1967 Ford Mustang Coupe-To-Fastback Conversion

1967 Ford Mustang Coupe To Fastback Conversion Welding

We can attest: There's more to this job than sawing off the coupe stuff and slapping on the fastback stuff. Way more. And if you aren't precise when welding on the fastback parts, you will have a big mess on your hands. Good luck trying to get the door gaps to line up or the glass to fit right. We alluded to it in last month's installment-this isn't a job for the faint of heart. Yet, it is not out of the realm of an ambitious soul who has some metalworking experience and a lot of patience for careful measuring.

We spent a week with the guys at Recon Classic Car Bodies and watched them build a fastback out of our '67 coupe and a convertible out of a nasty-looking '65 coupe. Even if you don't plan on doing this job, pay attention to the build-there are a lot of cool metalworking tricks that will apply to any project CC readers may feel up to taking on.

It is surprising how little of a coupe's structure Recon needs to build a fastback. This is all that was left of our coupe by the second day-basically, the firewall, inner quarter-panel supports, trunk floor, A-pillars, and half of the roof extensions. Because of damage to the front framerails near the shock towers, Recon owner Ray Carmody decided to replace them with new ones. If you are considering tackling this job, you can reuse the coupe doors and taillight panel. Everything else aft of the doors must go.
It is surprising how little of a coupe's structure Recon needs to build a fastback. This i
After sandblasting, we discovered a small section of rust-through in the floor underneath the rear seat on the passenger side, so Carmody decided to ditch the floor also. Sheetmetal guy Ramon Aguayo took care of it with a Sawzall.
After sandblasting, we discovered a small section of rust-through in the floor underneath

To protect our freshly sandblasted chassis, shop manager Jesse Villarroel sprayed it with Nason 421-09 red oxide Acrylic Ful-Fil primer surfacer. Though we planned on salvaging our coupe's doors, the guys removed them prior to sandblasting to clean behind the hinges. Rust can hide in the most unexpected places.
To protect our freshly sandblasted chassis, shop manager Jesse Villarroel sprayed it with
Early the next morning, the guys began reassembling our fastback-to-be, starting with the new floor. With the chassis sitting on jackstands on level ground, Carmody started fitting the floor, aligning the center of the floorpan with the vehicle's centerline. They could then see where they needed to trim the floor to make it fit better.
Early the next morning, the guys began reassembling our fastback-to-be, starting with the
To replicate the factory spot welds, the floor will be plug-welded onto the chassis. Villarroel used a pneumatic punch/flanger tool and a drill to punch holes where the welds will go. He recommended putting a weld about every 4 inches. The scribe marks indicate where the floor meets the flanges for the rear torque boxes.
To replicate the factory spot welds, the floor will be plug-welded onto the chassis. Villa

Working out from the center of the floor, Carmody placed sheetmetal screws in the holes where the welds will eventually go. Villarroel stood near the transmission tunnel while Carmody began to screw the floor to the chassis, working from the center out. His body weight helped spread the floor out so it would better reach all the way across the car. The guys at Recon put nearly the entire body together with 1/4-inch sheetmetal screws before welding it up. Though this sounds like a lot of extra work, it is actually the smartest way to reassemble a car that was taken as far apart as this. Panel gaps, clearances, and alignments can change as more parts are added. If so, it is much easier to loosen a few screws to realign a door or a quarter-panel.
Working out from the center of the floor, Carmody placed sheetmetal screws in the holes wh
Carmody then lined up this support rail for the taillight panel and gas tank, clamping it into place and tapping it and the trunk floor to make them fit together. Note that he's using a friction jack to spread apart the trunk floor to match the width of the gas tank.
Carmody then lined up this support rail for the taillight panel and gas tank, clamping it
With the support clamped into position, Carmody dropped the gas tank in place and used a prybar to align the boltholes.
With the support clamped into position, Carmody dropped the gas tank in place and used a p

Even supported on jackstands, the gas tank/tail support panel didn't line up as well as it should have. The guys at Recon have access to several real fastback and convertible bodies in their shop that they can use for measurements, and the support stuck out about 1/4 inch too far. This may not sound like much, but that would throw off the alignment of the taillight panel to the quarter-panels, decklid, and bumpers. Carmody used a ratcheting tow strap to squeeze the panel in while pulling up on the trunk floor at the same time. This combination of forces got the support panel to line up correctly.
Even supported on jackstands, the gas tank/tail support panel didn't line up as well as it
The guys bolted on the doors next, aligning them to match the rocker panel. The hinges bolt to the chassis in slotted holes that allow fore and aft movement, as well as a certain amount of up and down adjustability. Hang the door and get the bolts finger tight. Grab a helper or come up with a way to support the door while you make alignment adjustments.
The guys bolted on the doors next, aligning them to match the rocker panel. The hinges bol
We did have a problem fitting the passenger door. After sandblasting our original door, we discovered a big dent buried under years of Bondo and filler primer, so Carmody decided to replace it with a reproduction door. However, the original upper hinge didn't fit, nor did any of the reproduction hinges the guys tried. The boltholes didn't line up well, and the hinge hit the door at the arrow. After grinding on the hinge and the door with little success, Carmody grabbed a third door from a parts car in his lot. But for the guy without a stack of parts lying around, you could cut a slot in that section of the door and weld in a patch that would allow more clearance for the hinge or send the door back and hope the replacement fits better.
We did have a problem fitting the passenger door. After sandblasting our original door, we

The end result should look something like this. Note how the bottom of the door matches the top of the rocker panel. Now that the door is aligned to a fixed portion of the chassis, you will align the rest of the body panels based on how the doors fit.
The end result should look something like this. Note how the bottom of the door matches th
The rest of the car goes together like a giant jigsaw puzzle. The guys screwed the taillight panel and then began to fit the quarter-panels.
The rest of the car goes together like a giant jigsaw puzzle. The guys screwed the taillig
Again, they attached everything with a couple of sheetmetal screws, just to hold things in place while they worked on precisely aligning all the panels. With the doors aligned with the rocker panels, they aligned the quarter-panels to match the contours of the doors.
Again, they attached everything with a couple of sheetmetal screws, just to hold things in

Fitment and Alignment: Problems and Solutions
1. Filler Panel Finagle

One of the more problematic pieces to fit was the filler panel that covers this support piece that connects the quarters to the wheelhouses.
One of the more problematic pieces to fit was the filler panel that covers this support pi
Right out of the box, this filler panel didn't match the quarters. The gap was way off on both sides.
Right out of the box, this filler panel didn't match the quarters. The gap was way off on
Aguayo had to grind down the mounting tab that didn't fit the support brace.

He also had to hammer the edges of the filler panel and quarter-panels to make them align more closely.
He also had to hammer the edges of the filler panel and quarter-panels to make them align
Ultimately, Aguayo had to position a jack at the rear of the floor, raising it enough to twist all the components just right so everything lined up. Villarroel quickly jammed in some sheetmetal screws to hold it all together. Again, it helps to think of the whole car as a three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle. To get the horizontal trunk filler panel to line up with the quarters correctly, they had to twist up the floor in a counterclockwise direction. The best approach is to make the whole car fit together as a unit, not to force a single panel to fit its immediate neighbor. This also reinforces why it's best to screw together the car-you need to keep everything flexible while fitting all the panels.
Ultimately, Aguayo had to position a jack at the rear of the floor, raising it enough to t

1967 Ford Mustang Coupe To Fastback Conversion Adding Door Length

2. Need Longer Doors
Once the Dynacorn quarters were in place, no amount of pushing, grinding, or swearing would close the gap between the quarter-panel and the passenger door to an acceptable distance. Carmody advised not freaking out if things don't line up exactly right, even though reproduction parts are stamped to fit OE dimensions: "I've seen original, unmolested, from-the-factory cars as much as 1/4 inch off in certain dimensions. Plus, mixing 44-year-old Ford parts with new stampings creates a whole new set of variables." Compounding this problem was the fact that this door came off of a different car on Recon's lot. To solve this, Aguayo added some extra length to the door by stitch-welding a length of welding rod to the edge of the door. After the welds were ground down, you couldn't tell a repair had been done looking at it from the outside.

With all the fastback exterior sheetmetal in place, Aguayo and Villarroel measured the window and trunk openings with a tram gauge, checking it against a complete fastback they had in the shop.
With all the fastback exterior sheetmetal in place, Aguayo and Villarroel measured the win
Villarroel said that even though the measurements may all be in spec, the best check is a visual one. Notice that the taillight panel, trunk opening, and rear window openings are all aligned with the top of the dashboard. He said they often stand back during the assembly phase to verify that these surfaces are all parallel.
Villarroel said that even though the measurements may all be in spec, the best check is a
After all the measurements checked out, Villarroel and Aguayo began welding in the panels. Note the friction jack holding the shape of the trunk opening in place. After working so hard to get all the gaps just right, you don't want to warp them with a welder.
After all the measurements checked out, Villarroel and Aguayo began welding in the panels.

So far, this fastback conversion is basically just a new roof, quarters, and decklid, and that's stuff a competent bodyman can do without too much stress. But it's the inner supports that you can't find anywhere. Recon makes its own, and they're filled with cool dimple-die holes, a nod to Carmody's former life as a professional off-road truck racer. These panels offer much-needed support to this superflimsy Mustang chassis and are stronger than the support pieces a factory fastback came with.
So far, this fastback conversion is basically just a new roof, quarters, and decklid, and
Other parts not available in the aftermarket are the trim and upholstery mounting tabs. Recon also makes these and test-fits them with a full interior before shipping out a body.
Other parts not available in the aftermarket are the trim and upholstery mounting tabs. Re
With the back half of the car looking good, the guys began fitting the front subframe. The only parts salvaged from our car were the shock towers (in red primer). Everything else was new. Note that the subframe is supported by four jackstands, a friction jack across the top of the shock towers, and a piece of angle iron temporarily tack-welded in place near the firewall. It is absolutely crucial that these dimensions be correct-the motor mounts and suspension parts all bolt to the shock towers. If the towers are out of whack, the driveline angles and suspension geometry will be a big mess. Villarroel double-checked everything by measuring across the shock towers and from the firewall to the core support, top and bottom.
With the back half of the car looking good, the guys began fitting the front subframe. The

Carmody started welding up the front end once everything was lined up.
Aguayo later welded in these "big-block plates"-thick, steel, reinforcing plates added to the shock towers if the car came with an FE engine.
Aguayo later welded in these "big-block plates"-thick, steel, reinforcing plates added to
Who needs an expensive, twin-post electric lift when a used forklift is around? After all the panels were on and aligned correctly, the guys attacked the car-Aguayo finished welding the subframe while Rob Inman ground all the welds smooth at the rear of the car.
Who needs an expensive, twin-post electric lift when a used forklift is around? After all

Though the guys managed to salvage the front torque box on the driver side, they had to bend it out of shape to get the original subframe rails out. To make it fit the new subframe, Aguayo softened it up with our buddy the acetylene torch and hammered it home with a 3-pound sledge.
Though the guys managed to salvage the front torque box on the driver side, they had to be
When it was back in place, he stitch-welded the torque box to the subframe.
The passenger-side torque box didn't survive, however, so Aguayo made a new one out of 14-gauge steel-way better than the 18-gauge stuff the factory used. He drew the pattern on a flat panel, cut it with a Sawzall and grinder, and bent it in a sheetmetal brake.
The passenger-side torque box didn't survive, however, so Aguayo made a new one out of 14-

After all the welds were ground, Aguayo gave our fastback a final shot of the Nason primer, and it is ready to go. This will be how Recon will ship all its body shells: fully welded, reinforced, and finished in a tough acrylic primer ready for its customers to build the rest of the car they way they like it.
After all the welds were ground, Aguayo gave our fastback a final shot of the Nason primer

After all the welds were ground, Aguayo gave our fastback a final shot of the Nason primer, and it is ready to go. This will be how Recon will ship all its body shells: fully welded, reinforced, and finished in a tough acrylic primer ready for its customers to build the rest of the car they way they like it.
After all the welds were ground, Aguayo gave our fastback a final shot of the Nason primer

Stay Tuned
This whole build was originally planned as a single, eight-page article, but there was so much cool stuff to cover, we decided to break it up into a series. This way, we can really dive in deep to some of the techniques and tricks we learned from the guys at Recon. Coming next month:

Primer thugs
Flying bugs!
Brotherly love

All that-and we build a convertible, too. Don't miss it.

PARTS LIST
DESCRIPTION	PN	PRICE
Conversion fastback body	Ask for it	$9,500.00

SOURCES
Recon Classic Car Bodies and Performance Products 877-647-1193 www.reconclassics.com	Dynacorn Classic Bodies 4030 Via Pescador Camarillo CA 93012 805-987-8818 www.dynacornclassicbodies.com