Fox T-Bird/Cougar Forums

General => General Fox T-Bird/Cougar Discussion => Topic started by: 4bangen on July 26, 2007, 05:01:42 PM

Title: How rare is..
Post by: 4bangen on July 26, 2007, 05:01:42 PM
How rare is a converable droptop fox cougar?
I only ask becouse I love converables, and I love my tbird. but they never made a vert of my beloved bird.
(WARNING!!!!! the next coment may send some of you into  cardiac arest.....read at your own risk.)
I ask about the rarety becouse what I would like to do is cut one up(ducks punches) If I found one with a desent body, Id like to turn it in to a t-bird. but before yall kill me I ask about production becouse I refuse to kill a rare car.
But if they arent that rare, I think it would be pretty sweet to make an 87, 88 turbocoupe convertable. I know that it would be some crazy intence body work to swap rear facias, but one of my verry good friends is a custom body man and has more skills in his little toe than most in there whole body. it could happen.
so now a ask for yalls honnest opinions. let the flaming begin!
Title: How rare is..
Post by: gumby on July 26, 2007, 05:13:48 PM
you might be better off findin a suitable donor top, and takin a regular 87-88 tbird to your body man.

would definitely save you some flaming :flame:
Title: How rare is..
Post by: 84 Fila on July 26, 2007, 05:37:58 PM
It's rare enough to not do it. I'm with Gumby, though I think a 4 eye birl would look better as a vert
Title: How rare is..
Post by: atariman on July 26, 2007, 05:59:02 PM
Take rare and make it the only one of its style. If you gots the funds, do it I say.....yeah. do it
:birdsmily:
Title: How rare is..
Post by: 84 Fila on July 26, 2007, 06:05:55 PM
Quote from: atariman;163588
Take rare and make it the only one of its style. If you gots the funds, do it I say.....yeah. do it
:birdsmily:


Thats a qoute I can live by!
Title: How rare is..
Post by: turboranger91 on July 26, 2007, 06:07:27 PM
regardless of the rarity of the the car, i wouldn't even attempt it unless you're capable.  if you're doing it yourself, you better be  good, if you're taking it to a shop, you better make sure they're  good and have the money to pay for a QUALITY job.  turning a car into a convertible sounds easy enough, but it's actually a really involved job and if it's not done right, you might as well throw the car in the dump.
Title: How rare is..
Post by: 4bangen on July 26, 2007, 06:07:51 PM
I second that about the quote. BEGIN THE RESERCH PHASE!!!!!
p.s. most of my ideas never go past that point!
and Im not talking about turning a hardtop into a vert, im talking about taking a vert couger and making it a bird.
Title: How rare is..
Post by: HAVI on July 26, 2007, 06:15:28 PM
I just wonder if the  Cat verts have stiffer undersides like most other makes.
Title: How rare is..
Post by: oldraven on July 26, 2007, 06:29:17 PM
It'll take more than swapping rear facia's. The Vert. Cougars were four eyes and had very different sheet metal from the gen II TC's.
Title: How rare is..
Post by: 4bangen on July 26, 2007, 06:53:59 PM
I would swap more than just the rears, I would swap front, rear, intiors, motor trans(tc stuff) if need be sheet metal aswell. Like I said my budy is an amazing body man. this would be well within his means. this is only an idea as of now. I dont even know if I realy want to do it.
Title: How rare is..
Post by: turboranger91 on July 26, 2007, 09:16:23 PM
i don't know... i'm more of a coupe guy, not a vert guy.
Title: How rare is..
Post by: 84 Fila on July 26, 2007, 09:24:40 PM
I duno man... I would rock out in a Fila vert':tg:
Title: How rare is..
Post by: thundr306 on July 26, 2007, 09:25:22 PM
. I'm not much of a restored/factory stock kind of guy,so if you want to do it, then go ahead. Don't live by what others say.
Jim
Title: How rare is..
Post by: gumby on July 26, 2007, 10:00:52 PM
Quote from: thundr306;163635
. I'm not much of a restored/factory stock kind of guy,so if you want to do it, then go ahead. Don't live by what others say.
Jim
i would agree with all that, but i dont see a reason to kill off a good cougar 'vert. it would be probly less work overall to build a 'vert TC with a donor frame and top from a similarly sized car. the cougar 'verts are conversions to begin with, anyhow.

there are people who want a cougar 'vert. if thats not what you want, why start with one? if your body guy is as good as you say, a 'vert conversion on a TC would be a cake walk for him and would leave the cougar 'verts for people who actually want them.

im all for buildin your car the way you want. hell, there is very little stock left on my TC. the TC purists would hate it, and i dont care. but your idea jus doesnt make practical sense to me
Title: How rare is..
Post by: Autocat on July 26, 2007, 10:15:44 PM
i say eliminate the b pillar, roll down rear windows, one piece top (not folding)  on a 87-88 would be so ****in killer.  maybe even chop the top an inch or 2.  cuting up sheetmetal and putting it on another car is expensive, labor wise.  i mean the verts were 4 eyed right?  and no 87-88 verts?  lots of work right there.  you might be able to get a custom retractable one but i think a solid removable green house would be killer... i bet you'll need a spoiler thats built from scratch to really be able to make the car handle better than it does now with it all welded and modified right.  (to be honest they make drag rear clips, i'd go with one just for easy install for a welder. chop, weld.
Title: How rare is..
Post by: beaterjeep on July 26, 2007, 10:24:10 PM
Quote from: Autocat;163645
and no 87-88 verts?.


IIRC there were 87-88 verts made, just not in the quantity the 83-86's were.
Title: How rare is..
Post by: yellow86coogr on July 27, 2007, 02:10:32 AM
Quote
IIRC there were 87-88 verts made, just not in the quantity the 83-86's were.


87'-88's, there are about 24 total.
86's. There are exactly 89 made.
85's, at least 16
84's unkown
83's about 10
Link to the coolcat site with the info. http://www.coolcats.net/fox/convertible.html
These are extremely rare cars, which is the only reason I would not like to see it done to one. Less than 200, most likely have been made, and that is VERY, VERY rare. I personaly hate to see rare cars altered to a large degree, since there are almost always a plentiful amount of the same cars that are NOT so rare. I'd even rather not see it done to a TC Bird either, and I don't care for the birds anywhere near as much as the cats, BUT, It's a free country though, thank God, and it would be yours. It would be kinda cool, and like my dad always said, 100 years from now....no one will really care much.:hick:
You would pay allot less for a car to begin with that is not rare, making it cheaper, and there are plenty of TC hoods still around as well. I'd rather it even be done to a more common cat before a Turbo coupe. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE modified cars, because of thier individualality, but rare cars are already a little on the originality side to a degree anyway.
My Black 88' is an XR7, and it will stay totaly stock.
The silver car is an 86' XR7 Turbo, and fairly rare. I'm unsure what I may or may not do with it in the future.
The other two 86' cars are LS's, and the yellow one has none of the original drivetrain in it except for maybe the power steering pump.
After saying all that, it's your money, and it would be your car. You can always find someone who loves it, and another who hates, but when it comes down to it, it's all about you man.
Title: How rare is..
Post by: 83Heritage on July 27, 2007, 08:04:49 AM
Actually to do it on a 'Bird, I believe the best bet is to use the top and all associated pieces from an '01-'05 Sebring convertible. My wife has an '01 and it parks beside my '83 in the garage, and the roofline is earily similar.
Title: How rare is..
Post by: oldraven on July 27, 2007, 08:09:20 AM
Quote from: 4bangen;163610
I would swap more than just the rears, I would swap front, rear, intiors, motor trans(tc stuff) if need be sheet metal aswell. Like I said my budy is an amazing body man. this would be well within his means. this is only an idea as of now. I dont even know if I realy want to do it.


I mean the body side 'ridge' under the moldings are at different heights from one gen to the next. I've seen front clips swapped and it's nearly impossible to make it look natural.
Title: How rare is..
Post by: Thunder Chicken on July 27, 2007, 09:15:19 AM
If I were to do it I'd start out with either a Sebring convertible donor car as 83 Heritage suggested, or better yet, an SN95 Mustang convertible. Since SN95's are Foxes and are closer in size and weight to our cars than they are to older Fox Mustangs I think the swap would be easier. Plus, parts are readily available and much easier to find than they would be for an 80's Cougar convertible that used a mish-mash of parts from other cars (including GM).

If you simply want to swap 87-88 T-Bird sheet metal onto an 83-86 Cougar convertible I'd recommend cutting the front fenders in half, then welding the front half of the 87-88 fender to the back half of the 83-86 - that would eliminate the body side ridge problem. The rear sheet metal would require substantially more work...
Title: How rare is..
Post by: oldraven on July 27, 2007, 09:42:19 AM
I like the liftoff hardtop idea. :)
Title: How rare is..
Post by: EricCoolCats on July 27, 2007, 10:27:44 AM
The Cougar has lived in the shadow of the T-Bird for many years. The one thing we have to ourselves...and it's worth hacking one up to make a T-Bird?! That's a switch. Although I detect jealousy is involved. ;)

It would be much easier to start with a T-Bird and cut its roof off. As mentioned, bracing would have to be done around the whole car. Subframe connectors are massive on the Car Craft convertibles...they are a necessity. Lots of additional bracing too. That's all without the roof mechanism being fitted and installed. This isn't a job for the weak.

I have not run across any pre-made Fox Thunderbird convertibles. Seem to me they have to exist...probably in the Florida area.
Title: How rare is..
Post by: 4bangen on July 27, 2007, 11:13:57 AM
Ok I had my anser on page 2. thanks for all your input on this, but Im not willing to kill a car that only 20 exist. That would be a terable thing to do. I may look more into coversions on a bird,(not my tc) but that would be further down the road.
thanks for the input
matt
Title: How rare is..
Post by: turboranger91 on July 27, 2007, 11:32:50 AM
let's see some photoshops of what this would look like.
Title: How rare is..
Post by: oldraven on July 27, 2007, 12:31:37 PM
I think the curved rear window would give a T-bird Vert. a Porche Carrera Cab. look. Very interested to see a PS.
Title: How rare is..
Post by: 4bangen on July 27, 2007, 04:45:25 PM
ill take one of my models and cut the top off and post a pic or two. I think it would look pritty cool(hence why I brought it up in the first place. Id photo-chop it but my comuter is down for a while.

Im starting to ponder a turbocoupe speedster? hmmmm defanetly pondering!
Title: How rare is..
Post by: HAVI on July 27, 2007, 06:29:59 PM
Quote
Actually to do it on a 'Bird, I believe the best bet is to use the top and all associated pieces from an '01-'05 Sebring convertible. My wife has an '01 and it parks beside my '83 in the garage, and the roofline is earily similar.


this is what I was thinking.  there's two of them parked on my way to work everyday, and thought they'd work, after reading this post yesterday.
Title: How rare is..
Post by: thundr306 on July 27, 2007, 06:38:09 PM
Did anyone save the pics I posted in November of the convert for sale in Mexico? I went back to the post, but the link is dead. It was an 87 in red.
Jim
Title: How rare is..
Post by: *MAYHEM* on July 27, 2007, 08:25:50 PM
Lemme get this straight... You want to take an extremely rare Cougar convertable and turn it into a t-bird?
 
(http://warcrafty.com/spiff/50CaliberAsprin.jpg)
Title: How rare is..
Post by: V8Demon on July 27, 2007, 10:13:45 PM
So where is this 'Vert anyway and is it for sale?
Title: How rare is..
Post by: Warbird9 on July 28, 2007, 12:02:13 AM
Here's two of the pics of the vert  bird. The roof treatment looked like ass, though. I'm still trying to find the other pics.
Title: How rare is..
Post by: jncocowboyx on July 28, 2007, 12:14:44 AM
i'd personally love to see t-tops on a bird or a cat.
Title: How rare is..
Post by: P71 on July 28, 2007, 12:26:34 AM
God I love Mexico. They are so creative and never let anybody tell them that it can't be done. Sure they may be deathtraps, but it's so inspiring!
Title: How rare is..
Post by: ZondaC12 on July 28, 2007, 12:48:10 AM
^^^ Gotta agree with ya there! That bird looks SWEET. I'd love to drive that thing, even if I had to keep the py wheels.
 
Quote from: jncocowboyx
i'd personally love to see t-tops on a bird or a cat

I'd probably insantly make a mess of my pants upon seeing THAT. T-Tops are up there on MY 7 world wonders.
 
Screw making a vert 4bangen! You got a kickass bodywork guy? HAVE HIM MAKE T-TOPS!!!!!! *uncontrollable drooling and fits*
Title: How rare is..
Post by: yellow86coogr on July 28, 2007, 02:06:40 AM
Quote
Ok I had my anser on page 2. thanks for all your input on this, but Im not willing to kill a car that only 20 exist. That would be a terable thing to do. I may look more into coversions on a bird,(not my tc) but that would be further down the road.
thanks for the input


I have to agree 100%. If they weren't so rare it would be a great idea.
Title: How rare is..
Post by: cougrrr302 on July 28, 2007, 03:28:53 AM
You make no ****in sense. You cant take a vert Cougar and swap sheet metal from a bird. You take a Bird and make it a vert. If he is such an "AMAZING" body man he could make a bird into a vert. Im a body man and I know how to do that, and Im a year away from certification. So far it sounds like you are wanting to do WAAAYYY too  much work, and that your buddy is somewhat of a moron if he wants you to swap sheet metal instead of making a bird into a vert.
Title: How rare is..
Post by: ZondaC12 on July 28, 2007, 10:56:41 AM
^^^gotta agree there if hes what you say he is, save him some work (and you money!!!) and get a nice bird and behead it!!!:evilgrin:
Title: How rare is..
Post by: oldraven on July 28, 2007, 11:38:44 AM
I swear, some of you guys are Ogres. Read the whole thread before blowing your top.
Title: How rare is..
Post by: 4bangen on July 28, 2007, 12:52:05 PM
I already said that I wasnt gona do it! the 20 cougars are safe frome my distructive hands! All I was doing was brain storming, haddent even brought it up to my friend. Im shure he would be quick to chop the head off a bird. I was just thinking I could take a car that was alrady a vert and splice the noze and tail on, had not even looked at the differences yet. that vert looks good. well the shape is good. the car looks kinda ruff!
Title: How rare is..
Post by: yellow86coogr on July 28, 2007, 01:42:35 PM
Quote
I swear, some of you guys are Ogres. Read the whole thread before blowing your top.


It's funny sometimes seeing people reply that haven't read the whole thread. :hick: Maybe we need a section for people to just pop off on. I've seen that on other forums.
Title: How rare is..
Post by: atariman on July 28, 2007, 04:31:55 PM
Thread?.......Read?......:pbb:
:birdsmily:
Title: How rare is..
Post by: JoeNoble on August 09, 2007, 07:34:52 PM
The way I see it if you wanna use a cougar convertible and make a TC convertible go for it. Cuz odds are once you've pulled all the cougar parts that you don't need you'll sell 'em and I'm sure there are plenty people looking for those parts. Also if you go through all that work you'll keep the car forever and love the hell out of it, but if you do one day sell it I'm sure it could always be converted back. Personally I think it's a great idea, but I've never seen a cougar convertible does anyone have pics? I hate to do this to you but under the rare cirspoogestances that I fall into a large sum of money I might just have to steal your idea.
Title: How rare is..
Post by: kingcars on August 09, 2007, 11:16:32 PM
Take a Tbird and make it a 'vert.  Otherwise, you'll just be taking the long way around and ruining a rare vehicle at the same time.  I've thought about doing that to mine way down the road as well.
Title: How rare is..
Post by: JoeNoble on August 10, 2007, 08:47:06 AM
Not speaking from personal experience but that sounds more difficult to me.
Title: How rare is..
Post by: 4bangen on August 10, 2007, 06:34:06 PM
If I ever come across another tc thats not all original. maybe one thats alittle beat up, I will make a tc vert. but for now Ill just make mine faster!:)