How To: Front End Swaps for 3rd Gen Js!!!! - Page 5 - Exterior Forum

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Re: How To: Front End Swaps for 3rd Gen Js!!!!
Thursday, August 02, 2007 6:02 PM

Re: How To: Front End Swaps for 3rd Gen Js!!!!
Thursday, August 02, 2007 8:56 PM
Manta, does he need the latch assembly on the rad support too? I never did get a solid answer from anyone whether its required or not. When I switched to 03-05 Cav front, my hood didn't have the U (it was swapped to the C/F hood by PO) so I pinned it.
Re: How To: Front End Swaps for 3rd Gen Js!!!!
Friday, August 03, 2007 4:14 AM
From what I've found, no you don't need the actual latch bolted to the rad support, just the hook that is bolted to the hood. if you look at the 03 hook and 00 hook you see the difference, the 03 hook is longer due to the hood sits up higher



Re: How To: Front End Swaps for 3rd Gen Js!!!!
Thursday, September 20, 2007 2:31 PM
Quote:

Hood (make sure to get the latch hook on the hood also), Bumper, Headlights and Corners, Corner Brackets(if you choose to, some say there not needed), Crush guard (help with bumper sagging). You DON'T have to do any wiring, being all 2000-2005 Cavaliers use the 9007 Headlight Bulbs, and 3157(or 3057 cant remember exactly) Turnsignal Bulbs. with the 03s though you will also have a little 194 turnsignal, which you wont need to use, you can just pull the bulb out and tuck the wiring in somewhere in case you ever wanna go back to 03 front or maybe a 99 front or even sunfire you have the side marker turnsignal for all of those still. Removing that bulb will not cause any hyper flashing or turnsignal blown reactions


kick ass. thats exactly what i needed to know!


http://www.myspace.com/15102113

12.5@116 2.0 60ft
Re: How To: Front End Swaps for 3rd Gen Js!!!!
Friday, October 19, 2007 8:52 PM
On the first page when its stated that "(or you can modify a 95-99 to work, trimming on the headlight area is what needs to be done)" could someone please explain a bit on what trimming is needed here? I'd like to put a 99 z24 bumper on my 00 cav, so this info would be greatly appreciated. Also my car has front end damage anyway, so I need to replace stuff like the bumper bar and such, is that hardware the same on all cav's? like would 99 hardware fit right onto my 00? I'm ordering through the dealership since I get a discount through work, so I figured getting all 99 stuff for behind the z24 bumper would be easier . Thanks
Re: How To: Front End Swaps for 3rd Gen Js!!!!
Saturday, October 20, 2007 9:54 AM
There's something like 1.5-2 inches that needs to be trimmed off the bumper below the headlights & corners. It'll mostly be be a cut-a-little & test-fit job so you don't cut too much off. If you're buying new parts tho, you're probably better off just buying the right bumper. The only 95-99 bumper that I would use myself is Import Fighter b/c it looks pretty damn sweet.



--- --- ---
Why the F&CK did I buy a POS new 07 Hyundai Elantra?!
I shoulda kept the 02 Ranger 4x4 - comfort is better than MPG's

Re: How To: Front End Swaps for 3rd Gen Js!!!!
Saturday, October 20, 2007 1:48 PM
cool thanks for the info
Re: How To: Front End Swaps for 3rd Gen Js!!!!
Thursday, October 25, 2007 1:10 PM
check my sig.





*MSR 190 wheels not shown in sig.

http://www.myspace.com/fpsunfire
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Re: How To: Front End Swaps for 3rd Gen Js!!!!
Friday, October 26, 2007 12:57 PM
So im planning on switching my 02 cav front to a 95-99 fire front... Is the only difference the turn signals wiring? So i will probably have to cut off mine and splice/solder on the fire harness? And what about the hood latch, will that match up as well? Just want to make sure I have it right before we do it.



Re: How To: Front End Swaps for 3rd Gen Js!!!!
Friday, October 26, 2007 5:10 PM
pretty sure you might need the sunfire hood striker on the hood.. but if you get a oem hood it should have it on it. Also the only thing i've heard different is that the "slots" for the 3157 bulbs to clip into are different.. but try your cav ones and see if they go in the sunfire turnsignals, if not just clip some off a junker or whoever is swapping u maybe and switch em. Also u wont have the little 194 bulbs for the side markers.. but there not needed.. if u want them though u can splice some into the turnsignal wires just like sunfires are..


sorry for the bad spelling and clutterness my battery is bout dead..




Re: How To: Front End Swaps for 3rd Gen Js!!!!
Thursday, November 15, 2007 8:39 AM
I have a 99 z24. I was interested in doing a 95-02 sunfire conversion, but i already have a carbon fiber hood for the cav now. Can i use that hood with the fire headlights. I know they're smaller..Thanks for ur help..

Re: How To: Front End Swaps for 3rd Gen Js!!!!
Thursday, November 15, 2007 10:28 AM
Zach Bosley wrote:I have a 99 z24. I was interested in doing a 95-02 sunfire conversion, but i already have a carbon fiber hood for the cav now. Can i use that hood with the fire headlights. I know they're smaller..Thanks for ur help..

You will need the Sunfire fenders, hood, headlights, bumper, crush gaurd (if you are using a stock bumper), signal lights, and you'll have to redo the wiring for your headlights because 95-02 Sunfires used 9007 bulbs.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Thursday, November 15, 2007 10:31 AM



Re: How To: Front End Swaps for 3rd Gen Js!!!!
Thursday, November 15, 2007 10:31 AM
stephen (manta z) wrote:pretty sure you might need the sunfire hood striker on the hood..

I'm pretty sure all hood strikers are the same between cavs and fires 95-02, and then the same between 03-05 models. 03-05 strikers were taller than the previous years.





Re: How To: Front End Swaps for 3rd Gen Js!!!!
Friday, January 25, 2008 9:55 AM
Stephan- Do you know if the 03-05 cavaliers headlight harness can be swapped around with a sunfires for the same year? I just realized i might have @!#$ myself over ordering an interior dash harness from a sunfire but i have the headlight harness from a cavalier.



Re: How To: Front End Swaps for 3rd Gen Js!!!!
Friday, January 25, 2008 10:49 AM
i have no clue, to me i would think it would all be the same unless it has different options like a base model over ls sport.. i dont know for sure though, i've kinda gotten away from all this kinda stuff




Re: How To: Front End Swaps for 3rd Gen Js!!!!
Friday, January 25, 2008 1:32 PM
Damn you bum. If its wrong i can just chop off the connector from the 03 auto dash harness and splice it into the sunfire's harness to make it all line up then kill the DRL's i guess.



Re: How To: Front End Swaps for 3rd Gen Js!!!!
Wednesday, January 30, 2008 8:32 PM
So lets say I'm thinking of doing an 02 to 03 conversion on my cavalier. All I need is an 03 front bumper, hood, headlights and the hood latch? Just want to make sure there isn't something missing if/when I do this.
Re: How To: Front End Swaps for 3rd Gen Js!!!!
Thursday, January 31, 2008 4:26 AM
Hood with latch striker, Headlights, Bumper, and possibly the latch that bolts to the radiator support, just found this out recently i guess the 00-02 and 03-05 hood latches are different as well as the striker(the hook that is bolted to the hood)

The only thing you might want to do, not needed but the 03 uses a 3157 and 194 turnsignal bulb, ur 00 wont have the 194 bulb socket so u can buy 2 pigtails and splice em into ur turnsignal wires so you have those working as well. If you search "toyo marker" or something similar on how to wire up the toyota cavalier fender turnsignals, itll be the same way if you want to add the 194 in, you just dont need as long of wire.




Re: How To: Front End Swaps for 3rd Gen Js!!!!
Tuesday, February 12, 2008 9:26 PM
This is all great info, and very interesting.
I just had a few simple technical questions. Instead of all the "this is needed for that" and so on... can we maybe get some "why" and "if"...

I think i gathered that the hoods are nearly identicle and interchangable on all cavailers from 95-02 (what changed on the 03+ hoods?)
everyone says the fenders dont have to be changed, so i am assuming short of the "brackets" for corners, the exterior sheetmetal is all the same?

like what is the difference in parts? Looking at photos it seems like 96-99 bumpers rise up to meet the lights, which are shorter. 00-02 looks like the bumper is nearly flush, and the headlights come down to meet it.

what would happen if you didnt do everything exactly as mentioned here.

Say you had a 2002 cav (02 bumper, 02 hood, 02 fenders), and you put on 99 headlights and corners.... would you just have a big gap between the lights and the bumper? (someone mentioned this, and how it would be a good place to put some cool turn signals or something)

In this case i would think that you would NOT be able to put 00-02 lights on a 96-99 car and retain the stock bumper, as you wouldnt have room for the bumper rising to meet the lights, and the taller lights.. (but it looks like the one guy wrote up and posted pics of doing just that... 00-02 lights with 96-99 bumper... and it looks ok to me, short of some funky stuff going on with his corners. looks like his fenders are not matching the curve of the corners, but i thought the fenders were all the same?)




my poor baby is sick... someone help me...
(2.4L engine in my cavy is ticking bad... need to make it stop)
Re: How To: Front End Swaps for 3rd Gen Js!!!!
Tuesday, February 12, 2008 9:45 PM
^ That was me that had the idea for the LED turn signals I forgot all about them till you mentioned it. Here are some combinations:

Cavalier
95-99 lights w/ 00-02 bumper - gap below lights
00-02 lights w/ 95-99 bumper - bumper needs to be trimmed like 1.5" or so? below the lights
03-05 lights w/ 95-99 or 00-02 bumper - ain't gonna happen! I don't have pics, but its ENTIRELY a different beast

Sunfire
Fire lights + Cavalier bumper = Ain't happening
95-02 Headlights are all the same. Fogs/turns vary a bit depending on year and trim (base, GT, etc)
03-05 lights w/ 95-02 bumper - ain't gonna happen, same as Cavalier

Now, of course, if you do a whole crapload of custom fiberglass work and blah blah, than yea, you can make 03-05 lights 'work' (per-say) with an earlier bumper. However, you will need to seriously build out the bumper - it (95-02) sits back at least 2-3" from the 03-05 lights (off memory, so inches may be wrong, but it is pretty severe).

As to the fenders, as you already touched on - the 95-99 Cav fenders had a special bracket/support for the corner lights. Other than those brackets, 95-05 (Cav for Cav, Fire for Fire) is all the same.

Hoods - the top 'design' or body lines of the hood is different 95-02 vs 03-05. Also, the hood bracket (u-bolt on the hood) is different 95-02 vs 03-05, with the latter being taller, and different bolt pattern. I'm seeing in here that the latch may be different for 03-05 but I don't know personally, as I ended up using hood-pins so I could actually drive my car w/o the hood flying open. FYI, I had friggin' bailing wire holding the hood shut the first couple weeks b/c I didn't know about the bolt/latch at the time of conversion lol

Man, all this J talk has me wanting to whip my car back into shape! But the cold, snow, and no $$$ says its gotta wait...



--- --- ---
Why the F&CK did I buy a POS new 07 Hyundai Elantra?!
I shoulda kept the 02 Ranger 4x4 - comfort is better than MPG's

Re: How To: Front End Swaps for 3rd Gen Js!!!!
Tuesday, February 12, 2008 10:48 PM
Quote:

I think i gathered that the hoods are nearly identicle and interchangable on all cavailers from 95-02 (what changed on the 03+ hoods?)


The hood latch (the u shaped thingy) is longer on 03+ hoods as well as the shape of the leading edge.

Quote:

everyone says the fenders dont have to be changed, so i am assuming short of the "brackets" for corners, the exterior sheetmetal is all the same?


Correct, however must stay brand specific (cav with cav, fire w/ fire)

I have pics of my car pre and post 03+ front end swap... I'll dig 'em up and post them.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Tuesday, February 12, 2008 10:49 PM









Re: How To: Front End Swaps for 3rd Gen Js!!!!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008 8:30 AM
here is a lil animation i put together that seems to graphically illustrate the headlight differences between 96-99 and 00-02....
i did it mostly for my own visualization and planning... but figured maybe others would like to see something like this too.

so here it is. hope someone else finds it usefull.

Would love to get some measurements and all to go along with the diagrams/photos.




my poor baby is sick... someone help me...
(2.4L engine in my cavy is ticking bad... need to make it stop)
Re: How To: Front End Swaps for 3rd Gen Js!!!!
Tuesday, March 11, 2008 9:36 PM
Is it possible if i have a 98 cavalier to do the 03 sunfire front end or not?
Re: How To: Front End Swaps for 3rd Gen Js!!!!
Friday, March 14, 2008 2:31 PM
Adam Lewis wrote:Is it possible if i have a 98 cavalier to do the 03 sunfire front end or not?

Yes it is possible.





Re: How To: Front End Swaps for 3rd Gen Js!!!!
Monday, April 07, 2008 10:45 AM
ok question i just finished my 03 fire swaped woth a 03 cav front end with a trd versus front and a vis cf invader hood my question is the V latch on the hood that goes into the hood latch on the frame is off a bit. when the hood goes down it pops up a bit on the pass side what can i do to fix this so it looks better? I have a 95+ cavi hood at my house now that I rember could i just change the V latchs on the hoods and be fixed or do i need a cavi hood latch on the frame???


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