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67 conversion to 66?

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21 - 35 of 35 Posts
#21 ·
#22 ·
When I bought my 66 about 40 years ago I was looking for a 67 and settled because I couldn't find the right one. I would never change one to a different year just for looks. The 67 is beautiful and so is the 66. Is this your forever car? Any chance your taste will change in the future?
 
#24 ·
Aaron_A said:
I'm looking to covert a 67 Chevelle to a 66 Chevelle. I love the 66 front end and tail lights and not the 67's. The body is the same, so I'm thinking about changing them.
I believe the frontend clip (fenders, hood, bumper and grill) will just bolt up. But what about the tail lights? Is this going to be something that needs cutting and fabricating?
Has anyone ever done this and is it hard?
The reason why I'm thinking of doing this (other than I like the 66 better) rather then just buying a 66, is that there are a lot of 67's and very few 66's.
Thank you in advance.
Aaron
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Why don’t you sell what you have and buy what you want? Don’t butcher!
 
#26 ·
As long as these cars are saved from rotting on farms or junk yards it's a win IMO. Guys transform these cars all the time into dragsters, gassers, restore mods, mudders, you name it. If everyone had the same looking vehicles it would be a pretty bland hobby, may as well just collect stamps. Is changing a 67 to a 66 very cost effective? Probably not but sometimes its less of a financial strain buying pieces as you go along than all at once. Also, there will always be a buyer.

Sent from my LM-G710 using Tapatalk
 
#28 · (Edited)
LonnyL said:
Why don’t you sell what you have and buy what you want? Don’t butcher!
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IMO, That’s tough. IF the OP doesn’t have the funds to purchase a 66 outright, then he’d have to sell the 67 first, with no guarantee he’d be able to find a replacement within his budget.

sure, in theory he could sell/ buy for the same price, but easier said than done.

And of course, he’ll still need to find the front clip.
I saw JimMac (one of our members) was offering a 66 front clip for $400 a few weeks ago...
 
#29 ·
LonnyL said:
Why don’t you sell what you have and buy what you want? Don’t butcher!
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Or find someone with a '66 who is willing to trade.
 
Discussion starter · #30 ·
bfhamr said:
When I bought my 66 about 40 years ago I was looking for a 67 and settled because I couldn't find the right one. I would never change one to a different year just for looks. The 67 is beautiful and so is the 66. Is this your forever car? Any chance your taste will change in the future?
Click to expand...
It would be my forever car. I have a friend that has a '66 4 door that is 75% rusted out. The back half is the only thing still good on it.
 
Discussion starter · #31 ·
bry66 said:
You have a better chance of winning the lotto than you do to find a complete 66 front clip that's in usable condition that also happens to be the same color as your 67....so you'd need to plan on buying a new front clip from AMD or wherever. So however much the front clip would cost, plus welding in a 66 tail panel, plus having the car painted, plus all the small parts like tail light housings, grille, headlight bezels, trim pieces, the list goes on....there's simply no way this would be cost-effective. You'd come out way ahead if you just sold the 67 and bought a 66. Or if you don't own one yet, wait until a 66 comes up and buy that.

Even if you find a decent 66 that isn't local that you'd have to haul home or have it shipped, you'd still come out ahead.
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Finding a complete 66 front clip will be difficult, and if I found one that wasn't the right color, that's what paint is for. But they have every part online and some parts are interchangeable.
I've looked for a clean 66 and can't find one that I like that is within my budget. I have more time that money. So doing the conversion saves me money.
 
Discussion starter · #33 ·
LonnyL said:
Why don’t you sell what you have and buy what you want? Don’t butcher!
Click to expand...
I haven't bought the 67 yet. I have the line on it and it needs everything... interior, front suspension, rear end, engine and trans.... everything... and the front end is mashed in.
So I'm looking at replacing the entire front clip anyway. As for the back half... there is no bumper but the rest is good. So I'm more in the lines of saving it from becoming a pile of scrap.
 
Discussion starter · #34 ·
nashville beth said:
You'd be spending a lot of $$ to devalue your car. Money that can be used to install a strong rearend and 5 speed trans, just to mention two better ways.
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The donor car has a mashed in front end. Needs interior, engine, trans, rear end.... the back half is good except missing the bumper. I haven't bought it yet. I needed to find out how hard and how much it will cost to do. I have a ton of time and ounces of money.
 
#35 ·
Even if you have all the time in the world you'll still need a good chunk of money to buy new sheet metal, bumpers, grille, headlights and tail lights, and quite a bit of trim pieces and other small parts, not to mention all the supplies, materials, and probably tools you'll need to do all the bodywork and paint. I'm still not convinced you'll come out ahead, unless you're getting the wrecked '67 for free. It's easy to look up parts and prices on the web, so do the analysis and knock yourself out if that's really what you want to do.

Most of us here would probably agree that if you're patient, you can probably find a 66 that needs some TLC and spend around the same (probably less) by the time it's all said and done. And most of all, if you can find a 66 that at least starts, runs, and stops, then you could actually be driving and enjoying the 66 while you fix it up. YMMV here, but my opinion is that actually being able to get some time behind the wheel while you aren't wrenching on your car will more than make up for however much $$$ you think you'll save by converting the 67 to a 66.

Its your time and your money so do what makes you happy....I just find it difficult to imagine any scenario where this plan would make sense.
 
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bry66
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