just wanted to know

until the 80s US carmakers change the look of a car every year, grill and lights

My question is how the ehck was the spare parts issue dealt with , specially for the small low speed accidents? in Europe a car was build for years the same


or they simply used other grills say on a 69 Firebrid you put a 68 front parts ?

I know on a rounded-line GM pickup or utility from the ‘70s and ‘80s, you can swap the grille work and headlamp bezels if they are damaged in an accident and an exact replacement cannot be found.

However, some people would "update" the front grille work and headlamp bezels anyway, to make the vehicle appear newer than it really was. Most of the time a small detail would be left out, and the trained eye can spot a fraud.

Always good to check the VIN to tell for sure what model year a vehicle is from before buying.