[KurMot]

Started with a 1981 Datsun 720 truck powered by 60hp diesel. Figured it needed better handling and performance. Bought an 04 WRX

Cut everything possible to get it narrow enough for the Datsun body

Had to cut some more of the Datsun body to get it wide enough to slip over the WRX

Now that I’ve got it sitting close to where it should be, start grinding cutting out rust and start building it back up

 

[XJman]

Ok, this is a fun as hell project

 

[a5m]

Awesome. You should YouTube this and make some money while you’re at it. These types of projects are trending right now.

 

[WRX-maniac]

Following. cant wait to see the final product! Love these kinds of builds

 

[Blk18wrx]

This is going to be siiiiiiiick! Good luck man!

 

[zax]

I love big fab projects and have nothing but respect for the people that can do this type of work.

Good luck. We'll be watching

 

[smorris]

This is gonna be fun to watch. Very cool!

 

[XJman]

I love big fab projects and have nothing but respect for the people that can do this type of work.

Good luck. We'll be watching

I'm really impressed with the decision to keep the body pan of the wrx and build the mini truck chassis on top of it.

Lowers the need for crazy custom one off gear or adapters for drivetrain and suspension stuff plus allows usage of readily available parts on the market without the need to modify them.

This is either the best accidental plan or one of the most brilliant decisions regarding a project like this.

 

[nimdabew]

That looks amazing. I can't wait to see how much it can get up and go now!

 

[KurMot]

started welding 1/8” plate all along the rockers

 

[KurMot]

got all the plate on, now time to sort out the roll bars

 

[KurMot]

kind of hard to see here but I got the roll bar tucked up nicely along the A pillar. Had to do a little trimming on the roof structure to get it to fit up nice and tight. I’ve built 1/8” plate boxes for the roll cage to land on on the floor, and will be plating both the front and rear struts to connect everything up

 

[XJman]

Thats nice work. Is the chassis pan holding pretty rigid or is it sagging at all?

 

[KurMot]

The floor pan is surprisingly rigid as far as sagging, when I was jacking it up to remove the struts there’s no lateral strength, like twisting.

 

[XJman]

That should easily be handled by the cage.

 

[KurMot]

Here’s some pics of the rear cage. I’ll be able to tack everything up then remove the rear supports and slide off the cab and fully weld all the tops , then reinstall the cab and rear supports. I think before I can weld the cab in place I’m going to have to weld the Subaru front cowl under the windshield, to try and seal up how the 2 different bodies tie together. Also gotta sort out the windshield wiper motor. Datsun was on passenger side but Subaru on the Drivers side, this is so much more work than I had anticipated. Super happy with how things are looking so far, I’m thinking of doing some kind of wing/spoiler off the roof roll cage piping, if anyone had any thoughts or suggestions let me know

 

[Pmhearns12]

Pretty damn siiiiickk

 

[XJman]

I'm still quite amazed at how solid that pan is without supporting pieces in the rest of the unibody.

 

[KurMot]

Well I finally got back to work on the Datsun. The cage is fully welded and I’ve got the interior cowl fully welded and seam sealed. Got to take it for a rip earlier today and I’m blown away how fast this little thing is

Feels like a little go kart. Gotta get seatbelts and doors for the next drive

 

[XJman]

I'm glad this project is chugging on. It's coming together