wow, thats a first. i have never seen a later front clip on a earlier body. strange thing is, at one time i actually womdered out loud on a post somewhere here what a 78-80 header panel would look like on a 81-88 cutty.
My 1980 cutlass supreme!!! (pics)
- Thread starter Mathematic
- Start date
- Status
It's funny because ppl ask me all the time about the look and the year and I have to explain...but honestly, I like the look. It's different .lesbaldridge said:
Nice cutlass bro i like the look of the later clip on the earlier body .That being said i like it but i don't like the gaps around the doors . if it where my ride i would go back to the 78-80 front clip .Then sell the clip u got now to recoup some of ur money . i dunno just me i guess just my opinion . Otherwise i do like the rest of the car . The vice grips for a window crank brought me back to my old Monte . vice grips for window cranks ,house speakers in the trunk ,pizza box covering the use to be there sunroof lol .man i really loved that car ,i miss it lol .
those gaps could be straightened out by a good body man if you were so inclined to put the work or money into it. they can grind where they are tight and add (weld) material in where they are to large. ive seen it done a few times before in restos where the bdy panels just wont line up, either because its a 50 yr old car and just aint perfect anymore or because they used repop panels and they arent exactly the same. ive always liked the 81-88 body style a little better, but prefer the front end ( basially header panel ) of the 78-80 cutty better. but all in all i like em all.
I'd go back to an original '80 front clip. The later one is never going to look right no matter what you do with the gap around the door because the body lines from the fender to the door don't even come close to matching.
outsider_27 said:
agreed . not unless you practically had either the door skin or fender or both completely reworked, and that would be some heavy custom sh*t. at that point youd be better to get the correct fenders and try to adapt the earlier header pane to it but still, id just find the right front clip and go with that. will look way better. im sure you could sell the clip you got now to pay for the new clip. but all in all in the end its YOUR ride and you should do what makes you happy. thats all that really counts.
If you decide to switch that header I have a 1980 header that is a quad headlight stup. I am going to be switching to the 79 style header.
Besides the gap between the doors and fenders the body lines are also different.
I have replaced door hinges on g-body cars by myself by using a floor jack and a 2 x 4 a little shorter
than the length of bottom of the door and I wrapped the 2 x 4 in a towel to prevent the
door from sliding and to protect the paint.
I have replaced door hinges on g-body cars by myself by using a floor jack and a 2 x 4 a little shorter
than the length of bottom of the door and I wrapped the 2 x 4 in a towel to prevent the
door from sliding and to protect the paint.
- Status
Similar threads
