Critique my off road Rolls Royce project idea
Discussion
As 2023 draws to a close, I’m looking for new ways to waste invest my money in 2024 and well, this seems like it could be a good one.
I’ve bought and sold several Rolls Royce Silver Shadows over the last year, and I currently own one which I occasionally use on weekends. As a result, Instagram often suggests photos of similar cars to me, which led me to see this, which is owned by Reggaeton artist Bad Bunny:
I did a bit of research on the build, and unfortunately it looks like it’s mostly for show. As far as I can make out, all they’ve done is lifted the car and done a few cosmetic modifications – it isn’t 4x4 and still retains the old, low powered Rolls motor and complex, unreliable braking and suspension system. So, I started wondering if there was a way to make it better.
A Silver Shadow has a wheelbase of 119.5 inches. A 2005 Chevrolet Silverado has a wheelbase of 119 inches. You can probably see where I’m going with this….
I could get a mechanically totalled Shadow like this https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/14333953... for around $2500-$3000 and a mechanically sound but body damaged Silverado for less than $5000 at a salvage auction. I’d like to keep the total cost of the project to around $30,000
The plan would be to only use the body and interior of the Rolls, and keep as much of the Silverado as possible. Unlike Bad Bunny’s car, I have no intention of chopping the roof off as it gets to 40c+ here in summer and I’d probably end up with skin cancer within a year.
A few things that might make this project feasible are:
I’m in Mexico, so the labour rate is far lower than it would be in the UK/US.
The car wouldn’t need to pass any kind of safety or registration inspection, although I obviously don’t want it breaking apart around me.
I don’t intend on using it on highways or long trips, this is more a fun off road type project.
It would be a great promotional vehicle for my business.
I’ve found a shop who are willing to do it, and they’ve previously done a 4x4 Smart car and a 1957 Bel Air on a Crown Victoria chassis / drivetrain. However, they’ve obviously never done anything like this before, so I would like to hear people’s opinions. First of all, do we think it’s possible? And if it is, what kinds of issues are we likely to encounter along the way?
I know there’s a lot of people on here far smarter and more experienced than I am, so I’d appreciate your input. Thanks for reading if you managed to get this far.
I’ve bought and sold several Rolls Royce Silver Shadows over the last year, and I currently own one which I occasionally use on weekends. As a result, Instagram often suggests photos of similar cars to me, which led me to see this, which is owned by Reggaeton artist Bad Bunny:
I did a bit of research on the build, and unfortunately it looks like it’s mostly for show. As far as I can make out, all they’ve done is lifted the car and done a few cosmetic modifications – it isn’t 4x4 and still retains the old, low powered Rolls motor and complex, unreliable braking and suspension system. So, I started wondering if there was a way to make it better.
A Silver Shadow has a wheelbase of 119.5 inches. A 2005 Chevrolet Silverado has a wheelbase of 119 inches. You can probably see where I’m going with this….
I could get a mechanically totalled Shadow like this https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/14333953... for around $2500-$3000 and a mechanically sound but body damaged Silverado for less than $5000 at a salvage auction. I’d like to keep the total cost of the project to around $30,000
The plan would be to only use the body and interior of the Rolls, and keep as much of the Silverado as possible. Unlike Bad Bunny’s car, I have no intention of chopping the roof off as it gets to 40c+ here in summer and I’d probably end up with skin cancer within a year.
A few things that might make this project feasible are:
I’m in Mexico, so the labour rate is far lower than it would be in the UK/US.
The car wouldn’t need to pass any kind of safety or registration inspection, although I obviously don’t want it breaking apart around me.
I don’t intend on using it on highways or long trips, this is more a fun off road type project.
It would be a great promotional vehicle for my business.
I’ve found a shop who are willing to do it, and they’ve previously done a 4x4 Smart car and a 1957 Bel Air on a Crown Victoria chassis / drivetrain. However, they’ve obviously never done anything like this before, so I would like to hear people’s opinions. First of all, do we think it’s possible? And if it is, what kinds of issues are we likely to encounter along the way?
I know there’s a lot of people on here far smarter and more experienced than I am, so I’d appreciate your input. Thanks for reading if you managed to get this far.
Does the Silverda thingy have a chassis?
All the oily bits of the Royce bolt up to the body, so your first problem will be how to attach the oily bits of the Yank tank. If the oily bits come attached to a chassis, the project will be almost easy, just chop bits out of the Royce until the body drops over......
Enjoy your Christmas, OP, and keep us posted on progress, please.
All the oily bits of the Royce bolt up to the body, so your first problem will be how to attach the oily bits of the Yank tank. If the oily bits come attached to a chassis, the project will be almost easy, just chop bits out of the Royce until the body drops over......
Enjoy your Christmas, OP, and keep us posted on progress, please.
ferret50 said:
Does the Silverda thingy have a chassis?
All the oily bits of the Royce bolt up to the body, so your first problem will be how to attach the oily bits of the Yank tank. If the oily bits come attached to a chassis, the project will be almost easy, just chop bits out of the Royce until the body drops over......
Enjoy your Christmas, OP, and keep us posted on progress, please.
Yes, the Silverado is body on frame, but the Rolls is unibody. The idea is basically to put the body of the Rolls on the Silverado chassis and use the minimum of Rolls oily bits possible. I'll definitely keep people updated once we start, assuming it all goes ahead.All the oily bits of the Royce bolt up to the body, so your first problem will be how to attach the oily bits of the Yank tank. If the oily bits come attached to a chassis, the project will be almost easy, just chop bits out of the Royce until the body drops over......
Enjoy your Christmas, OP, and keep us posted on progress, please.
fttm canada said:
Should be straight forward enough , look for a Silverado 2500 (3/4ton) and try for the Z71 option as the chassis is slightly beefier . Go for it OP
Thanks, will try to find one in that spec. Shouldn't be too hard.thegreenhell said:
Maybe not entirely relevant to your project, but this Dakar Rally machine had a Landcruiser chassis and small block Chevy V8
That's promising - I don't want to use Land Cruiser parts as they're too expensive and harder to find than Silverado parts, but good to know that something similar has been done before.Do it but build a space frame with suspension, then insert the engine and gearbox and fit the body to it and install whatever interior from the rolls you want.
Don’t try to start with the actual rolls and reinforce it as it’ll turn into a tonne of work with an unknown outcome.
Best of luck fun idea.
Don’t try to start with the actual rolls and reinforce it as it’ll turn into a tonne of work with an unknown outcome.
Best of luck fun idea.
Julian Thompson said:
Do it but build a space frame with suspension, then insert the engine and gearbox and fit the body to it and install whatever interior from the rolls you want.
Don’t try to start with the actual rolls and reinforce it as it’ll turn into a tonne of work with an unknown outcome.
Best of luck fun idea.
He’s in the US though, Silverado chassis, parts and upgrade bits are cheap and plentiful and because the DMV are weird the end product will be road legal. Don’t try to start with the actual rolls and reinforce it as it’ll turn into a tonne of work with an unknown outcome.
Best of luck fun idea.
shirt said:
Julian Thompson said:
Do it but build a space frame with suspension, then insert the engine and gearbox and fit the body to it and install whatever interior from the rolls you want.
Don’t try to start with the actual rolls and reinforce it as it’ll turn into a tonne of work with an unknown outcome.
Best of luck fun idea.
He’s in the US though, Silverado chassis, parts and upgrade bits are cheap and plentiful and because the DMV are weird the end product will be road legal. Don’t try to start with the actual rolls and reinforce it as it’ll turn into a tonne of work with an unknown outcome.
Best of luck fun idea.
As you were, sorry for being thick!
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