Body Swaps - 67 Mustang body on a Polestar 2 Chassis

Fellow Motorheads:

My latest bad idea is putting the body of a 67 Mustang fastback (likely fiberglass) over the chassis of a Polestar 2.  It turns out they have nearly identical wheelbase.  Performance should be ridiculous.  I had the idea that you could assess fit better if you superimpose renderings of one car one top of another, to see if "non-moveable" items like rockers and firewalls would be anywhere near close enough to make the project possible. I have done engine swaps and restorations, but nothing this ambitious.  Can anyone point me in the right direction to people with this ability? Thanks!. Tom  

Yeah... Wheelbase is only one of the many measurements you have to compare/match/adjust for body swaps. Body width, track width, front and rear overhangs, seat cushion height, A/B/C/D pillar locations, drivetrain size vs. body envelope, overall tire diameter, to name a few. It is decidedly not as easy as it looks on YouTube. It is even harder if you want it to daily driver levels of refinement.

Best of luck. It could be sweet if it works.

- Sean

If wheelbase, track width, and overhangs are close, wheelbase positioning relative to the firewall is likely the biggest hurdle to overcome, second would be seat height relative to floorpan.  

The first gen Mustang is a tiny TINY car compared to anything modern.  

From looking at the two profiles, I am gonna file this under "leave it on the garage floor with the Busch Light cans"

A previous hat-car thread:

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/sizing-up-hat-car-candidates/226597/page1/

That is all based on experience with ICE.

The EV 'skateboard' layout is supposed to allow so much design and configuration flexibility.  Does it make post-production body swapping an EV any easier?

If you strip the Polestar down far enough, 'all' you need to worry about is fitting the Mustang body over the battery and the front struts.

The rest is just details... like getting all the Polestar electronics to work again (or replacing all the Polestar electronics with something else).

https://www.carsized.com/en/cars/compare/ford-mustang-1966-2-door-fastback-vs-polestar-2-2020-5-door-liftback/

They don't have a front view for the Mustang.  I assume the widths are a lot different.

Most of the "Magic"  that comes with a chassis swap has to do with the firewall that comes attached to the new chassis. That is where the modern electronics, HVAC and controls reside. The less you mess with the firewall the better off you are.

Measure from the front axle to the middle of the front seats. Compare. 2" is about as far off as you want to be

Do the same center to center of the front seats. Same challenge 2" difference might be acceptable.

Measure the height of the dash. If the Polecat is too tall, it will look like your mustang is ridding on a plank. Mustangs are shallow and most early mustangs to late mustang chassis swaps do a poor job of getting over this discrepancy.

I do not know at what point the modern body modules are going to stop these kind of shenanigans since they tend to have a hissy fit if one of them goes amiss. And they only speak to each other in a secret code that you cant tap into.

Volvo on Miata

The Diablo Sawzall blades work pretty good.  You'll need many.

In reply to Oapfu :

Thank you to all that responded!  That website is an awesome start, I'll keep searching for 3D renderings to help assess further

tgennosa said:

In reply to Oapfu :

Thank you to all that responded!  That website is an awesome start, I'll keep searching for 3D renderings to help assess further

Be wary of renderings.  They often are worth what you pay for them

In reply to Oapfu :

That site is fun to play with. Thank you for it. Now I know a Renault Dauphine body won't work on an NB Miata chassis, but it was a good idea for an hour or two....

Edit: But a Fiat 500 chassis would work !!  More daydreaming ensues...