Not sure if i should put this here but surely I'm not the only one who needed info on this. Say I wanted to change my front clip on my 78 wagon to a 74- 76 or 71-73, What would i need to do? Are the body lines the same for 71-80? And could i change back with minimal effort if i wanted to?
Thanks.
Hello 2.3stangii,
The 74-76 swap is not too bad except for the bumper mounts.
The swap to the 71-73 style are a bit mor complicated as the 74-up core support and frame are bigger and will not allow the use ofd the front pan unless you cut the pan..
From Pintony
What about the bumper mounts? Also is the hood the same from 74-78?
I have a 75 hood and a 78. They look identical to me. I'm fairly sure that the hoods interchange from 74-78. Earlier hoods look similar but may change around the front latch design. The bumper brackets on the 75 will interchange with the 78. They are a different style but use the same dimension mounting holes in the subframe. I would keep the 78 bumper/mounts because it is similar to the 74-76 but made of aluminum and is much lighter in weight.
Overall, I think that you could easily change your 78 into a 74-76 style, but it is more difficult to fo to 73 and earlier. Hope this helps.
So all I really need are fenders and grill? That's great, time to start hunting parts. ;D
Better news. You don't need to change the fenders to go from 78 to 74-76 style. You just need to remove the rubber headlight surrounds from the fenders you have and get the 74-76 style flatter styled headlight bezels. I've done this the opposite way. I changed a 76 to a 77. It works.
You will need the grille. There are subtle differences between the grilles in the mid 70s, even tho they look similar.You may need to find a year specific brace/bracket to retain the grille that you buy. Not sure about that.
Hope this helps.
2.3stangii, I've got a set of '76' Headlight Bezels with the Chrome Rings. The Chrome Trim Rings have seen better days though. $15 + shipping.
http://s98.photobucket.com/albums/l262/turbowagonman/Parts/?action=view¤t=P1020752.jpg
http://s98.photobucket.com/albums/l262/turbowagonman/Parts/?action=view¤t=P1020753.jpg
turbowagonman
Well thats one part down, 76 Grill anyone?
I believe the Bezels are for a '74' to '78'! So any of those grills will work.
turbowagonman