Converting hardtop to station wagon

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dag019

dag019

Well-Known Member
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Warwick
How easy or difficult is it to convert a hardtop to a station wagon? Pre td5 if it makes a difference.

Does anyone have a “shopping list” of the parts needed?
I know tub, doors, sill/b+c pillars, seats. But I expect there will be lots of other small things required as well. Is there a bolt on crossmember for the chassis (looking at galv chassis optional extras)? Also how much of it can be bought new and what need to be used? I know you can get galv sill/pillar assemblies from yrm, does anyone sell split doors new? I know the tub will need to be second hand?

Also final question for this what are the legalities of doing this? I am not trying to get it registered as an estate to skip ulez. But is this something that can legally be done or is it going to cause problems as a non starter and I will ignore it is a possible option for getting hold of a station wagon of which there do not seem to be many for sale.
 
I assume your talking 110 ? Would be easier and cheaper to buy a station wagon
You would need ,rear tub ,b + c pillars, doors ,seat belts ,the bulkhead behind the front seats is different and there is a cross member that bolts to the chassis for the rear seat belts

Plus there will be numerous other small parts

All of which are very rare and therefore expensive ,I've seen converted 110 Station wagons before and they don't seem to sell for much
 
dag019 said:
How easy or difficult is it to convert a hardtop to a station wagon? Pre td5 if it makes a difference.

Does anyone have a “shopping list” of the parts needed?
I know tub, doors, sill/b+c pillars, seats. But I expect there will be lots of other small things required as well. Is there a bolt on crossmember for the chassis (looking at galv chassis optional extras)? Also how much of it can be bought new and what need to be used? I know you can get galv sill/pillar assemblies from yrm, does anyone sell split doors new? I know the tub will need to be second hand?

Also final question for this what are the legalities of doing this? I am not trying to get it registered as an estate to skip ulez. But is this something that can legally be done or is it going to cause problems as a non starter and I will ignore it is a possible option for getting hold of a station wagon of which there do not seem to be many for sale.
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Like he sez^^^^^^. I would say a lot more hassle than it is worth.

As regards the legality, I don't think there is anything illegal about changing body type on a V5, but if DVLA would actually do it is another matter.
When I tried to change body type on an already historic registered Series, I got a semi-literate email from DVLA saying that "Station Wagon" was not a term used by DVLA.
I know perfectly well that Station Wagon has appeared on V5s since before V5s existed.
But I really couldn't be bothered to argue the toss, so it stayed the way it was.
 
Sorry to put little more context into this I already have a fully rebuilt 110 hardtop. I would be looking at the feasibility of converting the rear body of that rather than needing to buy an additional 110 station wagon. I am not looking at buying a 110 hardtop and then converting that vehicle. I also say additional as I bought my 110 when I was 18 as the first car I ever bought and have used it as my daily drive ever since so selling that is not on the table as an option.

The work involved is also not a huge issue provided it fariyl straight forward job as the tdi station wagons (including 80's conversions in that category) that I have seen for sale require work as well, either needing a new chassis or new bulkead etc, so either way it would be in the project territory. To get a 110 station wagon of an equivalent quality to my current 110 is out of budget, and secondly I have yet to see one for sale (galv chassis and galv bulkead as a minimum). I also would most likely still not be happy with it and probably want to change things so it would be easier to build/rebuild my own rather than take someone else's.
 
If you want just the windows conversion that the cheapest option. Having seats added is where you will hit a snag. Station wagons don't have back board behind the driver passenger seats. Also the hardtop have a full length tub. Bench seats for military is an option and seatbelts mot or car mechanic will need to approve the fittings. I think the law change seat sitting to forward facing only in td5s.
 
saxavordian said:
If you want just the windows conversion that the cheapest option. Having seats added is where you will hit a snag. Station wagons don't have back board behind the driver passenger seats. Also the hardtop have a full length tub. Bench seats for military is an option and seatbelts mot or car mechanic will need to approve the fittings. I think the law change seat sitting to forward facing only in td5s.
Click to expand...

I am looking at the feasibility to convert to a full station wagon. My hardtop already has fold up individual side facing seats and windows in the back. However I have a baby on the way they are not suitable for a baby seat (or a wife in her opinion). So the aim is to get four doors and at least 4 proper forward facing seats. I would be looking at doing a full conversion so there is no difference between the converted one and a factory station wagon. I would remove the rear body at the seat box (I assume this is different as there will not be a tub bulkhead?) back and then replace with the correct station wagon parts. At this point I am just trying to work out what those parts are, if they are available, and if there is any fundamental differences between the two that means it is not possible to convert?
 
dag019 said:
I am looking at the feasibility to convert to a full station wagon. My hardtop already has fold up individual side facing seats and windows in the back. However I have a baby on the way they are not suitable for a baby seat (or a wife in her opinion). So the aim is to get four doors and at least 4 proper forward facing seats. I would be looking at doing a full conversion so there is no difference between the converted one and a factory station wagon. I would remove the rear body at the seat box (I assume this is different as there will not be a tub bulkhead?) back and then replace with the correct station wagon parts. At this point I am just trying to work out what those parts are, if they are available, and if there is any fundamental differences between the two that means it is not possible to convert?
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Why not just stick the baby seat in the centre seat of your existing motor?

I think it is about the only thing the centre seats are any use for.

Alternatively, get her to transport the baby in her own motor.
 
saxavordian said:
Bench seats for military is an option and seatbelts mot or car mechanic will need to approve the fittings. I think the law change seat sitting to forward facing only in td5s.
Click to expand...
You don't need to get the seatbelt fittings approved unless you can provide some reference data to back up the claim. They only need to be securely fitted. I also don't know of any law that prohibits side facing seats. They just aren't recommended. Again do you have any reference to say otherwise?

www.gov.uk

Converting a van to carry passengers in the rear

www.gov.uk www.gov.uk
 
Buying a complete vehicle is the way to go. That way you know everything is there rather than having a vague shopping list for odd parts which you don't have. Park them side-by-side, swap the relevant parts over, reassemble the donor car as a hardtop, and sell it on!
 
As I understand it regarding lez/ulez etc, if the chassis number is correct ie the chassis was built as a SW from new then no issues.
The same may happen with insurance cos?
 
Pics of part that goes behind rear seats to hold rear floor ,rear seatbox support and sw rear tub (from one I've got in bits)

Have a look around but these parts rarely come up for sale so are not cheap and will likely be corroded

There Will also be 100 other small bits you will need for the conversion and these all add up
 

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300bhp/ton said:
You don't need to get the seatbelt fittings approved unless you can provide some reference data to back up the claim. They only need to be securely fitted. I also don't know of any law that prohibits side facing seats. They just aren't recommended. Again do you have any reference to say otherwise?

www.gov.uk

Converting a van to carry passengers in the rear

www.gov.uk www.gov.uk
Click to expand...
I thought it changed later on having forward facing only. Most bench seats used lap belts. But you can add the collapse turn version with seat belt. Personally you narrow down the limited space doing this.
 
chrisstdt said:
Pics of part that goes behind rear seats to hold rear floor ,rear seatbox support and sw rear tub (from one I've got in bits)

Have a look around but these parts rarely come up for sale so are not cheap and will likely be corroded

There Will also be 100 other small bits you will need for the conversion and these all add up
Click to expand...
I know when my old 110csw second row seats. The cross member rotted was a faff and expensive to replace. Didn't help with the tin worms on seats hinges to the base.
Some respect I would have replaced the slide windows to a full one as the seals was shot.
 
I saw a 110 or may have been a 109 [ long ago] that had access to the rear via one safari type door only. He had the same issue as you.
The tub bulkhead had all ready been lowered. I asked why only one door on passenger side? He said it was a lot of work cutting converting the tub and even more fitting in door pillars ect. By the time that was done baby came :) and wagon was needed so other side was not done. A full width bench seat I forget what from made sliding across the rear seat easy enough.
 
I am back revisiting this idea. Having looked at complete vehicles the prices seems outrageous for something that is not what I actually want and would need work. there seems to be two categories of tdi station wagon ones that have been made to look newer with metallic paint jobs 10-12k, and ones that have rotted away on a farm and need rebuilding 3k. I have not seen one come up that is already on a galv chassis so am assuming that category is loved and cherished and similar to my 110 could not be bought for any amount f money!
Ideally I would want the 3k one and rebuild on galv bulkhead and chassis (£4578 for the both from Richards) as I can then get the vehicle I want and am not paying a premium for someone else's dream that I would then change/remove. I could probably build myself the vehicle I want that would be a better "spec" for a similar price as those in the first category. However it took me 18months to rebuild my 110 after the fire and I no longer have access to the barn I was using for that so practically at this point rebuilding one is not really an option. If a running one came up for sale I would consider a rolling restoration but I have not come across any vehicles that would fall into this category either.
I am therefore back looking at how much work and cost and effort would be required to change the rear body on my already rebuilt and galv everything 110. At this point what I am after is as complete a list of things I would need so I can look at sourcing and pricing to continue my feasibility study. My list so far is below, I know there will be lots of small brackets, door catches etc that will be needed, but have I missed anything major?

Chassis crossmember
chassis seat belt mounts
front seat box
rear floor
rear tub
complete side sills (YRM link)
rear door
rear sides
high back second row seats
second row seatbelts
 
If you’ve lost your barn, wouldn’t biding your time and continuing to look be a better bet? Something suitable is bound to come up at some point. As prices are dropping, i think more will come up for sale. Swapping the body will be lots of work, although having rebuilt it removal should be more straightforward.
 
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