Coup into Fastback

[Doc Voodoo]

My brother has a 1966 V-8 coup that is solid . We have a junkyard near us with a bunch of convertibles and fast backs in it still. They are really beyond repair. We took one of the converibles home and cut off all of the converitble parts off the junk body with thoughts of makeing the coup a convertible . Well we all know the work that has to go into that project even with the donor car . There is alot to be changed . Know our thoughts have turned to the fastbacks. He has 3 of them down there one is a complete care with engine and trans still in it.

My question is were is the best palces to make our cuts to take the roof of the fast back to place on the coup. I am thinking we cut it at the windshield posts and about a 25 % down on the rear quarters. not sure about the trunk area though. They are both c codes so no problems with changes there.

The only other changes I can think about is the door glass and trunk lid.
Anyone else thinking of makeing a convertible let me know we have all the pieces you can't buy.

 

[iskwezm]

Are you serious??????Before you think it will work,take a look at the deck lid and see if the roof is all you need in 1 cut.You wold basically need the whole top of the car,from the cowl to the tailight panel.Im not saying its impossible,but i dont think its possible or worth the amount of time your going to put into it to have it be a bastard child of a car.

 

[VT66PONY]

Its definitely possible but IMO if you guys are going to go through all that trouble you might as well make her one of these...

Mustang Plus' Retractable

 

[Doc Voodoo]

nah it would be less work then makeing a convertible. There are no changes under the car . Even the hard top vert in that URL is alot more work. The cowl is the same. But yea it would be the tops of the quarters like I said all the way to the trunk lid opening that big rear window and all. Going to make a shelby clone so its a bastard child anyway. So we cut from the windshield posts then we cut the top of the quarters maybe 25% down the sides of them all the way back to the trunk opening. Buttweld and grind. Change out the door glass and send to paint . LOL Sounds easy should be about 6 months of weekend work.

 

[347Fastback]

Hey Doc,

There is a guy on the Vintage Mustang site that done this and has pictures etc, just post and somebody will help you contact him...

 

[347Fastback]

Here is the link: http://web.infoave.net/~ronniek/11.html

 

[2manystangs19]

umm, only prob with the retractable is its not offered anymore and they don't know when it will be

 

[66StangFastback]

That guy was insane to cut into a coupe that looks as nice as that one, though the finished product looks amazing.

 

[geostang351]

My brother has a 1966 V-8 coup that is solid . We have a junkyard near us with a bunch of convertibles and fast backs in it still. They are really beyond repair.

Where is this junk yard located?

 

[Doc Voodoo]

junk yard is in upstate New york . Thanks for the help 347fastback

 

[johnsstang04]

If rust is a problem on the fastback, why don't you just use the coupe floor and swap them out? Or better yet, you should just go over to national parts depot and buy a new floor for the fastback and replace it the correct way. Don't do any thing weird, i.e. coupe to fastback conversion, if you know how to weld than you should have no problem replacing the rust. I took a completely rusted out 1969 mustang mach 1 and replaced the floor, sub frame, rockers, quarters, and just about every other piece of metal under the car. Its time consuming but worth it. Then you could sell your coupe and help pay for the fastback restoration. If you already cut up a convertible, than you might want to turn the coupe into a convertible. Keep in mind that conversions never bring good money.... not even half of what a real convertible or fastback would bring. I have never bought a fastback or convertible conversion, and I know that most mustang enthusiasts wouldn't either. There is something about conversions that make them taboo... even if you do an excellent job. I have never attempted a conversion on a '66, so I don't know what it requires. But I have seen many of them, and they always look terrible. Thus I suggest you take the traditional route and replace the floor.

 

[krash kendall]

If you have a decent coupe and a f/b that is unsalvageable except for the roof, then yes a swap is do-able. Cut the winshield pillars below the body-lead seam on the donor and above them on the coupe so you can re-attach it like the factory did and make sure you take into account how to deal with the inner sail panel braces ie: attatch it like fatory with original spot weld locations (this will make installing the f/b interior possible), or cut and scab them in (poor workmanship). If you have the components and the time to do it properly then there's nothing stopping you. Just remember - the devil is in the details. Take care with the dissassembly and panel fit or the whole job will be botched. And, don't try to pass it off as an original fastback.

 

[Doc Voodoo]

No the car is for my brother so it would not be for sale. Its going to be a shelby Clone. The fastbacks at this junkyard have been in there since the early 70's in the rust belt north. They are so gone Its amazing the roof is even any good. I have brought back alot of cars from the Dead but not these.
When he pulls them out the roof will be the only thing keeping it from breaking in half LOL . I will bet a clone shelby fastback out of a coup still gets more money or at least the same as a coup LOL if he did sell it. The coup has a great body but needs everything else includeing a paint job becouse we did bring it back from the dead already with all new sheet metal fllors firewall fenders quarters doors almost everything . So yea we have done that on alot of cars. 2 coups and 2 convertibles have gooten the treatment. that junk yard still has 1 more 66 V-8 convertible and about half a dozen 65 66 coups. He also has a 68 vert a few 67 -70 coups and a few fastbacks . the crusher has not visited the old yard yet LOL .

 

[347Fastback]

Hey Doc,

I know the project can be done especially if you have the skill. I had a coupe in good shape but I did not have the skill. I sold the coupe and found a rust free 65 fastback for 5K. It had problems with the 4spd which turned out to be the rods... I paid the guy and went under the car and freed up the rods and drove her home... I still remember the expression on his face as I drove away....

 

[Doc Voodoo]

5k for a fast back is cheap . You can get a rust free V-8 coup for that.

 

[347Fastback]

The guy I was working with was trying to get $7500.00 but he fell on hard times and I waited him out... One of those guys who hates computers and hides his money in a mattress....