69 GMC Grill Swap

[iluvmy79]

just bought a 69 gmc swb and dont much care for the gmc double headlight grill. would love to have a 69 or 70 chevy grill or even a 72..are there any problems swaping between gmc and chevy? im unsure if there the same and interchangable? i enjoy the straight bar or checkered

[skorpioskorpio]

People swap between GMCs and Chevys all the time, you just sell the harder to find GMC to someone who likes GMCs and get an easy to find Chevy.

[72Thunder]

The front clip would be the only thing to have parts swapped but just watch out because there might be a slight difference in fenders between the GMC fenders from 69-72 than the Chevy fenders from 69-72. There might be difference in spacing or mounting that could be could make everything not fit right. Hood was the same for all 69-72s. Now, depending if you go from 69 gmc to 69-70 chevy it should be easier, but if you go to the 71-72 era, you will need the front bumper with cutouts for your signals, not mention extra wiring for the signals to relocate. Also when converting to the chevy style in general you will only need 2 headlight buckets and not 4 so maybe go to a junkyard and grab the headlight harnesses and buckets/lights from a chevy.
Haven't done the swap but I'm assuming that would be all that it takes. Just remember all necessary hardware when mounting your grille aswell.

[70blackfish]

i will take the GMC grill

[nlped]

GMC fenders are different from the 69 up Chevy fenders also. The GMC core support is different also, but can be modified (remove the 4 headlight buckets). I believe the GMC's are easier to convert to the 68 Chevy frontend, but don't quote me on that...

[skorpioskorpio]

OK, if you insist a quote from a post I made a few weeks ago:

Originally Posted by skorpioskorpio

'67 fenders are the same for both GMC and Chevy and have no side marker light holes.

'68 Chevy and '68-72 GMC fenders are all the same and are identical to the '67 fenders except that they do have side marker light holes.

'69-72 Chevy fenders are about 2" shorter than the fenders described above to match the length of the later more blunt front hood.

'69-72 GMCs use a large trim piece riveted to the top of the grill that sits in front of the hood to fill the gap caused by using the shorter later hood and the longer earlier fenders.

'67 GMC grills have the letters G-M-C embossed into the center of the grill. The vertical and horizonal bars cross in the same plane in the center to form a mild intersecting point.

'68-70 GMC grills are the same as '67 grills without the embossing.

'71-72 GMC grills have a stylised embossing in the vertical bar and the horizonal bar is in a backset plane from the vertical.

'67-68 GMC grills have a small trim piece riveted to the top of the grill that sits under the longer "slant nose" '67-68 hood.

'69-72 GMC grills have a large trim piece riveted to the top of the grill that sits in front of the shorter "blunt nose" '69-72 hood.

'67-68 GMCs and Chevys have a bumper filler panel that goes between the core support and under top edge of the bumper. The panel was simply eliminated in later '69-72 trucks.

There are slight differences between core supports between years and of coarse GMC 4 lamp core supports are different from Chevy 2 lamp core supports, though all the GMC core supports are essentially interchangable with a hole or two missing or extra between years. The missing or extra holes corospond to the hood/grill combinations and whether the bumper filler panel is present or absent. Hood latches are also specific to hood type.

My post was obviously more oriented on what GMC parts interchange but has a lot of the info you are looking for. Also note that GMC and Chevy bumpers are different irregardless of year, GMC bumpers have dips in the top for the turn signals, Chevys do not. Same year for same year, the hood is the same between the two (except the emblem and any attached trim) but pretty much everything else is different in front end sheet metal, particularly from '69 on. The easiest way to do the conversion would be to purchase a whole front clip and bumper, that way you wouldn't need to fill a bunch of holes, because trim and emblem holes are all different.

Though I'll ask, if want a Chevy why not buy a Chevy? They are much more common, it's easier because it already is what it is, your title will match the vehicle, it'll be worth more when you are done, you'll be able to sell it someday outside of the state you reside in (DMV may have issues with showing up with a Chevy for title inspection with a GMC VIN), and it'll save us from having to answer the questions one day about how to undo the Chevy clip on the GMC the guy who buys your truck posts.

Although GMCs and Chevys all tend to share the same value despite the production number difference, a bastard truck is worth less than either.

[67ChevyRedneck]

Originally Posted by iluvmy79

just bought a 69 gmc swb and dont much care for the gmc double headlight grill. would love to have a 69 or 70 chevy grill or even a 72..are there any problems swaping between gmc and chevy? im unsure if there the same and interchangable? i enjoy the straight bar or checkered

To do what you want to do, you would need:

69-72 Chevrolet front outer fenders (inners all interchange)

69-72 Chevrolet hood latch.

69-72 Chevrolet grill/trim, etc.

If you stick with a 69/70 Chevrolet grill, the turn signals are in the grille. If you go with a 71/72 Chevrolet grill, the turn signals are in the bumper so you will need a 71/72 front bumper AND outer front bumper brackets (inners are all the same). However, I believe that if you have a GMC correct bumper, there are small indents (cut outs) where the turn signals are, so you may want a Chevrolet bumper anyway.

69-72 Chevrolet core support. However, as mentioned, you can reuse yours by removing the GMC 4 eyed buckets but you will have to weld in the 69-72 Chevrolet headlight buckets.

If you want to go with the 68 Chevrolet look:

67/68 Chevrolet core support (or remove GMC headlight buckets.) However, 69-72 core support does not have provisions for the 67/68 splash shield that mounts to the front of the core support, but you can drill the holes for it.

67/68 hood (Chevrolet or GMC)

67/68 hood latch.

Possibly bumper if yours has the cut outs.

67/68 Chevrolet grill and trim.


...and don't forget a new tailgate... or Chevrolet tailgate band to cover up the GMC.

[iluvmy79]

thanks for all the replies everyone...seems like hassle so may just keep the gmc grille original..shortbox chevys are hard to find around here so got gmc instead..lol people around here would assume let it rot in a field then let it go to someone who will bring her back to life. sad deals

[67ChevyRedneck]

I think you'll come to love the uniqueness of the GMC.

I live in an area that has A LOT of these trucks, and I see them quite often. I see so FEW GMC's, it's kinda sad, but when I do see one at a show, I have to go check it out.

[skorpioskorpio]

I obviously agree, but to be fair I actually had a Caballero front clip and badges on an '82 Malibu at one time, my GMC coupe.