need info on putting 70 to 73 nose on 74 to 78 birds

BoostedThrills · 06-17-2002, 03:05 PM

really want a 70 to 73 trans am to swap my Buick Turbo 6 into but I see more of the 74 to 78 trans ams and firebirds for sale so I thought I would buy the cleanest bird I can find and then put the older bumper on it

any help would be much apprechiated

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Buick GN drivetrain waiting for a home

92 Talon TSI-its up and running about 275 HP He He

1990 Jeep cherokee 4.0 straight 6, 5 spd, 3 inch lift, HS header,K&N,31 inch tires over 200,000mi

KenB · 06-17-2002, 09:33 PM

I've never heard of such a swap, and I had a '76 from '84-'88, and I've had my '73 since '88. Not that this makes me an expert, I've also read the Pontiac oriented magazines for almost 20 years.

My understanding is a 70-72 nose will not even be an easy swap to 73, several 73 only parts due to Fed crash requirements.
A 74-76 will have the supports to carry that heavy ugly bumper, some fabricating would be needed.

A side note, more changes in 77-on, the hood and fenders changed in 77, so pre-77 stuff won't line-up correctly w/o many changes on the 77-on body.

I might be wrong, but I hope this helps.

Again, not sure if it can be done at a reasonable cost. You might be better off buying the 70-73 in the first place.

Speaking of which....

KenB
73 Espirit project (for the last 8 yrs)
94 TA thats slow.

BoostedThrills · 06-17-2002, 09:49 PM

Ive heard the part about the 73 being a little more difficult somewhere before

but putting the 70 71 or 72 onto a 74 75 or 76 is pretty easy

I don't remember where I read that info though

in this weeks PA auto locator I seen an ad for a 78 T/A with a 73 nose on it-- project car rusted out bad

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Buick GN drivetrain waiting for a home

92 Talon TSI-its up and running about 275 HP He He

Eric77TA · 06-18-2002, 11:21 AM

I've heard that this swap is kind of a chore no matter what year you do it on, but it's easier with the 70-72 nose like everyone else said above. I'm totally with you on the look of the 70-73 Trans Am, it's probably the best looking ever (at least in my opinion) but You know what might be a cool swap (and you don't have to listen to me, obviously)? I think it would make a great sleeper to find an 80 or 81 Turbo Trans Am and put your Buick drivetrain in it and make a REAL Turbo Trans Am. You can find these cars in good shape for relatively low cash since the stock engine (301 Turbo)is acknowledged by many experts to be among the worst ever. Also, since the Buick 6 was available in the 80 and 81 base Firebird and Esprit I would think that mounting the engine would be a fairly easy proposition. It would sure surprise the heck out of people to see a stock appearing Turbo T/A in the 12s

I would think most people would expect a 70-73 to be fast, but the late second gen. would be a real sleeper.

KenB · 06-18-2002, 01:06 PM

Hey Boosted
What kind of condition are you looking for in a 70-73?

One of my summer projects is to determine IF I really will work on my 73 Espirit. So if you can wait awhile, I'll decide what I'm going to do (fix or sell). In this, I'll have a good idea of what my car needs, which I admit is some work, not sure of floorboards and trunk. Lower Qtrs need patch panel for sure, drivers seat needs recover, dash has the usual crack, etc.

Stay tuned.

KenB
1973 Firebird Espirit 350 A3
1994 TA GT - Slow

gmfactory · 06-18-2002, 02:21 PM

I have seen one car done but did not open the hood to see.
If your car's core support (radiator support) is the same as the '70-73's then it is fairly simple to change the front-end look.
All '70-'73 nose mount the same.
You will need the (2) frame horn extenders as used on the 70-73's, for mounting the nose. These horns, as I call them, mount from the end of the frame, through the core support and hold the nose in place.

The '73 nose has an added metal support piece, to meet the crash standards, for strength. The '70-'72's are much lighter in weight if that is a concern.
You need a nose complete with headlight assembly & grills.

You need the '70-'73 lower valance, complete parking light assembly.
You will have to drill new mounting hole for the valance to bolt to the front fender, or make a metal tab to reach the valance mounting hole depending on what year car (fender) you have.
This is no big deal.

Good Luck
Reagan