[c_vette]

Hi everybody.

I´ve got a rusty -75 Trans Am.
I´ts the underside that don´t look good, especially the trunk and the frame at the rear of the car.

So I wonder if I could by a empty bodyshell of an -81 T/A and pick the rest of the things from my -75 and get it together, or is it much that don´t fit´s between the years?

If it´s not so wich years of a car could i use if i want an empty body shell?

// Royne

[c_vette]

Hi everybody.

I´ve got a rusty -75 Trans Am.
I´ts the underside that don´t look good, especially the trunk and the frame at the rear of the car.

So I wonder if I could by a empty bodyshell of an -81 T/A and pick the rest of the things from my -75 and get it together, or is it much that don´t fit´s between the years?

If it´s not so wich years of a car could i use if i want an empty body shell?

// Royne

['ol Pinion head]

Tailpanel & rear bumper area is different on '79-81's than '75-77's, not a direct swap.

[c_vette]

OK but is there any differences on the quarter panels or is it just the rear panel that is different.
In that case I could take the rear panel of the -75 an weld it on the 81 body, or modify the -81 to fit with my -75 bumper and tail lamp´s
Hmm...wonder what trunk lid to use and how it will fit.

But is it the same frontframe and things ?

[poncho-mike]

Hi,

I'm a lot more familiar with the 70-74 birds, but I've taken a lot of the mid-late 70s second gen cars apart also.

As far as I know, the 79-81 tail panel and quarters are different from 75-78 tail panel and quarters. You could probably put a complete 79-81 rear on yours, but you would have to change tail lights, quarters, bumpers,tail panel, etc. The parts won't mix and match between the years.

75-81 subframes will interchange, but there are a number of differences between the years. In general, the 79-81 used metric hardware on the spindles and wheel bearings and brake rotors, while the earlier ones used standard SAE hardware. You could put a 81 subframe under a 75, but you would have to buy replacement parts for a 81 subframe. Drag links, ball joints, etc are different, and could really confuse somebody down the road if they were trying to obtain replacement parts.

As far as I know, deck lids are the same, from 70-81. The corner spoilers are different for 79-81 vs 75-78.

On the front clip, the 75 hood and front header panel is a different shape from the 77-81 hoods. Front fenders interchange, but the 70-76 hood must be used on a 75 header panel.

Radiator supports are different across the years, but in general the later ones can be adapted to work on the earlier cars.

The later doors were a little different, but as long as you change the entire door, you should be OK. The door handles got weaker (79, maybe) and some of the door panels are different in 75 vs later years.

Hope this helps.

My recommendation is just to buy a halfway solid 75 - 78 (Esprit, Formula, etc) and use your parts on it.

MIke

[c_vette]

I`ve found a very good empty bodyshell here in sweden and it´s a -81 T/A with t-top and I´m buying that.

But you pocho mike wrote that it was differenses in the rear quarterpanels but in classic industries catalog there is the sam part number for quarter panels 74-81....so how is it ?!

So now I´m taking the bare body shell from the -81 and take everything else from my -75, the only thing i know for now that i have to fix is to cut out the rear panel from the -75 and weld it to the -81 for the rear lamps to fit.
Or is there somewhere I can buy a new rear panel for the 74-78 firebird and T/A´s ?

Anybody who have tips and idea´s are welcome to mail me.