Would you buy a new K5 body if it was available?

[EvilGenius]

Hagerty Chinese body factory tour

Just watched this and was blown away. I've known this existed for a few bodies, but this tour was incredible. It gives me mixed feelings. I'm sad that something like that cannot happen in the states, but I'm also hopeful that they continue and add more body types like the k5.

Based on the numbers thrown around if they expanded to K5 bodies I would expect to pay $18-20k after importing. At the end of the day I think that's a very reasonable price. Just slap your VIN on and go.

 

[Polymath]

Personally, no. The cost is well beyond what I'd be willing to pay given how many k5's are still out there with minimal rust and damage. If I'm considering something like a full body restoration, it's not nearly so difficult to gut an old one and work on the body in a shop with enough room. I don't have the luxury of that right now, but even if I did, I believe the better option is still to hunt down a k5 with a solid body and pay more for it. There are still enough around that they can be found without too much difficulty if you are willing to pay.

The more rare cars that are MUCH harder to find are where these bodies become a solid value to me. If I were building another 69 GTO and had the option to buy a complete steel body for 15k, that would be totally in the conversation. My dad and brother and I spent countless hours and paid for quite a lot of help getting the body of that car back into great shape.

 

[HankScorpio]

Personally, no. The cost is well beyond what I'd be willing to pay given how many k5's are still out there with minimal rust and damage. If I'm considering something like a full body restoration, it's not nearly so difficult to gut an old one and work on the body in a shop with enough room. I don't have the luxury of that right now, but even if I did, I believe the better option is still to hunt down a k5 with a solid body and pay more for it. There are still enough around that they can be found without too much difficulty if you are willing to pay.

The more rare cars that are MUCH harder to find are where these bodies become a solid value to me. If I were building another 69 GTO and had the option to buy a complete steel body for 15k, that would be totally in the conversation. My dad and brother and I spent countless hours and paid for quite a lot of help getting the body of that car back into great shape.

I agree. You can get a real nice K5 for $15-$20k and you get a whole lot more than just a body to start with.

 

[USSkoval]

I watched that video this morning. It made me want one of those Toyota Corolla coupe bodies. Just for the nostalgia of it. I found it very cool that a basic, obscure 80's car was being reproduced.

Only problem is, those cars have been gone from my area for decades. Finding a donor car for interior and whatnot woukd likely be a challenge.

 

[tRustyK5]

I watched that video this morning. It made me want one of those Toyota Corolla coupe bodies. Just for the nostalgia of it. I found it very cool that a basic, obscure 80's car was being reproduced.

Only problem is, those cars have been gone from my area for decades. Finding a donor car for interior and whatnot woukd likely be a challenge.

I was lusting after the 240Z body...

 

[AJMBLAZER]

People will when decent K5’s are up in the $50,000 range instead of low mileage survivors or restorations.

This is why the 69-72 K5 bodies are being reproduced like this now.

 

[CyberSniper]

Jeep tubs have been made in the Philippines for years for way less. So while a Jeep tub is way easier to make, I'm leaning towards "no" for a China one.

 

[Potentnuts]

Video was pretty cool, as long as I didn't get one the first dozen made I would absolutely get one of these, already painted too.
looks like the bronco guys got lucky. I also have an fj40 and if it wasn't a gift from my father, and the overall value of the market for those already taking a large hit I would buy one of those bodies.

 

[GreenieK30]

Yes

 

[cheavyk10]

So this guy bought one of those Land Cruiser bodies and turned out to be not so great.

Is Hagerty guilty of an overhyped sales video again? (Remember their Cybertruck fiasco)

 

[EvilGenius]

I just watched that myself. I think it's somewhere in the middle. That has been made globally with who knows how many changes country to country. I think there is a lot of opportunity for differences to accumulate with that.

I'd like to see some reviews on the bronco bodies since they have been making those the longest and it was mostly just a USA vehicle.

 

[imiceman44]

I just watched that myself. I think it's somewhere in the middle. That has been made globally with who knows how many changes country to country. I think there is a lot of opportunity for differences to accumulate with that.

I'd like to see some reviews on the bronco bodies since they have been making those the longest and it was mostly just a USA vehicle.

I watched the video and I have to say most people buying this body will not have half of the problems this guy had.
The body came assembled, but he chose to disassemble it, sandblast it, paint it and reassemble it, and somehow it was giving him trouble.
Getting the door latches to work probably wasn't his fault, the glass area needing reworked probably is a legit problem, so take this video with a grain of salt.
I still would rather buy an original and fix it myself

 

[AJMBLAZER]

The guys over on Big Time got a Chinese Toyota Corolla AE86 body (admittedly the first if not just very early) and had a lot of fitment issues. Everything was “sorta close” but very little was right.

 

[AJMBLAZER]

Anybody heard how those 69-72 K5 bodies are working out?

 

[ZooMad75]

They’ve been running re-pop bodies for tri-five convertibles for a while now. Given the scarcity of rust free original units, it’s definitely a viable option if you wanted to build a restomod.

But think the others are right, until the population of solid original examples dry up, nobody is going to pay for one at least a squarebody version.

 

[cheavyk10]

I watched the video and I have to say most people buying this body will not have half of the problems this guy had.
The body came assembled, but he chose to disassemble it, sandblast it, paint it and reassemble it, and somehow it was giving him trouble.
Getting the door latches to work probably wasn't his fault, the glass area needing reworked probably is a legit problem, so take this video with a grain of salt.
I still would rather buy an original and fix it myself

If you watched the video to the end, he explains how 90% of the holes don't line up, and he had to modify them. Although I found it interesting that he never put the manufacturers name in the video...he did drop names of better companies, like the Aqualu aluminum stuff that is top notch (and 5k for a tub!).
But yeah, fixing an original would of been better.

 

[imiceman44]

If you watched the video to the end, he explains how 90% of the holes don't line up, and he had to modify them. Although I found it interesting that he never put the manufacturers name in the video...he did drop names of better companies, like the Aqualu aluminum stuff that is top notch (and 5k for a tub!).
But yeah, fixing an original would of been better.

I did watch till the end, he started off ok it's cool, it's on the frame, now let's take it apart and repaint it.
Then a couple of weeks later, some problems, not too bad.
A few more weeks and it was big trouble.
At the end he was saying now that we fixed everything for them they can scan this version and it will be better.
As I mentioned some of the accessories that weren't mounted needed a lot of work to fit, but the body was put together to ship, so claiming the body parts would not bolt up to the tub without too much work meant either he distorted the metal with sandblasting or he didn't like the gaps and wanted to improve them.
He did say he's a perfectionist and that's why he had to strip it down to bare metal and redo all the paint himself.