Just wondering what you guys think about turning a 2 door wagon into a 2 dr HT . I have a 59 country sedan I was thinking of doing a HT conversion on . I know it is a rare car to start with but would be something a lilttle different without the post . something Ford should have done ! any thoughts ? Thanks Tim
Hi 56 , we love to modify our toys but from were I sit a good clean 59 may be rare in apple valley and your a talented man so its your choice but my answer is No as its a longroof in its own right :sorry: from Downunder
Appears one guy has done that already... Doesn't look like his rear-seat side window rolls down though..... I say go for it. If you've got the skills to do it, why not make something unique. And hardtop wagons are COOL. Marshall
I wouldn't do this, for two reasons. 1. The car is only original once. Once it's cut up, there's no going back. There were hardtop station wagons from that era that came that way from the factory. If I wanted one, I would go for one of those. 2. The center pillar that you would be cutting out on both sides is not just a cosmetic or decorative item. It provides structural rigidity to the car which would be lost if the pillars are removed. Maybe this isn't that big a deal, but I would at least look into the consequences, if any, of removing that structural support. The body may flex in ways that weren't considered by the car's designers when rounding corners, going over bumps, that sort of thing. Convertibles are famous for having frames that are reinforced compared to their closed-car counterparts for just this reason. A factory-produced hardtop may also have differences with its pillared counterpart.
If anything, I'd make it a sedan delivery instead of a hardtop. The body rigidity would not be an issue, and if someone else wanted to return it to its original form, whether it lost originality or not, it could be done. That T-bird front end was done very well and looks so cool IMHO, so that on a custom SD would be very unique.
Or you pretty much have to get the Merc wagon anyway for all the correct parts/hardware to cut it up and yours for the conversion..
A wagon is all about the tailgate, not the two side doors or the hard top. The Mercury used a unique tailgate in '59 that eventually Ford adopted by 1961. That tailgate was used on the two door Voyager. IF (big if) Ford had gone with a two door hard top.... they would have implemented the same tailgate as the Mercury. Regardless of what you do, you need the Merc as a basis or the results will always be a bastard.
Why would he need a Mercury, Jairus? He's already got the 2-door Ford wagon. All he needs is the center section of a 2-door hardtop '59 Ford - the doors, the rockers with the 1/2 pillar, and the forward part of the 2-door quarter panels.
