Cut and shut

[rusty58]

I am wondering about the feasibility of doing a cut and shut and would like some opinions.
I have one shell with a really good rear but stuffed front, i.e. almost non-existent subframe, inner and outer sills gone, front floors and underfloor bracing gone, rusty scuttle around vent, dash gone in the corners etc and another shell with an excellent subframe, firewall/dash and sills. Front floors need replacing but underfloor bracing is good. Rear of the car is not.
What I am wondering is, is it worth considering cutting the good front off, through the windscreen pillars, B pillars, through the floor at some point and along the edge where the inner sill meets the floor in the rear and graft it onto the good rear?
Or have I gone mad?
(Personally, I think that point was reached when I made the purchase!)

[fink fc]

Not a problem,panel shops have been doing Cut n Shuts since day1,you just have to find the right shop that will take it on.It will be costly so get a few quotes and decide.
There's a join under the front seat,that has to be unpicked,every thing is done twice,lots of measuring so  take a seat,good luck !

[John253a]

find out if the car be registered in your state with a cut'n'shut, if been told not all states except them,

if not,
there's a nice fc/fe couch there for the pool room

[customFC]

Might be better to replace the rear quarters on the 1 with the good front with the 1/4s from the other.
It's only lots of spot welds.
Regards
Alex

[rusty58]

I guess what I am trying to determine is whether it is acceptable to cut through the A pillars rather than drill out scuttle/dash welds and whether the sills can be re-welded in one piece or does the inner have to go on then the outer.

[EffCee]

Rusty,

There is a right and a wrong way to do things, the best advice that i can give is to unpick the welds and replace the section like it was from factory. I have included a link to Streetneat's website, Andrew was on the forum sometime back before he moved to NZ.

If you follow the pictures and text, you will be able to see how it has been done and the correct way of  doing it, by unpicking the factory join.

http://gallery.oldholden.com/Streetneat/album300

Hope that this is of some help.

Keith

[Mc Bean]

Hi Rusty,

Being an old panel beater I have proformed a thew cut & shuts in the old days. as for cutting through sills & pillars the rule was not to cut straight through the pillars but to stagger the cuts, allowing around 100mm of overlap inside to outside. And if 3 panels made up a pillar we used to cut a 100mm section from the outer skin, weld the middle pillar than weld in the outer section.

As for the floor find an origanal spotwelded seam and unpick.

And as for legality these days I have no idea ?.

Andy

[waynos]

will anyone really know if ya do it properly and dont tell anyone?oops ya cant do that hey??
 

[waynos]

i been choppin the rust outta a mates xp wagon today ,the thing shouldn't be going back on the road i reckon but  we made it happen ........anythings possible is what im sayin.........
 

[rusty58]

Thanks everyone for your advice. I think I have a clearer (but no less scary) idea of what needs to be done!