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View Full Version : 73 Vette front end to 70-72 conversion?



captainofiron
08-26-2014, 10:05 AM
My brother has a pretty beat up 1973 Corvette (plastic front bumper, steel rear bumper).

He isnt a "car guy" but Loves Corvettes, so when he saw this one for so cheap he jumped on it. Well when I first saw it, it didnt look right, and finally a friend spotted a bunch of bad body work. I mean you name it, the rear end isnt square, the body doesnt match where the rear bumper comes out. The roof line is uneven, the front fenders dont sit flat.

Finally I picked up the car and noticed the frame was repaired. So one of the previous owners wrecked it and either did the work themselves (poorly) or got somebody to do it (poorly)

Long story short, the car needs a new body (he measured it and the frame seems to be straight).

But now that he wants to do this to the car, he wants to make the front look like a steel front bumper car.

I was looking around and doesnt seem like many have done this. I was looking at the frame and the bumper set ups and it seems like the frame is the same, but the bumper brackets are different.

So Can you pull off the bumper brackets/frame extension on a 73 Vette and bolt on the bumper hardware for a 68-72?

Here is how it looks on a 1973
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2014/08/_57_zps3b5b3d5c-1.jpg

I couldnt find a picture of an earlier one, but here are some diagrams

1973 Front bumper/frame extension assembly diagram
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2014/08/73FrontBumperframebrackets_zps7635d2ba-1.jpg

1968-73 Front bumper/frame extension assembly diagram
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2014/08/6872FrontBumperframebrackets_zps9a07a2c2-1.jpg

From those pictures seems like the brackets are interchangeable.

And yes I know that the front fibreglass is different, but that will be changed.

Anyone done this? Have any info?

dhutton
08-26-2014, 10:19 AM
This subject comes up regularly over on the Corvette Forum. You will find plenty of information with the search function.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-corvettes-1968-1982-5/

Don

captainofiron
08-26-2014, 10:40 AM
This subject comes up regularly over on the Corvette Forum. You will find plenty of information with the search function.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-corvettes-1968-1982-5/

Don

He posted a while ago on a Corvette forum and was run off with fire and pitch forks, haha

I actually searched over there and found mention of a kit as well as other people asking, but they almost always turned into a flame wars on/against the OP, so I stopped searching on there