ModPog84z28

just curious, has anyone considered, or better yet, done, a body panel swap between camaros and a firebird/trans am? i have my 91 formula. and i love the rear end of these things, the tail lights are the bomb. but i hate the front end. personally the camaros with ground effects had the front end nailed down tight.

so im wondering if it would be possible to graft camaro front fenders, bumper facia and a hood (might consider going custom with that if the bumpers and facia work good) to a firebird? id also ad the camaro vented rocker panels, and the firebird rear bumper ground effects. i think that it would look pretty dope, but let me know if you think it can be done, and if you think itd be kewl or not, thanks!

Mathius

It's pretty much a bolt up affair. You have to swap everything from the cowl forward except the inner fenders and core support. Not sure on the impact bar.

If _I_ wanted to go that route, I'd do something with the tail lights, because IIRC they have a firebird on them. Also the same for the front bumper cover which has a bowtie. But that's just me.

Mathius

88TransAmFreak

iTrader: (15)

It's been done and there are pics too

Stephen

iTrader: (12)

There are very questions or ideas left anymore, that don't deal with LS2/3/6/7, that haven't been asked (and answered) many times over.

ModPog84z28

ok, well thats good to know then i guess. i tried a search (admittedly, half-***ed) and didnt come up with nething, prolly my search criteria is the wrong thing. im not worried about the badging, itd be custom billet pieces neway (work in a machine shop) so its kewl. thanks for the info, ill refine my search!

drknow90rs_ss@y

iTrader: (3)

Check with www.gmhightechperformance.com They did a special a few years back on WCTA (West Coast Timing Association) Top speed car that was a Trans-am with 91-92 GFX and a camaro front end. The camaro's have a problem with the front GFX wanting to fold down really badly at around 150+MPH. (I reinforced mine with fiberglass.)

FYRCHKN

.......PLEASE not another cross bred bastard child. In theory it would look good....in reality, it looks like crap. Yes, I have seen a few of them in person.

This is another one of those things like the Vette tail lights on a Camaro....

JeremyNYR

iTrader: (2)

I've seen pictures of cross-breeds and I don't think they come out looking like "the bomb" or "dope" at all :-) I usually refer to the person that did it as a dope though if that counts. There's nothing difficult or really wrong about doing it since the cars share identical "frames" underneath the skin, but it just looks awkward because you just know that isn't how it's supposed to be.

ModPog84z28

well i guess that the great thing about being on a forum and other peoples opinion, i can choose to listen to you...or not i have seen a few after doing some research and i noticed one thing. they are all over done. huge cowl hoods, retarded rear spoiler, and bad choice in GFX for the rear. again this is all MY opinion, but i believe it can be done right. besides, i dont like my current front end, and have no desire to try and make the stock front look good. im not a fan of the forumula front. so after hearing the comments, ill be darned and im probably gonna do it, as Bastardy as it may be.

the only thing im wondering is if i need to swap the core support for a camaro one so i can convert the headlights. if neone wants to comment with useful information, rather than a slam, feel free

as you can tell, im not a fan of the serious slamming that is abound on this site, and the serious lack of ppl not having respect for others likes/dislikes. but if you insist on bashing, keep it too your self...

my appreciation goes out to the ppl who have given me helpful answers.

//<86TA>\\

iTrader: (14)

i would not do it. It will not look right. There was actually one locally a few years back, a firebird with a camaro front end and it just didnt do it for me.

But AFAIK, its a complete bolt on deal, but i would keep all the original parts so you can go back. I think the plastic impact absorber on the front bumer is also different between birds and camaros.

There will also be wiring involved, you have to wire the headlights, and running lights.

Now if you put the camaro front on with the ground effects, are you going to put the camaro ground effects on the rest of the car so that it matches the front?

ModPog84z28

yea the wiring wont be a problem, im going to get an entire front essentially. i have a yard locally that i can make trips back to if needed to get the parts i need. and yes ill be putting GFX all around, but the side skirts and rear valance will have some work done to them to fit the body better. plus im doing a custom f-glass hood. the only thing im worried about is the core support, and now that you mention it the impact absorber.

the only other way im not going to do this is if i can get an entire firebird front end that isnt a formula, or a GTA front end to put on it, and frankly those are harder to find than the camaro stuff, and i still like the camaro front end better.

as of right now the only good parts on my car are the drivers side fender and the the hood which is pretty questionable. the guy who had it before me wasnt much of a body man and used a screw-in slide hammer to pull a dent and never finished his work, so it rusted pretty bad. also he pretty much demolished the bumper facia, its way beyond repair...

JeremyNYR

iTrader: (2)

I'm not slamming it, I just don't like how it looks when done. I agree that when i've seen pictures of it done it wasn't generally done well. Making the ground effects styles match up will be tricky. I'd suggest using 1984 Trans Am rear bumper and ground effects to better match the height of the camaro front and rear ground effects. The 85-90 and the 91-92 firebird GFX are so much taller than the Camaro ones that it'll be an obvious mismatch. The 84 style are just a little lower than the camaro ones by about 1/4"

You don't need to change out the core support or any of the unibody to do it. The only parts that change are the parts that bolt on... but you'll need to swap over EVERYTHING that bolts to the front of the car! This includes the plate that bolts in front of the radiator that the hood latch mounts to and the impact bar because the black plastic honeycomb part will have a different shape to match the nose. I think the hood hinges and actual latch itself are the only things that are the same from Firebird to Camaro for this conversion. You will also have to change out the headlight harness or atleast do some splicing to it. You can also swap from the firebird to camaro intake ducting if you wish.

ModPog84z28

ok all good stuff to know jeremy, thanks! ive got other cars in the shop for right now, but it might get done sometime in the next year. got work starting soon too and ill be in canada for 90 percent of the summer.

the intake ducting im not worried about, i already made a CAI out of some 3 inch intercooler piping so thats pretty much done. hopefully after i get this stuff at least purchased i can get the drivetrain started this fall during school.

neone interested in a hopped up 305/700r4 and rear end combo? cant wait to get my 383 built with the t-56 and 3.90 rear, haha.

snowman383

i have done it ..you have to cut the front impact bumper down so the parking lights section will fit..look in the photo album at my parts car... thats the car i did it to... look to the right of pic you will see the fenders and some of the front cap off a maro looks ok with out the body kit

jhainer

Ok I have to admit back when i was a kid i had an 83 ta that i picked up from a friend that had seen setter days. he had overheated the motor and the trans sslipped the front end was smashed from a drunk driving incedent. I picked the car up for 300 after putting an 86 corvette 350 in it and hunting for the right starter vette motor have different starters. then found a 82 z28 front end for free so I did the swap. after it was repainted it didn't look to bad but it deffinatly looked cobbled together .
someone said bastard child yea i have to agree .
Just for the record I have owned 10 different firebirds and camaro's
this one now is my first iroc tho
82 camaro sc v6 auto
87 camaro sc v6 5 speed photo attached
82 camaro swapped 305 auto
83 firebird swapped 305 auto
86 camaro sc v6 auto
83 ta 305 swapped to 350 auto
94 firebird v6 auto
90 camaro RS 305 auto photo attached
92 camaro rs v6 swapped 400hp 350 photo attached
86 iroc 305 tpi auto swapped to 468 bbc photos here somewhere on this site

jhainer

theres are My sons 85 z25 and our 81 firebird and the 94 firebird that i gave to my son for his 16th. he wants to call our garage the f-body rescue LOL

Mathius

Why would you say that you've done the swap and then post 6 pictures of cars that AREN'T the one you did the swap to?

Anyways, regarding whether or not you have to swap the core support, I don't believe you do... My buddy had a 2.8L firebird at the same time I had my '92 camaro and the front ends looked identical inside the engine bay.

The other reason I believe that this is unnecessary is because I know for a fact that the lights on a camaro are held in place by a plastic 'light bar'.

Here is an example of one here: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/82-92...QQcmdZViewItem

I believe you just need this piece to bolt up the lights. I don't think the core support has anything to do with it.

As other people have said in this thread, I believe its possible the impact bar is different between the two cars.

Mathius

ModPog84z28

thanks for all the info, might be getting the parts this week!

jhainer

here's a link to one http://atlanta.craigslist.org/cto/1064908260.html

Atilla the Fun

I halfway wish I had the funds to take that '91 bird nose off your hands. Some of us don't hate it.

ModPog84z28

hey if you pay the shipping and give me 15 bux you can have it! its in need of some serious love though, its pretty sad. you can even get the good drivers side fender at a steal from me if you want.

ModPog84z28

yea i think that one is very well done, its not over done at all, just the right accenting. thanks for the pics, thats really close to what i want mine to look like!

matj1990

i currently own one just bought it maybe 2 or 3 weeks ago has yet to be driven or on the road but i have looked it over and its not that hard to do just time consuming
plz excuse its current durty and crappy paint job wheel s and anything else u find lol these are pics of it when i got it home

JeremyNYR

iTrader: (2)

WOW, that car is confused. It's a firebird with a camaro front end with a 2nd gen firebird style shaker hood with 1/3 of a camaro spoiler... getting dizzy

matj1990

lol i liked it somthing different not an everyday site may not be show quality but theres prolly not another one like it

HarmonyCamaro

lol what the hell?

matj1990

well i only paid 600.00 plus have a bird parts car just havnt had time to get the other yet

JeremyNYR

iTrader: (2)

one of the differences in Camaros and Firebirds that is often overlooked is the shape of the wheel wells. Notice that the Firebird wheel wells are very rounded and the Camaro's wheel wells are more squared off. So all the mix-matched cars will have mix-matched wheel well shapes too. It doesn't smack you in the face, but once you notice it you can't forget it. lol

ModPog84z28

i like that, other than the obvious stuff like the paint job and small dings like you said. but i think it looks good, also aside from the trans-am shaker hood scoop . and shoot for 600 bux thats a steal i think. if you give it some love im sure it will look pretty dang good, thanks for the pics!

on a side note, those are the rims i have on mine right now :P i like them, theyre cheap rims that look ok polished up.

scratch that, mine are ultra's, not american racing, but they look almost identical

bigd077770

i have had a car with the opposite done, i got my first car for $400 it was a 1991 camaro rs with like a 1989 GTA front end it looked real good tho


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Camaro-454

iTrader: (1)

That actually looks pretty good. At first glance I would have thought that it was a Camaro, Until I saw the rear tail lights. Then I'd have known that it was a hybrid.

That conversion works with no problems in my humble opinion. It's clean, it looks good, and you can't tell it at first glance, and yes, it's something different and unique.

$600.00 bucks is a great price for a third gen Camaro/Firebird, running or not, even for a rolling chassis, because you have a nice building platform to work from. You did alright bro. I paid $800.00 for my White 87 Iroc-Z, 305 TPI, ( which I'm Very Happy with I might add ).

Best wishes on your build. Take lots of pics to record your progress as you create a memory and a truely unique one of a kind car. Make it your own and have fun while doing it. I'm sure that we all want to see how yours comes out. *S*


Camaro-454

fiream

IROC#1

This thread is over 2 years old and the OP hasnt signed on to Third Gen in over 18 months. He probably doesnt even have the car any longer.