(SIAP) Maverick: The Affordable, Practical Convertible The Market Is Missing

[twindux]

I know it's not real, but OMG, that would be absolutely bananas! I'm pretty sure the money would literally fly out of my pocket instantly.

Hadn't seen it posted anywhere here

Ford Maverick: The Affordable, Practical Convertible The Market Is Missing

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[FreedomPenguin]

burn it with fire.

 

[Superg0]

Convertible Maverick? Hard pass

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

Interesting, but nope.

 

[CTYankee]

I like mine better...

 

[mielelaw]

Nissan tried this a few years back with an SUV. Total flop.

 

[PNWMaverick]

You should feel bad for posting this.

 

[dochawk]

That guy really needs to learn some automotive history . . .

Start with not even understanding the difference between a coupe and a sedan. And then the ignorance of past convertibles.

Ford shipped large numbers of TT and AA roadsters (the pickup variants of the T and the A).

Four door convertibles were common, at least on the luxury brands, at least into the 40s.

And so forth.

I'd consider a factory maverick convertible, but not a conversion.

After concluding that I was allergic in general, my allergist told me to avoid convertibles. "But I own three!"

 

[CTYankee]

Conversions can be done correctly. Mercury never made a Cougar convertible until 1969, so this was my 1968 Cougar XR-7C conversion. A couple of my Cougar club friends in upstate NY did the structural conversion work, but I stipulated that it had to be done the same way that Ford did the Mustang convertibles vs the hardtops.

Every convertible-specific panel from the Mustang went into this car, Because the Mustang wheelbase was shorter than the Cougar by 4.5", we used two sets of Mustang convertible inner rocker panels to make one set of longer ones. By the time we were done, there was virtually no cowl shake and the undercarriage was all tied together as a box frame with mid-chassis stiffeners.

The floor pans, inner rockers, transmission tunnel, seat risers, and inspection plates were all welded together from the firewall to the convertible frame support behind the back seat.

Only the Cougar faithful knew this wasn't a factory model.

This car now resides in a private collection owned by a former Wall Street Chairman in the New York City area.

The same approach would work on any unibody vehicle. Our job was made easier by the availability of donor Mustang parts since the Cougar was basically an upscale Mustang, but the chassis stiffeners could be fabricated.

 

[Scott Asheville]

Needs to have the bed converted into a hot tub. Then I'd buy three. Or maybe the Somalis can turn it into a "technical". Yea, hybrid Maverick "technicals". Badass.

hint: Watch "Black Hawk Down" to understand what a "technical" is.

 

[Fcnrwy]

Hey, I am afraid your a little late....

Was Already built.
almost 2 years ago..

Jerry

 

[KJWOLKE2010]

In the interest of structural integrity (and other lies I tell myself): T Tops

 

[Bob zimmerman]

FUGLY!

 

[dochawk]

A couple of my Cougar club friends in upstate NY did the structural conversion work,

Being a variant of a car that was designed to be a convertible is a *huge* help.

Factory convertibles have structural components that the coupes don't have; understand that there is a huge X behind the back seat of my '72 Eldorado that makes up for the lack of a roof. (Now I just need time to get it back on the road!)

 

[CTYankee]

Being a variant of a car that was designed to be a convertible is a *huge* help.

Factory convertibles have structural components that the coupes don't have; understand that there is a huge X behind the back seat of my '72 Eldorado that makes up for the lack of a roof. (Now I just need time to get it back on the road!)

Agreed. But if you know how to stiffen the chassis like the factory does, the necessary pieces can be fabricated. The Mustang and Cougar were very similar, but the Cougar was both longer in wheelbase and wider at the hips. Even the rear quarters were designed to rise up and meet the sloping roofline so the quarters had to be modified to meet the top correctly.

In spite of using a Mustang convertible top frame, the well behind the back seat had to be cut deeper toward the trunk and the top fabric had to be custom made to keep everything looking proportional and in keeping with the original hardtop styling.

Would I try to do that to a Maverick? Not a chance, especially after learning from the Cougar project the subtle body line differences that have to be dealt with to make the conversion look right.

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