I've made mention of this a couple times already.. once in my "stupid stuff" thread, where the idea first came up.. and later in my EFI 300 I6 thread. The pic that started me thinking about it will be included below. Some further inspiration was found here: http://www.pestalozzi.net/sb/a_index.html
Well, since many people probably don't read the I6 thread, (and I can see why) I figured I'd start another thread about this here. Especially since I have a big favor to ask in the process. My image editing skills are crude at best. Most I'm usually able to do is edit some text into a picture, or crop and resize it. So I could really use some help from someone who is good with Photoshop and wouldn't mind attempting a sedan delivery Photochop of my car. (I can, of course, provide pics if anyone is willing to do it) Whomever does it will get design credit for the work. I don't pretend to be able to edit something like that.. or at least do it well like many of the chops I see around here.
Now the point of making a thread of its own here and not just putting a request in the photochop section is that I obviously have some things to solve with this. To my knowledge, it's never been done on one of these before.. so I don't really have anyone else's work to follow.
My goals with this are to have it be completely functional and as solid as if the car were made that way. Working tail/liftgate with rear defroster in the window, structural reinforcements (I'm thinking rollcage-ish) hidden under the modified interior, folding backseat if at all possible, (I was thinking maybe a Fox Mustang/Capri hatchback for a source of a backseat, but it's been so long since I owned my Capris that I really don't remember the seats) etc. Between this and the 300, it's a project I expect to be spread out over several years.. so don't feel bad if you think your feedback will involve complicated work. I don't expect this would be easy.
I know one or two other people here have contemplated something like this in the past. I'd especially like to hear from them, if they've ever looked into actually doing it.
Original inspiration pic:
OK, so I guess it isn't very interesting to most here. That, or most people here think I'm an idiot for not even being able to do everything my cars need to have done to them now, but I'm planning to do big things with one of 'em someday. Oh well. Can't say it bothers me, really. Planning all this stuff means I am challenging myself to learn new things and grow. Why bother to get back into car work unless I'm going to do something significant eventually?
Anyway, I suppose I should give a little more direction to this thread. I was hoping to get input from not only people looking to physically modify these cars, but from people who have already done significant physical modifications to cars of any kind. Even if you don't like the sound of what I want to do, I'd like to hear your experiences with modifying car bodies. I'd like to make this thing just as safe and solid as if it had rolled off the assembly line this way. I don't care if making it that way adds another year or two to the project, (just to put numbers on it) as long as my big project ends up safe and solid and interesting.
I actually forgot about this thread - I wanted to reply but was busy and had to leave, then forgot about it.
Well, I've got a wagon fetish, and two door wagons are way cool, so a sedan delivery is way, way cool :D I've always loved stubby wagons. Remember the Corvette sedan delivery from the late 70's/early 80's? A buddy of mine's father had a silver one and I loved it all to hell.
I had the idea for a T-Bird wagon back in trade school and actually drew up a "concept" based on an '85 'Bird (I owned an '85 at the time):
(http://www.foxthundercats.com/t_wagon.jpg)
My idea was to craft the roof out of fiberglass and make it removable like the old late 80's/early 90's wagon back that was available for the Nissan Pulsar (you can actually see a bit of the Pulsar idea in this drawing - the triangular quarter windows and side windows that wrap up into the roof). I wanted to make the factory roof removable as well, so you could have open air motoring but still have the door frames and quarter windows (the line between the quarter and rear window would've been the joint for the removable roof)
And one day then I saw this for sale on eBay, which sent my imagination in all sorts of new directions:
(http://www.foxthundercats.com/hatchback.jpg)
This is a '63 Bird with an Olds Vista Cruiser roof. WAY, WAY, WAY cool! I wanna do this some day to an 85-88 'Bird or Coug, removable or not. Someday when I have a garage...
*EDIT* Here's a pic of the Pulsar wagon I was referring to:
You know, I think you and I have the most identical goals for these cars. You and I both want a 300 I6-powered Fox Bird, and we both want a sedan delivery Bird. No reason why we can't try to figure out a way to do this and duplicate it. Like I've said before, (or have tried to) I really don't care if someone else does the same thing I wanna do. You aren't going to piss me off if you make a 300 I6-powered T-bird sedan delivery as well. I like the idea of being different, but I am not obsessed with it to the point of being bitchy about it. I think the main thing that would be my concern if someone else copied me is that they make it as safely as I want to make mine. Especially with the recent rash of wrecked Fox Birds/Cougars, I think it hits home that these cars bring us home alive and we should not try to compromise their ability to do that.
I tell you what.. my mother and I went to the local Nissan dealer to look at one of those Pulsars when they were new.. and I swear that that was one of probably the top five cool cars in my childhood. I may not want to make my own project removeable like that, but I can completely sympathize with wanting to duplicate that. I think it was one of the coolest features ever.