[drdave]

Hi guys and gals,

So we're converting the wife's 12/89 Vitara soft top from carby/3 speed trimatic to g16B Efi/AW4 from oct 94 swb hard top, I'm starting to think it may be easier to swap bodies and change the wiring harness rather than change the Motor/box/diffs/fuel tank etc over to her chassis but I'm a bit worried about the legalities of it here in sunny old Qld.

The 89 model is a soft top and already registered but that's not a huge deal. The 94 is hard top and has a G16B baleno dizzy motor and AW4, my understanding is the diff ratio's will be different and will need changing over anyway (probably tail shafts too).

I know I will still need to swap the wiring harnesses over but not having to basically take all the mechanicals might just be easier.

Any help would be appreciated.

Cheers
Dave

[jdk81]

Any reason you dont just register the hard top?
Seems better than swapping nearly everything over.

[drdave]

Thanks for the reply mate. Yeah there's a few, main one being the missus is already attached to this car (its her car and she already named it Bee).

The hard top body isn't nearly as good as the soft top body or paint wise and we really wanted a soft top for the fun factor (yes I know soft tops can be noisy and leaky, used to it in my old Austin Healy Sprite).

I'm already 3/4 of the way through pulling the harness out, your right it is a bloody big job but compared to my other build this is nothing.
Basically I just want to make sure this car is as good as it can be for the wife, she's only just learning to drive.

[got_bar_work]

The "car" is the chassis number .u can swap bodys thats fine its just a "body swap" and should be just a blue slip. U cant swap a chassis. If u do its now classed as the other car
I would put the sof top body on the hard top chassis and register it as the 94 . U could change the plates over at the time u cancel the 89 rego.

[just_cruizin]

It's a bit harder then that as the engine is from a third vehicle. You need a surrogate VIN which is more complex. If the engine was from a baleno I assume the vehicle wasn't EFI originally so that means the loom might be easily separated.

Still less work changing engine/box and diff centres. Everything else should be fine.

[drdave]

Thanks for the reply's,

The 94 is a factory EFI car and the Baleno motor is just a direct replacement of the original engine, using all the stock manifolds, computer, pollution gear etc. so would I still need a surrogate vin?

[just_cruizin]

Different chassis to engine to body, I'd think yes

[drdave]

Thanks again mate, I just managed to find this http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/~/media/Safet ... lhbody.pdf

Turns out you are right, for anybody else looking at a similar conversion the body section starts at page 55

Cheers
Dave

[Qthefun]

omg the things wives make us do...

[drdave]

Lucky she's worth it, although I am starting to have nightmares about wiring!

[Qthefun]

Yep mine is worth the world in gold and silver... but still why do they insist on doing things the hard way! lol

[drdave]

Lol, sadly its me that decided to do this swap. The parts car came up at the right price so I pulled the trigger, her car is a keeper so worth the effort and its her first car so I want it to be spot on. It would be a lot easier if the shed wasn't full of a custom Chrysler royal and all its parts!