coupe to fastback conversions... thoughts?

[polo708]

What are your opinions on 'coupe to fastback' conversions and what should I look for?

Im looking to buy a 65-67 fastback and came across one that was a coupe to fastback convesion. Now, im not one looking for the real thing, trying to win shows with it or looking to make it as near stock as possible. I want one to drive on the weekends and just have fun with. Modernize it with A/C, power options, brakes, etc.

Besides the "originality" factor is there anything else wrong with these types of cars? Thanks

 

[jcode68]

Highly depends on quality of the conversion and price. I personally would not be interested in a FB conversion for fear of the unknown (how good the work actually was done). If I were able to get beyond that, I would expect to spend less money for the car than I would for the same car as a coupe, or perhaps even less. Just my opinion.
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[polo708]

Thanks for the insight...

Im probably going to sound like an idiot right now but its just the top that gets chopped right? Its not meshing the front half of a coupe with the back half of a fastback is it?

When this conversion is done what would be the weak point of it all that I should truly look for?

 

[zookeeper]

It could either way. A friend of my brother wanted a fastback really bad when he was in high school and they were out of reach then as well. But he bought a roached fastback that had front damage, and a plain-Jane coupe with rear damage and he and his Dad cut them both in half (midway up the windsheild and halway back of the door opening) and made a very nice fastback that he has now owned for 25+ years. If you didn't know where it was cut, you'd never find the weld, it's that good. The ones that scare me are the roof-only swaps, but every now and again someone posts a pic of a nice one.

 

[polo708]

scare you safety wise or looks wise? ^ sick fastback by the way

 

[zookeeper]

Not so much a safety issue, but on the '67-'68 fastbacks, there's a ton of little changes between coupe and fastback. Nothing from the windshield back is the same and I can't imagine the amount of work it would take to make a fastback from a coupe and make it look right. '65-'66's are a bit easier since at least the quarter panels are the same from the beltline down. Either way, I still think it would be easier to sell a coupe and make up the difference in cash to buy a fastback. Even if the difference were $5,000 it would be worth it, especially when it comes time to sell.
Thanks for the kind words, I just got it finished a few months ago and drive it as often as I can. I did everything myself except the seat covers, which makes me both stubborn and proud of the car.

 

[GNGREN]

I'm just going to through this out there, but for all the little incidentals you would need to buy to complete a fastback. And not knowing exactly how it would all be put together. What about just starting with a Dynacorn body and know what ya got from the start. Although I don't know the details on how to title one. Also don't think you can legally atleast use a rotted out fastback for the vin.

 

[polo708]

One I have my eye on is a 65' conversion... from the pictures it looks really good. I cant tell where one starts and the other ends. I was more concerned with safety since I want to just have fun with it. I dont care too much about it being a true fastback as long as it looks good. I want to drive it and not want to kill myself when I catch a rock or something. Just a fun car but I dont want to over pay too much thats all.

 

[Blu-Steel]

That would scare me away unless the seller had complete pictures of the conversion process and I could talk to the shop that did it. Even then I would be more inclined to look for a fastback. Also I would wonder why they did the conversion in the first place. As zookeepr said, it would be better just to sell a coupe and then buy a fastback. So, did the seller do the conversion because he had a lot of money laying around and really wanted his car converted instead of selling it. Or...did he wreck the coupe in the rear so badly that making a fastback out of it was now worth the expense?

 

[Hack]

I would say that if you are unsure you should stay far away.

If you are an experienced and thorough person and you really know what you are looking for, this might be an ok way to go. As the others have said, there are a lot of possible problems.

For instance:
When a unibody car like a Mustang is in an accident, the body can get tweaked. The damage might not be obvious, but could result in uneven tire wear, dog tracking or other problems. If the "fastback conversion" was put together from two cars that were in accidents - there are lots of possible issues.

However, our classic Mustangs are pretty old and there are a lot of things that could have happened to any car in the last 40 years. Any car out there could have been wrecked and fixed many times. I think prior to purchasing any classic it might make sense for an inexperienced person to hire a mechanic or inspector to thoroughly check the car out and find any possible problems.

Another thing to consider is resale value. Any car that has been permanently modified (especially major, non factory body mods!) will be worth less than a clean original car. Some mods like a better drivetrain and suspension can enhance the value of the car, but something like a fastback conversion would be very difficult to reverse.

I hope this is helpful.

 

[runawayabc123]

I remember seeing a coupe/fastback conversion "joke" on this website about a year ago. They kept the coupe quarter windows and just extended the roof line out the back and called it a shelby clone. Looked bad, but the body frame was likely ok.

Funny part was, it was for sale on that site and it sold for way too much money! I remember searching for it a few months ago, but all of the pictures were broken links.

Bottom line, you won't be able to resell the car for anything but a loss untill you find the right sucker.

A) Are you ok being that sucker?
B) Are you ok taking advantage of someone else when you sell? (Unless you sell for a big loss, than go back to A.)

Between the money you will lose buying/selling this car (unless you plan to keep it until you die), you are much better off (from an investment point) just buying a fastback to begin with.