Customs How are everyone's Mercury projects coming along?

It going to look KILLER when done John!! I can't wait to see it I can't imagine how excited you are.

 

He's had the car for over a year, my excitement is on the low setting right now but could increase to the high setting once I had the car back and could drive it and work on the little things I want to address on the car... Like the stance.

 

wow... looking real nice, John! You should toss a twin turbo LS1 in it, just to mess with people...

 

Looks great John. I wish mine was that far along.

 

I port matched the header flanges, added an air gap manifold, rebuilt the ram air ducting a P.O. removed. I went to Friday test and tune in Gulfport and lowered my best 1/4milt time from 12.62 to 12.14 at 108mph. I plan to remodify the dash with a metal insert with gauges and move the ignition and other switches back to their factory locations at the bottom of the dash.

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35... I've got parts here and there to do a carbed LSx setup, but who knows. I have some turbo stuff lying around too.

Honestly the first thing I would do is drive the wheels off the car for a while.

 

What are you plans? More blocks/dropped spindles? or going to bag it?

 

My car has a newer GM frame and floorpans, SBC, TH350 etc. It drives like 1985 Caprice. It has coil springs in back. I'd change the coil springs and shocks out, after a little research. I could also just cut the coils too, I've done that before with street/strip cars to get the ride height where I wanted it.

One thing I need to do is to address the handling on the car, drove like it has no swaybars.

 

John, what's the history of your Mercury? It looks like whoever did the chop and modifications new what they were doing. Was it originally done in the 80's? How did you find it?

Chris

 

I found it online on a classified's site, car was in South Carolina. Guy selling it is a broker so his story on the car tended to change about 10% every time we talked. I was told that a guy built it in South Carolina in the early 90's. But it had those Briz bumpers and '59 Caddy taillights so I think it was built later.

 

As purchased:

 

Paint stripped off:

 

Good things happening:

 

More progress:



A few weeks ago:

 

It's going to be awesome. So dark blue almost black?

 

Exactly... it would be so dark that it will look black at night, and very dark blue at midday.

 

You should have just built your own instead of buying one 'done' John.

 

Totally. If I could do it all over again I'd have bought a rough unfinished project. But my chop is decent, the car 100% runs and has AC, so it had some things going for it. There is a Merc on eBay right now that's in Bartlett IL, that one would be the kind of project I'd get. Not painted, not finished, but chopped already.

 

John your body guy has had this one for over a year on a freshen up an entire build would have taken forever!

 

I'm 90% down a path now, if I could turn back the clock the car would probably still have the same paint job and about 4,000 miles on it. But the body work issues would bug me everytime I walked towards the car.

 

I think you have done a perfect job of research and changes to make a period car that you are happy with. I wish more guys would go to the trouble and I think you are going to be very happy that you did when you are done. Building a custom is not a 3 month ordeal no matter what you start with.

 

Yeah I came on here knowing only a little about Mercs and now I know a bit more and have become picky.

I'm really excited about these mid 50's Studebaker caps, I don't know how much work they will need to clamp onto a GM 15" wheel.

 

Good for you John! It won't be long now, and it looks gooooooooooooooood!!!!

 

Your Merc. know how lucky it is ,,

 

You done good, John. Having bought a finished car with "issues" myself, I can appreciate all you have done to get it right. I took the opposite path and drive it for now knowing the day will come to take it apart and make it mine. You've made the sacrifice and will be driving it pretty soon. I'll be looking to you for support when I take mine down and go through merc withdrawal.

 

I've been waiting so long that I went ahead and bought another project car to put together on my own...

 

Just finished up a re-wire of the entire car and custom gauge panel.

 

Need FRONT bumper guard for my 49 with no dents in the uprights.
THANKS

 

I'd love to put a different dash in my car than stock.

 

Why? The stock dashes are mint! The only thing cooler would be a piece from an Olds. I saw a shoebox with a sectioned down '53 Olds unit in it and it was killer! Also, Chopper99's shoebox has a '56 dash in it that looks great. Never saw one in a Merc though. Might have a pic...