I think I might have said about a hundred posts ago to just go and get a cheap convertible instead of spending literally what could be come months of cutting, chopping and butchering.
With the  Cougar  you have a safe and legal car that is ready to drive with the top down.Without knowing your financial situtation it is difficult to make recommendations, but $6k is not a lot of money to throw at something if you really want it.Remember, you only live once.


Gary - 1958 Star Customline and 1940 Ford Deluxe Hotrod

C'mon Gary...."you only live once"..."not a lot of money if you really want it" !!  You sound like the the devil I'm trying to ignore on my left shoulder right now .....unfortunately the devil is winning....I set up a time to go look at the cougar this weekend.  It wasn't that I disagreed with your advice 100 posts ago Gary...just have no cash...and no interesting drop-tops within' spiting distance of my budget....technically I can't afford this cougar...but I'm a merc guy...and I like green....and well...."you only live once" right? !

Nate - Madison, Wisconsin

 

56 Ford Customline Sedan

 

Go on, do it.You can always go without something else like food or electricity for while as long as you have a  nice rig in the shed to look


Gary - 1958 Star Customline and 1940 Ford Deluxe Hotrod

Yeah, electricity is overrated anyway and you really only need to eat once for the rest of your life. 


~DJ~ AKA "Bleach"
1956 Ford Fairlane Town Sedan 30K original miles

If the Cougar is as anywhere near as good as it looks in the photo, it's likely a deal at $6 thousand. What can you get these days for that kind of money?.. 


Paul

When things look too good to be true, they usually are.  The cougar was rough, it looked pretty good from 10 feet, but was a loose car. (and I was disappointed in the 70's interior..just not a fan)  The car was repainted in the early 80's and I could tell that a significant portion of the lower rear quarters were made of bondo, some rust color was seeping out of some tiny cracks in the body work which hinted at what was underneath.  Also inside the trunk someone had painted over rust in the wheel well area with POR-15.  When the owner told me he'd had the floor pans replaced a few years ago, I knew this was a rusty car at heart.  Also lots of loose things, side mirror was falling off, console shifter was very loose (shifter slipped into 2nd on heavy acceleration).  The bottom of the car was heavily coated in undercoating...so who knows what is really there.  It may be worth $6k, but not worth it to me.  It ran and drove pretty good...it was fun...and driving it confirmed for me that convertibles are awesome and I will need one some day (soon?).

Nate - Madison, Wisconsin

 

56 Ford Customline Sedan

 

I know the convertible frames are X frames and also the crown victorias all have that same frame.reminds me of my older brother and his best friend in the late 60's.they took a 56 studebaker and cut the top off and made a convertible out of it. then,painted it bright red with surfer crosses on the sides.really cool,but made it kinda flimsy for obvious reasons.as I recall,they didnt drive it very long because of of the draft[my brother enlisted in the coast guard a week before his draft notice,his buddy was not so lucky,in vietnam the following year] also,they had old timers mad because of those"nazi crosses' on the doors!

crown Victoria's do not have the same frame as the convertibles,but they have an extra plate welded to the underside of the frame  Carl

Still want to do it? Read Daniel Jessup's post here: http://forums.y-blocksforever.com/FindPost106595.aspx"another 56 Fairlane Town Sedan project that he bought for $250 after someone had CHOPPED the entire top and left it that way. He is planning to make a roadster out of it since it is so rough. The doors had real problems staying put and the center support between the doors was very wobbly. (Big 6 ft 6 take note here.) Wayne plans to weld quite a bit of sheet metal in it and make it a 2 door, 2 seater, eliminating the rear seat." Your car may end up like this.


~DJ~ AKA "Bleach"
1956 Ford Fairlane Town Sedan 30K original miles

DJ - Thanks for the link....good to have confirmation that the center support between the door would be pretty wobbly....I'm assuming if the rear doors were welded shut that  would help the wobbly issue.  If I did it, I would not only weld the rear doors but also plan on additional bracing to the floor from those center supports between the doors.   I'm not as worried about stiffening the body, that I'm confident with enough welding and creative metal placement I can make the body rigid.  I'm more worried about bracing the frame, if the frame is too flimsy and transfers those forces the body, I'm worried even all my terrible welding would eventually give way.  One idea I had was to fabricate a tube-frame structure behind the rear seats tied to the frame and the body which would hopefully add support/strength to both.

Nate - Madison, Wisconsin

 

56 Ford Customline Sedan