front end swap

[FIND]

You asked a question that you could have easily searched and found the answer to, and you made several insinuations that were untrue. When people corrected you, you got angry, insisted people were only correcting you because they were blinded by their love of their trucks, and got pissy that people didn't just obediently answer your questions.

 

[colintrax]

If you want to talk about pathetic horsepower numbers, look at vehicles from the early 80s and late 70s that had engines displacing closer to 6 liters and couldn't hardly crack 200 horsepower. An explorer was designed to be a fairly rugged SUV, but was trying to cross over to integrate more creature comforts to attract a larger market. The second gen moved closer to that soccer mom market

I think you're exaggerating a little. The Ford 360 made a little over 200 hp, but the 360 wasn't popular for a reason. The 302 made 200ish hp with some making way more, and the 390 made 300+
So while the 360 (5.9l) really didn't make much more than 200 hp, it's a poor example.

 

[FIND]

I think you're exaggerating a little. The Ford 360 made a little over 200 hp, but the 360 wasn't popular for a reason. The 302 made 200ish hp with some making way more, and the 390 made 300+
So while the 360 (5.9l) really didn't make much more than 200 hp, it's a poor example.

They stopped using the 360 in 1976 and you are looking at pre-1972 numbers for the 302. After emissions regulations started kicking in, and leaded fuel disappeared, they had to lower compression since they no longer had those high octane fuels available and had to quit pumping out so much smog. The 302 didn't start making north of 200 hp again until they started getting fuel injection, aside from certain special production models. The 390 also disappeared in the mid 70s, but it took a big hit in power too in 1972.

 

[colintrax]

Idk what years I got my hp numbers from, but that does make sense.

 

[FIND]

Yeah, real low compression, smog pumps, early catalytic converters and all that other nonsense killed the output of engines. That is why so many people still believe today they can up the power of their engine by removing the catalytic converter. Heck, just taking an old car with an engine like that off the show room floor, advancing the timing a bit, plugging a little bit of the vacuum mess and cutting off the converter was probably good for 30 horsepower.

 

[malohnes]

Too bad that good threads go bad when feathers get ruffled. Not knowing when there is sincerity or trolling makes things dynamic in a bad way sometimes, I learned some things here and I hope others did as well.

 

[Anime]

Nothing wrong with asking info about a front end swap, but the remarks about first gens were unnecessary. It should be expected when you make those kind of remarks in the first gen forum, to members whose own vehicles are proof to the contrary, that those members will refute them.

Probably would have been better to just state your preferences and that your personal experiences with first gens haven't been good, rather than throwing out such a broad claim, but my guess is it was intentional, and the hope was people just answering the question without calling out the reliability claim would have somehow validated it.

No feathers ruffled here, just don't want misleading or incorrect info posted, especially about first gens in the first gen forum.

 

[deamon3]

My opinion is they are bad cars. You can either

A: type a novel about why they aren't

B: ignore it because trying to prove they aren't via text isn't going to magically make my 3 first gens come back to life.

 

[deamon3]

Nothing wrong with asking info about a front end swap, but the remarks about first gens were unnecessary.

Says the guy who didn't read this post on page 1

I'm not going to bother continuing a discussion about why the first gen is a bad vehicle to someone/anyone who won't actually read/listen. This thread is about a front end swap.

 

[Bruces expo]

So why not come off your Jurassic Park first gen ?

 

[snoranger]

You need:
-fenders
-hood (I think the hinges are the same.)
-rad support
-lights (headlights, blinkers, reflectors, buckets, bezels, etc)
-The metal panel above the bumper, below the grille (I dont remember what they call it.)
-You will also need to modify the inner fender supports, they drop a few inches lower in the front on the genII.
-modify the light harness.


That should be everything.

FYI... This is the wrong place to badmouth the beloved 1st gen.

 

[deamon3]

You need:
-fenders
-hood (I think the hinges are the same.)
-rad support
-lights (headlights, blinkers, reflectors, buckets, bezels, etc)
-The metal panel above the bumper, below the grille (I dont remember what they call it.)
-You will also need to modify the inner fender supports, they drop a few inches lower in the front on the genII.
-modify the light harness.

Will all that stuff bolt up without actually changing the firewall or chassis or anything? Because I can sacrifice my JP explorer for all the parts I need.

Will the radiator support mount the same? Between the two?

Basically , if I had both generations of car , could the fronts be cosmetically swapped without any major fabrication other then wiring or small brackets for various engine doodads.

 

[snoranger]

You'll have to drill out all the spot welds to remove the rad support.

See the way the sides of the rad support drop down? The 1st gen is level all the way across. Thats the big difference in the rad support and in the inner fender supports.

 

[deamon3]

Aside from drilling out the spot welds is there anything else that will prevent the swap?

Some huge chassis modification or something? If not then I think it's doable , cuz I don't have to touch the engine. Which might as well be a giant lump of spaghetti wrapped in long division for me lol

 

[deamon3]

And or , I could also just build the first gen clip to be one solid piece that is rigid off the car , then simply mount it OVER the existing rad support.

Like , remove the hood/fenders/grillelights/bumper. Attach them all to each other off the car somehow. Then drop it over the bare second gen like a big cover.

 

[Bruces expo]

Sounds like you really want a Sec gen with a First gen Front clip !

 

[snoranger]

And or , I could also just build the first gen clip to be one solid piece that is rigid off the car , then simply mount it OVER the existing rad support.

Like , remove the hood/fenders/grillelights/bumper. Attach them all to each other off the car somehow. Then drop it over the bare second gen like a big cover.

That seems like a lot of extra work for something that is mostly bolt on.

One the rad support is swapped in and the inner fenders are reworked (if you have a donor, you can just cut the tops off and weld them on to the genII), it should all bolt on.

 

[deamon3]

That seems like a lot of extra work for something that is mostly bolt on.

One the rad support is swapped in and the inner fenders are reworked (if you have a donor, you can just cut the tops off and weld them on to the genII), it should all bolt on.

it would have to all be bolted together because I have no welder. so the rad support would instead have bolts and not welds

 

[Bruces expo]

If you have no welder I say its not worth trying , your going to have to make some kind of braces and brackets because the parts are not that Similar

Added Pic For Reference

 

[deamon3]

SO I should leave the existing rad support in place and find some other means (like making brackets) to mount the parts to.

In theory the first gen clip should be bigger right? I' hoping maybe it can fit around the second gen rad support and be held on with some sort of extensions.