Projects All The Twos: 1962 Mercury, 352cui, 2bbl, Too Many Doors.

It might help to remember that HAMB era cars were built during a time when it was common for drip pans to be placed underneath them when new in the showroom.

 

I’ve owned one car or another from the sixties my entire adult life. I don’t mind the odd oil drip but this is really quite bad.

 

Got the tacho mounted, just need to finish the wiring off in the engine bay.

 

Thanks to you, i know the oil pan will go out when engine is in place.
Thats get me motivated to paint the block and lift that engine trans combo in its natural habitat.

 

You can do it without removing the oil pump too. You just have to get the crank in the right position so the rear clears the crank as you angle it passed the pump.

 

How hard is it do the rear main with the engine in the car? Still hard to get your game-face on to do it regardless.

 

Can’t be that hard once the sump is off

They’re the half moon type so should just slip in after pulling the cap. Then you’ve got the daft strips and pins to seal the sides of the cap to the block skirt.

One of the guys I race with has a Thunderbolt and did it in the car a couple of weeks ago so it’s doable.

 

Just my opinion:if you install rope type seal dry and too tight it will burn its sealin face pretty quickly and wont seal any more.
In car seal change i soak the rope with oil and pull it in its place with mig wire.

 

I’ve got a rubber lip seal.

 

Did you install it dry?

 

No. Oiled the surface where it touches the crank as usual. Nothing different to the hundreds of other seals I’ve done. Crank surface was ok too

 

Nice to have a helper lined up...

 

Finished making a loom for the tacho



And it moves!

 

Sump off. Doesn’t look like the gasket has failed this time.


Hopefully get a rear main seal tomorrow.

 

Sump back on. Looks like a blob of sealer had got on the lip seal as there was a fair bit of debris around it. The lip seal isn’t the tightest fit in the groove so if this doesn’t work I’ll have to pull the engine and put a rope seal in

 

Or just lay a thin piece of shim stock behind the seal in the cap. Done that many times on loose seals.

 

Hi Dennis.

It’s the other way it’s loose-ish. Fore-aft. It’s like the groove is 20 thou too wide.

 

May be the wrong seal? if that were the case I would "Right Stuff" it in place.

 

It says it’s the right one on the package and it came with the side seals. Maybe it’ll be fine, I’m always optimistic!!

 

Wanted to change the vacuum actuator on the gearbox as it doesn’t quite change down when I think it should but can’t get a spanner in there for love nor money, trying to work out a way to do it but it sits above the cross-member and there’s not the angle.

Taking my folks out on Wednesday evening so thought I’d give it a wash and wax

 

For that job you just have to sacrifice one spanner and cut it half.
Been there, done that.

 

Have you try to adjust the original modulator?
At vacuum hose inlet there should be small slothead screw.
Turning in makes later shift points/earlier downshift.
Does it not downshift when wot?
Then adjust kickdown lever.
These are designed to keep third pretty late when cruising slow and part throthle.
Like when you came intersection and dont completely stop, it will stay in third.

 

Kickdown works fine, it doesn’t always seem to change down when you come to a stop. That’s the only bit that I find odd. I was wondering if the 60 year old diaphragm is hard. I thought it’d be a 5 min job to swap it out and see!!

 

Been to the local evening car meet.


It’s about 20 miles away and so far the rear oil seal and sump is looking ok.

Few HAMB friendly pics.

 

windmill looks POST 65---well 1565 anyway-guess we can let it in...

 

OR... look up flat bicycle wrenches. Those have saved me a few times in the past.

 

I’ve got a 19mm crows foot I’ll try, think it needs grinding down to fit though.

 

Not been entirely convinced about the way it accelerates since putting the 2bbl back on to sort the intake leak. Thought I’d have a bit more of a dig. Turns out a wanker set the ignition timing No idea what I did, it’s not like I’m new to this. Anyway it had got basically 0 degrees of advance at idle. So I’ve set it up for 36 degrees max mech advance and it now picks up its skirts and flies off the line. I’m well chuffed. Get the AC running and it’ll be perfect till the winter.

 

Good catch! Do you know what your initial timing is now? If you added 10° initial timing you should see a noticeable increase in manifold vacuum at idle in neutral. Better throttle response as well, and maybe even an improvement in how the trans shifts in drive.

Hope you catch the knucklehead who set your timing at 0°. Be sure to give him a bit of a thrashing . . .

 

I think I’ve got around 12 deg advance at idle now. I was thinking about vacuum and the trans too. Really want to go for a proper drive but the sister in law is here for the weekend.

I’m wondering if there’s going to be a third idiot involved after this and not having full throttle on the Vette for who knows how long!!