Ok guys, after owning a s5 coupe for about 2 years now I aquired another one. I bought it because it was very cheap and I thought of useing ot for parts, it is missing a motor. Its also an s4. Then someone said they would give me a motor to put in that car (i like free things, the car was close to free). But the problem is that I already have a coupe, and I do not really want another one, I want a vert. Soooo, I think it would be fairly easy to cut the roof off and marinise (sp) the interior (cover the seats with vynal and install outdoor carpeting).... maybe install all-weather switches and stuff. So my real question is: After I get done cutting the roof/hatch/doorframes off, how much reenforcing will I need? I was planning on at the very least a roll bar, but i'd rather not do a full cage. Could I get away with welding a few peces of angle iorn underneath? How much extra steel does a vert have under it?

Cliff notes: I want to turn a s4 coupe into a vert, how much renforcing will that take?
Other info about the car: it is a s4 base, 4 lug, no sunroof or power anything. Its primerd grey so I won't worry about messing up the paint ;-)

P.S. If anyone is the houston area wants to trade me for a similar cond. vert I'm up for that too.
Thanks for ya'lls advise, yall are usually really helpfull.

 

For what you'll spend converting it and having it not turn out that well you could buy a nice vert. Don't do it, put the running engine in, sell it for a priofit and buy a vert.

 

Well lets hear it man, I'm looking at all options right now. So sow will me cutting the roof off my car with a large angle grinder in the driveway and welding a few peaces of angle iorn under it (that I already have) cost me a lot? So far the greatest expense I can think of would be electrical stuff (which I think would be less than $100).

 

What are you going to do with the hatch area? Sounds like a bad idea to me. Why not targa top?

 

I think it will look ghetto as hell, and need alot of work.

 

that hatch area will be el camino style. i'll probably bolt a large meatal icebox back there to use a cooler (beach) and trunk (daily)

 

I say u should gimme the wheels, seats! LoL and then drop in a S/C K20

 

Dude, look on eBay, you could find a vert on there for a fraction of what you will end up paying.

 

motor options! S/C K20, LS Vtec, B20, and the best one LS7!!!

 

Well this is why I'm asking on here, where do all ya'll get this massive expense from? what part of this porject will end up costing me dearly?

 

The every part.

You have to cut the roof off, strengthen what's left, get new doors, remove the hatch and replace it with a convertible top assembly AND trunk, get crossmembers for the underside... that's the gist of it, not counting any work.

Wait... after rereading, I see you don't mention a top. You just wanna make it an open car? Hold onto the one you wanna cut up, I'll ge money, and buy it from you.

 

You chop up a perfectly good coupe and I'll come chop you up.

Seriously... Drop in a running engine... Sell... Buy a REAL vert.

Let's not screw with more Rx-7's than we have to.

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
LOL!

 

ALright well, being a person here with a bastardized coupe i can say from personal experience: DONT DO IT!!!!

1. The coupe chassis relies on the roof to keep it from twisting, convertibles have ALOT of structural changes made to them to make up for the roof. My car flexes and buckles and handles worse than the still coupe GXL i have

2. Dont be ghetto just buy a vert. It may sound like a good idea in theroy, but its not. Dont be stupid, the trouble from fabrication to daily driving and all the problems that will arise will make you cry from doing something so irrespobsibly stupid.

 

a vert is made differently from the ground up than a coupe. it's like everyone has said, buy a vert if ya want a vert.

 

man you guys are harsh. I just ******* saved this car from the pick-a-part last week damnit! I gave the guy double what the junkyard was gunna give him for scrap vaule. I can't belive you guys are being so hard on me for wanting to do something differant with my car. I already made the offer that IF one of you brings me a vert in simmaler cond. I will happily trade and fix the vert up. Maybe someone does want a track car with no sunfoor or power options, I want a vert. And I also don't think it would look that bad, I'll be shure to post "aftermath" pics if I go though with it. All I wanted to know is what are the structural differances between a vert and a coupe?
I'm open to all ideas right now. If you have something constructive to say, I thank you. If you just want to be a dick about it keep it to yourself.

 

I HATE VERTS! But i love APC valve cover bolts & Kryo treated Shift *****!

 

Props for all your hard work man, did you add anything underneath it? Did you do anything to strengthen it? But I want to cut more off than you did, i'll remove the hatch and middle section too.

 

We have been telling you.

If you want to do it, do it. Obviously none of us have done it, because it's a really really REALLY bad idea. Granted staticguitar's looks sweet, you can tell it's still a bad idea (no offense).

The car will want to sag in the middle. Imagine both ends being lifted and the middle staying, it will want to pinch. The same goes for the sides, they will want to pinch that car together for stability, in a matter of speaking.

Now maybe a t-top is pull-offable, but that would take a lot of time to properly engineer.

 

I didnt do the work, i bought it as a Targa RX because its extremely unique, with the top up it appears completely stock. But since it was done shiity i'm going to have to go through and redo everything and add ALOT of structural bracing, some from a vert some custom made. and the roof section was made heavy and crappy.

What your looking to do will be infinitely more difficult and time comsuming, find yourself a vert shell man they are well worth it, i wish this car was either or alot of the time, its not as fun as it looks, way to delicate for how i drive, and the roads around here.

 

Yeah, I know what ya'll are saying about the flex and sagging effect. I am however preared to renforce it with at least a roll bar and braceing underneath. Maybe I should just crawl under a vert and see what the differances are to mine, I can't imagine too much. I've spent a lot of time under my car and I could realistically see welding angle iorn the length of it, maybe a strut brace in the back as well. Well I think I should go through with it since the only real reason ya'll have givin me are "it will flex", well no ****, thats why I asked, to see how much support I should add to avoid this obvious problem. And I have plenty of angle iorn/other scrap laying around so no "more support" does not really mean more cost. Any yes I know it will take many hours of work, and many more hours to make it look good.

 

All of this is correct, including the car looking sweet part. Its only a bad idea if you dont know what your doing, and the guy who did my conversion didnt, when you jack the car up it flexes major you cant open the doors as easy and then they dont close . . .

I'm keeping my secrets shrouded b/c this car is goign to have to stay a targa, but i do know what needs to be added to make it a solid, sound and fun car again. But i can guarantee you its not worth it to cut up another coupe, just buy a vert

 

Sorry, I'm afraid some of you may have the wrong idea here. I'm not trying to "make a vert". It will not look like a vert when I am done, it may however look more like a vert than a coupe though. It will not have a trunk or vert doors, hell it probably won't even have doors, I will probably weld them closed for more structural strength.

 

So why don't you share your knowlage? why are the structural additions a secret?

 

not really its common sense if you've ever looked at both bare chassis, what exactly are you trying to build here?