Can a 73-78 clip be put on an 81-87 truck?

[burger]

Gentlemen,

I'm enamored with the looks of the early boxy front end, but really desire the performance/reliability of an '87 truck with fuel injection and overdrive. Seems like it would be easier and cheaper to swap the front clip than retrofit the drivetrain. Is it as easy as I think?


Thanks,
Ed

[Texas Lefty]

I put a 87 front end on a 79 and in my opinion it would be less work to go the otherway

[smashingchuck]

It would be easier than going the other way... I don't see why it wouldn't work. Just make sure you swap the bumpers too to make the look complete.

[Captkaos]

Yes, you can go that way and it won't require as much change, but you will have to swap to the shorter 73-80 style wipers to clear the hood and change the wiring connectors to match the new headlight setup, AND make a bracket to allow you to put the 73-80 bumper on the frontend as the frame horn ends are different.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by burger

Is it as easy as I think?
Ed

Well yes, and no. Or maybe I should say that depends. If your going with a 73-78 clip most of the big parts can be had at a fair price, but they aren't cheap "or" abundant any more.

Lets start with the fenders. Even in a dry climate like Texas, finding rust free fenders is hard to do. The passenger side is going to have rust at the rear from the a/c drain, and rust at the front from battery run off. The drivers side is easier to come by.

If you decide to skip the hassle of tracking down rust free fenders then you can go with aftermarket metal. There is only one choice for fenders if you want quality. Goodmark makes a fender that is as good as OEM or better. Everything else is junk...period.

If you want a cowl hood, no problem. Goodmark will supply that too. If you don't want a cowl hood...uh....your screwed. Trying to find a clean, rust free oem hood that isn't cracked is close to impossible unless you want to pay a fortune for the rare NOS version that hit eBay.

OK so somehow you have found fenders, hood and a rust free core support. So far you only spent a grand if you include shipping. Now your going to need the trim.

For headlight bezels you have two choices. The cheap plastic ones for 9.95 or NOS units. The NOS versions are averaging 100.00+ on eBay these days when you can find them. It's not uncommon for them to hit 130.00.

You can buy repoduction grills for 75-78 but not for 73-74. LMC makes a pretty cool plastic "Billet Look" grill that might suit your taste.

Can it be done? Absoulety! Is it going to be cheap than swapping motors? Not unless you are lucky enough to find a donor truck that you can buy it all at once.

Will it look *****en?

Priceless...

[69BBsuburban]

That's a badass pic N2TRUX!

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by 69BBsuburban

That's a badass pic N2TRUX!

Yes it is, isn't it?

Another view...metal:

[cjracing15]

Not to steal a thread but my brotherinlaw wants to change from a 74 to a 85. How hard is this?

[Pyrotechnic]

I bought the 73-78 LMC plastic bezels and they didn't fit. Couldn't get them to sit flush so I could screw them on. The original metal ones on the truck fit fine.

Anyone else have problems with them ?

[xtreme80]

Originally Posted by cjracing15

Not to steal a thread but my brotherinlaw wants to change from a 74 to a 85. How hard is this?

It's the same as what N2TRUX said except that parts are easier and cheaper to come by.

[69BBsuburban]

Originally Posted by cjracing15

Not to steal a thread but my brotherinlaw wants to change from a 74 to a 85. How hard is this?

More work than putting '85 stuff on a '74....the cowl vent panel where the wipers go is different ('81^ have removable panel), as is the hood hinge mounting, which goes through the cowl on the newer trucks.
Takes a bit of cutting to get a later clip on earlier truck...but it's been done alot so it's no big deal.

That's one SICK Blazer!

[78 Chevyrado]

N2TRUX, Is the air-dam off a 81-87 truck and you just fitted it to it, or is it off something else?

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by 78 Chevyrado

N2TRUX, Is the air-dam off a 81-87 truck and you just fitted it to it, or is it off something else?

Heck, I have no idea. That's not my Blazer, it's belongs to tvblazer78 -Look here-

[gchemist]

Basically, the reverse of this http://www.coloradok5.com/grilleswap.shtml