New MII came home today

[1WildII]

I just picked up a 1974 Ghia, its white V6 A/C P/S P/B. The interior is red and in really good condition, needs a few things though. The body is straight except a minor dent in the rear quarter, the nose is cracked, and some few dings here and there, but best of all NO RUST! The engine is trashed, but I was gonna pull it out anyways for a 302. Would you believe I got this complete car for $60?

Well anyways I'm curios if since it is a 74, can I fit the front end off a 75-8 Mustang? I got a mint nose and fenders of my 76 Mach that I want to use, but am unsure if they will work without fabrication.

Im also curios if there is anyone that made their II into a convertable that would be willing to show me some pictures of the process, mainly in the chopping off the top and how you cleaned the top of the windshield and around the back of the car. Im gonna make a Roadster and need some ideas.

Thanks for the help,
Chris

 

[Mstng2]

Yea front clip should bolt right on... asn for the chop top I have nooo idea there.

 

[westernlady1123]

jshcobra has a real nice ghia convertible. there are pics of it at Ghia's Out There thread. He did a very nice job!

 

[THE COBRAMAN]

Swapping to a later front will require either replacing the core support with the '75 up unit, or extensive fabrication to properly support the header panel and hood lock.

 

[1WildII]

Will I be able to use just the fenders? Then I could just buy a new nose piece.

Chris

 

[jshcobra]

I do have various photos of the convertible process but they are too big to post on this site. If you give me your email address, I can send them that way. Overall, I would not recommend doing this unless you are a) really desparate to see the sun (as I was) or b) very good at fabricating/improvising. My car was very solid as well so I just added some subframe connectors but I am planning on installing a rollbar. The hardest part about the whole thing is coming up with weatherstripping to match up with the windows.

 

[1WildII]

My email address is [email protected]. I'm sure I want to do it, and if I screw up, the car was $60 so not the biggest loss, but I shouldnt screw up. Also Im making a true roadster so I wont have to worry about weather stripping.

Chris

 

[jshcobra]

If its a sunny day only car, then the project is much easier. I'll email the pics as soon as I upload them to my computer. In the meantime, here are some ideas/thoughts to consider:

- if you're not planning on saving the roof, then cut the quarters and area above the windshield leaving extra metal on the car. You can always trim it back.

- I cut mine in the front even with the top windshield chrome because I wanted the top to sit even with the chrome when up (like a vinyl roof). If you're making a roadster, I would suggest you leave a strip of roof the same width as the windshield posts across the top above the chrome. This will make it look better and give you more options for finishing it off.

- I left about two inches of the inner header panel at the top of the windshield so I could mount the visors/domelamp and have a place to mount the top clamps. This also leaves some support to the windshield frame. To finish it off, I plan to cover the whole thing with vinyl to make it look pretty.

- take out the back glass before cutting. (learned that the hard way...)

- have a buddy available to lift the roof off after you're finished cutting. It's heavier than it looks.

- You'll need to use a sawzall to cut the beam above the side windows. For the rest, a body saw works great.

- definitely plan on installing subframe connectors and t-top cowl braces. The windshield posts are plenty strong as is.

- use a strip of tape on each quarter panel to draw your line for cutting. Make sure the line jives with the overall lines of the car. On mine, I tried to keep the roof line consistent with the line of the trunk leaving a slight upsweep where the base of the quarter windows since I was going for the older mustang look.

Where do you live? If close enough, perhaps we could meet somewhere so you could see the car.

 

[1WildII]

I live in Anacortes Washington, its a little over an hour drive from Seattle. Also what cowl brace are you talking about? Thanks alot for the help, this is gonna save me some headaches.

Chris

 

[jshcobra]

I live in Anacortes Washington, its a little over an hour drive from Seattle. Also what cowl brace are you talking about? Thanks alot for the help, this is gonna save me some headaches.

Chris

Too bad, I'm in Wisconsin. The cowl braces are attached to the cowl under the hood and run to the fenders on each side. I doubt they add that much stiffness, but every little bit helps. All of the t-top cars had them.

 

[1WildII]

I got the picture of you vert, looks good. Anymore? Also I saw a T-top II at a car show today and caught a glimpse of the cowl brace. Thanks again for the help.

Chris