coupe to convertible conversion?

[rickcdewitt]

do any of you remember a company that sold convertible coversions for 65-66 coupes?

or have knowledge of doing it with replacement parts? thanks rick

 

[rbohm]

check with mustangs plus. they were the ones selling the kits a few years ago.

 

[65DropTop]

The "ronster" is a coupe conversion, but probably not what you are looking for. Mustangs Plus may still sell their kit for this, but it is not the classical convertible you probably seek. A company in Georgia, if I recall correctly, once sold such kits. I did, however, hear complaints that the reinforcements were not sufficient and the car vibrated at certain speeds. Better to just buy one built that way originally.

 

[rickcdewitt]

it was the georgia kit i was thinking about. BUY a CONVERTIBLE? you can't get a vert for less than 10,000 dollars most of the time.

if i can prototype aircraft parts and do custom autobody work theres no reason i can't buy convertible sheet metal and reinforcements and graft them onto my car.

 

[Blu-Steel]

The company was called DRIVERS SEAT INVESTMENTS and they went out of business years ago. I remember reading about them in Mustang Monthly about 13 years ago. If you have the skills then it can be done but if you have that much skill it might be cheaper and better to find a rust bucket vert and build it from scratch. If you ever sell you coupe to convert coversion you will take a huge hit. People will be very leary about the conversion. Better to rebuild a convertible.

 

[shawn-cds]

Rick,
I am with you. I am off work for the next couple weeks for Christmas and I am going to do exactly what you want to do. I have a clean 67 coupe and a ragged 67 vert so I am using that car as a doner. Personally, I think it would be best and cheapest to find a doner. All of the metal in the rear seat area is different. The structual stuff is pretty staight forward. Not all of the parts are available new and it would nickle and dime you to death. I am going to put in the inner rockers and passenger's side torque box (67's dont have them) in first, then I plan on cutting the top and rear structure out. I am going to save the quarters as much as possible because they are in great shape. Check out this link ConvertConv

I don't mind taking a $2000 coupe and a $1000 convertible and making a decent driver out of it. A rust free convertible demands big bucks. My project is way more radical anyway so the top is no big deal. I am not crazy about the roadster thing. My wife and kids don't want to get wet on a cruise. I would not try to sell it as the real deal, but that's not what I am going after with my project anyway. Just my $.02, (which is worth less and less)

 

[rickcdewitt]

65 and blue i get where you're coming from but i'm with shawn on this.my car was very cheap,and is stripped and ready for major surgery.

firewall,full subframe(front to rear) and shock tower reinforcements,export style brace,torque box beefing and of course roll bar and top mods.

my main issue is even finding a vert with no floorboard,its not like the rust area's where you can find rotten carcasses.and guys want thousands for a hole in floor flintstone vert!

but i'm sure that since 100% original means squat to me piecing a original looking top together wouldn't be too bad. this car would be a fake anyway since shelby never made a gt350 coupe.

thanks for the link shawn

 

[l1k2gadd]

In the late 80s a member of a Mustang club I belonged to in south Dade County Florida had a rust bucket convertible (1968) and a dream of a 1968 Coupe that he did the conversion on. He said everthing went right in from one to the other. The car turned out real nice and he kept the 01 Coupe body code on the Coupe when he did the conversion (the same thing I would have done). It is possible, and when you have both cars to work from it is apparently easier to do. The floor reinforing support plates are important. There is also an upper support floor plate on the 1967 and 1968 convertibles that makes the convertible console different than the coupe and fastback. The console has an extra cut in it to clear that floor reinforcing support.

Remember, you will need to install the convertible top drip rails to catch the water off of the top when it rains so you don't wind up with a flooded trunk.

 

[grey racer]

What you want has been done successfully in the past. I would use all the new parts, such as frame rails and torque boxes, available as they are the key to strength with the top cut off. The seat box reenforcements, all the unique top attaching parts, top assembly, windshield frame, and unique chrome parts require a donor car. If you do all this and do not change the serial number everyone will know it is a conversion and it will devalue the finished car. Big job but given the availability of good buildable convertibles I see your point. Lee

 

[rickcdewitt]

If you do all this and do not change the serial number everyone will know it is a conversion and it will devalue the finished car. Lee

maybe compared to a true vert,but i don't see how a plain jane could come out worth less if i do a good job and the whole thing is nowhere near concours(meaning original configuration has no bearing on value).

besides i have no intention of selling the car thats been in the family for 30 years.... so if it looks and performs great i could care less if some crabby bastard gives me a hard time about numbers and letters on the door than don't reference anything anymore.

one thing i have been wondering about- how much head room do you lose to the top frame?the 65 coupe is barely sufficient and my pops 2000 vert is horrible for headroom(the whole car a pile if you ask me, gotta love plastic). lowering my bench seat will be on the list(yes i like it over the buckets,only 14,000 benches made compared to 500,000 1964-66' stangs.

thanks again guys!

 

[iskwezm]

My friends and I did a conversion back when we were in high school.Back then(late 80's) we were able to use all junkyard parts(stainless,panels,top,side glass,reinforcements etc) and nobody could tell the difference, unless they saw the welds.My neghbor is gathering parts to do another one, but now the parts have went from about $1,0000 back then to over $7,000 now and theres still more to buy.

 

[TT670]

Mustangs plus also used to sell a retractable hardtop kit, as well as the ronster. The ronster didnt have a top, just a fiberglass filler to cover the rear seat area. Ive never seen either anywhere but in their catalog pics