Technical 41-48 Ford conversion

I have a 48 Ford 4 door Sedan that I am growing tired of. It has the typical SBC, 350 Turbo Hydro, 9" conversion with Chassis Engineering parts, and a dropped axle. I have found a 41 Convertible that is local, but is somewhat rough. Is it possible to install the 41 body on my 48 frame, using my 48 front fenders (front clip) and various parts off my Sedan? I'm pretty sure Sedan rear fenders are not the same as Coupe/Convertible. The envisioned result would be somewhat like a roadster, no windows, and no top, no missing expensive convertible parts to search for. Here's a picture of the hulk convertible.

 

Would be an interesting project. I will be watching to see who chimes in.
But I have to say, rough in California is certainly not considered rough in a lot of the rest of the country, when you said somewhat rough, I pictured the lower half rotted away, falling over the frame. It looks restorable to me from the photo.

 

Please don’t butcher that convertible.

 

I know the front clips can be interchanged ( I've got mine done, 41 to 46) and i suspect the body to frame swap will work without any major problems.

 

I'm in a similar situation. I have a 48 coupe and I'm going to use a 41 frame/floors. From what I noticed so far the very front of the frame, where the rad mounts, is a little different, but doesn't look like it would be to hard to mod.

 

Converts have a special middle X member that is designed to help make up for not having the roof strength of a closed car. I would assume you would need to beef up the sedan frame somehow.
IDK about the 41 to 48 fitup, but Id bet that would be doable, since I assume youd be using the sedans cowl and floor.
My advice is if you do it, do the full conversion to a convert with correct windows and top. Otherwise it would just end up looking like a coupe with the roof cut off.

 

Check out T&A Flathead's, T&A FLATHEAD BUILDS A '48 RAGTOP, i think he did some work on the bracing.

 

I gotta agree with Scotty. I have seen a lot of rougher cars brought back to life.

 

Don't understand why you'ld want to replace a pretty '41 nose with an aesthetically challenged '48.

(My first and third cars - '41 Business Coupe, '41 Opera Coupe.)

 

I have to agree 100% with his comment. I'd imagine the reason is to keep the same title and not deal with titles but I think it would be a lot simpler to go ahead and build the 41 to the point where you could just pull the running gear out of the sedan and swap it over and sell the sedan body and not cut two cars up.
I'm more than a bit partial to 41 ragtops as this was my dad's car when I was born.

 

Save the 41. Or just customize the 48 with other parts. Same as everyone else. The convertible frame should stay on the convertible.
Both cars are cool with the right vision.
But one sounds like it drives and the other is a total project. If you have a bucket of money well go to it.

I would clean up the sedan and get the correct wheels and stance. And Drive.

get the convertible. And set up a proper chassis. Clean it up and also run it. Just have proper driving gear be it rebuilt original. Leave the body as is it.

but don’t destroy two cars for a half assed dream.
You can buy one of those hacked projects on CL cheap.

 

Any more pics of the ‘41. I used a junk Tudor to save my convertible. All I used from the Tudor was the complete floor and rear inner fenders.

 

Ok guys. Thanks for you response. It's easy to build them in your head.. I'm going to go lay down.

 

Frames are the same convertibles have a bracket from cowl to frame that stabilises cowl

 

Rear fenders also the same

 

Please leave the '41 , a '41 they are Special,
pre-war is gold. after war, not so much.

BUT I DO LIKE OLD FORDS...