falcon convertible or 380 ute, lets go crazy

[Dezaman]

hey guys, I'm still looking for that extreme mod to do and ive finally looked at a mates ba and put some thought into a falcon convertible, now first off id like to mention this is a stupid idea and its going to fail so badly im going to have to declare bankruptcy but in the essence of love humour me with positive thoughts, commodore drivers have been modding there cars as converts for years and there was originally a convertible falcon (67, back when they was american made) now ive been looking at chassis's (platforms) and i figure theres 3 main supporting rods, 2 underneath the doors and one in the middle, lets say we get two massive thick 2x4" chunk of metal the length of the strips underneath the door and weld them either on the inside of the car and put carpet over it or weld it underneath and cover it with a bigger side skirt, what else needs strengthening, would i need to start welding piles down the inside of the car or start strengthening the part just before the rear tyre to the back, i could use some diagrams of what the chassis of an au falcon looks like i didnt get enough time to look underneath my old falcon because the car was already falling to pieces, i didnt want to speed up the process, also if its totally uncomprehendable (the window frames on the doors will be a major ive looked at what bmw converts look like and they dont have rubber lining there windows stay solid even when there up unlike falcon windows that dance in the wind and rattle) what about a magna mod, buy a halfcut of a magna or 380 and just weld a ute back from a hilux or a ute thats as low to the ground as it (replacing the suspension no doubt) cheers guys for the help

[[dave]]

good ideas

just next time use paragraphs makes it easyier to read and understand

[Abacus]

Originally Posted by [dave]

good ideas

just next time use paragraphs makes it easier to read and understand

Yes, it wasn't the easiest post to read.

I'm not entirely sure that I have translated the OP's post correctly, but I think he meant something like this:

Originally Posted by Dezaman

Hey guys,

I'm still looking for an extreme mod to do. I have finally looked at a mate's BA and put some thought into a Falcon convertible.

Now first off I would like to mention this is a stupid idea and it is going to fail badly - I am going to have to declare bankruptcy. However, in the essence of love, humour me with positive thoughts.

Commodore drivers have been modifying their cars and turning them into convertibles for years, and there was originally a convertible Falcon (the 1967 model, back when they were American made).

Now, I've been looking at the chassis (platform) and I believe there are 3 main supporting rods, 2 underneath the doors and one in the middle.

Lets say we get two massive thick 2x4" chunks of metal the length of the strips underneath the door and weld them either on the inside of the car, and put carpet over it, or weld it underneath and cover it with a bigger side skirt. What else needs strengthening? Would i need to start welding piles down the inside of the car or start strengthening the part from just before the rear tyre to the back?

I could use some diagrams of what the chassis of an AU Falcon looks like. I didn't get enough time to look underneath my old Falcon because the car was already falling to pieces, and I didn't want to speed up the process.

The window frames on the doors will be a major issue. I've looked at BMW convertibles and they don't have rubber lining. Their windows stay solid even when they are up, unlike Falcon windows that dance in the wind and rattle.

What about modifying a Magna? For instance, I could buy a half cut of a Magna or 380 and just weld on a ute back from a Hilux or a ute that is as low to the ground as the Magna or 380. I would, no doubt, be replacing the suspension.

Cheers guys. Thank you for the help

[Dezaman]

u reckon there good ideas?
good point about the paragraphs i searched for a way to edit it but im stumped
cheers for further ideas and support from anyone

[HLC]

buy a falcon. cut the roof off. talk to an engineer and ask what needs to be strengthened lol

[XR6_190]

Convertible AU3 XR8 Ute FTW!!!

[R0BD0G]

Originally Posted by XR6_190

Convertible AU3 XR8 Ute FTW!!!

ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww....

im trying to think of how imprecticle this proposal is...lol.. go buy an astra

[Dezaman]

Originally Posted by Kermit 73

im trying to think of how imprecticle this proposal is...lol.. go buy an astra

what do i look like someone with common sence? sides which im thinking price wise, i want a 318i bmw convertible, theyll set me back around 20k, compared to an au i can buy for 5k and just weld a few metal rods, fords are there to be buggered around with lol
and HLC, what a very simple idea lol, wont they charge me for information though?

[Tiapan]

Originally Posted by Dezaman

what do i look like someone with common sence? sides which im thinking price wise, i want a 318i bmw convertible, theyll set me back around 20k, compared to an au i can buy for 5k and just weld a few metal rods, fords are there to be buggered around with lol
and HLC, what a very simple idea lol, wont they charge me for information though?

yes they will charge you, and then they will say "put the F**ckin roof back on"

[[Tonko]]

Originally Posted by Dezaman

what do i look like someone with common sence? sides which im thinking price wise, i want a 318i bmw convertible, theyll set me back around 20k, compared to an au i can buy for 5k and just weld a few metal rods, fords are there to be buggered around with lol
and HLC, what a very simple idea lol, wont they charge me for information though?

I'm sure it is a bit more complex than that.
Engineers will rip you and your wallet to pieces.
Let alone resale...

[Nickxb]

im just curious now. If anyone is good with photoshop, give it a go....

[Nikked]

380 ute

[b2tf]

I'd go with 380 ute - the GT version or whatever they call them looks ok at the front and i'd use that and graft on a tray. I think it could look quite good.

[Jayden]

Seems like a hell of a lot of work. you would have to be sure you really want to see it through. There is always new mustangs and soon camaros you could reference / borrow from if you do it.

[gngtho]

those chassis are made to a sertain spec with a specific amount of rigabillity in them once you have started to weld more on it it looses the ridgabillity, it must be equal anount as what you have taken off with the same spec material.

there a little harder to do when it comes to specs than your older style cars that had 2ton of pure steel on them.

also you would effect the cars crumple zones in a major way.

all this means alot more $$$ than you think, enginers would need to test at least one or two test cars before approving anything and they charge more than an arm or a leg.

[Sonik]

Do the 380 ute, something unique. + the 3.8L is more than capable of towing a load.
Then join aussiemagna forums and post pics :P

[Dezaman]

ha ha i cant believe so many people liked my terrible idea, and thanks for the rewrite abacus, i did like the 380 ute idea but a) as i mentioned i got a heap of crap ford up qld way that i could give this a shot and b) i cant find any 380 half cuts, nor do i know anything about finding a utes rear that will fit, the ride height will kill it and the rear will no doubt take different tyres to the front.

after thinking about the convertible idea i figure that with window replacements of the front two windows it could possibly work, i say screw the rear windows you can put plastic ones inbuilt into the canvas top (like the rear windshield, just like what happens to the rear side windows on a bimmer convert) as someone mentioned i can strip parts from a new stang convertible maybe the windows will fit, surely the local ford dealers can import front windows even for an american car.

gngtho do you know that for fact, if its true that kills the entire plan, i havnt got the money for one car let alone 3 just to watch them crash them, i assume theyll do some load tests with weights and there computers to see whether shell hold, not crash a perfectly good car, people register individually built cars all the time, pieces of made out of piping and with a fibreglass body, kit cars, you go out and buy 30k worth of tubing and skin to make a lamborghini replica then put it over the pits when its all glued togethor. at least thats how im guessing the kit cars get registered (makes you think, next time you see that shiny ferrari 430 give the body a nice tap to check if its made out of fibreglass)

final note i know this a ford forum so im not expecting help but when i said there was no half cuts the idea dawned on me to just buy a 100 dollar magna and put aftermarket 380 body parts (bonnet, fender, bumper & grill) but i have no idea what chassis the magna is on, wikipedia only says mitsubishi australia used one chassis but it only mentions the 380 being on that chassis, and the magna page turns up nothing, cheers for the support guys.

[Nikked]

380 front VN-VS ute rear, all grafted ontop of a 2x4 rodeo (or similer) chassis. Throw the 380 engine out and replace it with a 8A80 4.5 L V8 (mitsu's only v8) or a modern hemi (play on the chrysler connections)

[Abacus]

Dezaman, regardless of what you do, you will need to get the car engineered for registration. So on top of your conversion costs, allow $3,000 - $5,000 for engineering.

If you really want a convertible a Capri would be a much more more cost effective option.