Cars converted to pick ups

[Horsey McHorseface]

MK2 CR-V. Incorporated upper half of hatch door into rear window.

[foxy99]

Nothing like re-awakening an old thread

And possibly further complicating the issue

But here goes....

I have a pick-up which was converted from a saloon (Hillman Imp) before it was registered.

I think it's so cool that I have always thought it would be great to make more, identical, ones (if I didn't need to work and had spare cash to work on Imps all day).

The day-dream then ends as I know about type-approval etc so the next possible option would be to get one that was already a pick-up from another country (NZ and Oz have some home-brewed ones). It would arrive in UK already as a pick-up and I don't imagine DVLA or whoever would challenge this so you would just be following the NOVA route to get an age-related UK number-plate.

There is also one other UK one that I know of (made before IVA) and if you could persuade the owner to sell could then turn it into a doppleganger of my one

Anyway back to reality.

I just saw a very cool Mondeo pick-up for sale and posted about it on a Mondeo facebook group. Basically saying 'looks great but could it ever be registered in UK?'

One guy replied saying he has done a lot of similar conversions and as long as the monocoque isn't altered between the front and rear axles you don't fail on the 'original body' rule and can keep your 5 points and therefore your original reg.

I don't know if that's correct and I did look again at the GOV.UK site and saw stuff I hadn't seen before like 'amateur build' and 'voluntary approval'

I had thought up until now if it was radically-altered it had to be treated as a new product and everything on the vehicle would need to meet today's specs.

Still don't fully understand it but from what the guy said on the Mondeo page it is do-able


Hillman Imp. converted to pick-up in 1966


unfinished Mondeo pick-up project. could it be succesfully registered for use on UK roads?

Edited by foxy99 on Thursday 24th August 18:53

[ConnectionError]

foxy99 said:

Nothing like re-awakening an old thread

And possibly further complicating the issue

But here goes....

I have a pick-up which was converted from a saloon (Hillman Imp) before it was registered.

I think it's so cool that I have always thought it would be great to make more, identical, ones (if I didn't need to work and had spare cash to work on Imps all day).

The day-dream then ends as I know about type-approval etc so the next possible option would be to get one that was already a pick-up from another country (NZ and Oz have some home-brewed ones). It would arrive in UK already as a pick-up and I don't imagine DVLA or whoever would challenge this so you would just be following the NOVA route to get an age-related UK number-plate.

There is also one other UK one that I know of (made before IVA) and if you could persuade the owner to sell could then turn it into a doppleganger of my one

Anyway back to reality.

I just saw a very cool Mondeo pick-up for sale and posted about it on a Mondeo facebook group. Basically saying 'looks great but could it ever be registered in UK?'

One guy replied saying he has done a lot of similar conversions and as long as the monocoque isn't altered between the front and rear axles you don't fail on the 'original body' rule and can keep your 5 points and therefore your original reg.

I don't know if that's correct and I did look again at the GOV.UK site and saw stuff I hadn't seen before like 'amateur build' and 'voluntary approval'

I had thought up until now if it was radically-altered it had to be treated as a new product and everything on the vehicle would need to meet today's specs.

Still don't fully understand it but from what the guy said on the Mondeo page it is do-able


Hillman Imp. converted to pick-up in 1966


unfinished Mondeo pick-up project. could it be succesfully registered for use on UK roads?

Edited by foxy99 on Thursday 24th August 18:53

Doesn't the roof form part of the monocoque?

If so the has been alterations between the axles?

[WosMyName]

I spoke to the owner builder of this and he said that it is all compliant with strength put back into the structure and registered correctly .



He also said that he's an MOT tester ,so passes aren't hard to come by .

[Nickp82]

I saw this in High Wycombe, what a cool little thing

[gt40steve]

aeropilot said:

irocfan said:

powered by a 454

Blimey...... I remember that!

Edited by aeropilot on Monday 28th March 20:09

I remember the blonde lady with it in Custom Car magazine!

[spoodler]

gt40steve said:

aeropilot said:

irocfan said:

powered by a 454

Blimey...... I remember that!

Edited by aeropilot on Monday 28th March 20:09

I remember the blonde lady with it in Custom Car magazine!

I think we must be the same age... and grew up with the same... err... inspirations!
For anyone wondering, it was built back in the heyday of the "custom car" to promote the new 100+ alloy wheels - hence the extra axle. I remember seeing it at one of the big indoor shows, and to school boy me, a big block powered, six wheel XJS pick up was bloody amazing.

One of my slightly less ambitious builds. This was still a four seater, as the estate car seats were still fitted and folded to make a flat floor - the passengers were sat out in the breeze tho' - so a sort of forerunner to the convertible crew cab, of which we see loads... Lots of fun, we took it "drag racing", seven up, along the beach at Brean Sands and it was regularly used to transport my mate's speed way bike to Blunsdon Abbey Stadium, it did look a little out of place among the liveried, sponsored Transits and the like. Another mate bought it from me and used it every weekend to get from Swindon to Manchester to visit his girlfriend - was stopped by the Police pretty much every journey. When it finally died, all the good bits went to resurrect a Herald saloon, long before recycling was a buzzword...

[vikingaero]

Some nice cars on this thread.

But.... a pick up, for me, has to have a folding down tailgate.

[foxy99]

ConnectionError said:

Doesn't the roof form part of the monocoque?

If so the has been alterations between the axles?

Good question but I took it that he meant at floor-level.

Anyway I asked the guy if the altered vehicles kept their original reg numbers and he sent me a series of pics of one getting its rear roof hacked off and turned into a pick-up and it still has its original reg.

I obviously don't know anything more than he's showing me but he seems to be telling the truth

[foxy99]

vikingaero said:

Some nice cars on this thread.

But.... a pick up, for me, has to have a folding down tailgate.

Yeah. I agree (although my Imp pick-up doesn't as the engine is at the back).

The Mondeo above seems to have the original 'bootlid' neatly incorporated into the design but it's not clear if it actually opens and closes

[Jader1973]

foxy99 said:

Nothing like re-awakening an old thread

And possibly further complicating the issue

But here goes....

I have a pick-up which was converted from a saloon (Hillman Imp) before it was registered.


Hillman Imp. converted to pick-up in 1966

Edited by foxy99 on Thursday 24th August 18:53

Was that pic taken in Barrhead?

[rodericb]

Here's a bit of a circle. An Australian motoring website has an article about a Bentley Continental converted into a pickup/ute: https://www.drive.com.au/news/bentley-continental-...

Found for sale on a UK motoring website called Pistonheads.....



Here's the listing: https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/15391508

[Carfield]

[quote=foxy99]Nothing like re-awakening an old thread

And possibly further complicating the issue

But here goes....

I have a pick-up which was converted from a saloon (Hillman Imp) before it was registered. [/quote=foxy99]

It looks like fun, but an Imp really doesn’t seem an ideal starting point for a pickup!!

Edited by Carfield on Friday 25th August 10:37

[foxy99]

Jader1973 said:

Was that pic taken in Barrhead?

Well spotted.

No, it was in East Kilbride (where I live).

I bought the car in Hunterhill, Paisley and a guy came to move it with a suspended tow.

We got as far as Nitshill and there was smoke coming from one of the front wheel-bearings so he arranged for another outfit to come out for full-lift for the rest of the journey.

That was the Carlibar flat-bed in the pic.

It was only a few months ago I found out Carlibar is actually a place. I was working out at Barrhead and saw it on Maps when I was planning my route


Imp getting picked-up in Paisley 1988

[foxy99]

Carfield]oxy99 said:

It looks like fun, but an Imp really doesn’t seem an ideal starting point for a pickup!!

Edited by Carfield on Friday 25th August 10:37

It was just a vanity-project really.

The guy who commissioned it was Managing Director of Rootes, North America (but lived in Banbury, Oxon) and it was a present for his wife.

I wrote to he a long time ago and she said she used it in the grounds of their home for carrying shrubs n stuff around. It ended up in Scotland (Kibarchan) in the 80s and was owned by a company who did slating and stuff.

I was in touch with the son of that owner of that company and he said it was too small to be practical for their work.

I just happen to do slate-roof repairs for a living now and it would be ideal for taking 20 or 30 slates and my tools to a job.

Not sure how I get the flippin ladders on it tho

[carinaman]

WosMyName said:

I spoke to the owner builder of this and he said that it is all compliant with strength put back into the structure and registered correctly .



He also said that he's an MOT tester ,so passes aren't hard to come by .

I think that featured on a Harry's Garage video, possibly when he took a Project 9? Jag to Goodwood.

[Baldchap]

Saw this Micra pickup in the Lakes.

[foxy99]

We need a 'like' button on PistonHeads

[Horsey McHorseface]

Posted originally in the Badly Modified thread, but I think it's a cool conversion:

TR4man said:

[Horsey McHorseface]

Golf Mk4 estate