74 vs. 84 Chassis Differences
 

I'm looking at swapping everything over from my 84 targa onto a 74 coupe tub. Other than the difference in fender flare, are there any differences in the chassis that would cause a problem for the swap. I'm going to be swapping everything: motor/trans, suspension, bumpers, interior, wiring, ect.

Chris

The spring plates on the 84 should be adjustable and I believe the rear sway bar has a slightly different mount (on the trailing arms) but it shouldn't matter because you are swapping everything over. The dashboards are also slightly different.

Some targa interior pieces won't fit in a coupe: Passenger floorboard, rear side panels and rear quarter window bolsters (I believe), rear parcel shelf, some carpet pieces, sun visors, window frames.

may be some additional metal strengthening on the '84 unit body - there was some discussion of this on a prev. thread

the '84 will surely have more rustproofing (different steel) & more undercoating & soundproofing

- what is your motivation for this?

My targa has been a great car and is mechanically sound, but after 2 years of driving it I'm ready for a coupe. So I figured I'd keep the best parts of my current car and put them on a coupe. The result should be a nice driving 74 hot rod. I would just sell the targa to buy a coupe, but I know I wouldn't get enough for it to be able to buy a coupe outright. So this just seemed like a better option since I'm on a very limited budget.

sure - huge job tho

just a few of the best parts would be good - esp. F struts

I figured this was going to take some time. I was planning on putting the cars next to each other on jackstands and as I remove parts off of one, install them on the other. With a few hands, hopefully this won't take too long.

you should be done in just a few years

So chassis wise they should be the same? My carrera suspension and sway bars will bolt up just fine? How about the front oil cooler from my 84?

The Carrera uses an underbody front sway bar design that's less effective than the earlier "through-body" type. That's not a deal killer. You can still install the entire '84 front end into the 74 chassis. You won't need the power brake setup on the Carrera. The regular '74 master cylinder will do just fine with the '84 brakes.

Most of the front oil cooler parts and hoses should be pretty much a direct transfer. The hose connection to the engine crankcase might require a replacement rigid line.

Sherwood

Different brake system with power assist.

Slightly larger torision bars on the 84 IIRC...might wanna swap those into the coupe. Ditto sway bars. Brakes/rotors slightly larger on 84. You'll have a fun little coupe thats somewhat lighter and stiffer than the Targa.

I've got an '87 engine in my '73. Putting an '84 into a '74 will bolt right up.