2021 ZL1 taillights swap to 2017 style possible?
 

Hello guys, I have a sweet opportunity to buy myself a pretty new 21 Zl1 1LE. However, the thing that is holding me back are the tail lights. For the life of me, I can not ****ing stand them. They grew on some people, but I still hate them, it makes the whole rear look wack and stupid. Anyway enough rant. Does anyone know if I can swap them to a 17,18 zl1 smoked style lights? I am aware of the fact that I would have to swap the rear bumper too, obviously, as it's also completely different. The thing is that I have yet to see one do it. I have searched everywhere on the internet and have found nothing. The cars have been out now for a good while and I have yet to see anyone try it. So my question is. Can someone confidently say that I can swap them without running into any issues? I Would hate to upgrade and later find out it's not an option due to fitment or anything. To me it looks like a simple bumper and lights swap but who knows.

If you don't mind the rear bumper cover, then maybe see if you can make it a "lights and bodywork" solution rather than also swapping to the prior bumper cover.

Gen5DIY sold me the wiring harness for the swap. You probably also need the two plastic brackets that the '16-18 lights mount onto. I am not 100% sure for the ZL1 though, because my project involves an RS.

Here is my '21 RS "in progress" to a '16-18 "de-fresh." The lights were relatively easy for this application. The issues with the bumper cover (inserts, sensors, etc.) have caused various degrees of headache.

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Taillight wiring should be similar between the RS and the ZL1 of the same "refresh level" within a generation. It was exactly the same in 2018, and I see no good reason not to retain this parity for newer model years (it would've cost GM more).

If you are going to go through all that to make your car look older, I would have at least sourced the smoked taillights to match your RS smoked 3rd brake light...

Fair point, although IMO the one (or rather two) paint colors red tails look very good with is black and gray. Also, "looking older" is somewhat relative when the refreshed design is more similar to older gens than the original, style matched, consistent pre-refresh design...

For me, taillights are red and chrome is silver - I've never been a fan of the blackout look. I was originally thinking of going with the red center brake light, but haven't bought one yet. Despite the fact that the three rear lights are the same color when they come from the factory, so far I kind of like how the center lamp blends in - consistent with what I got from de-badging the trunk lid.

Definitely a "to each his own" thing!

So if I understand correctly, it's going to require some bodywork? So I cant just simply swap all the parts over off a 18 ZL1? The problem with body work is that there are no Chevy certified dealers where I live, hell, people don't even know what a Camaro is when they see it. That's island living for ya:bonk:. The car would be coming from Germany, so I would have to find a reputable body shop there. I also don't fully understand what you mean with bumper cover. So knowing this, on a scale of 1 to 10 how hard would it be to do this swap?

Heck, I just noticed you were in Cyprus - you will be the coolest kid on the block no matter what you do with the car!

Again, my experience is with an RS, but let me expand on my prior post.

Swapping the rear bumper cover (referring to the vinyl body panel at the back of the car, below the trunk) could require a number of other modifications and/or parts. It is likely doable, but may not be worth the trouble if you just want the old-style lights. As you note, you can't find anyone who had done this with a ZL1, so it will be a "find out as you go" deal - potentially involving mods that affect your warranty in some unanticipated way. Going to an earlier style bumper cover may require blind-spot sensors to be swapped out, a change in the mounting holes and mounts for the sensors, new absorber parts that fit under the older style bumper cover, etc. These were issues in the RS swap, but maybe the ZL1 parts are more compatible between the years you are looking at?

You can likely avoid the foregoing issues if you keep a '21 rear bumper cover and just have it modified to fit the earlier style taillights.

Your body shop would have to give you the final verdict on whether or not that was doable, but my thought was to ask them if they can modify the '21 bumper cover (trimming, reshaping, or extending, as necessary?) to match up with the '16-18 taillights. Then, for parts, you might get by with just the taillights, plastic mounting plates, and an adapter cable for the old-style lights to connect to the new-style connectors on the wiring harness. Frankly, I'd also invest in a new '21 bumper cover to be the one that undergoes the bodywork, that way you retain the factory bumper cover if you want to restore the car to stock condition.

One question .Why? Just leave it alone and save yourself the headache .

speculation here:
European vehicles have different tail light requirements than the States. Notably the rear fog light and probable amber turn signals.
If so you'd need to source '17-'18 parts that are European spec so that the additional wiring requirements would work on your car.
All I can say is buy the '18 parts from the place you're getting the car from and have them shipped with the car. I'd like to see it when done.

Cypress, You will definitely have the cool car of the island

The new rear tail lights were one of the reasons for me putting a deposit down--It harkens back the the Gen4's first set of tail lights--- which IMHO differentiated it from everything else out there with the exception of the Vette-- it tied it too it. Good luck on your quest!

lol i hate them also the front end at least on the 1le has grown on me but the tails i still hate

I love the "goggle eyes" as haters seem to call them

To look good overall, these would require a different rear section, the car was designed properly for the original 2016-2018 rounded rectangle tails. The "four rounded bulbs" approach is a plausible design, just not for this car.

Not sure why someone who doesn't like something has to be called a "hater", by the way—if you like these, that's absolutely fine, I'm just relaying why so many can't take to the bodywork and lighting touched up in 2019, even after years. The changed front and to some extent rear (bumper+taillights) are a jarring mismatch with the original design, which a lot of people detect consciously or subconsciously.

Had everything else on the car been consistently redesigned, there would be hardly any "haters".