Front cuts, front clips and half cuts are actually the same thing.

They're simply the front part of a vehicle, typically cut through the A pillars above the dash and the floor behind the transmission.

There are 11 Steps for getting front cuts, front clips or half cuts from Japan.

At the bottom of the page there's also a checklist for how to get Front Cuts, Front Clips and Half Cuts from Japan.

There's no market for half cuts on the Japanese Domestic Market. Japanese laws require Half Cuts can only be made by Licensed Vehicle Dismantlers.

Because of this the process must start at the beginning of the supply chain by sourcing the vehicles that you want and having them cut.

These days all sorts of people are popping up offering half cuts from Japan. Even people with no workshop facilities, no dismantling licences, and no genuine hands-on experience.

Some of them won't tell you that they don't have a licensed dismantling facility nor hold the licences that are required by Japanese law to dismantle vehicles.

Despite a crackdown by government authorities illegal dismantling still occurs. If you select an exporter who doesn't hold dismantling licences and the vehicle is ilegally dismantled you run the risk that the stock could be confiscated by Japanese authorities, which means you could lose your money and your stock.

43 people were arrested and jailed for stolen vehicles and illegal dismantling in this yard in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan - Translated by Google Original 47 News article in Japanese

The licences that exporters need to source, dismantle, cut and ship vehicles are:

• Registered company in Japan, Words such as "Yugen Gaisha", "Kabushiki Kaisha" etc. should be in the full registered company name.


• Motor Vehicle Dealers Licence


• Metal Dealers Licence


• Vehicle Export Licence


• Recycled Vehicle Handling Licence


• Vehicle Dismantling Licence


• Fluorocarbon Handling Licence


• Second Hand Dealers Licence


• Airbag Handling Licence

If the company holds the licences they should be displayed on the company website. If the exporter advertising half cut services has no licences on their website ask them whether they do in fact hold licences and ask for proof.

Licenced dismantlers are required to have their own licenced dismantling facility. This facility is inspected and approved by government inspectors.

If the exporter outsources the work to another company you lose control. There might be easy access to where the vehicle is being stored and dismantled and parts can be stolen from it. You also lose control of how well the vehicle is dismantled and packed in the container.

Best practice is for the exporter to have their own licenced dismantling facility, to hold the necessary licences, and handle the process through sourcing, dismantling, containerisation, Japanese Customs clearance and shipping. That way you have control over all stages of the process.

Shipping containers in Japan needed to loaded with the container sitting on the trailer. Unlike, North America, Australia, New Zealand etc. there are no side loading container trailers.

This means that unless the container is backed into a submerged loading bay it will be sitting above ground level which makes it hard if not impossible to properly load front cuts.

The exporter needs to have a container loading facility that lets you drive the forklift into the container at ground level. Without this it's difficult (if not impossible) to get the front cuts all the way to the back of the container.

Stacks of front cuts can be unstable. You don't want to be trying to load them up a slippery steel ramp, particularly on rainy days. It's best to have the container located in a submerged loading bay so the forklift can drive in with stacks of front cuts at ground level.

Select the vehicles you'd like for your half cuts from. Good sources are:

• Japanese Vehicle Auctions
  Good for late model and recycle grade vehicles.


• Japanese Salvage Vehicle Auctions
  Select from hundreds of vehicles at any time.


• Yahoo! Japan Auction
  Recommended for buying directly from end users and highly modified vehicles.


• Local Dismantlers
  Best place for lower value cars.

Click Here to access vehicles from Japanese Vehicle Auctions

Click on the British Union Jack flag on the top right hand side for English.
Go to JAPANESE AUCTIONS for current listings and STATISTICS SALES for sale prices.
In the Condition filter select "R", "-", "***" grades for salvage grade vehicles.

While you may have bought the car for the front cut, there's usually over 100 parts available on the remainder of the car.

Parts like doors, door internals, lights, trunks, rear bumpers, tailgates, glass, diffs, brakes, exhausts, seats, interior trim, carpet, mats etc. Since you bought the car for the front cut, these parts can be pure profit.

Giving your exporter dismantling instructions is in 2 Steps:

1. Photos
   If you're buying cars at auction the photo set will often be limited and lacking detail. In some cases there aren't even engine bay or interior shots. Without detailed photos you don't know exactly what you've bought. Ask the exporter for detailed photos of the vehicle once it arrives at the exporters yard. You can also ask for a video to confirm engine condition.


2. Parts Wanted Checklist
   Because there can be a lot of detail its best if this is done with an online form where you can just "check the boxes" of the parts you want. Avoid giving dismantling instructions verbally, since there are too many opportunities for misunderstandings. This is also the time to give the exporter any special instructions that you have, such as for cleaning or premium protection of parts.

Checks that you may want to request are:

• Engine compression test


• Engine oil condition


• Transmission functioning


• Transmission fluid condition


• Electric mirror functioning


• Power window functioning


• Cimate control switch functioning


• Boost controller functioning

It's much easier to assess the condition of these parts before the car is dismantled. It also avoids the embarrassment of pre-selling parts that may not be functioning properly.

Dismantling is where the whole vehicle is broken down into parts. The process is in 3 stages:

1. Panel & Parts Removal
   All panels should be removed to prevent panel damage, reduce the size of the front cuts so more can be packed in the container, and to allow proper cleaning of the front cut.


2. Fluids & Aircon Gas Removal
   It's important that the engine and transmission oils are removed to prevent oil leaking in the container. Containers that are leaking fluid are sidelined at the port. They can't be loaded until they're unpacked and the leaking front cuts have been removed.


3. Cutting
   This is the final stage of the dismantling process. The way that they are cut is important for preventing damage. Front cuts need to be cut so that they be stacked on each other safely in the container without direct contact with the dashboard area or engine bay.

1. Oxy Acetylene

Crude and quick, Oxy Acetylene gas is still used for cutting by most dismantling yards in Japan. Cuts are messy and valuable parts get damaged. And it's dangerous. Remember, when you're making a half cut you're cutting right over the fuel line which is still dripping with fuel.

Fires in a dismantling facility are not a pretty sight

They're very hard to put out and spread very quickly. Insurance companies have rules and penalties for facilities that use Oxy Acetylene for a reason. And burnt out cars don't have a lot of value.

NOT RECOMMENDED

2. Angle Grinders & Rotary Steel Cutters

These are fast, but because they throw up sparks they damage the stock. Say goodbye to any nearby panels, glass, seats, dashboards, etc. And because you're cutting near the fuel line, dangerous. Again...

NOT RECOMMENDED

3. Air Powered Jigsaw Cutters

Safe with no sparks thrown off, but there's a lack of good blades available and these are slow. The steel of cars is getting tougher and tougher and they struggle to get the job done.

NOT RECOMMENDED

4. Electric Powered Jigsaw Cutters

This is by far the best cutter and the most popular cutter for body shops.

The blades keep getting better to keep pace with the steel of cars getting tougher. By far the best option. Clean cuts, no damage to surrounding stock and no fire risk.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Preparation is the key for smooth container loading. Best practice is:

• Container Loading Plan
  A Container Loading Plan should be prepared prior to loading to ensure the correct placement of all of the stock for the best container load factor and to avoid the chance of stock damage.


• Parts Cleaning
  Parts need to be cleaned and water sprayed if they are going into a coutry that has biological security requirements for dirt, insects, seeds and plant material.


• Boxing Of Small Parts
  Best practice is for small parts to be protected and boxed for safe and easy loading, storage in the container during transit and unloading.

Front cuts are matched and stacked. Doors, tailgates, fenders etc are matched for shape and size for the best packing result.

A 20 foot container will typically hold from 4 to 6 front cuts plus parts.

A 40 foot high cube container will typically hold from 12 to 20 front cuts plus parts.

Front cuts should be loaded in combination with parts. The parts should be positioned to lock in the front cuts against the walls of the container so they can't move.

The ontainer is sealed with a special numbered seal. If the container gets tampered with in transit (rare) this will show with a broken seal.

The prime mover returns to the container loading bay to pick up the full container. The container trailer is then re-attached to the Prime Mover and the container goes to port. Shipping docs are prepared and the container passes through the Japanese Customs inspection process. Once it gets Japanese Customs approval it can then be loaded onto the container ship.

Japanese Customs will sometime X Ray the container and sometimes ask for further documentation.

It's important that the shipping docs are carefully prepared and that there's a clearly documented paper trail of the acquisition and processing of the vehicle.

Japanese Customs has the right to sideline the container from the shipment and demand it be unpacked for a physical inspection at the port.

Stolen cars are often exported as parts, so containers of half cuts and parts are scrutinised more carefully by Japanese Customs than other stock types.

Once Japanese Customs have completed their checks the container is moved into position on the loading dock and lifted onto a container ship. Tracking information is available for the voyage it is booked on so you can prepare to take delivery at your port.

You make arrangements with your Customs Broker for your local customs clearance and take delivery in your country.

Does the exporter:

• Hold the dismantling licences that are required by Japanese law?


• Have their own licenced dismantling facility?


• Store the vehicles and parts at their own facility where they control access and security?


• Have a submerged container loading bay that allows ground level forfklift access into the container?


• Give you access to general vehicle auctions, specialist salvage auctions, the Yahoo! Japan Auction and Local Dismantlers so you have a full choice of vehicles?


• Provide you with a full photo set so that you can see every aspect of the vehicles you select?


• Give you videos of the running engine so you can verify running condition?


• Let you select the parts you want from a vehicle with an online "check the box" webform?


• Give you pre-dismantling checks so you know the condition of parts?


• Use an Electric Powered Jigsaw Cutter? (or do they use one of the cutters that can damage your stock and pose a fire risk)


• Box small parts for ease of handling and to prevent damage?


• Clean the half cuts and parts if required?


• Provide special premium protection of valuable parts if required?