please help.. baldwin motion front end
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please help.. baldwin motion front end
hello all,
i've posted something similar before so forgive me...
I'm trying to finish putting a car together for my dad.
Briefly:
Its a 69 coupe with an LS1 swapped in. Its not original by any means (interior mods, the ls1, etc.) but for the exterior looks pretty standard and is road-ready.. that is, until i wrecked it a few weeks ago
so the front end was pretty badly damaged (in addition to part of the rear) and while looking at ways to replace it i was able to find out that my dad is in love with the motion gt corvette front end (with the fixed datsun, ah-hem jag xke, ah-hem ferrari dino headlights
) i should state that i'm a fan myself.
anyway, i'm trying to surprise my dad, and when I have the car all fixed up for him to see again have the B/M front end on it. i've talked extensivley w fellow forum member parkerracing who had a piece very similar to what i wanted, but it was for the later model years without the front chrome bumper. I'm wondering if anyone here knows how I would get my hands on one of these front ends, specifically made the early c3's, or where on earth i could find one? any help at all would be greatly appreciated!! thanks,
mg
i've posted something similar before so forgive me...
I'm trying to finish putting a car together for my dad.
Briefly:
Its a 69 coupe with an LS1 swapped in. Its not original by any means (interior mods, the ls1, etc.) but for the exterior looks pretty standard and is road-ready.. that is, until i wrecked it a few weeks ago
so the front end was pretty badly damaged (in addition to part of the rear) and while looking at ways to replace it i was able to find out that my dad is in love with the motion gt corvette front end (with the fixed datsun, ah-hem jag xke, ah-hem ferrari dino headlights
) i should state that i'm a fan myself. anyway, i'm trying to surprise my dad, and when I have the car all fixed up for him to see again have the B/M front end on it. i've talked extensivley w fellow forum member parkerracing who had a piece very similar to what i wanted, but it was for the later model years without the front chrome bumper. I'm wondering if anyone here knows how I would get my hands on one of these front ends, specifically made the early c3's, or where on earth i could find one? any help at all would be greatly appreciated!! thanks,
mg
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Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 11,608
Likes: 780
From: Eustis ( Area 51 Bat Cave ) Fl
I believe the first problem is these Zcar style buckets were sold all by themselves not in a whole clip in most cases, then added to stock front ends, they were a fix for lights that didn't want to open and gave the cars even more European look that was popular in that day and time, now the trend is stock people put the pop ups back in and trashed the Zcar lights,
Ecklers, Barneys and I believe even Brunos carried them, I saw a set about a year ago and passed on them,....can't recall who had them,
Motion made them famous on their GT and Manta Front ends but Motion never made any parts they bought from others or had someone with molds make the parts for them,
When that caught on then whole clips popped up with these Zcar style buckets, and normally with the side vents being reversed as inside out to look like gills 68/69 side vents,
Parkerracing has like you say the later model the style clip used with the rubber bumper and on the wild rare Motion Manta ray,
So how big is your dream and how bucks up are you?
One option is buy Parkerracings part and mod it back into a 68-72 style front with bumpers, not the best or most economical way,
Parkers piece would be best used to make a Manta Ray tribute car,
so use it and give up the chrome bumpers,
Or find fiberglass headlight buckets from an Aftermarket Zcar supply house or even perhaps the Kelmark kit car which sort of looks like a Dino and has that headlight,
Don't change the whole front end, just custom mod and make the bucket part happen,
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 11,608
Likes: 780
From: Eustis ( Area 51 Bat Cave ) Fl
UBETRUN,
Sweet cool car...
Do you have some more pics I can add to my collection,
I have seen dolts go as far as to use ahem, house numbers from a hardware store on cars,
Here I took a liberty and hit that with a can of spray paint,
Sweet cool car...
Do you have some more pics I can add to my collection,
I have seen dolts go as far as to use ahem, house numbers from a hardware store on cars,
Here I took a liberty and hit that with a can of spray paint,
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 62
Likes: 0
I believe the first problem is these Zcar style buckets were sold all by themselves not in a whole clip in most cases, then added to stock front ends, they were a fix for lights that didn't want to open and gave the cars even more European look that was popular in that day and time, now the trend is stock people put the pop ups back in and trashed the Zcar lights,
Ecklers, Barneys and I believe even Brunos carried them, I saw a set about a year ago and passed on them,....can't recall who had them,
Motion made them famous on their GT and Manta Front ends but Motion never made any parts they bought from others or had someone with molds make the parts for them,
When that caught on then whole clips popped up with these Zcar style buckets, and normally with the side vents being reversed as inside out to look like gills 68/69 side vents,
Parkerracing has like you say the later model the style clip used with the rubber bumper and on the wild rare Motion Manta ray,
So how big is your dream and how bucks up are you?
One option is buy Parkerracings part and mod it back into a 68-72 style front with bumpers, not the best or most economical way,
Parkers piece would be best used to make a Manta Ray tribute car,
so use it and give up the chrome bumpers,
Or find fiberglass headlight buckets from an Aftermarket Zcar supply house or even perhaps the Kelmark kit car which sort of looks like a Dino and has that headlight,
Don't change the whole front end, just custom mod and make the bucket part happen,
Thank you for your response.. I did speak alot to keith (parkerracing) and it sounded like it would take a good amount of work on the front to get it to look like a 69 w front chrome bumper. If my dad (and I) weren't dead set on the front chrome, I think we would have already snatched it up, it looks like a beautiful piece.
I've tried finding a datsun z gnose style bucket... from the pictures ive looked at of datsuns, its the one that most closely resembles the motion gts curve... the regular nose datsun did not seem as oval like as the motion front
These are pics of some buckets that I have found...
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r...e/IMG_2003.jpg
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r...e/IMG_2004.jpg
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r...IMG_2005-1.jpg
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r...IMG_2006-1.jpg
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r...IMG_2007-1.jpg
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r...6603075937.jpg
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r...6603087852.jpg
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r...6603104445.jpg
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r...6603117686.jpg
I know its hard to tell just looking at pics, but I'm wondering if those are pieces that would work to custom fit into a front end.
What do you think? Is that what you meant when you said to custom mod the front end to hold the buckets.. Thanks again!!
mg
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 11,608
Likes: 780
From: Eustis ( Area 51 Bat Cave ) Fl
Yes, I meant just mod the front end you have to be what you want,
I have to agree, nothing more beautiful that the chrome bumpers,
The pictures you sent look close, you will have to trim the front where that mount for a Zcar juts out and then put a peak on top to match the vettes fender style line,
I would not be too surprised if the first body man to do this to a vette used Zcar buckets,
I never discourage the novice to try fiberglass work and I don't know your skill level but this mod will take some degree of "skills" to make it look right and not "tacked on" so if you don't feel up to the task get a good body man to make it happen,
I have to agree, nothing more beautiful that the chrome bumpers,
The pictures you sent look close, you will have to trim the front where that mount for a Zcar juts out and then put a peak on top to match the vettes fender style line,
I would not be too surprised if the first body man to do this to a vette used Zcar buckets,
I never discourage the novice to try fiberglass work and I don't know your skill level but this mod will take some degree of "skills" to make it look right and not "tacked on" so if you don't feel up to the task get a good body man to make it happen,
