Customs To cut the top off or not? Your opinion needed!

Cut it!

 

hardtop..

find a 4 door or another door for the conversion.. dont mess with that hardtop..

 

You've got a damn nice hardtop, leave it a hardtop. But don't overlook the potential in that rough but very cool convertible. Building the convertible stock or custom is roughly the same amount of work, so why not build it custom the way you want it? I always look at rusty dogs as perfect custom fodder.

Also, when I lived in MN I drove my Impala convertible year around. No problem. I actually enjoyed driving it more up north than I enjoy driving my Lesabre convertible down here in Austin.

 

What rocky said
Iv owned a rare convertible but rare or not they leak = widows fog = cold = rusty floor………cant lock it or they cut your top to steal your shit….Then in summer you burn down at every stop light….wind burn on the highway.
Driving with the top up I always had to keep a window open or the top puffed up like a blow fish.
In the end the only time it was nice to drive was on nice summer evenings.

 

Keep the hardtop and build a Batmobile......

 

I'm with everyone. Don't mess with the awesome hardtop. It's a keeper as is. Take your time, get a donor car and build a bitchin convertible stable mate.

 

Change your pusher dude!
Hard tops are kool, and those Lincolns are above kool! Dont even need a chop IMO.

 

hard top.

 

Another hardtop vote!

 

Is there some way to use all the doors you have and make some kind of custom 4-door? Is that an option?....you should think about a sweet drivetrain swap, I have a Ford Probe donor car you can buy.

 

Is the 'vert that rough? If you find a 4 door or another parts car, can the 'vert be saved? It'd be nice to save a rare, high dollar car without losing the hardtop.

 

hardtop to keep but for resell value converts pull big money off yuppies with deep pockets.

 

Cliffy, I won't touch that perfect hardtop to make a vert.
If you want to use your sawsall get an early '80's Cutlass or Monte and cut away.

 

Another vote for the hardtop.


I hope someone here can send a clean cheap 4 door your way. It would be a very nice way to rebirth a beautiful piece of American pie. Peach of course!
I want to see both saved your hardtop is Super bad-ass.
It's so bad-ass I made a special trip from the garage just to look at it.
I hope to see ya at symco. Hopefully with my newly acquired 54 chevy 4 door I'm building to be a family camping cruising turbo hotrod daily driven sled with good mpg all in tradition of course. This would be a fitting shakedown run.

 

HT gets my vote. I hope you can get the original engine back in it, if not maybe a 430 Lincoln.

 

Hardtop. 57 Premier in local wrecking yard, don't rememember how many doors, but floor should be solid and priced right. Transport could be expensive though. I'll check it out and PM you.

 

Fuck with the hardtop all you want, I love the looks of those cars. Stick a different engine in it, chop it, and roll hard. They're sharp looking cars

I think you should restore that convertible back to stock, and chopping it up is just insane. Those are rare cars, they only made 3,646 of them. They're worth a pile of cash. I'd restore it, maybe lower it, nose and deck too. Then just drive it, or sell it. Chopping that car is friggin crazy

 

Just saw this car on pickers , cool place!

 

Hardtop mann!!!

 

Keep the roof but cop it. Oop's now you know my vote

 

If you have the ability to do the job properly [ as in "factory" correct ] convert it. [ way more desirable,and rare ]

You'll need to make the "spot weld" drill bit your best friend [ and be patient ]
Me and my brother done this 30 years ago to a pommy MkII Zephyr convert [ 4 doors were worthless ]
You'll need to measure everything , and "unpick" every spot weld needed.
The factories were smart enough to usually use parts from one model on another [ big thanx to the "bean-counters" here ]

When you make 2 cars into one, it can be quite easy [ but time consuming to do correctly ] you'll be surprised at what silly little parts are special to one model
It cant be any more difficult than a 2-door conversion

I've also done "factory" manual gearbox conversions on Camaros, Vettes, Falcons, late model BMWs . It is a lot easier when you do this from a complete donor car available.
Like I said "If you have the ability to do the job properly" you won't regret it.
yours will be one of 52 [ you wreck one but gain another ]

 

Hardtop, NO CHOP!

 

I do not like the looks of a convertible. I don't understand when guys hack off the top to make a roadster. Stop doing it people.. Love the hardtop look! Keep please!

 

Probably a few hardtops sitting in the wreckers yards down south, looking for something to fix that kink in the roof from when the yardy dropped the Corvair on top of it to make someone laugh! Buy that car and saw the roof off of it. Two birds, one stone.....

 

Cliff,
I vote the hardtop , the hardtop car has a look all it's own, with the long roof line, and looks better than the covert.
Saw your car on American Pickers last nite, Great segment on the best little town in America "SYMCO, WI ".
Chris

 

Yes, that is my car on American Pickers last night. That is the grounds that we hold the Shakedown on!

 

Love the hard top! As others said, build a convertible.