1959 cadi vert "conversion" the beggining

so i decided that buying a 59 cadillac vert from jump street is very tough. a rough one would require a bunch of work plus what they are bring. not to mention a decent one. but it is the all time convertible in my boook. so i decided to "build" my own. there are a hundred guys out there that i have watch build these convertibles and over teh years after talking with half of them its not such a big endeavor. i have two 60 verts already wiating to be done but no 59s. so i will start now

 

if you guys are interested in doing this yourself here are the links i have been folllowing to get an idea of how to make a 2 or 4 door car into a convertible. from start to finish.

(61 chevy)
http://www.layitlow.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=551370

(63 chevy)
http://www.layitlow.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=417171

(61 chevy)
http://www.layitlow.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=345870&hl=

(62 chevy)
http://www.layitlow.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=342842&hl=

(61 buick into 61 chevy very informative)
http://www.layitlow.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=438570

 

so here is the 59 of choice. found teh car for ab 400 dollars. funky deal. has a roof that is mad of vinyl that comes on and off. i woudl have kept it like this but there is no under support (racks to hold it) so it just caves in looks ultra tacky.

 

here is the car as it arrived at my house. i took all the parts off that came with it. front bumper and a bunch of bent up trim.the front end is pretty hammered and the worse is the hood. there are some spots that will fold if i open it to fast, yahhhh. but what can you expect for 300 bux.

it was actally a good deal on my end. the back bumper was complete, the cones with bullets, as well as the rear chrome strip on teh trunk. i am sure these pieces alone are worth that.

 

the best thing about the car is it was actually a california car. the rockers the trunk floor, the quater panels are all really solid!! there are some spots of floor which need to be cut out and rewelded but what is left is very solid metal. the guy i got the car from took what he needed and left it for dead. one mans trash!

the doors off the convertibe where really rough. the door skins are ultra solid so i will try my welding luck and put em back together. when the time comes to close up the rear quater it will be easy.

 

i wish this car wasnt so rough. it had all the options, but carolina rust is awful

 

all the convertible parts are there, but pretty rough. header bow got bent, not sure where to get those restamped but thats wayyyyyy down the road. a sand balst to remove the rust then onto cutting.

 

here is the condition of the doors, hammered! my guy had a pretty good coupe with solid doors.saving 400 bux for a few hours of welding sounds good to me though. here are a couple of cars he had hanging at his shop

 

some works in progress

 

Keep us posted,,,,,gotta love a pink Caddy even if you are not going to keep it that color.

 

running through ebay one day and found this guy who had converted his 59 coupe into a vert. it is very helpful to see the different ways that guys are doing this. his conversion turned out really clean. looks almost ready for paint.

 

will do, but paint is such a long way away!

 

Please post detailed pictures as you go. I'm doing the same thing with my '55 Dodge convertible, it's just the cheapest/easiest way to go for these 1950's convertibles. It's too hard or too expensive to find a solid one to start with.

I did an O/T GTO this way, using a Buick Skylark as a donor, and it turned out really nice. You're doing it the right way, with a donor car for the parts. Much better than a Carson top or just cutting the roof off Shriners style, I hate that.

 

That is quite an undertaking. Good luck with the project and keep us updated.

 

i hate it too! teh whole parade car theme. i dont understand it. but to each his own. if you havnt all ready, take a look at the second post i put up, those guys have already done this and thats who i am going to follow.
i think after i cut "open" the rear section to expose window supports i will have a much better idea of how to put it all back on. it seems realy straigth forward to be honest. to do the cutting i will def need a plasma power. i think the llines need to be pretty perfect for it to drop into place with out alot of hacking and rewelding.

 

I'm reading those right now.

My only suggestion is to do any frame work first, to help keep things in alignment. Most convertibles had some extra frame support in them compared to the sedans, and it's best to put that in before you take the roof off, although I see your '59 has it's roof cut out already so that might be moot at this point.

I take it you got the windshield surround and all of the corresponding trim from the parts car right away? Is that donor car a '60?

 

yeah teh donor is a 60, i was debating to cut out the front frame vin and the vin tag to put on, but it wouldnt be correct if numbers ran. i am not a numbers type of guy, but i know that those things are worth money to some people. i have a 60 flattop in new mexico which i was thinking about converting, but having 3 60 cadi verts is kinda over kill.


i have all the windshield trim , but before i cut, i am debating how to get all the firewall ac stuff , or if the firewall is way to rusted to try to work with. the 59 firewall is very solid and wont require much work. but the 60 donor is sooooooo bad, that i am going to imagaine it may be more work that it is worth.


so to answer yout questions yes, it is a 60, yes i have post trim. sorry for being long winded

 

Wow! Ambition plus bravery!

More power to ya, this is real dedication, y'all!


Later, Kinky6

 

Good luck man. Lots of work. This is one of mine.

 

Now this is an interesting project for sure! Seeing how You took the ´60 ´vert apart, are You piecing all this together using that car´s frame?

 

good luck.

spell check is your friend!

 

You should paint it this color:

 

its really interesting, i will post some pictures up next time i have free time. the difference between cars ( four-door, 2door, and convertible is only between the windshield post to the trunk).

the floors , firewall, front end, trunk floor , bumpers and sheetmetal (door skins) are all the same. just different where the line was cut to divide either a four door or two door. once you get this knowlledge down and actually see how the pieces just "drop" onto the chassis it becomes mighty simple.

give me a second andi will set it all up for you

 

Second this.

Cool car, but reading this thread is making me go cross eyed!

 

mayday! nothing i own will ever be that color!!

google it!

Sports Talk: Osby's Own Celebration

WHEN THE BUZZER SOUNDED and it became real, it was about all Bambale "Boom" Osby could take.
The Maryland Terrapins had done it — defeated top-ranked North Carolina — and his teammates rushed to midcourt in a bouncing celebration. Osby never made it that far.
He'd traveled from Richmond, Va., to New Mexico to Paris, Texas, before reaching College Park. But at that moment, when the Tar Heels' last-ditch shot went awry, Osby fell to the floor, where he celebrated in disbelief. Moments earlier, the senior had made the game-winning shot, an acrobatic lay-in that was pure muscle and instinct.

 

bleeding terp red man!!!

 

here are some pictures shwoing how the coupe and convertible are a one piece design that can be switched. the entire roof comes away as a a one piece unit if you cut it correctly. same with the convertible section.










<!--IBF.ATTACHMENT_17984736-->

<!--IBF.ATTACHMENT_16134061-->

 

here are pictures of a four door that is "opened up" for the big dop. you pretty much just drop in teh convertible section or the coupe section. all depeneding on what you are working on











you lift up your vert section, thsi guy is using a cherry picker!



then you drop it in like so.


same process with a coupe, start with a four door you have opened up, then drop it on






<!--IBF.ATTACHMENT_18405266--><!--IBF.ATTACHMENT_18040854-->

 

everything esle is just fillinng an dtack it all together. if you think of it as one big puzzle peice and try to get the pieces to fit in perfectly then its not so bad. it just all takes time and measuring. cutting it to fit it better then doing a bunch of smaller peices. i think this is the best way to go about it.

 

Wowsers! :O