front clip swap?

[texasfunk]

well, got rid of the 3 cars i needed to, sold my 81 and 2 79 camaros, one was a long project that we quit, and one was our race car, i have money save up to throw into my 87, and schools going to start soon, so the body will be getting done, and it will be painted by may, if i get in the first group at school, then by march, the thinkis, right now its my DD, and a reason i sold these 3 were to get project money, and get a little something or school while my truck is out, a good friend of mine came over today, and i installed a full stereo system in his 79 blazer 2wd, well, while we were working, he said his grandpa has a truck for sale, it was given to him, and he didnt want it, so itheres an 85 chevy SWB sitting in the middle of a field, with a fresh 305/350, with about 30,000 miles on them, truck runs great, a/c works, has ok interior, body has all work done and is in final prime, best part, asking $650, he said if I want it, give him 6 even, ok, i can turn this down, so im going to get it, but i was wondering how if any way, can i put a 73-79 clip on it? love the look, and fig, i dnt need 2 rectangle light trucks, and i have wanted a 73-79, is there any way? thanx in advanced!

[bigbadjohn84]

the 73-79 clip will work with no prob. the 81-87 just hase different hood pivot points mounted on the firewall. the 73-79 are mounted on the inner fenders totally. be an easy swap, granted you have the entire front clip

[N2TRUX]

All you need is a donor truck. Get the entire front clip "and" the front frame horns. Don't forget to change the rear bumper too..

[silvereagle07]

texasfunk, I remember a while back there was a member here that did the swap. The truck looked great when he got done. It was red with a cowl hood. Anyone here? I tried the search but didn't come up with anything.

[Grande Rojo]

That was my truck.
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=310518

[JohnC]

Nice score funk! See things fall into place sometimes.

Grande's truck looks sweet. That is the one that really got me contemplating that idea as well on my next truck. That is if I can't find a 73-79 truck.

[jdurant]

If you do this, make sure and take some good progress pics. It seems pretty straight forward, but I myself am a little confused by hood hinges and the cowl area.
I think that is probably what I am gonna do to the blazer I just trashed. Gonna be quiet a while though, if I do it.

I haven't seen a real good write up on it.

[JohnC]

[Driveway Dreams]

Texasfunk, do the swap. I am sure you can find a whole donor truck down there. Even if its been hammered in the rear or something. I never liked the round lights till I got mine with square ones and now I like the round lights too. I guess that's what I would get if I get another truck. Round lights on a crew dually.

[bigbadjohn84]

no issues man. straight forward swap. as N2Trux said. you need a complete front clip and front frame horns and front and rear bumpers to make it all jive. the 81-87 uses hinges that pivot at the cowl. those brackets unbolt and toss them in with the other front clip. the 73-79 had hood hinges that bolt stricktly to the inner fender area. no prob

[joe231]

on the sales and the new purchase!!

Don't forget you have to change out the windshield wiper stems (to the older shorter ones) so the wipers will fit under the hood

you need to fill in the hinge holes on the top of the firewall and get the older dash parts if you want it to look "right"

oh and get rid of the wipers and dimmer on the turn signal stalk

[texasfunk]

thanx for the info guys! i went to look at it today, it was dark so no pics, but from what i saw the truckis in great codition, he even has a GREAT 74 LWB next to it, belongs to his son, the same one who gave him the 85, he said he'd talk to him about switching me the clips, that one is also in great condition, so hopefully that comes through, everything is looking good so far! im glad i fell into upon this truck!

[texasfunk]

and i'll be sure to follow everything i do, im pretty excited about this, i wanted a round headlight truck ever since i saw this one
i love how it sits, the wheels, color, i will add white in the middle because i def want the side trim, but for a while it'll be in primer, depending on how quickly i can get the body done on the 87, i MAY be able to have them both painted before may

[joe231]

Holy cow!!

I just noticed your sig...you sold an 81 SWB with a 502 for $2500??

I agree, someone got one hell of a deal!
are there pics of it on here somewhere?

[texasfunk]

Originally Posted by joe231

Holy cow!!

I just noticed your sig...you sold an 81 SWB with a 502 for $2500??

I agree, someone got one hell of a deal!
are there pics of it on here somewhere?

yep, sad but true, i had it for sale for 3 month, few close bites, but people always backing down due to wife's or dads/parents saying no, finally a guy from work saw it online, had money the next day, hurt to see it go for so cheap, considering the motor cost more than that to build! plus new trans, stall, all the go fast goodiesand new interior, but hey, its hard to sell right now! just not the right time, there are some pics in my build thread, but here are some for ya

[texasfunk]

heres the mill, finally getting its home after months of storage, couldnt find the right thing for her til we got the 81, also, dont mind the blue hood, last thing i did was put a burban hood, and 87 grill and turn sigs, and chrome trim,

[joe231]

wow, cool truck
what kinda HP and Torque numbers do you figure that engine produced?

[texasfunk]

Originally Posted by joe231

wow, cool truck
what kinda HP and Torque numbers do you figure that engine produced?

had about 450hp, and 550 ft lbs of torque, there is no explaining the feel of all that power, the bed was so light tho, it got NO grip, but was fun to drive!

[68 TT]

If the deal with the other truck front clip swap doesn't work you can always buy another truck and do the swap then sell the older truck with the newer front clip for pretty much what you bought the donor truck for.

It shouldn't cost you much if anything to do this after all is said & done.

Some people like the newer front clip better and might pay more for the older truck with it in place.

[oldwagon]

not much into stepsides, but that was a nice truck. especially the 502. "BIGGER IS ALWAYS BETTER"

[texasfunk]

so, turns out the 85 got sold right out from under me, my friend said even tho his uncle gave his grandpa the truck, it was still under his name, he found out they were selling it, wanted the cash himself, and sold it, greedy people, so, i was thinking, of putting a 73-79 clip on my truck, and was wanting a little more insight, from what i understand here it should be a straightforward swap, others say i have to move core support mounts, is this necessary? and i hear the bumpers were a little different, my 87 is in great shape, and id love to keep it, can i? and finally, if anyone in this area is interested in a clip swap, let me know, id love to get a cowl hood for trade for mine, but wont be necessary as i have a stock hood to send with my clip if i cant get a cowl, thanx in advanced everyone

[Driveway Dreams]

Dang! Stupid people. Good luck finding the right one. You might keep your eye on the Craigslist postings here in CO. There is often alot of the 73-80s on there around here. It's a drive, but it could be worth it for the right deal. And, if you need people to look at it. We are all over the state.

[silvereagle07]

Sorry to hear that texasfunk. Greed spoils alot of things.

[68 TT]

Sorry to hear you lost out on the truck deal.

Good luck with the continuing truck search.

[Tow Me]

So what has to be done with the front frame horns for the swap to a 73-80 clip? Is it welding or just bolting on the bumper bracket?