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SS Front end conversion

Posted: Thu Jan 09, 2020 11:42 am
by 81s
Been lurking dor a while. Just had a small front end collision in my 11 Caprice and wondered how much trouble it would be to swap to SS front stuff. I know the fenders are similar near the door but more interested in hood bumper and lights than the fenders themselves. Anybody pulled it off? Ive seen g8 stuff around

Re: SS Front end conversion

Posted: Thu Jan 09, 2020 1:26 pm
by kevink
Oh god, please don't. If you reaaaaly wanted to, though, you need to change everything. Just look at the front of each car. Everything you see that looks different will have to be changed... and maybe even stuff that you can't see. In my opinion, it would be a huge waste of money and you'll end up with a weird looking car.

Re: SS Front end conversion

Posted: Thu Jan 09, 2020 1:56 pm
by smwalker
With the HID headlights that come on the SS and the sheet metal you would need you would be up to about $5k real quick. I would tell you you could save some money by finding a good wrecked SS to get the parts off of but all the SS guys afraid of running out of parts for their SS's are hoarding replacement parts so the prices aint a deal.

There is a reason no one in the US has done it yet. No one got that fat of pockets.

Looks like you got about a $400 repair there. I mean I am all for you trying!! WOuld love to see it. I bought a wrecked SS for 9k and am turing a 14 caprice into a long SS. But I am stopping short of converting the front end. I am crazy, but I ain't that crazy!

But the things you would need:
Hood
Fenders
Grille and trim
Bumper - Maybe reinforcement bar not sure
Headlights
DRL bezels
Blank out the parking sensor holes or put in some dummies.
About the only fabrication you would have to do is the caprice has 2 hood shocks and the SS only has one mounted in a different place. Only major difference I have noticed.

I believe the core support is the same but have not confirmed.

Re: SS Front end conversion

Posted: Thu Jan 09, 2020 3:10 pm
by lastcall190
Forgive my negligence as I've never had body work done on my vehicles...

But that bumper to repair would only run in the 400ish range? And it's repairable without replacement?

Maybe I don't need replacement body panels everywhere :lol:

-J

Re: SS Front end conversion

Posted: Thu Jan 09, 2020 4:07 pm
by smwalker
Yea shops repair plastic bumpers every day. Looking closely I cannot tell if you got creases in it also or if that is just the light. But the hole can definitely be filled.

Re: SS Front end conversion

Posted: Thu Jan 09, 2020 4:12 pm
by s/c'd cav
even the creases can be taken out , heat does wonders for creases

Re: SS Front end conversion

Posted: Thu Jan 09, 2020 7:52 pm
by 81s
I had been looking at flooded ones on like coparts and other places... youre right i hadnt seen very many parts around. I didnt think it would look thT crzy. i already knew i wanted a cowl hood like maveric man but he didnt make a direct one. I figured this would be a way. Not really into the pontiac swap. I want holden badges etc. I like the ss the way it was

Re: SS Front end conversion

Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2020 11:04 am
by xcidmigs
that hood is clearly wacked also, look next to the headlight and theres a crease in the very front middle?

PLEASE DONT CONVERT TO SS BODY

Would be much nicer if you did a custom hood, I believe someone has done a ZL-1 type here? otherwise you can easily put back to stock looking at that, no one wants a frankenstein car 20 years from now, same with all the Holden badges, it will only be worth something with as much stock Chevy parts as possible, at least the badges will be easily swapable but the big parts no one will have.

Re: SS Front end conversion

Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2020 12:08 pm
by 81s
I odd respect the purist approach. I am not sold on the front end but i am going to mod the car appearance and performance. Im commited to LSASwap it as soon as DOD gives me a hiccup. I really think a hood, wheels and those crome side trim will set the car off.

Re: SS Front end conversion

Posted: Fri Jan 31, 2020 7:41 pm
by Black6
The issue would be all the wiring. And getting the headlights and such to work.

Might end up having to buy non hid lights from oz to get it to work. Idk.

Getting all the parts on it would be easy. Making the headlights work would be the issue.

I want to see it done. I even thought about clipping the rear on the caprice to put the ss tail lights/trunk etc on a car. Imo the caprice front looks nice but the rear is just too much 2007 impala for me.