I am wanting to convert the front end of my truck to the sport style front end.. anyone know what all needs to be changed? and where I can get the stuff needed.? thanks

 

Do a search here, I have read up on several threads, but don't know where they are right now.

I know I cannot afford a Sport front bumper, WOW!

 

I did a search on it. I am a little confused about the differences between years though. If I want to change the grill over to a painted one, I have to change the bumper to the plastic sport type which came out in 99 or 00. Or I can use the older painted metal front sport bumper, but I cant use the painted grill? Is this correct??

 

Who the what now?? If we want to change to a sport grill, we have to change the bumper, too?? I didn't realize they were that much different! I want to install a black grill and bumper on mine, along with the better headlights, but had no idea it was that complicated. Perhaps I will beadblast the grill and paint it!!

 

Whoa, they had both chrome and painted grilles without the sport package, I just saw aftermarket non-chrome, non-sport grilles on Ebay.

I was looking to stay with the 97 older style, and if I had my info correct, everything from the brackets out was different.

I'm still a newbie at this though, and when I saw what they wanted for used Sport bumpers, i put that idea out of my mind real fast.

Joshua, they also have black painted front bumpers on Ebay, so you could black yours out pretty cheaply.

 

Forgot to add, I am still unsure if you can put the 99-01 upgraded headlights on without changing to the Sport front bumper, I have seen both positions staked out, with at least 2 people saying they did it before they were told they couldn't........

 

If you look close at the sport grille, the bottom is curved(whereas non-sport is straight across the bottom) and follows the upper curved portion of the bumper. Plus the obvious, fog lights, possibly other items.

 

Hello,

I did the sport headlight conversion without changing the grill or bumper on my 97. It was a very worthwhile upgrade.

Scott

 

I have factory foglights on my SLT Laramie, so that wasn't going to be an issue (I don't think) to move further outbound, but I never realized the grill was different. I recall my 2001 2500 Sport had the same black rubber step on the front bumper, so I figured just the openings and painted cover were the difference.

I will have to search ebay for the blacked out bumper, unless someone has a link. I was leaning toward an aftermarket bumper, but don't like the prices I have been seeing. A nice grill guard and heavy duty bumper would be cool, though!! I want to black-out the rear bumper, too. I plan to debadge the truck, fix the box dents, and add some custom graphics. Then I might smoke-out all of the marker lights. I won't cover or smoke the head or tail lights, though.

 

Early Sport Package trucks used all the same parts as non-Sport Package trucks, the bumpers and grill were painted body color, but they are the same parts. In 2000 (I think, may have been 1999) the Sport Package got a restyled front bumper and grill, along with clear headlights. The new style bumper is a plastic overlay, and has a big support bracket underneath. The old style bumper is metal, with the plastic top and bottom trim just like the standard trucks. The bumper and trim pieces are painted body color.

If you want the newer style stuff, you must use the both the bumper and the grill. The new Sport grill will not work with a standard bumper, and if you use just the bumper, there will be a big gap between the bottom of the grill and the top of the bumper.

If you want the older style Sport look, you can just paint your stock bumpers and grill, that's all Dodge did anyway.

You can use either headlight style (clear new style Sport, or standard), with either setup, but there is some wiring required to run the clear Sport lights because they have 2 bulbs per side, the standard lights have one bulb per side.

The fog lights are the same for all 94-02 trucks Sport Package or not. The newer style bumper just mounts them in a different place. For the early style obviously no change since it is the same bumper.

Oh yeah one other thing, all Sport package trucks used a different stop lamp assembly. The Sport stop lamps are smooth plastic, painted body color, the standard lamps are textured black plastic.

 

thanks for all the info... ow do you know anywhere to get all the parts???

 

Joshua, here you go:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-P...spagenameZWDVW

That one is painted your body color already

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-F...mZ250130570590

This one you paint yourself

Enjoy!

 

Thanks a million patdaly!!

 

This pretty much sums it up!!!
I have done the 99+ sport bumper and grill conversion to 2 trucks now, my 98 12-valve I was gonna do the sport headlights also, but decided to sell my headlights as I didnt have the time, nor the money for the wireing harness to do the transfer, and there is also a piece of sheetmetel behind the headlight assembly in the 98 and older truck fenders that has to be cut or bent out in order for the dual filliment sport headlight assemblies to fit properly.........