So I started work on finding out what needed to be replaced, repaired or modified to get this thing back on the road. My Mrs big concern was what colour should it be painted. All panels bar one needed to be either filled or replaced due to dings/dents but I was lucky as the only rust was at the front where the bumper bolted on (drivers side). At this point, I decided that I was going to make it a bit more than a runabout. I wanted to keep it as stock as possible but leave the A14 in it. After ordering new panels (doors, front guards, bonnet, tailgate, rear quarters, apron) I started the fun job of removing everything. I received all the panels a couple of days later so I put them on to check the fit. It seemed like I would need to do a lot of panel work on these new panels. Everything looked good but was just a little out.

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It didn't look like much but compared to all the utes I looked at and the price the guy wanted for it, I couldn't pass it up. The guy who owned it was young and started to do it up but ran out of money and didn't have time for it. It had a A14 in it that had been recently rebuilt and it had all the receipts that had been spent on it. It also had 120Y disc brakes on the front which helped it pull up a little better than the original drums. I took it for a little spin and I was sold. I had to have it. As it had no rego (and no bonnet) I got a truck to come and pick it up and deliver it to my house on the other side of town. I cleaned out the garage, put the Subaru outside and made a new home for the little guy.

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So I thought I would put together a thread on a rebuild of a little Datto ute I bought for my Mrs in Jan 2014. I have many datto's over the years including 1600's that I just love but with time at a premium over the last few years, I hadn't touched a old car until now.

The bug came back to me when I was talking to my brother at Christmas (2013) and he was telling me about all these motorbikes he was doing up in his spare time and I got a little jealous. I wanted to get my hands dirty so I started the hunt for a 1200 ute as it looked like there was a lot of aftermarket parts around online and the community for them looked pretty helpful. Originally I was just after something as a runabout for the Mrs that I could tinker with but after I looked at a bunch of utes, everyone was asking way to much for poorly looked after rust buckets. That was until I found this multi-coloured farm machine just outside of Brisbane.

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Hi guys,

I am after a spare wheel (13") for my little 1200 ute that is pretty much complete.
Just wondering if anyone has one laying about in the Brisbane area they would like to get a couple of bucks for.

Ken

Have you got any front seats?

Where was this ad posted for those seats?
They look perfect.

I would prefer them not torn but i am keen to take what ever I can get at this stage.
I just need them to get through Safety Inspection here in QLD.
Do they have the rails attached?

Can you send a pick or two through of the seats? (PM if you want).
Thanx

Hey guys,

I am in need of a pair of front seats for my Mrs' 1200 ute.
I'm based in Brisbane, but could pickup from Gold Coast or anywhere in between.

If anyone has any they want to part with let me know.
Ken

bump

I am in need of a pair of 1200 front seats with the sliding rails for my ute ('80).
Not to fussed on condition but would prefer no major rips/tears.