I have a 2015 JKUR that was t-boned pretty bad in an accident. I had the AEV beefed up rock sliders on it which I believe helped spare the frame but it spread the load of the impact across the lower body all along the passenger side sill. I can have a body shop cut up a donor vehicle at the bone yard and replace practically the entire right side but an alternative is that I found a whole body off of a 2010 that appears to be in good shape. I'm wondering if it wouldn't be cheaper and easier to just swap bodies... I know they changed interiors in 2011 so I'm not sure if the bolts that the dash mount on are the same or if any other changes were made between 2010 and 2015. Maybe it's just better to have them cut and paste. I don't know. What are the thoughts of the experts in here? Thanks for your time.

 

I do not know the answer to your question, but I presume that older body would plop right in place on the frame, and that all of the bolt holes n stuff would line up exactly the same. The mid-series update with the interior was just that, a nice fresh look, but I can't believe that it would have been economical at all to alter the actual body in any manner (holes for this or that) while doing that refresh. I think I'd rather explore that route than have a body shop chopping and patching things. that said, the huge hurdle is obviously moving a whole body around and transporting it, etc. All just my opinion.

 

I agree 100% and you captured many of my sentiments exactly. I'd likely need to hire a shop to do the actual body transplant but I could do a lot of the pre-work myself such as removing most of the interior. I really don't like the idea of the cut and paste route when this is an option. I just didn't want to go through all the trouble only to find that the dash mounts are off. I'd like to assume they'd be the same but since when do automakers do what makes practical sense from the customer perspective.

 

Not an expert by any stretch.. 1st thought is the VIN numbers.. on a body swap the 2010 vin plate on the dash would be moving over along with any other stamped numbers in the body. . (the factory uses special rosette rivets to attache vin plates).. 2nd thought Body shops replace/install uni-sides frequently so a good shop could cut out the damaged and put in the new side (rockers and doors/door openings on the passenger side.. It would be a good idea to discuss this with a good body shop.

 

Good points, thank you.

 

I think you're underestimating the difficulty of transferring all the instrumentation and wiring from the 2015 body to the 2010 body. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the switches are in different locations. As long as the frame isn't twisted (which would be a reason to walk away at that point), a good body shop can do amazing things with panel replacements.