I don't like the look of the coupe/ute but thats not to say it was a bad idea, I am impressed with the work and detail gone into it. I really think nissan should seriously look these extended cab utes, and contemplate putting these into production. They offer what most modern ute dont offer these days and thats versatility and economy. Off course it would be nice if the put in a NEO SR20.

Well thats my 2 cents

Damon

you are all on drugs

hat "coute" as i called it, the black one with coupe front looked awesome in real life (when i took the picture), it didnt look out of proportion at all, the roof line looked mad lower, and the tray looked long but it added to the coolness of the whole conversion, it was an awesome thing, i wanted to buy it, it ws for sale for around 8k too

looks like i opened a can of worms here...

in all seriousness, i could not justify spending the time or the money in doing the mods shown in the pics below... i dont believe they flatter the shape of the little ute!

In answer to the earlier question, i am only 6" and am plenty able to fit behind the wheel of a 1200 ute- but- some extra leg room would be appreciated, especially when trying to change gears, the left knee can sometimes get in the way of the steering wheel...

that said, an interesting mod to one ute i did own was the slight replacement of the steering wheel to the right. i know it sounds stupid but it was only a smaal adjustment and was barely noticable. It did however free up some space for the left knee.

The cool site showing the History of the "Extended Cab" Ute

2332owner has given us some good material!

Plenty of good photos.

Chris

OK, Ok, i have settled down now.

I will most happily agree with you about post war Hudsons, particularly the late 40's / early 50's Step-down models. They are very nice motor cars with a particularly classic style. Wasps are little known, but much loved by those that do know, & for good reason. There is a semi restored one around here. Just a few custom touches & it looks gorgous.

I had not realised that the van was the most common Datsun 1000 model on this site. It reminds me that hot rodders will walk over the more common sedans in search of the rarer models. End result? The rare models are often the most common of a particular make & model within various clubs. The models that were most often seen when they were new are often regarded as parts sources now.

Case in point. There were only 11 of the 1932 Ford "sedan deliveries" made. 8 of them currently survive, & several were resurected from total ruin, just because they are rare. Pro rata, they are the most common bodystyle when expressed as a surviving percentage of original production.

I am very pleased to see that the 1000 van has a popular following, yet in all my travels, i have only ever actually seen a few of them in the flesh.

You are right in your comments about mods that make cars into garage queens, & reducing the roof height on really small cars like ours can easily cause comfort problems. The glass height is often on a par with bigger cars as people are still "people sized" & with the smaller bodies of small cars, the ratio of car size to glass area often means that small cars tend to lose out a bit in the proportion stakes. Not a lot that most of us can do about it, except dream, ... & photoshop.
Thats why i used the phrase "from a styling perspective", as i do recognise the practical realities, even if i don't like admiting it at times.

Dude you need to settle down abit, all I did was ask a question.
Cant say I have ever seen a Terraplane but I do like the look of Hudsons and at the moment I am actually halfway through a full resto on a Wasp for a customer. I like oldschool shaped cars, I even like the infamous Ambassador.
As for my 1000 wagon ( the one thats uncommon but yet its the most common 1000 model on this site) I wouldnt lower the roof on it, as there is already only limited head room avaliable.
Fare enough make things better all around, but if modifications make it a bitch to drive, Who cares how it looks if all it does is sit in the garage.

Quote: Dear oh dear, here we go again.

The length [of thre roof] to height ratio of the utes give them the "appearance" of an even taller roofline than they actually have, in my view. The phone booth metaphor was to emphasise the point.
You got the point now?
The next word was "proportion" Thats one of the keys to a classic style.

Datsun 1000 sedans have a unique style of their own, particularly the two door, which, i think, would benefit greatly from a modest roof height reduction. At least from a styling perspective. Don't you agree?

As for 1000's being the "most weirdest" shape around,... i think you have yet to see a 1937 Terraplane, or Hudson, but if "most weirdest" is your opinion, then i can respect that.

Are you doing a roof height reduction on your van? It's a big job, but it's a big improvement too. At least, thats my biased opinion.
Can you respect that?

To write that i "don't like utes" is, of course, an obvious untruth, but you write it anyway. I have always felt that, from a styling perspective, the roof height was the only thing that i thought was "crook" but i happily owned a 1200 ute for years. I thought the same of 1000 two door sedans, but i happily owned one of those for years too. They are somehow,... endearing

Any other problems that i can help with?

My panel beater mate is in the early stages of doing this exact thing to a ute, it looks #### ugly at the moment but Kenny will make it look cool.
Ade

dodgeman whats the go? you dont like 1200 utes cause to you they look like phone booths but yet you like 1000's. 1000's are the most weirdest shape around.

I had thought that it was made by using the whole front of a coupe & joining the longbed rear to it. That looks like a coupe roof panel too, so i have assumed that it was a relatively straightfoward cut & shut.

The roofline looks lower [to me] than a coupe one because the overall length of the vehicle is longer than what we are accustomed to seeing. The height to length ratio gives it an appearance of being even lower still.
A low roofline gives it a sleek look, & i would love to see someone photoshop it & remove another 1" to 2" from that roofline. Then it would look GREAT.
That was the only thing i thought was crook with the utes. The roofline is so short that it makes the cab look like a phone booth. Proportion is all wrong.

I was never crazy about the longbeds. I saw one in Sydney years ago. It was a good workhorse, but i thought the proportions were wrong for it to ever be a show pony. Bring on the shortbeds. [& choped tops]