jesus! I guess ya right... When ya buy a car all ya need is the number plate to check if its stolen and stuff! Scarey stuff hey! Haha

[briszook]

How much would wreckers want for a soft top full body? so bonnet, guards, doors, rear tub, front tub etc?

[briszook]

and the roll bar i have looks like this. It's a really nice rollbar because people can still sit in the back and it doesn't take up heaps of room.

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=40728

[jdk81]

You looking to buy off them, or sell to them?
If selling to them... $150 if lucky.
Better off selling bits and pieces here.

If buying... probably heaps.
Better off buying bits and pieces here.