1991 ford thunderbird

[TonyMontana]

Im wondering if anyone knows if i can upgrade the front end of a 1991 Ford thunderbird to a newer front end around 1997. does anyone know if these panels will fit with little to know modification or do i have to do alot of work??

anything will help. thanks alot

- tony

[snowbird]

Re: 1991 ford thunderbird

Im wondering if anyone knows if i can upgrade the front end of a 1991 Ford thunderbird to a newer front end around 1997. does anyone know if these panels will fit with little to know modification or do i have to do alot of work??

anything will help. thanks alot

- tony

Tony: Would it not be more reasonable to just purchase a '97 LS Bird ? They can be had at a good price on ebay and places like that or dealers who wholesale them out. What is your reason for doing this if you don't mind.
A friend of mine did a '93 and '96 with the '49 Ford front and rear end fiberglass kits. Looks really cool.
MartinB.

[VicRattlehead]

Re: 1991 ford thunderbird

yes you can put the front bumper cover on a 91 from a 97, however, your hood, headlights and headlight mounting brackets will need to be changed. you should also change the corner lights as they wont match up with the newer headlights. i also think youll need the hood latch.

[VicRattlehead]

Re: 1991 ford thunderbird

Tony: Would it not be more reasonable to just purchase a '97 LS Bird ?
MartinB.

you mean LX not ls.

[snowbird]

Re: 1991 ford thunderbird

you mean LX not ls.

Yup, LX , not ls or LS. Too many Birds and get mixed up or maybe it's just old age catching up.
MB.

[ShadowDragon]

Re: 1991 ford thunderbird

yes you can put the front bumper cover on a 91 from a 97, however, your hood, headlights and headlight mounting brackets will need to be changed. you should also change the corner lights as they wont match up with the newer headlights. i also think youll need the hood latch.

And don't forget the wiring from separate low/high bulbs to a single bulb. The hood latch will be needed, and so will the foam support behind the bumper. Everything does however, bolt right up.

[VicRattlehead]

Re: 1991 ford thunderbird

do you really need the foam?? and i forgot the bulb issue

[ShadowDragon]

Re: 1991 ford thunderbird

While you don't need it, being flexible I would imagine the bumper cover would start to sag after a while. Plus that's the "5mph" bumper.

[TonyMontana]

Re: 1991 ford thunderbird

wow! thanks for all the responses!

oh and to the guy that asked as to why im doing it..
reason is. i have both a 91 and 97 but the 97 is messed up engine and the 91 is good. so i wanna just swap all parts

also ill be sure to get everythuing

[topsdown]

Re: 1991 ford thunderbird

Tony
Vic is correct on the direct cross over of the parts from the 97 to the 91 but as he said you need to change all the parts as he listed: hood, headlights, bumper cover, bumper brace etc!
Nice looking T-Bird Vic, you might like the latest issue of the Script! While your at it why not put the 97 led tail lights in that are only reflectors on your 91!
Tony, what interior does the 97 have in it as well cloth or leather?

[ShadowDragon]

Re: 1991 ford thunderbird

While your at it why not put the 97 led tail lights in that are only reflectors on your 91!

He'd also need the trunk from a 92-97 for that due to the reflectors going above the license plate unlike the ones with real lights.

[topsdown]

Re: 1991 ford thunderbird

Yep you are 100% correct, I forgot to mention the trunk lid. Once again it is a direct bolt on plus changing the trunk lid wiring harness to match the existing 91's even though they are only running lights they will still need to be wired!

A friend of mine has altered his 95 SC trunk tail lights to be sequential and he even took the lens apart and modified the LED's to give the look of the round 87-88 Thunderbird lights which I think looks great!

Good luck with the project!

[ShadowDragon]

Re: 1991 ford thunderbird

Yeah, I've done the alternating for front and rear lights on mine. Would like to get the sequential at some point, just a lot of work with all those LED's.

[TonyMontana]

Re: 1991 ford thunderbird

hey guys thanks for all the replies ..
ive come across another problem..
the guy i bought the car off had a problem with the headlights and he did something and he cut the wiring harness for the headlights and ran a cable from the front to the back..
so now i have a cable with a fuse running from the battery all the way inside and to turn the lights on i have to touch the two wires together..
how do i fix it back to original??

i know i probbably confused you guys but i can take pics if needed..
thanks !!
and to the guy who asked bout the 97 it has leather..interior