So some of you might want to kill me for thinking about doing this but I think it would be really cool. What I want to do is take Firebird Tailights and put them on my Camaro, mainly because I love the Firebird Taillights, but Im not a fan of the front end of the Firebird, and I have a Camaro. I know that it might be hard, but What I want to do is use the Firebird Taillights and rear Bumper (need a place for the license plate). Would it match the body lines of a camaro at all?

 

It'd be easier to put a camaro bumper and ground effects on a firebird. The taillight pocket is all wrong- you're going to be hacking your quarters. And I feel like if you have to ask you probably don't have the skill to do it.

 

I have a few people that will help me one with 5+ years of autobody experience. And my stepdad has been working on cars all his life.

 

I forget who did it...but there is a guy on the board that made a Transmaro. He put camaro GFX, fenders, and front end on a trans am. It looked awesome. I'll see if I can find the link.

EDIT: here's the link
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/fabr...-firebird.html

But it doesn't want to work for some reason. If you're interested just search transmaro. the thread is called "My transmaro is almost complete"

 

Putting a Camaro nose on a Firebird is the only practical way to do this. The Firebird rear is wider than the Camaro. Measure the two and you'll find out. You can convert the Firebird to a Camaro from the doors forward without too much difficulty.

Lon

 

Camaro5690, go for it !!

GM did something like that, for the hmm 88 Iroc concept car ?? It had a tail light section based on the TransAm's. However yes you'd have to cut and weld in the panels from the Firebirds.

I actually plan on doing it one day.

 

Well Ive gotten the parts to do it, Im just prepping em right now the taillights need a little touch up. Got just the plain Firebird Taillights. All I need to do is find a junk firebird around so I can take some of the metal off of it. Oh and the bumper that I got off the firebird is the same exact size as the one on my camaro, whats wider, the quarter panels? If so Ill just give my car some more shape.

 

good luck. keep us posted.

 

Wasn't that concept car off Gran Turismo 4? I was under the impression that the game makers made that concept and not gm. I thought Iroc's were based on actual Iroc race cars and only changed the vents from being functional.

 

Nope, if you do a search on this forum you'll find the actual pictures of the concept car.

They went WAY too much Ferrari style though, including the interior, all very soft tan leather.

scroll down and you'll see a pic or two posted of the actual car, it's the pics of the Camaro being outside on a field
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/sign...t=iroc+concept

 

Firebirds are wider? That's the first time I've ever heard that. Considering they both use the same T-tops, rear ends, wheel offsets, interior panels....I don't how how anything on the Firebird can be wider, or else the Camaro parts wouldn't interchange.

 

only reason its "wider" in the back is because it has sheet metal in the back wher the camaro light wrap around the over all width is the same fenders forward its a direct bolt in either way you want to go

Firemaro - firebird front/camaro back
camaro am- camaro front/firebird back

 

I just went and measured my 89 Firebird and a 85 (I think) Camaro SC. The Firebird is 3 and 3/4"s wide between the inside edge of the 1/4 panel and the outside of the 1/4 panel. The Camaro is about 2 1/2" inches wide in the same spot. The Firebird is definitely wider.

The measurement was taken on the bottom of the lip that is on the top of the taillights right next to where the hatch is to the outside edge of the 1/4 panel. I don't know how to describe my measurement any better then that, but the Firebird is VERY obviously wider then measured side by side.

 

thats really strange because the bumpers seem to be the exact same size. I have to find a firebird for the quarter panels anyways, I dont wanna try to custom fab those body lines on the back. It will give my car a more aggressive body line, I think it will atleast. Itll have a little more of a "coke bottle" look reminiscent of the first gens.

 

Why don't we just get some pics ? A Firebird and a Camaro, side by side, and place some measuring tape over the back ends of both vehicles.

 

I am not going to move mine side by side, but I will take a picture of the tape measure if you don't believe me...

 

Chill out AmorgetRS...We never said we don't believe you. Just hard to imagine the same bodies, both f-bodies, being different sizes.

Now, with one style lights being flush, and the others wrap-around, yeah, I can see a MINOR difference, but nothing big.

And that is a measuring tape, like the ones used for measuring your waist, inseam, etc. Not a still metal one, distorting the results.

Here's my 87 GTA. I'll measure my bud's Camaro later. May be next Sunday before I can though. I'll duplicate my measurements on his car, at the same points for reference.

 

the sheet metal adds almost an extra inch camaro taillights dont go out as far as the sheet metal on the firebird. I think thats the only reason its "wider"

 

thats exactly what I said

 

Chill out? I am sorry, I went and took measurements, gave a quantitative difference, the difference is not minor (its an entire inch). I am sorry that you don't believe me, but whatever, I am done with this. Go measure the Camaro and learn the same thing I already said.

 

Instead of SHOWING

 

Instead of SHOWING the difference in pics, like I will, you expected everyone to just take your word for it.

Without pics, to show what you mean, there MAY bea difference, but we can't understand what thw difference is, just based one ONE guys WORDS. PICS would give unquestionable results.

 

Hey whats up y'all. I'm the Transmaro dude, just got back online after a hiatus (personal crap) Anyways, the trans maro is an easy swap. The biggest problem was with mine is if you convert the firebird's interior to a camaro's, you have to drill out the spot welds on the dash brackets (you will see them once you get the dash out) and weld them to the firebird shell. Have to change the front bumper (the metal one inside the nose), I thought they interchanged but the don't. the transmaro is having another engine put in it cause I blew up the stroker. Long stroke small blocks aren't too happy with higher RPMs, go figger. Email me at snakedoctor@insightbb.com if you want to

 

well I finally got around to just putting a light up to my car and taking a picture, only two bolots didnt line up so I coulnt bolt it on. Ive decided to just modify some license plate lights onto the firebird taillights and keep my bumper, and just to some custom sheetmetal to fillin where the old taillights wrapped around.

 

ive seen someone put the t/a taillights on a camaro and put diamond plare triangles on the sides lol

 

ok I need ideas on how to make a mount for license plate lights, in the space on the side of the firebird taillights. Im thinking I can use the plastic from the center piece. Heres a pic of what I mean.



I need license plate lights there, and need it to look good.

I was thinking of making a bracket like this, to hold the light.

 

Looking at that pic, it certainly looks like the Camaro is wider than a Firebird...

I forgot about this thread, so I never got pics and measurements off my buddies Camaro. I'll try to remember to do that.

 

The Firebird is wider then a camaro in the back. If you look at the area between the rear hatch and the door windows (B pillar ?) you will see where the difference begins between the two cars. The camaro starts out almost flush and the firebirds have a very noticeable hump there.

I've seen base firebird spoilers on a camaro and they hang over the sides of the 1/4 panels.

 

yeah I found that out, so Im just modding the taillights. Also have to bend/cut some metal to fit em in. Itll be interesting, that is once I can actually get the time to work on it....been way to busy.

 

I'm thinking more and more about cutting the back pieces off a Firebird.. and have someone weld them onto the back of the Camaro.


Now regarding Firebird lights... are they all interchangable ? Do the TransAm lights change out like plug and play with the other Firebird lights .. GTA lights etc and vice versa ?

For mockup I could get some Firebird or TransAm lights but in the end I'd prefer to have the uhmm damn it... someone post a pic of the Firebird lights and I'll tell ya'll which ones I'm talking about

 

Newbie here - both to the forum and to working on cars (but not loving them), laughing at myself, because when I first read your idea, I initially did have the reaction you may have guessed at least one of us would have - that such a mod would be evil. Wrong, just plain wrong, like some of the wilder cars you see on the "Pimp My Ride" show. See me slap you for such a nasty thought. THEN, I JUST realized that I'm in the Custom Fabrication thread!!! OOPS. It's like that time I accidentally walked into a gay bar and didn't realize it, until I noticed and spoke to the only woman in the place, a female prostitute (who was also out of place, as I'm a hetro male).

On 2nd thought, as a 92 Firebird GTA owner in need of parts, including better taillights, although I would certainly frown on your potential use of such a part, (leaving one less available on the market for me to buy), your quest could be fun (for those who it appeals to). Guess it just goes to show that there are at least 2 kinds of car groups in this world. Those like me, who, while my experience and abilities are limited, strive to keep nearly everything original and usually cringe when I see a part that didn't come stock on an otherwise classic car, ('cept maybe an aftermarket CD stereo, since my 8 track tapes lack the quality the 20th century technology brought), and, on the other extreme, most of those in this thread, who, if left alone in the garage, would paint tiger stripes on a cougar! I'm being silly, forgive me.

OK. I too love both Camaros and Firebirds. But couldn't you just remedy that better by owning one of each? Park the Firebird in your driveway so you can look at the rear, and the Camaro so you can view the front. Problem solved. Better yet, save money and make a cardboard Firebird rear end to strap onto the Camaro - use your imagination without destruction - for good, not evil.

JUST KIDDING. WISH I HAD YOUR TALENT TO EVEN DREAM OF SUCH A MOD!

 

I understand what you are saying. Trust me, there are ALOT of purists here, who have nothing better to do than to try to push their opinion on you, so beware. I myself wouldn't really say I'm a purist, not by any way, but I like my car to look like it's stock. I am all about modding my car, It's an addiction but my car is 21 years old, so I'm basically bringing it into this century. Sort of like a mind illusion that will have alot of people getting a double take. People will bitch and moan about this topic, but if nobody does anything different, we'd all be the same bland people. It's all about variation, everybody is different, and people are going to do different things. Some people may cringe at the thought, but to each their own, different strokes for different folks.

I thought about getting a firebird to do something similar to this so that I wouldn't have to hack the 1/4s on my iroc, but I decided against it. Maybe one day I'll go ahead and venture that way to try and build something like that GM exec's prototype Iroc, but not anytime in the forseable future. The way I see it, If I do anything to the rear 1/4s I'm widening them an 1.5in, but that's alot of work, so until that day...