Yep it is me, I have a 1200 Mazda just like the one in the pic. I have been looking out for a 1200 sedan or coupe shell to convert. Dattodevil has an ideal donor shell but it's in the wrong island. The chassis now has a C20 190 diff and I've grafted C20 discs and calipers on to the Mazda front stubs. The plan is a semi stock A15 and 5 speed and a flat deck with functional tilt tray so I can use it for some major landscaping around my property. Oh and I have a goal of getting it built for under a grand doing everything my self .

This sounds like a better plan than by simply converting a ute as the sides of the ute body contribute to its overall strength. Placing the cab on an existing chassis allows a freedom to restyle that would not be available if the mono construction was retained.
I wish you well

Stirlingmac........... any pics or info?

There is/was a DAtto 1200 ute with an aluminium tray driving around Newcastle by an old guy in the Broadmeadow area.

There is also another one owned by one of the crew out at the Hunter Mountain Bike Association (www.hmba.tk) last time i turned up to check out a race (about April 2004).

This little mazda is pretty cool,I dont mind the graphics,(wouldnt have them on my car though) and a forced induction rotor would make for a lot of fun,mags are subject to personal taste so as long as this guy likes them its OK by me.

I was offered a flat deck ute some years ago, but I never layed eyes on it.

jack would that be a white ute? ive seen it with some old codger cruisin in it.

i reakon it would look pretty kool. Out near me in the bush theres 4 of these mazda utes. 3 are done up and one is an old bomb!!!. I reakon a dato ute would look better than the mazda with a flat tray. Does anybody want me 2 take sum pics of these mazdas or not???.

Yes we do. Although as I obviosly lurking the pictures here this page is probly 2 years old or something

are the utes uni body or a fullframe? if there uni body they use the body for structual support and it would fold on its self without massive metal reinforment otherwise I would think. As i have never seen a ute in person all the little trucks in states are full frame like my old 75 datsun truck (620 model).

Unibody. They are based on the 1200 wagon.

The '64 Datsun Sport truck was a ute, but on a full frame. That's pretty rare for a ute, but then the Datsun car it was based on used a full frame too (Datsun Bluebird).

thats just a reminder of one of the reasons i have a datto 1200 rather than one of those...

Don't get all smart on me you know what I mean , cab & tray just to be different .I don't think it's been done. a set of 13"s nice paint .

Yeah I think that it would be interesting, it may even look good??

there was actually a 1200 variant that had a seperate alloy tray, i know of one in darwin, but it's rusted beyond repair sadly

i wanted to do this to a 1200 ute if i got one, just for something diffrent and to make it look even smaller