A half cut is made by cutting off the end of a car containing the engine and transmission, either behind the dash in a front-engine car or in front of the rear firewall in a rear-engine car. In some cases cut can be done after the doors. For shipping purposes the bonnet is usually removed, so it will not be damaged during the transportation.
Buying a half cut import – or front cut as they’re also called – can have many benefits for those wanting to do an engine conversion on their car.
Buying a front cut car is your easy ‘plug & play’ solution for engine conversions because you get everything you need for the engine transplant in the one purchase including all your wiring connections, radiator and more.
Second hand half cut cars are more economical if you also need to replace the components connected to the engine. You may also need other parts like suspension, drive lines, brakes, cooling system and more which also come with a front cut car. (make sure you get the right half…)
When buying a front cut you get all the auto parts in that half of the car.
The majority of front half cuts available include;
Engine
Power Steering
Gearbox (and Driveshafts in 4WD)
Air Conditioning Set UP
Pedal Box
Dashboard and Switchgear
Radiator including Intercooler, Oil Cooler, Air Condenser
Complete Steering System including Hydraulic or Electric Power Assistance and usually the Steering Wheel
Complete Engine Bay Wiring Loom
Front Suspension
Brakes
Exterior Lights
Bumper
Complete and Assembled Underbody – valuable!
Depending on the car size and half cut type from 8 to 12 cars and the rest corresponding to the vehicle parts could be loaded in 40F container.
The export of half cut is slightly different from the export of usual car parts. The first step is to take detailed photos of the half-cut for customs , including the chassis number and photos of blown up airbags. Also for the customs purposes, exporter shall submit so called "Kaitai massyo" de-registration with the purpose of further scrapping or if it is already done the "Yushitsu massyo" export certificate for each half cut.