Progress Thread 1965 Coupe To Fast Back Conversion ,number ...i Forget !

[horse sence]

Ok ,got a little dispute going on face book with an "engineer" he tells me that because i do not use a jig my conversion are junk well ford did not use a jig to assemble our mustangs ,they used a skid ,the floor pan was bolted to the skid and off it went down the assembly line were it was turned into a mustang ,remember level is level and square is square no matter how you look at it

as you can see a skid is two seperate sides ,a jig is a welded fixture . The body panels were aligned through holes in each panel ,look at your car and you will see these alignment holes. As long as you are square and level and go by fords measurements you are golden ,i use a self leveling laser as the datum ,that is where all measurements for the sub structure come from ,if you are doing a conversion you will already have a finishex sub structure to start from . Everything else you should have a car to get the upper structure measurements from ,look at the measurement car as a blue print and a measure ment from it is the same measurement on your conversion.

Now we get into welding ,i am told that a mig welder is not the same as a spot welder ...he is a metalergest and a mig welder will crack at the welds ...here is a screen shot from BAR of California and you can see a mig is pretty much standard in the industry

there is a lot of so called experts out there so dont let these guys talk you out of a conversion ,if it is what you want to do ...do it.

 

[horse sence]

It looks like i will be doung the 68 first . I have to finish trimming it out first then sand blast and prime before any new metal will go on .

 

[Olivethefet]

You do some really amazing looking work!

 

[horse sence]

Once i get it trimmed ,blasted and in primer ,this will be a nice clean starter for a fast back .
I know doing a conversion seems to upset some people ,but this one probably would have gone to scrap,now it has a chance to be a great custom build

 

[02 281 GT]

Awesome!

 

[horse sence]

Still may take a bit to start on the metal ,i am still waiting on it ,just like always

 

[2Blue2]

,but this one probably would have gone to scrap,now it has a chance to be a great custom build

Firing up the spot welder and bringing another one back from the dead!
So Awesome!

 

[dennis112]

Once i get it trimmed ,blasted and in primer ,this will be a nice clean starter for a fast back .
I know doing a conversion seems to upset some people ,but this one probably would have gone to scrap,now it has a chance to be a great custom build

I for one really enjoy seeing these builds. Rock On!

 

[horse sence]

I got the wind shield posts trimmed ,the floor out and almost ready for blasting ,my metal is supposed to be here middle of next week

 

[2Blue2]

Are all the parts available to make a convertible out of a coupe these days?

 

[RaggedGT]

I think there is enough sheet metal available to build an entire car from scratch these days

 

[2Blue2]

Converts got a couple of unique parts for sure though.

 

[horse sence]

Everything except the rain gutter around the back seat and the part under the piece behind the back seat ,just enough where you cant build one with out parts from a real convert

 

[2Blue2]

Isn't Dynacorn selling a vert body? Maybe its just a part number thing like you have mentioned before
If not lets hope soon. thanks

 

[horse sence]

Yes ,they are selling a complete body ,you just cant buy those two parts by them selves

 

[Hack]

Great work! I always love to see the photos and sequence of what you do. Very impressive. Thank you for posting it. My experience working with a lot of engineers is that we can be overly anal and impractical at times. I wouldn't worry about this guy's criticisms - my impression is that he doesn't know what he's talking about.

 

[horse sence]

The pass .side trunk drop off was rusted ,someone had left rags in it and it plugged and filled with watter . I cut the drop off out . I made a new one from 18 gauge sheet metal

I tacked it in place then stitch welded it ,stitch welding helps keep away burn through. I then ground the weld smooth ...good as new .

 

[horse sence]

I picked up my sand ,and little Leroy is ready to blast but i think i will wait untill the metal gets here

 

[Olivethefet]

Looks good! Cool little yard dog.

 

[GOvert]

Ok ,got a little dispute going on face book with an "engineer" he tells me that because i do not use a jig my conversion are junk well ford did not use a jig to assemble our mustangs ,they used a skid ,the floor pan was bolted to the skid and off it went down the assembly line were it was turned into a mustang ,remember level is level and square is square no matter how you look at it

The way that you have all the weight stripped off of it , it doesn't look like it will flex in the rocker area. 3 years ago I sawed the roof off of a '67 that is stripped, no drivetrain, no doors and it didn't give a bit.
However, late last week I jacked up the '70 convertible and put stands at the very front under the frame rails, completely loaded with a 351 Cleveland, FMX, frontend complete, AC, loaded doors and bucket seats and it nearly jammed the doors to the point that they wouldn't open. Each one is different.