This maybe a stupid question, but I'll ask it anyway. Is it possible to convert a four door sedan to a 2 door hardtop? I know about converting a 4 door to a 2 door post, but have never seen anything on making one a hardtop. So can this be done?
I'd say in terms of custom bodywork anything can be done, and most things have. Follow on question would be: What does it take to do it right - both aesthetically and functionally? And then: Would the effort/cost justify the end result?
Yes, and it's been posted here on this forum before. Typically you need a donor car to provide roof, quarters and doors, usually a car with a bad frame and floors does the job and you just cut up your solid stuff to patch where needed. But it depends on the car's construction, too, sometimes you can do it with just a door swap and donor or made up quarters. And as evidenced by the custom build posted you can combine different year tops and bottoms, too. Usually works best when you use the same body shell car as a donor, year not need be exact unless quarters or other parts are one year only. How hard is it? It's mostly just measuring, bracing, cutting, measuring again, and welding. That said, I've had all the stuff to make a 49-51 Merc sedan into a coupe for sale for almost two years and nothing except a couple of clowns who don't seem to understand I can't strap the roof to a pallet and ship it. By the time it was crated up and put on a truck it would be cheaper to rent a full size pickup and come get it yourself.
Yes, and 58 Plymouth guys have done it quite a few times. To make it look like a factory job, you need a hardtop donor car like Rusty said above, although you could hardtop it in the way the 49-51 Merc guys do after the 2 door post conversion if it's a custom. Some cars don't even require that, like the 57-59 Ford cars, where the door posts unbolt, you can damn-near bolt together a hardtop out of a post car with one of those. The 4 doors share the same roof too, so going from 4 door sedan to 2 door hardtop isn't that difficult of a job. What kind of car are you contemplating doing this to?
When you're dealing with a complete style change it will be a lot more work than staying with a sedan swap, but if you have the skills it can be done. Sometimes you'll find other GM cars will utilize the same roof, and glass, etc. will interchange too. So if you do your homework you might find several model hardtops that can be used as donors.
Talk about a lot of work. It would be cheaper to buy a hardtop than to spend the money on a conversion. But if you like a challenge...
I'd say that is the primary thing right there . Can you do the work yourself and have it turn out the way you want it up to the prep for paint point? Hauling it and the extra pieces to a shop for someone else to do the work would put the cost up above what finding a pretty decent hardtop to start the project with would cost.
I would have said no until I saw it done. If you have the time, talent, money, tools and skills it is possible. I don't know why you wouldn't just buy a hardtop to start with. Or, learn to like 4 doors. I think I would build the coolest 4 door on earth before I tried to convert a sedan to a 2 door hardtop.
Take the Buick sedan in the top picture. How about chopping the top and doing a Carson style top,with small back window, covered in sail cloth? Lowered all the way down all the way around with skirts, shaved door handles, wide whites and Cadillac sombreros.
Thanks for all the info guys, I'm not building one , it's just something I've always wondered, and I found out through you guys it can be done (extremely difficult, but it can be done)
I did mine . Not a 4dr. But sedan to hdtop .a lot of work for a backyard "hackjob" Check my build thread
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