Hi Guy's thanks in advance for any help. I run a hot rod shop in Washington State and happen to also own a few HHRs including an 08 SS but that's beside the point.
I just got a customer called and want's me to convert his HHR Panel to an SS. I own HHRs but I don't necessarily work on them. He has a panel that he loves and he picked up a low milage SS that was vandalized and now has a salvage title. He wants me to put the SS drivetrain in his panel. Both are automatics, both are black. I'm wondering what I'm getting myself into.

Pull the engine/trans/front suspension out the bottom in one piece?
Swap the rear suspension
Is most of the wiring the same?
Switch the ECM, BCM, TCM
Switch the gauge cluster (I think they are different right)
Add the boost gauge
What else?

What do you think? 100 hours?

Thanks,
Jay Scholz
Rose Garage Hot Rods

 

Welcome to the site, it can and has been done.
I would change the
Drive train cradle with the axles and struts
Wiring harnesses
Rear axle assembly
Master cylinder
Front and rear bumper if usable
Front grille if usable
Seats if not damaged
Instrument pod and boost gauge
Rear shocks and springs
I'd estimate 150 hours, depends on how your shop is out fitted and how many employees you have to work on them at the same time
It is great to have 2 hoists and a team of three guys on the back three guys on the front and one in the interior!
Lol

 

Wiring harness' will be different.
Besides what Oldblue listed, if you want to make it a clone, you'll have to swap the steering wheel also.
And the side skirts also.
And the cooling fan assembly.(this one is a must do for the turbo engine)

Pretty much you have to strip them to a body shell and do the swap

 

It might be just as easy to weld up the rear windows and swap the rear doors off the panel to make the SS into a panel.
Ive done just about what your asking and it is a lot of work.

 

Thanks for the info, just what I needed. It does sound like pretty much stripping them both and reinstalling everything. I agree about it probably being easier to convert the SS body to a panel but this SS has a salvage title and the owner really likes his panel. On an interesting side note, both cars are super low miles. It's going to be a real nice car.

 

Oh I forgot the IC behind the front bumper, and a load of other things that'll pop up and bite into the project budget!

 

Oh yeah. The electric steering motors are different. Not sure about the rack and pinion but pretty sure those are different.

 

Yes that's right and the steering sensor.

 

I believe the rack ratio is different, at least it was my my wifes 2009 vs my SS

 

You could start from scratch... Be about the same amount of work.