Good Afternoon,
I am toying with converting a 67 to a convertible.
I see that when converting you need to use the convertible inner rockers from a Mustang and lengthen them. You need the convertible floor pan as well.
From what I can tell the Cougar is a little longer than the mustang. Is it possible to use a 1 piece floor pan from a 67 convertible Mustang or a 69 convertible Cougar? Any other pieces of the floor needed?
What would be the best option?
Thanks!
Welcome! There are several threads dealing with conversions and you can really get up to speed by seeing the challenges faced by others. There is also a web site devoted to convertible conversions that has a ton of useful stuff.
This is a good one to start with: https://cccforum.discoursehosting.net/t/1967-convertible-conversion/5631/1
I have two 68 convertibles and both are very stout without the Mustang inner rockers. Here is my unfinished project with a TCP X brace, the other is a homemade unit which I will get pictures of later. The first step in a conversion is finding a 67-8 Mustang Convertible parts car.
http://catvert68.com/?page_id=59
There are also a few that have not made it to Bill’s site yet.
Thank you both.
I will read that thread in more detail Looks like you need a Mustang windshield as well as the Mustang convertible top. Did anybody create a list of what other Mustang parts would be needed?
Don,
That brace looks pretty cool. Looks like it has the subframe stiffeners as well. Did you put a new floor pan in it?
I wonder if the TCP X brace or the inner rockers and other mods would be better for the car?
Thank You
You won’t need to change the windshield. The Cougar A-pillars are the same as the Mustang and the top of the windshield frame, below the roof skin, is also the same for both hardtop and convertible.
Your first step for your project should be to clearly define your design goals. Does it need to look like the factory did it or do you just need to do things that accomplish the same purpose? You’re going to have a lot of design decisions to make along the way and having a clear vision of your end goal will help make those decisions easier.
My approach with CatVert was to make it look like the factory did it. That’s why you saw the inner rockers and convertible floor pans on CatVert, but Don’s approach also works. It’s all about stiffening the undercarriage to compensate for the loss of the roof. My vision of an end product that made the average person think it was factory prompted a lot of other decisions that made CatVert unique in its own way but also made some things harder and more expensive. But without that vision, it would have been easy for CatVert to lose its coherence of design.
Sounds good. That is what I was originally thinking of a 1 piece pan from a convertible Mustang (just not sure about the total length, maybe the pan is the same but the trunk is longer on the Cougar)?
I like the idea of it looking factory, but not 100% decided on either way yet. My gut says try to do the stiffening with the inner rockers etc…
The “1968 Mercury Cougar Convertible | Barn Finds” is my vert. It’s not grey anymore. It’s pearlescent. Pics are there. I need to get the pics updated though. The engine is completely different and the car is no longer running hubcaps.
