smtrthanu17

I am in the process of getting everything I need to swap a formula firebird front clip, including fenders and hood to my 91 camaro. Has anyone done this or seen it done? Any helpful tips would be much appreciated. My biggest worry is the fenders, as it seems to me by the pictures I have looked at that the later model firebird fenders have a different curve line where it meets the door. It looks more straight down rather than pointed like the camaros...

bradley23150

iTrader: (10)

The body line between the door and rear of the fender is the same, since the doors on camaros and firebirds are basically the same. The fenders 'lines' are more of a downward swoop, rather than a gradual decline such as a camaro. This swap has been done, but I have heard that the frame rails should be swapped, though I am not 100% sure. You also have to find a way to wire the headlights, maybe you can grab the harness from a firebird?

Good luck with the swap!

//<86TA>\\

iTrader: (14)

there are no frame rails on the car to swap.

you need to swap the fenders, they are different, and the nose support pieces. then there are headlights and turn signals too, the hood of course, and im sure a bunk of other little things. Its all bolt on though

Pocket

iTrader: (24)

Grab the front light harness too from the donor firebird. If your camaro is a different year set you will need to move some wires around. The head light doors have their own fuses under the firebird dash. You will need to add a pair up front because the camaro C100 will not have the wires in place

If the years are different it may be easier to just modify the camaro front light harness and control the motors separately

smtrthanu17

Ok, thanks for the tips guys. Im still looking for the fenders, but once I get them, Ill be quick to put everything in place and post pictures. And as for the headlights, Im planning on putting them on separate rocker switches so I can wink at ricers right before I pass them!

smtrthanu17

Its not bolted on yet, just sitting there, but thats the general idea. I'll post another when I get bolts and paint in place...

87bluebird

i cant tell from the pic you posted but one common problem with these cross breads is that the wheel wells don't match. most people don't realize that firebirds and camaros wheel wells are different shapes.

Shift06

You mean the fender flares? Yeah they are different. Also the B pillars are different on the Camaro, which I find sorta ugly compared to the birds.

smtrthanu17

That is correct, the wheel wells do not match. I am not that far along yet, but I plan on just modifying the firebird wheel well inserts to fit the camaro body.

knightrider0013

is it hard to put the firebird nose on he maro. i like the night rider car and wonderd if i could put a bird nose on a camaro, but with out the pop ups; just pexiglass over quad lights. what all does a person need?

Pocket

iTrader: (24)

The whole front clip

knightrider0013

yes or at least ithought the whole clip, be nice to just put the nose but that wont work. still not sure about the headlighs.

Drew

iTrader: (58)

Just go buy a Firebird if that's what you want. Friends don't let friends build Frankenmaros. People will forever be sitting around at parties, bars, and social functions making fun of that abortion. Do us all a favor and just stop right there and think about how bad this idea really is.

anesthes

iTrader: (12)

He mentioned that in the first post. I dunno what the end product will look like, but should be interesting. The right paint and it might break up that defect too.

-- Joe

anesthes

iTrader: (12)

I think that is going a bit far...

-- Joe

knightrider0013

i dont have the money to buy extra cars and i didnt know how well a kitt camaro would look. havn't seen any birds for sale, last f-body on local trading post radio was an 86 maro. and my car is still a good car. i know most people dont want crossbreeds but i was just trying to think of a quick way to make a ki2000.

karl's-92'-z28

iTrader: (5)

Why not an earlier bird front clip, i think it would flow more with the camaro bodylines. Like 82-88?

Drew

iTrader: (58)

I really don't. This is the kind of thing that car guys sit around and make fun of, years after it disappears off the roads. It would look like someone wrecked a car, and bolted on whatever front end they could find cheap. It'd be a thousand times more notorious (in a bad way) then rocking 3 spokes after 1994.

If you WANT to build a knight rider clone, don't start with a Camaro. A good clone is so expensive and difficult that buying the right base car is probably going to be the cheapest part of the project. You can change the front end, and you'll still have the wrong 1/4s, wrong tail lights, wrong spoiler, wrong interior, wrong wheels. The doors are the only body part aside from the roof skin and glass that's the same between the Camaro and Firebird.

Even done right, a KITT clone is kind of like being in a tribute band... It's still not the real thing and you end up looking like a goof. Not to be rude, but it's better to be told BEFORE you install some Ebay scanning LED light in your front bumper.

mitchberry

iTrader: (1)

i've seen it done, but was never sure -why-...

i have to start by saying that it really does annoy me when i read people talking negatively to people on here or turning down their ideas.. but... this one kinda doesn't make sense to me.

if you like camaros, sell your firebird and go buy a camaro and put firebird tail lights on it. seems easier than putting a camaro clip on a firebird.

in fact it's probably easier to pull the entire interior out and do the tail section than it is to swap the entire front clip and get the car running again with no electrical problems or shorts.

just a thought.......... lol

the second thought is, you are essentially -destroying- whatever resale value you have in that car...

you may as well write "mustang" all over it and put a 5.0 mustang motor in it... at least camaro and FB are the same car... but..... people buy the brand and the name, as much as the body... and people are less likely to buy something THAT customized..

that's just the truth, take it or leave it....

sorry to be negative...

kcb37

As much as people hate it, it's your car do what you want.
Mostly to Drew, your not any better then anyone else here. While 100% stock may be your thing it's not everyone else's thing.
I will agree some things I think go to far, but it's not my car either.
To add maybe they want the Camaro tail's and a Firebird front end. What's wrong with that?

At anyrate the swap has been done many times. Some because thats what a junkyard had, some because people wanted to. Either way do what you think you want. Paint your car hot pink if you want. Just don't ask me to ride with you.
Some of the best mods are from other cars, because that is what sets them apart.

mitchberry

iTrader: (1)

I know that wasn't addressed to me, but, i for some reason felt the need to clarify that i do still think it's kind of a weird idea... i won't say stupid, but i will say weird... and 100% stock definitely isn't my thing, i build cafe racers, and have pissed a loooottttt of "traditionalists" off by chopping up perfectly good vintage bikes etc,

but really, my main thing was, buy a camaro and put firebird tail lights in it, not buy a firebird and tear half of the car to the ground and put 500 hours of labor into it....

if someone's really that into it, they can buy a non running camaro for about $800 with a decent body, and shove the motor out of their car in it and still have less time involved and would be less of a space requirement lol...
------

idk..... if you do it, show pics

I'll be happy to see that they were productive and successful in it, and i'll give props for it..... but............ i definitely wouldn't go out of MY way to do that, i've got more important things to do than to do that... but that's me personally...

knightrider0013

i dont know yet, just a an idea i had. i may ending up modding the factory car with some minor custom parts. like you say a replica takes alot and may be better to go all black body with blackouts front and rear, extra lights cause i drive dirt roads- DEER! good meat, bad on cars. just stick with my kr dvds and comp pics.

kcb37

I won't lie I think it's kinda weird too, but everyone likes something different and there is nothing wrong with it.
Other then some people are so stuck with there own ideas of what is right and everyone is wrong if they do anything different.

sam24th

iTrader: (1)

Actually I have done the exact opposite. I put a cam front on my bird. I did this for the reason that it was wrecked and its all I could find at the time and to be honest I like it a lot more than the bird front.I hate the popup lights. They never centered correctly. Anyhow my point in quoting you is because it took about 4 hours to bolt up the front end and align it properly. It costed me $100 n parts and was worth it IMO to get it back on the road.

As far as the parts you need, you just need a front bumper, header panel, fenders, the headlights, and the hood.

knightrider0013

still in the drawing board stage for me, it will be a few months before i get all the parts and be said and done.

Willis Magee

LOL

Willis Magee

LOL, sorry but must agree

Project 3.4 Camaro

I don't recall the thread, but somewhere on here is a guy that repaired his firebird with camaro parts, camaro front clip, fenders and hood, I actually made a joke saying if he put anymore firebird parts on his camaro it was going to be one confused car...turned out I had it backwards, wasn't a maro with bird parts, with a bird with maro parts, so it can be done fairly easily and convincingly I think, 99.9% of the population, won't spot the tiny differences imo.

Drew

iTrader: (58)

Who said I was? I'm not judging the mod being discussed any differently then I would if I saw it driving down the street. The point isn't "Hey you're stupid for even thinking that'd look good" it's "hey, you're talking about a lot of work and you're going to make yourself the subject of mockery". It's an FYI, anyone can do whatever they want, but it's better to hear it looks stupid BEFORE you go through the trouble than to find out after the fact. take it or leave it.

How are you going to do that? Have you ever looked at the back of a Firebird and the back of a Camaro and compared them? The tail lights on a Camaro wrap around the sides, while the Firebird lights are only on the back of the car, with a marker light in the lower 1/4 panel. To do the swap with factory parts, you're talking about changing the quarter panels. At the very least you're cutting and welding.

These cars are cheap. You can get a running and driving Camaro or Firebird for less then the cost of a paint job. Just buy what you really want.

Cadaver_Puncher

Never been a fan of the pop-up lights, but the gta nose and hood do look nice.
But check with andysautosport.com under camaro body kits they have some that look great.
I most likely will be putting a 92 formula rear wing on my 92 rs, I just think the stock rear spoiler looks too bland and generic. But to each their own. In the long run...it's YOUR car so do whatever you want to with it as long as YOU like it and embarass ricers with it, it's all good.
( ok with 2 exceptions, never put a ***** engine in it, and if you ever paint it pin, You will be most likely be called alot of things. ) :-D