More than possible. Excellent idea.

 

Looking at what you have already and meeting you the other week you strike me a Shroud character and if its at all possible you would be the man to do it good look pal keep posting updates and pictures :tup:

Mike

 

Got the body off the mazda, I have kept the bulkhead and floor section of the cab because I want to try and make life easier and utilise some of it into the chevy cab, it will make life a little easier for mounting seatbelts, brake master cylinder, clutch master cylinder seat etc. Although the wheelbase is a very close match, the chevy sits alot further back on the chassis than the mazda cab. My chevy cab has no floor or bulkhead in it. So rather than fabricate all of it, if I can use some sections of the mazda floor and bulkhead it will save time and expense. Talking of expense, I weighed the pickup bed and some other bits of the mazda in for £100, so thats a bit more into the kitty.
So, This is where I am at now.

I have left the brake servo connected and some other ancillaries to make it easier to mock up when the shell goes on.

 

Seriously considered a similar thing not that long ago but for once decided to take the easy route and buy something (relatively) normal. 'Don't mean to hijack your thread but this was the inspiration for me...

This was based on a First Generation (1980s) Ford Ranger, which shared some DNA with the Mazda trucks - don't see why yours shouldn't look this good - or better, as yours is steel and this is 'glass, maybe a little less shiny...
Best of luck - I shall watch with interest.

 

Good plan...but I would say that wouldn't I ?

 

I think this makes good sense I hope you are able to meet your sub £2000 target, at least there should be no cost involved in getting it registered.

 

Right then, after stripping the panels down and removing the doors, I could eventually manage to move the cab shell around on my own, ended up having to lie it on its side, push the mazda out alongside it and with the help from wilksey, we rolled the cab onto the mazda frame somewhere near where it had to be, pushed the mazda back into the garage and set about building it back up, Its a bit frustrating really, as the cabs final resting place depends on the front panels being reassembled and bolted to the cab, This is all because everything depends on centring the front wheels in the wheelarches of the wings, so working from the front backwards, I've put the front wings, grill and rad support panel together, surprisingly, to get the front wheels in the right place meant the body being shoved back quite abit more than I expected, so much so that the rad support panel had to be cut and shortened in height due to sitting above the front crossmember of the mazda. even the bottom of the grill was hitting the cross member, so a bit of adjusting here and there has things just about clearing, I wanted as low a ride height as possible for everyday use, which to be honest caused some of the grief, if I lifted it up a few more inches it would have been a much easier fit and build. But here is where everything is at the moment.

 

Due to the height issue, the easiest way of mounting the cab is going to be by mounting 2 parallel lengths of box section on the original mazda rubber chassis to body mounts and then mount the floor and cab onto these, so when its all done 4 bolts will release the whole cab from the original mounts, it would be alot easier to weld new mounts off the chassis but because I am using the 8 point system for registering, I daren't mess with the chassis at all, another pisser, is the first two pickup body mounts have ended up just inside the back panel of the cab. again would have been nice to cut them off and move them back 4 inches, but they will have to stay for now. so this is a rough mockup of the mounts.

 

tony once again you have my attention, this looks like a very interesting project. :tup: keep the pics and updates coming :smoke:

 

Another great project Tony, you are shit hot at these body swaps far play to you :tup:

 

I look at it like this, Its going to be the only way to have what you want without all sorts of red tape, it also makes body shells and basket cases a real viable proposition instead of spending thousands on complete projects or on the road vehicles.

 

FYI, i bought the front end of your truck several years ago. It came from a film prop company. It had been used as a stage prop in the musical 'car man'. I seem to remember google-ing it and finding some screen shots of it on stage.
Anyway, good luck !

Paul

 

Thanks for that, I will have a mooch around on tinterweb, Mark did tell me something like that when I bought it from him. its progressing rather rapidly now, will try and get time for update over the weekend.

 

I like this idea (old body on a later model chassis) and I suspect we'll be seeing a whole bunch more of them in the future. Another project I'll be following. I suppose pickups are most suitable body styles as you've got more scope for modifying the bed/ wheelarches to suit the wheelbase of the donor chassis.

 

Its more a case of they are more or less the only modern vehicles still made with a chassis, these and 4x4 models.

 

Firstly, Change of plans regarding mounting the cab, the more I looked at it, the more I did not like the two channel sections, too agricultural. So, I decided to tackle it from a different direction, I had always planned on using as much of the left over Mazda floor and bulkhead as possibe, A. to save time and money over fabbing a fresh floor and bulkhead, B. it makes it much easier as regards mounting brake servo, clutch cylinder, pedal box, steering column, seat and seatbelt mounts etc etc etc.....
So I measured the inner cab floor, alot narrower than the Mazda, and cut as big a section as I could get into the cab, for two days solid, I was measuring and trial fitting stuff, because every time I mock it up I have to chuck the seat, steering column and pedal box in to make sure I can get in it and its actually drivable. Eventually, I realised that the floor had to go back onto the chassis in the same place that it came off, but the floorpan needed to be shortened by around 4 inches, but this made the pedal box ans steering wheel etc too close to the seat, so The only solution was to "set" the bulkhead forward by the same amount, ie, the bulhead sits further forward than the chevy one. I am reaaly sorry, but I keep forgetting to take pics when I'm doing it, so firstly, the floorpan needed lifting about 3-4 inches, so I knocked up a set of body mount risers.

so, these were bolted onto the original chassis mountings, then the original mazda rubber body mounts were bolted onto top of them ready for the floor to attach to. now this is where I forgot about taking pics as I went, to be honest I got totally engrossed in what I was doing and just kept ploughing on with it, so, the floor was bolted down on the mounts, next step was to fix it to the cab, so I trimmed back the edges of can and floor and welded them together, the next day, I cut the Mazda bulkhead down and after hours and hours of trial fitting and the afore mentioned refitting the seat pedal box, steering column etc, I actually got sick of chucking it in and out. But, these things are sent to try us, and try us they do.
So, EVENTUALLY, this is what we got to, floor in, bulkhead loosely tacked in, floor sectioned and shortened so that everything could be fitted up and tried for size, after more adjustments than I care to mention, I eventually got it so I could fit in it (comfortably) and drive it, ie, reach everything.

I ought to point out here, fitting the bulkhead on my own was one hell of a job, I would get it millimeters away from where I wanted it, then it would fall off the various props and jacks I was using. But, not that I am billy no mates or anything, I just prefer to work on my own and usually get much more done.

note, its only provisionally held in place in the last pic, it will be seam welded all the way round, front and back, well actually I have finished the drivers side now and the top. So now to address the hole in the footwell, trimmed down the original left over section, and tack welded that in.

Then seamed all the way round. funny story, fitted a new gas supply solenoid on the welder 3 weeks ago. Half way round welding that piece of floor in, the welder started spattering and struggling to weld, so I gets out from being wedged inside the cab, and started checking what was wrong, realised there was no gas coming through, now, when the new, genuine solenoid arrived, it was fault and I had to use the new relay and my old brass fitting to make it work, so I was already disgusted with the new part, So I starts throwning stuff around and cussing and swearing aloud (to myself) that new parts are bloody shit nowadays, three weeks old and the relay is knackered now aswell. Then I rolls my eyes, and as I looked up, noticed the gas bottle gauges aren't reading anything, Doh!, out of gas.
So anyway, welded floor in and put everything back in again.

I have since started refitting the wiring loom and believe it or not, the mazda clockset very nearly fits into the empty glovebox hole, so thats the next job, then get it running, drive it out, turn it round and set about the floor and bulkhead on the other side. Got the bit between my teeth now, next update in a few days.

 

Now running, connected the brakes, clutch, steering and clockset, drove it forwards and backwards last night, feeling quite chuffed with myself.

 

Now running, connected the brakes, clutch, steering and clockset, drove it forwards and backwards last night, feeling quite chuffed with myself. bearing in mind I've only been on it on and off for just under 2 months. can't seem to delete the previous post..........anyway, now decided that a roofchop is on the cards, and maybe suicide doors.............

 

Your doing a great job with this though dont chop it :tdown: i sold my 51 Chevy pickup about 18 months ago and personally think there a good looking truck as is , though the suicide doors sound good ........just my personal opionion on the chop :incheek:......keep the pics etc coming

.........anyway, now decided that a roofchop is on the cards, and maybe suicide doors.............

 

Excellent work.

 

Hi Tony,

Look's like somebody had much the same idea as you with this one i saw at Brooklands earlier on this year.

Cheers.

Russ.

 

To be honest, I have given it a lot of consideration, and I think they look much better with a 4 inch chop, but any more than that I think is too much and spoils them. I've done loads and loads of research looking at pics on the web. I am definitely going to pull the roof down a bit, I also fancy making opening front window frames as per split screen campers, although I might not have the patience for actually doing it. The suicide doors is going to take quite a bit of fabrication and working out. I will make a definite decision about them when the chop is done.

 

Interesting.... I was planning on getting some sets of frames made for doing Safari windows on these trucks. It proved to be too expensive. A one off set would be cool though.
Hidden hinge kit or spin the doors side for side(cut the tops off obviously) would sort the suicides.
I wouldn't chop it either.

 

I am now officially fed up of welding, I've been slowly working my round the floor and bulkhead, and mating them to the chevy cab, after two weekd solid welding I am now nearing the end, sill to floor is now done all round and so is the whole of the bulkhead and footwells. Two whole days saw the fabrication and fitting of the biggest gap filler, the rear of the mazda cab floor to the chevy back panel, I started with a box section frame from one to the other, then sheeted it all in.

I've now decided to mount the battery on the flat panel, I now have to fab up some seatbelt mounts to put the mazda belts back in, hopefully that will be done by Tuesday or so, Then I can get started on the roof chop. Sorry guys, I personally think they look fantastic with 4 inches out of them. I will take some better pics of what I have done so far later in the week.

 

Done quite a bit this last week, tidy'd up the sheetwork, made seatbelt mounts, rewired electrics so that the battery can be put behind the seat.
also repaired the replacement grill bar that replaces the missing one.

Great news is that I have got hold of an original rear body from a guy from the local meets, one bulkhead panel, two sides, two rear wings/arches, a front bumper and infill panel and a rear tailgate, all for the bargain price of £150, spent as few hours mocking it up to see whether my measurements and guess work was correct, and low and behold the back wheels sit nicely in the middle of the arches, another worry over.

cut the roof off just before I came home tonight, (christmas eve) I couldn't decide on 3 or 4 inch roof chop, so I cut 4 inches out of the passenger door top frame, placed it back together and decided it was too much, so I have cut the other door and the roof pillars at 3 inches.

I welded a pair of braces between the dash and back panel to prevent any splaying of the cab when the roof is off.

Will make a start welding it back together on boxing day, going to make the most of a few days holiday, mrs is working, so I would only get bored out of my head sitting at home watching crap and eating even more crap. Merry Christmas everyone.

 

thats looking good :tup: