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  1. #1

    Default Buying a Mexican Mustang (Capristang/Castang). Please help.

    Hi Everyone!

    I live in Mexico City and I am about to buy a 1982 Convertible Mustang Coupe (the one with the Mustang body and the Capri front).

    The car seems to be in very good shape (as per the pictures I received from the owner). Anyway I am checking it out personally tomorrow.

    The only issue with this car (and the reason for it to be in such an attractive price) is that it does not have a roof.

    Could you tell me if it would be very hard and/or expensive to get an original roof?? Also, do you know if the roof mechanism for this particular model was electrical or not??

    Is it a good idea to buy this car?

    THANK YOU in advance for your help!


    P.D.- I am posting a couple of pictures for your further reference (and delight)...
    Attached Images Attached Images   

  2. #2
    FEP Member
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    dude check out vivastreet for youre city, easy enough to find a hatchback or notch
    85 GT T-Top, GT40P Explorer longblock, Holley 600cfm carb, Edelbrock Performer RPM Air Gap, TFS Stage 1 cam, Ford racing gt40p shorty headers.

  3. #3
    FEP Senior Member
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    Because Ford didn't offer a convertible in 1982 it would be near impossible to get one. You would have to basically fabricate everything. The car looks clean though.
    1986 Saleen #26 - Saugus Pace Car
    1988 Range Rover Classic - The Shop Truck

  4. #4

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    Thank you very much for both of your replies.

    So, I went to see the car today.

    It was actually a Hard Top and its first owner took the roof off...

    I decided to buy it anyway, as it had very few details and I think I can make it look even better.

    As I see it, I have 3 choices:

    1) Buy an original 1982 hard roof top and have it reattached to the car.

    2) Have a (non-original) sof top installed. This of course would have to be manually operated. I asume that it would be really expensive to install a motored soft top.

    3) Get a T-Top for a similar model and have it attached to the car.

    *I am attaching some pictures that I took today, which show clearly the part where the roof should be, as well as the windshield's border.

    What do you guys think? I really value your opinion.
    Attached Images Attached Images    
    Last edited by JoseV; 09-15-2012 at 05:00 PM.

  5. #5
    FEP Senior Member
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    I´m not sure you could "weld" a roof back that easily because the car has been all modified. Your best bet is to custom build a top for the car. They would have to remove the fiberglass cover behind the rear seats to make space for the convertible roof.

    another option is to custom build a hard removable top and adapt it. In all cases since the car was not an original convertilbe, anything you do to it would have to be custom built

  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by blueandsilver View Post
    I´m not sure you could "weld" a roof back that easily because the car has been all modified. Your best bet is to custom build a top for the car. They would have to remove the fiberglass cover behind the rear seats to make space for the convertible roof.

    another option is to custom build a hard removable top and adapt it. In all cases since the car was not an original convertilbe, anything you do to it would have to be custom built
    Hi, thank you for your post!

    I think I'm gonna go with the custom built soft top, in order to keep the car as a convertible. The only thing missing now would be the money though..

    I couldn't help to notice that your location is Mexico City. I live here too, so if you have any recommendation as to a place where I could get a costs estimate for this job, please do let me know!

  7. #7
    FEP Supporter 75coug's Avatar
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    That is a fascinating car.
    Robert

    1986 ascMcLaren SC 5.0 -red
    1985 Capri GS (w/ 5.0) - red
    1985 Capri 5.0L - black
    1984 ascMcLaren SC 5.0 - white
    1984 Capri GS (w/ 5.0) - white
    1983 Capri RS Crimson Cat - red
    1982 Capri RS Black Magic - white
    1982 Cougar wagon
    1982 Mustang GT - red

  8. #8
    FEP Senior Member tcruise's Avatar
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    Hi, Jose. Did you end up buying this car? I think it would look better if you turned it back into a hardtop coupe, but that probably would not increase the resale value. If it was mine, I'd want to know more about how the conversion was done and get the opinion and a quote from a qualified person to do the work before deciding whether to restore it or leave it.
    1983 Mexican Mustang 5.0/4-spd
    1982 Capri RS 5.0 H.O.

  9. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by tcruise View Post
    Hi, Jose. Did you end up buying this car? I think it would look better if you turned it back into a hardtop coupe, but that probably would not increase the resale value. If it was mine, I'd want to know more about how the conversion was done and get the opinion and a quote from a qualified person to do the work before deciding whether to restore it or leave it.
    Hi! Thank you for your reply. Yes, I actually bought this car, it is sitting in my garage waiting for me to do something.

    I also thought about the idea of turning it back into a hardtop. However, in almost every place that I have taken it to, they have told me that it would not be easy and that the car would not look natural.

    I would also love to speak with whoever decided to have it cut, but I only have his name in the original Invoice and nothing else.

    The person that has convinced me the most is an old spanish man who owns a shop near my home. He has some classic cars for sale there and he knows a great deal about these things.

    He told me that it would definitively not be cheap to have the car fixed (he guessed at least 4,000 dlls) but he told me that once the car was completly fixed, that I could sell it for at least 12,000 or 13,000 dlls. This gave me some hope.

    The only thing he was very clear about, was that if I'm going to get into this restoration, I have to useand pay for the best. Otherwise, my money would go to waste.

    So, what do you think?

  10. #10

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    You could probably do something similar to the McLaren ASC Capri. I thought they used a Mercedes frame/mechanism. You might be able to find parts for this conversion.
    Mike

    84 Mustang GT Turbo Vert
    86 Mustang GT T-Top
    95 Mustang GT Vert
    05 Mustang GT

  11. #11

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    Anything is possible just need a good bodyman. Dhit the fabracate stuff all the time... ever watch american hot rod.. they fab stuff all the time.
    85 ford mustang gt 5.0 h.o.5 spd
    68 chevy nova SS 350 (slightly modded)
    92 ford ranger prerunner

  12. #12
    FEP Senior Member tcruise's Avatar
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    Hola, Jose. Congratulations on getting this very unusual Fox! Now that you have the car, take lots of photos and post them here! Especially the undercarriage. We need to see how they beefed the "frame" up, if they did a good job. All convertibles have a much heavier/stiffer frame to make up for the fact that there is no top structure. Older cars with solid frames have a heavy frame. Newer unibody cars have much heavier rocker panels and some other parts under the floor. Fox body Fords are made in three sections that are joined together. They have a LOT of flex. This is a big problem even from the factory.

    One sign of a bad job or problems with a factory convertible is when the gap at the top of the doors is less than at the bottom. This indicates that the frame is bending. If the car was driven on a lot of rough roads and is still straight, that would be a good sign.
    1983 Mexican Mustang 5.0/4-spd
    1982 Capri RS 5.0 H.O.

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