First, if you are building it for yourself, do what you want, it's your car. As for answers to the question

• Some people see it as deceptive if people cannot decode a VIN.
• Some people are concerned that it devalues a true fastback.
• Some people are concerned that there wont be any "regular" cars left.
• Some people have too much nose in your business.

 

In my case I converted a Coupe to fastback. It is for my Son. I totally removed my opinion from the build. It was very hard to let go of the restoration guy in me. I’m glad the child was able to teach me this time! 😂. Upon building this car.. I come to research the astonishing number of Coupes built between 1966-1970! Once I found out there were 200,000 plus 1968 Mustang Coupes built! That made my decision for me. The parts to convert a mustang to fastback are plentiful. Most working citizens can’t afford to purchase & restore a Fastback project. Because the market has been inflated for years. So I ask if the GOAL is for the Car Hobby to continue? Why not encourage younger car builders? Help teach someone BUILDING something . It might just inspire you. I enjoy Concourse restorations at the car show like everyone else. I also enjoy seeing something I’ve never seen before! Building cars makes me happy. Like a kid picking up a “HOT WHEELS Car!” This Coupe to Fastback conversion gave me freedom to build a Kids car. Not a concourse restoration that’ll never be built right.

 

I have no idea why anyone would be pissed because you took a coupe and converted it to a fastback. There are a couple of guys that have a youtube channel (Lost Socket Garage) and that's what they do. Ford made tons of coupes and they are less expensive than a fastback. So, why not convert it if that's what you want? So what if it's not real. The VIN will tell you that it's not real.

I know if I have the means and physical ability this is a project I'm seriously considering for my retirement years.

As @CantedValve said people have too much nose in your business. That's how I see it. The rest of the stuff he said is just people being to paranoid.....LOL...

 

• Some people see it as deceptive if people cannot decode a VIN. It depends on how the owner presents the car. I for one don't hide the fact and don't care what others think
• Some people are concerned that it devalues a true fastback. it may devalue the car in question, but no effect on Ford produce fastbacks
• Some people are concerned that there wont be any "regular" cars left. You do know they hit 2 million in 1966 already, right?
• Some people have too much nose in your business. Thumb your nose back and do what you want.

Several reasons to make the swap, but typically done by the guys that can do it for themselves as you'll be 3x the $ invested paying someone else to do it for you. Availability of decent fastbacks has decreased as well as $ for them has increased.

 

I understand the deception. If you’re trying to sale it. Here our DMV sends out a inspector for the car. We rebuild collision cars. Which have to be inspected. So for instance the mustang I converted. If it was wrecked. We just repaired it with new quarters and a roof skin. I can’t see the devalue of a Fastback ether. The VIN tells all right? So a True VIN Fastback will always be worth more. I look at it like a Restomod. I can’t understand why it is OK to cut up a mustang for Track Racing? But not ok to cut one up to look more desirable? That will be a driver and not destroyed on a race track. I agree with what you say CantedValve. I’m just stating a few thing onto what you are saying.

 

I don’t see a legit reason to care either way. Let people have fun with old cars.

 

IMHO, there CAN be valid reasons for concern, including:

1. QUALITY of the conversion. If it isn't done properly then the door is open for "issues".
2. INTENT of the "converter" and the potential for misrepresentation and/or fraud.

Other than that, it's really no different than doing a top chop on a street rod or custom.... just do it RIGHT.

 

100% ^^^^^

 

Your pony...your trick. So long as it is presented as such, let any perspective buyer make that decision.

 

I think most people are converting 67- 68 coupes to fastbacks. So you can start with a $2000 coupe or a $20,000 fastback and have to replace most of the same metal. The nice thing about doing the conversion is that you are starting with new metal that's coated in areas that are hard to get to if you're restoring an orginal fastback.

 

A part of the reason may be these conversions often are done by "business men" that are taking shortcuts and not are honest when trying to sell the cars. Uncle Tony on YT showed an Mustang someone just had brought as a GT convertible. It did look like an well made restoration even up close. But some further inspection showed the body didn't have any of the convertible reinforcements, because someone had simply made an "expensive" convertible by cutting the roof of an coupe. Just raising the car on the lift, if was visible how the body was flexing.

 

Far too much “Woke” in our society these days, seems to be infiltrating here.
Go for it

 

There are plenty of topics that folks "frown upon", IMHO, based upon over the top paranoia and irrational misunderstanding of how the market really works.

Shelby "clones" for instance. Some people think they devalue the real ones. That's utter nonsense.

Same for fastback conversions, they don't devalue the real ones whatsoever, but you'll still find some Chicken Littles out there claiming that the sky is falling.

Of course, fraud and shysterism and shenanigans have no place in this hobby, or on this planet. But as my grandfather always loved to say, you can wish in this hand, and sh** in the other, and shysters will always be lurking out there, it'll never be utopia, so caveat emptor. Any time you're purchasing a 5-figure toy, you'd think that you would do a bit of basic research, like learn where the body code is in the VIN ferchrisake, before scratching your check.

So just ignore the Chicken Littles, and make sure you're always up-front in relating it's been converted, should anyone ask or should the car ever be put up for sale. If the world all of a sudden starts running out of coupe projects, man, I'm in trouble! LOL... Eventually, the new generation of "projects" will be all of the coupes that were restored in the 80's and 90's that just weren't done well or right, and it'll be time to tear apart and start over. We just keep recycling, which is why the classic car hobby is actually quite "green".

 

Just be honest about it is all. Any car guy can appreciate the effort it takes to make it your own. If any gives you crap about it then they were never car guys to begin with.

 

But was it a "numbers matching" car that was used😂😂....and YES I know the term is "DATE CODE CORRECT"....Do what you want it's YOUR car.
Keep people's 👃 out of your 🧠

 

To me a coupe to fastback conversion makes zero sense. I wouldn't own one and many others wouldn't. Financially you end up with a car that that isn't worth what a similar fastback is worth after a ton of time and money.

I followed your 68 coupe to 69 fastback build and it's impressive but I don't understand it. I would put my efforts into saving really bad rare and desirable cars like this one.

Should this K code fastback be saved?

I've seen this car on my local facebook marketplace and its obviously going to need major work to save it. Should it be saved? To me a guy in the mid-west I look at a car like this and think it should be stripped of anything of value and crushed but then I see what some of you guys do to save...

www.vintage-mustang.com

Or recently on Facebook there was a 70 boss 302 that I think got totaled out in the 70s and has spent the rest of the time rusting. After seeing your build you're certainly capable of saving it and in the end you'd have a boss 302 not a coupe to fastback conversion.

 

To me a coupe to fastback conversion makes zero sense. I wouldn't own one and many others wouldn't. Financially you end up with a car that that isn't worth what a similar fastback is worth after a ton of time and money.

I followed your 68 coupe to 69 fastback build and it's impressive but I don't understand it. I would put my efforts into saving really bad rare and desirable cars like this one.

Should this K code fastback be saved?

I've seen this car on my local facebook marketplace and its obviously going to need major work to save it. Should it be saved? To me a guy in the mid-west I look at a car like this and think it should be stripped of anything of value and crushed but then I see what some of you guys do to save...

www.vintage-mustang.com

Or recently on Facebook there was a 70 boss 302 that I think got totaled out in the 70s and has spent the rest of the time rusting. After seeing your build you're certainly capable of saving it and in the end you'd have a boss 302 not a coupe to fastback conversion.

Hello Mike! Hope you're doing well brother!!!

I get your point when it comes to saving a unique/special Mustang. However, there are a couple of points to consider. First point is not everyone wants to take the time to restore the specialty Mustang because they want something that is more to their liking. In your post you say the listing states:

"This is a 1966 Mustang K Code Fastback Mustang It was originally green Black pony interior, 4 speed car. Originally disc brake car pedals that are still intact with parts. Rear clip, new quarters, new deck lid. Taking offers."

Although that sounds like a cool car I prefer 65 over 66 and I wouldn't want a green Mustang with black pony interior. I would want something else. And if I'm going to spend the money I would get what "I" want. Now, if you're looking at that project for "flipping" purposes then a rare or special Mustang might be a better candidate.

The second point is the money (Maybe should be the first point LOL). It is a lot cheaper to start with a no big deal coupe vs starting with an original fastback or damaged rare/specialty Mustang. Anyone who knows what they have will still ask more for the rare car (regardless of damage) compared to a rotted out coupe.

Me personally I wouldn't do a conversion with the thought of selling it one day. I would build it for me to my specifications, standards, style, color, etc. So, for me it doesn't make sense to start with a rare or specialty Mustang because it will cost more to start with and I won't make it original anyway.

And if I ever needed to sell it I could send the prospective buyer to my build thread so they could see how it was built. I get there are people out there that won't touch a conversion with a 10 foot pole, but there are others who would. I would own a conversion if the price was right for me and I knew who built it and how it was built even though I would prefer to build my own LOL.....

 

My take is as long as the coupe owner is full aware of what’s involved and can see it through successfully then fine. Others if it’s a new vintage Mustang owner with limited mechanical skills who everyone on the internet is telling them to do and they do. Only to hit a financial wall unable to have the funds or parts to complete.

 

As long as you do not put a curved Monte Carlo bar in it there should be no controversy.

 

Hahaha! … or a mustang II front end… oh wait or x-brace subframe connector… hahaha haters gonna hate I guess…

 

I’m not frowning, that’s just my face….

 

yeah well I'm an overgrown chimp

 

There is a valid argument, which I think cj428mach was alluding to, that when you begin with something genuine you wind up with a more valuable asset when you're finished and all the dust settles..

I guess it's just a matter of "how you get there from here", because the up-front expense of buying a code-63 project is far more cash-intensive than a code-65. But once you're finished with the 63, you get all your up-front expense back, and then-some, at least on paper, making the long-term math actually "cheaper" than the short-term. But then, if there's no intention to sell or flip the car, that math is less important, and the more important math is the math that allowed you to achieve your goal when you didn't have much available cash going-in.

Every circumstance is unique. But yeah, sometimes more cash on the barrel up-front on the project/subject car pays higher dividends when you're finished.

 

If it is not illegal or unethical, go for it.

PROUDLY show the vin, so there is no confusion.

I have done them, and have no qualms.

The simplest one was a 1966 LOADED fastback that had some from Minnesota and had sat down on flat tires. Effectively, there was nothing left below the middle of the door posts, floors gone, trunk floor gone, lower parts of the quarters gone, front frame rails gone. But it was other than that, a nice V8 no wrecks cars.

I am in Texas, and coupe bodies are plentiful. We grabbed on, stripped it to the bare body. DROVE the fastback in, pulled the drive train, etc. an basically cut it off at the beltline. not even removing the rear window. Cut off the fastback unique brackets, quarter window "fill" etc. and hoisting the whole assembly up.

Pulled in the coupe body, rust free, 6 cylinder car and chopped it off at basically the same place, and lowered down the fastback "top stack" and welded it up. Put the drive train, etc. back in, changed out the door glass, etc. IIRC it was less than 2 days from start to finish. Drove the car out.

 

I would say go for it, but for all the work required I would look at a Dynacorn body or even a kit car, Daytona coupe comes to mind. If I had a coupe, that is the way I would build it. Coupes are cool

 

People frown cause they know the coupe looks better.

 

Is the conversion supposed to save money over just buying a fastback ?

Or is it a legitimate way to keep you time & money broke and out of bars, strip clubs, and chicken shacks ?


Z

 

Is the conversion supposed to save money over just buying a fastback ?

Or is it a legitimate way to keep you time & money broke and out of bars, strip clubs, and chicken shacks ?


Z

Well not into bars cars when you’re drunk? You can’t build cars like this. Second I don’t need a stripper cause my wife is a model. Third don’t eat chicken cause the antibiotics kills your manhood,and makes you grow boobs! And lastly I restore cars and have been blessed to purchase the parts. So I’m a red kneck I drink “Moonshine”. 😂

 

I think my biggest concern, as a few people already mentioned, would be that someone converted a coupe into a fastback and then tried to sell it as an "original fastback" without saying anything about it. Potential buyers always need to do their homework and be able to decode a simple VIN on the fender and/or door tag, but as well all know that doesn't always happen. Then you get people paying fastback prices for cars that started off as a coupe and that were converted over. If the seller is honest and transparent, tells the potential buyer that it was original a coupe that was converted over to a fastback then I don't really have that big of an issue with it. Especially with cars from 1967 and newer as you can easily get a Marti report on the car and see how it came from the factory, whereas the 1965/66 cars don't have that luxury and you have to actually look at the VIN to make sure.

I personally don't have the desire to convert a coupe into a fastback either, so I won't ever be doing something like that, but I could see why others would want to do it and not have to pay fastback amounts of money when they could essentially make their own. I was actually on YouTube last night when this video randomly appeared, they put 34 hours into just the conversion part of the car alone and spent $7k total on the conversion, including the $2,500 purchase price of the coupe. It's not something like the Shelby/Arning drop where it's relatively quick, easy and to where you just need to buy a drill bit/template to do it. It takes a decent amount of time and money to do the swap correctly.