Coupe to Fastback conversion?

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Joined
Apr 11, 2011
Messages
6
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Location
gilroy ca
My Car
1972 mustang coupe
Has anyone on this forum ever done a coupe to fastback conversion on a 71-73 mustang? Ive had this idea floating in my head ever since i bought my '72 3 years ago? and would like some insight from anyone who has attempted it.

and please i dont want to hear anyone saying that its not worth the money to do the conversion... it will only cost me the price of sheet metal and my own personal time that is already loosing its value as my life rolls on.

 
I understang you my friend.. i too LOVE fastbacks and in here, there´s almost no fastback of any era!!!...

I don´t think anyone did this job in a 71-73.... YET!... Believe me, in 10 years, this cars are going to be as desirable as a 67 now... Lets face it... our cars have a great look... For me, our fastback era is the most agressive looking one and that is going to be a eye catcher in the future...

Actually, you can already see any mach 1, restored... going up till 15 to 20K... Not too under another era´s fastbacks...

Well.. that being said, i think you are going to face some troubles in this type of conversions... Roofs are not reproduced so you will need to find a donnor car to take the roof off and i´m sure, all the structural interior of the back of the car.... The question is... why don´t you start the project using that donnors shell??...

 
I think it would be feasible but a lot of work. I can also appreciate that some folks want to take on a challenge like this in order to use their skills and to gain bragging rights! Nothing wrong with that! If you try it, we'll support you the whole way! Just keep the photos and updates coming! :D

 
The biggest problem would be matching the body lines (if trying to recreate from scratch) and, as Damian said, recreating the structural parts. If you want to do it, awesome. Keep us posted. I would suggest buying a good fastback body and just restoring that, though (like in my original post).

 
Hey, like you said, it's your money and time, and we'll support you however we can. Talk about bragging rights - wow!

Let us know what happens, and post up some pics or drawings if you have any. Mount Everest, here we come! :)

Doc

 
If i had a coupé to "invent something" with it, i´ll do a roadster to see what happens ;)

In my opinion, the worst looking part of a coupé is the foof/rear end of the car, but it improves a lot in a convertible... To build something from a 71-73 coupé investing an affordable kinda money and enjoying the work done, i´ll start by redesigning the car in some good drawings taking into account that if you start buying body panels you´ll end up investing a lot and maybe, ending up finishing the car in some looks according to the market sales...

i´ll very much like to discuss a good redesing project with you man! :p

 
Loving the feedback guys!

So first and foremost my mustang is the first car i have ever owned, had it before i had my licence. and the car is immaculate as far as 39 year old cars go. now its not perfect but its in really good condition. so to part with this car seems beyond me. i love this car though im willing to hack it into peices in order to have it to my liking. Haha. So in other words cant imagine parting with it in order to buy another just like it. not to mention all ive invested in the car parts wise( rebuilt suspension front and rear. everything steering- minus the powr steering pump, damn near perfect interior, and other things im missing but cant think due to the matter at hand.)

"THE BRAGGING RIGHTS" never even occured to me as good reason to do the conversion but to be the first guy on thisforim to even just attempt it! In my opinion, PRETTY BAD ASS!

Another reason for the conversion idea being a possiblity is that my dad is a master at bodywork and not to mention unbelievibly meticulas about straight panels and bodywork, and has almost to decades of experience under his belt. so any help needed would be coming from that guy. Haha

In my researching this project i stumbled upon this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1971-1972-1973-MUSTANG-MACH-1-FASTBACK-ROOF-ASSEMBLY-71-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZalgoQ3dLVIQ26ituQ3dUCIQ26otnQ3d2Q26poQ3dLVIQ26psQ3d63Q26clkidQ3d513435419600991318QQ_trksidZp5197Q2em7QQitemZ160598651906

hopefully thatll still be up.

in response to mach71351c comment:

the beautiful blindspotfilled quarters and practically horizontal rearwindow! is enough of a gain for me! HAHAHA

So the more i dig into this idea, the more and more i am willing to invest my time and money in the persuit of keeping my precious car and it being a fastback.

As this progressees i promise to keep everyone posted on every move made with its own thread including tons of pictures!

 
Has anyone on this forum ever done a coupe to fastback conversion on a 71-73 mustang? Ive had this idea floating in my head ever since i bought my '72 3 years ago? and would like some insight from anyone who has attempted it.

and please i dont want to hear anyone saying that its not worth the money to do the conversion... it will only cost me the price of sheet metal and my own personal time that is already loosing its value as my life rolls on.
I saw people do the conversion on 65/68 stangs, a good bodyworker can do the job.

But most of the inner sheetmetal has to come from a donor car.

If you want to put the time in the project , do so !!

I think you are the first one who ever did this.

John

 
Loving the feedback guys!

So first and foremost my mustang is the first car i have ever owned, had it before i had my licence. and the car is immaculate as far as 39 year old cars go. now its not perfect but its in really good condition. so to part with this car seems beyond me. i love this car though im willing to hack it into peices in order to have it to my liking. Haha. So in other words cant imagine parting with it in order to buy another just like it. not to mention all ive invested in the car parts wise( rebuilt suspension front and rear. everything steering- minus the powr steering pump, damn near perfect interior, and other things im missing but cant think due to the matter at hand.)

"THE BRAGGING RIGHTS" never even occured to me as good reason to do the conversion but to be the first guy on thisforim to even just attempt it! In my opinion, PRETTY BAD ASS!

Another reason for the conversion idea being a possiblity is that my dad is a master at bodywork and not to mention unbelievibly meticulas about straight panels and bodywork, and has almost to decades of experience under his belt. so any help needed would be coming from that guy. Haha

In my researching this project i stumbled upon this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1971-1972-1973-MUSTANG-MACH-1-FASTBACK-ROOF-ASSEMBLY-71-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZalgoQ3dLVIQ26ituQ3dUCIQ26otnQ3d2Q26poQ3dLVIQ26psQ3d63Q26clkidQ3d513435419600991318QQ_trksidZp5197Q2em7QQitemZ160598651906

hopefully thatll still be up.

in response to mach71351c comment:

the beautiful blindspotfilled quarters and practically horizontal rearwindow! is enough of a gain for me! HAHAHA

So the more i dig into this idea, the more and more i am willing to invest my time and money in the persuit of keeping my precious car and it being a fastback.

As this progressees i promise to keep everyone posted on every move made with its own thread including tons of pictures!
Hi 408 I put together a 71 Grande when I was 17 and the whole time I had it I wished it was a Mach 1. So I under stand why you would want to take on this project. I was just saying that I would hate to see a good car get cut up and lost because it became to much work. I have seen it happen to many times weir guys get over their heads. If your dad is a master at body work then I say go for it. My coupe was a nice car that I gave up on because it wasn't a Fastback. Looking back that was foolish. So now Im building the Mach 1 I always wanted 20 years later. Good luck post lots of pics. Mike

image0-2.jpg

mach 1 resto 061.jpg

 
Hey Mike!! i too understand the desire of a fastback body... And i too understand your concern of parting out a good coupé with major and very complicated to do body work...

Believe me... i live in a country where there are not more than 50 or 60 mustangs between 64-73 and I have also seen some of them destroyed by some guy that started an undoable project... I´m happy to say i saved a few of them by hard work and imagination but i can also say that any job is doable, but most of major jobs dont end up being as nice as you imagined before...

I posted here before something like getting a fastback shell and start from there... Didn´t know this friend´s coupé was actually a good drivable and sentimental car!!!! Anyhow... yes.. you can cut a coupé in half and cut a fastback in half to build another fastback... it can be done for sure but doesn´t seem the best choice at all...

Well... i cant end this post without saying I LOOOOVE YOUR DOG DISH hubcaps!!!! Ohhh man!!! i just need to have a set of them!!!

 
mach71351c:

Hi 408 I put together a 71 Grande when I was 17 and the whole time I had it I wished it was a Mach 1. So I under stand why you would want to take on this project. I was just saying that I would hate to see a good car get cut up and lost because it became to much work. I have seen it happen to many times weir guys get over their heads. If your dad is a master at body work then I say go for it. My coupe was a nice car that I gave up on because it wasn't a Fastback. Looking back that was foolish. So now Im building the Mach 1 I always wanted 20 years later. Good luck post lots of pics. Mike


your coupe did look pretty bad ass. and if thats your garage with the fast back in it then, bad ass garage too!

 
Last edited by a moderator:
mach71351c:
Hi 408 I put together a 71 Grande when I was 17 and the whole time I had it I wished it was a Mach 1. So I under stand why you would want to take on this project. I was just saying that I would hate to see a good car get cut up and lost because it became to much work. I have seen it happen to many times weir guys get over their heads. If your dad is a master at body work then I say go for it. My coupe was a nice car that I gave up on because it wasn't a Fastback. Looking back that was foolish. So now Im building the Mach 1 I always wanted 20 years later. Good luck post lots of pics. Mike


your coupe did look pretty bad ass. and if thats your garage with the fast back in it then, bad ass garage too!

Thanks, yup that's my man cave.

 
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