Conversion..........

Hello people

got a question for you all


How simple do you think it would be to convert a Hijet Van, into a Hijet pickup?

I still have the van, but the body is rusting (as it was when I first got it).
now I was thinking about cutting the body off, just behind the cab, and sealing the cab up.

then fitting a different engine (a diesel) and the corresponding gearbox to the hijet.
perhaps a ford transit 2.5 diesel and gearbox, o

the radiator would also be moved to behind the cab.


the reason is, I might need a cheap economical diesel for high mileage commuting.

now I did consider getting a Hijet 1.2 diesel if it uses the same gearbox as the 993cc 3 cylinder petrol engine.
but I have heard they arent very reliable and need a new head gasket every 20~25 thousand miles (which would mean a new gasket once a year minimum )


so really I want a reliable IDI diesel in the hijet, so I can run it on SVO/WVO as well....



Any thoughts/ideas/etc?

thanks

Hi unlike your landrover you can't just cut the body off as it is structural (and therefore would require a SVA test) the pick up chassis is different and chucking any body on a landy chassis is just a body change.

I know you can remove the landy body simply with some spanners
its nice and easy

I knew the hijet had chassis rails.
I havent looked at the chassis on the hijet though, so I didnt know whether the body is structural or not....

so how different is the pickup chassis then?
just seems unlikely that they would have made 2 different chassis's.....


mind you, I am wondering about still modding the hijet and taking it for an SVA.....
will have a think.....

Hi although its got chassis rails the body is welded on so is a monocoque chassis I think the rails are the same on the pick up but there are extra bits to tie it all together without looking in the manual I can't remember if it's anymore than that but they do show a different chassis pic and the engine is in a different place.

I know its virtually impossible now to legally convert a monocoque chassis car to a pickup due to there not being a category for it to be tested in. I'd imagine the hijet will have the same issue.

I think you can still convert a monocoque chassis, but it needs to have an SVA test....


Oh well, I will think of something

I'm no expert but from my understanding there's no modified commercial category for a test to be able to take place. So its basically a paperwork issue.

But land rovers get SVA'ed a fair bit, and never seem to have issues...

so I cant see a problem with a hijet van


as it happens, I might have sorted something out another way....

Monocoque vehicles are treated very differently. There'll be a lot of homemade monocoque derived pickups finding their way to the land of scrap as they get picked off by the DVLA.

with a land rover because it is a chassis and body you can do what you like body wise even go without and so long as it doesn't infringe any construction and use legislation you are fine without a SVA as the body has no strength as far as the chassis is concerned but a monocoque does if you just cut the roof off you loose something like 60% of chassis rigidity but if you cut the body off a Hijet and attach it to a landrover chassis then you can mod it any way you like and to any look.

Only thing I know is the engine on the pick up is further back than the one in the van. Something to do with balance maybe. I will have a pick up for sale soon although it's not diesel.

I know all about the regulations of monocoque and chassis based vehicles....

a fair few landys get SVA'ed when they are bob tailed (discoverys and range rovers: removing the rear overhang for anyone who doesnt know)

and when the chassis's are shortened as well..


and I do know that according to the direct gov website and one or two of the custom vehicle sites, that you can SVA a monocoque vehicle when its been modified...



thanks for telling me about the pickup for sale soon.
but as it happens, things never seem to work out for me
so all these ideas arent applicable any more...

thanks anyway....

Right, as I have posted in another thread, its funny how life makes random turns at times.....


So I might be interested in the pickup after all


Any more info about it yet?

There is no reason why you cannot chop down a van into some form of pickup as long as you put it in for an SVA, it will get an age related plate too as it will score enough points to stay away from a Q plate.

The above comments are correct, although the van has a ladder chassis, because the body shell is welded to the chassis, it is classed as a monocoque by VOSA.

Don't be put off, the SVA isn't as bad as many say. As long as you build to the spec required and use all the right E marked light clusters etc you'll pass. The testers are friendly and genuine auto enthusiasts.

HighlyJetted wrote:There is no reason why you cannot chop down a van into some form of pickup as long as you put it in for an SVA, it will get an age related plate too as it will score enough points to stay away from a Q plate.

The above comments are correct, although the van has a ladder chassis, because the body shell is welded to the chassis, it is classed as a monocoque by VOSA.

Don't be put off, the SVA isn't as bad as many say. As long as you build to the spec required and use all the right E marked light clusters etc you'll pass. The testers are friendly and genuine auto enthusiasts.

interesting to know.....

doesnt really matter any more though.....the van is a scrapper....just selling some of the parts off :p