'66 coupe to fastback conversion progress

fordguy said:

wow, that's a hell of a project. looks good! how much, besides the obvious, has to be changed for the conversion?

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It's actually easier than it looks. The A pillar cuts on my donar roof were cut straight through, so I chose to sleeve the pillar for strength. On the last one I split the A pillar and lapped the pieces over the whole length.
In the rear I cut the quarters off for access, then drilled out the spot welds over the inner fender liners, along the inside floor where the trap door attaches, and the trunk hinge plate. Behind the door jambs is even easier- drill out the spots up the door post and the entire roof lifts off. I prepped the coupe frame the same way, then set the roof down on it. There are actually dowel holes along the door posts for alignment- probably the same way the factory did it. I used bolts the same diameter and the roof pretty much sat down perfectly- not much tweaking needed. Welded the inner bracing in the same locations as factory, then from that point is was the same as hanging quarters as if it were always a fastback. I bought the good quality panels from NPD and the fit was spot on. So far it's been pretty straight forward, should have the body done this weekend and start hanging the suspension.

lphegner said:

Looks good! Any tips or tricks or the cutting/welding? I am going to tackle the same project shortly. Please let me know which perches you end up using.

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The main thing was to get as much of the complete fb roof as you can. Drill out or cut around the inner bracing that attaches to the wheel tubs and floor pan area. On the quarters, cut a few inches below the body line and give yourself enough to weld new ones to. In the doorjamb area, the flat spot above the striker is different- the coupe has a slot for the rear window to travel through, the fb is flat- no hole. Be sure to cut below this area if possible to transfer it to the coupe. Inside that doorjamb and behind the interior quarter trim- bend down the tab you'll see and drill out all the spotwelds leaving that inner steel structure attached to the roof. THIS PIECE IS VITAL to making alignment correct when reattaching to the coupe substructure. You'll notice a 1/2" hold near the tab you bent- it's for aligning the panels with a dowl pin or bolt later. You can see what I'm referring to in some of my earlier attached pics. On the rear you'll want to keep the small 'bumps' in the trunk lid opening where the lid bumpers rest- fb's are in a different location. You can cut to the insides of these and transfer them over as well, or fab new ones if need be. You can leave the coupe ones in place, but they won't align. the lid will still work and seal on the rubber molding, but might not sit just flush with the body. You'll also want to keep the rear edge of the quarter that tucks under the quarter extensions- that will also make alignment much easier. In the front on the A pillars I recommend drilling the spotwelds, splitting the pillars and lapping them back together- much stronger that way. On this car the roof had already been cut straight though midway. I stubbed the coupe the same way, then added steel sleeves between the sections and plug welded them solid. If you take your time and think things through before cutting/welding, it's not as hard as it looks. :wink: