1952-59 Ford Missysdad1's '54 Monterey Mild Custom Build-Up

Okay, so it begins.

Let me point out that I'll have two build threads going at the same time, this one and the one about my '52 Victoria mild custom (1952 Victoria Build-Up Part 1).

Two bottomless pits into which to throw money......but, what the hell, it's only money.

Instead of going back over the discovery story which has been pretty well covered here: Ah...Um...Er...Am I Still Welcome?, I'll start with bringing the Merc home, which was a bit of an adventure in itself.

Yep, I stumbled onto a vague story about a "stalled Merc project" late last week, tracked it down, bought it and will soon bring it home to my home in Burleson.




As the caption on my photo says, it's a '54 Monterey hardtop that was a very mild custom back in the day...'60s or so, I'd guess...and has gone through a succession of owners since then. Back then it was lowered, painted red and black (originally a medium metallic green with ivory top) and fitted with custom 'caps and a diamond-s***ch red vinyl interior with chromed interior moldings. It was probably a stunning car back then. I'm told by the former owner that several of the geezers in the area remember the car well as it's been in the Ft. Worth, TX area since new.

The guy I bought it from bought it from a previous owner in the very early 2000's and had major mechanical work professionally done at that time, but did not touch the exterior or the interior. When I went to look at it he had a folder of photos showing the engine swap in progress and receipts of everything he had done and some of the parts purchased for it. The receipts, dated from 2001 to 2003 totalled over three times what I finally paid for the car - at 2003 prices! I didn't beat the guy up, either, I paid him what he was asking so my conscience is clear.

The engine is, as many guessed, a 1992 Lincoln Continental Mk VII LSC Coupe 5.0 HO ESFI with a Ford Motorsport computer and Painless aftermarket wiring kit, both for the engine swap and for the rest of the car as well. This motor was rated at 220 horsepower by the factory, but if you've ever seen one of those little Lincoln coupes run, you know its under-rated by a bunch.

The ****** is the matching 4-speed AOD, matched to the motor by the Ford Motorsport computer so everything works as designed by Ford. Custom driveshaft goes to a Ford 9" rear axle, but I don't know the gear ratio yet. I'll figure that out when I get it home.

The car has GM power steering and dual reservoir power brakes. The front spindles are FatMan dropped units, with custom coil springs and new shocks and bushings. Disc brakes are part of this package too, but I don't know the source, probably Granada-type though could be GM metric. Again, won't know until I get it home.

Rear springs are new de-arched aftermarket with no lowering blocks...yet. New shocks, bushings, etc. in the rear as well. I will add heavy aftermarket anti-sway bars front and rear, as all my cars have, once I get started on it.

The exhaust system is new and fresh, with gl***packs and 2 1/4" tubing added to the stock Lincoln tube headers w/ oxygen sensors, etc. remaining in place for computer info. Nice work, too.

Body is pretty nice, but with old bondo repairs here and there which will have to be dug out, metal worked and then skimmed. No floor rust at all, just a touch above the rear fender openings on the outer surfaces. Inners and floor supports, which are usually history, are perfect. All the trim missing in the photos is in the trunk, except for the door handles which have mysteriously disappeared. Darn! Oh well, I guess I'll have to shave the doors after all...

Oh... and there's a full set of rubber seals in the trunk...doors, windows and deck lid seals still in the factory wrappers as a bonus. I guess I won't mention the cl***ic full bubble skirts (fibergl***) and the full set of four '57 Dodge Lancer hubcaps - originals, not repops - that came with it as well. And yes, it runs and drives.



Actually, I've got the Buick, the H-D and, of course, the Victoria to finish up before I get too involved with this one. I'll probably get it running a bit better, finish up the dash area, which is still a bit of a disaster, put some new indian blankets on the seats and leave it alone.

Well...not completely alone. I'll probably clean it up, put some spiffy hubcaps on it, shave the doors and deck lid, weld up all the extra holes and leave it in primer - red oxide spots over the chalked-out red and black - and drive it as a daily beater for a while.

By the time I get the other stuff done I'll probably have a better idea of what I'll do with this one. Until then I'll just drive it. Aww.

BRINGING THE MERC HOME:

Today my buddy Ken Smith (Fly'n Kolorz) and I went to pick up the Merc at the PO's place deep in the country. I'd expected the car to be running and ready to load onto my trailer, strap down and go. Wrong!

As it turned out we spent a couple-three hours getting it running well enough to move out of the enclosure it had been in for almost 10 years, and to get the brakes operational to the point that I wouldn't run it off the end of the trailer once I got it on! To make a very long story very short, we got it done.





It was long after dark by the time we got something to eat and made it back to my place. I'm leaving it on the trailer and hooked up to the truck for tonight. I'll post more photos in the morning.

Man... I'm glad to have it home.



Later...

DAY ONE:

Had a warm day today so I decided to spend a couple hours on the Merc. It was kind of a "discovery" day, looking it over carefully...and finding some pretty sketchy stuff.

Found a bit more rust than I'd expected, but that's not unusual for an old car, eh? Frontmost floor support outer end on the driver's side was weak and there was a spot on the p***enger side floor that I could almost put a pencil through. Darn! Rest of the car looked pretty good, though.

I found where the previous "mechanic" had hidden all the new electronics - under the dash where the glove box used to be, held up by a gigantic tie wrap! Cl***y. I don't think I'm going to tell the PO what a hatchet job this guy did on the wiring. It all works, but gawd what a mess!



Encouragedeek, I moved on.

I decided that my bit for the day was to be cleaning and inventorying all the parts in the trunk and the removal of the entire interior. So I started by removing all the loose interior parts from pile in the back seat and continued until nothing remained but bare metal.




I even took off the chromed (!) interior moldings to see if the chrome can be cleaned up and made to look acceptable, and took time to lubricate the window and door mechanisms. Nothing was broken, and I eventually got everything to operate at least tolerably well.

The PO had told me he had the keys for the car, but that turned out not to be true. So, I ordered a lock cylinder and keys for the deck lid and will have to find a lock cylinder and keys for the glove box as well. The doors will be electric, so no keys are required.

I had hoped to find some really cool stuff under the rear seat of this former mild custom, but all it offered up was a 1969 copper penny, worth exactly 1 cent.

I did find in the trunk the remains of the original Fat Man instructions for the dropped spindles which were still readable and will be very helpful as time goes along. I also found the water-damaged but savagable instructions for the Painless Wiring engine wiring kit and the Painless Wiring automobile rewire kit. Since this is a local company I'm sure I can get duplicates since I now know the exact kit numbers.

The rest was pretty anti-climactic. The usual stuff: pecan shells and the occasional rat turd, but basically pretty darn clean. Nothing like many of my previous projects which required a shovel and a gas mask...



I would guess by the workmanship that the interior was done in Mexico, but there are plenty of half-***ed upholstery shops here in the US, I suppose, so that's only speculation.

The good news is that the diamond-s***ched vinyl was stretched over the original Mercury door cardboards and that other than a screw hole or two, all the original Mercury stainless door trim is present and accounted for.

This should make the creation of a new interior much, much easier than if all that stuff was missing. The original door cardboards will make great patterns for new ones while the rear armrest ***emblies can be stripped of the ugly red vinyl and redone.

The seats are also usable, the rear being in very good condition under the red vinyl and the front, a power seat (!) is also in fine shape. I'll check the operation of the motor and switches with a battery charger. If all is well I'll just clean the tracks and retain the seat, electric motors and all.

And so ends Peewee's Great Mercury Adventure for the day. Tomorrow I'll get out the shop vac and clean it out. I'll also install a '64 Chevelle steering wheel on what has proven to be a '68 - '72 Chevy pickup tilt steering column to restore a more "period" look.

Later...

 

Can't wait to see your build! Merc Montereys are one of my favorites, that's what I was looking for before I bought my Ford and just couldn't find any that weren't complete projects.

 

Eric.... drop that off at my shop and I'll get started on it so you can finish your 53!!!

 

good luck on your project. Love those body styles. doesnt take much for them to look awesome.
cant wait for more pics​

 

Thanks again for your tips, good luck with the Mercury, looks awesome as it is! I think the hubcaps on the trailer would look better on the Merc' Many greetings from germany! Michu

 

i agree, that merc just has that "look" i would leave it the way it is and just foucus on the mechanical and rust issues then cruise it!

 

wow thats cool! how many cars are u up to now 20? 30?
lol just kidding. cool find! i bet it will be cool!
what are you going to run under the hood?

 

I love those Montereys too! There was a salmon colored 55 (I think) at a car show by my house last year. It was full-on restored and it was gorgeous!

 

Spent some time yesterday and again today doing preliminary stuff, like cleaning out the interior to bare metal and organizing the parts that came with it and the ones I removed during the cleaning process. It was a job!



Fortunately I had some help...



The interior cleaned up really well, but I did find several areas of rust I'd missed before. Nothing serious, thankfully.





And since the weather turned warm again today, I decided to give it a bath to wash all the barn grunge off. My standard concoction of car wash soap and Comet cleanser does wonders for grody cars like this one. Cuts all the loose **** off and also removes the chalky paint s***. Works great!



And so, at the end of official Day 2, the Monterey looks...and smells...much better. It's starting to look like a car again.



I've left it on the trailer because once it's cleaned up and the wiring made somewhat more accessible, it's going to Carl's Custom Cars in Red Oak, Texas, to get the '90 Lincoln MKVII 5.0 HO motor tuned and the computer components tested and verified.

It runs, but not as well as it should, and I have no way of testing or tuning a computer-controlled motor. I know part of the problem is bad gas and a partially clogged fuel filter, so I'll fix that stuff before it goes to Carl's. Who knows, just fixing this little stuff might do the trick!

So, another day in the can. I'm pleased with the car and am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel, mechanics-wise.

Then I'll get busy fixing the body rust and starting the custom work.

Stay tuned...!

 

A lot of style in that Merc. I like the two tone and chrome.

 

I am so damn jealous !
I love Mercs and but could never find one I could afford especially in that condition !
You got yourself a really great deal there ! Metal looks good and the inside looks good too . You have really got a nice base to work from . Wat to go !
So what are you plans with the car besides getting the 5.0 to run ? A simple intake and carb can fix that problem real easy .
Just a thought .

Jim

 

Oh yeah, what a piece! Just to get it running, clean it up and drive it would be a plan too.

Being you're not in the rust belt it likely won't get any worse than it is. Around here, that car would draw a crowd as-is. Nice. I like those '54 Mercs.

Miss Daisy's gonna be in high cotton in that one!

 

Sweet. Love those Mercs, especially with a gl*** top.......

 

OOOHHHHH! AAAWWWW! can't wait to see this come to life! I love those mercs!

 

Looking good! I can't wait to see the progress.

 

Now that the GNRS is over, and the "Customs Then & Now" Exhibit taken apart and all the wonderful cars of my mis-spent yout' gone home, I guess that I can admit my quandry of last month: Buy the Merc or go to the GNRS?

No way could I do both. I agonized intensely, though for a short time as there was no waiting on the Merc deal, and jumped in favor of buying the Merc, hoping that the many talented and dedicated HAMB members who were involved in the GNRS would archive the event in such a way that I could be there, without actually being there.

Did I choose correctly? Yes, I think so.

There are many threads from many points of view, including Axle and Rikster who were co-organizers, in addition to the few very skilled photographers who took so much time an effort to record the cars in such a way that even show-goers could not view them as well firsthand.

There are many threads, but one of the very best is here: 2011 GNRS - 2000+ pictures There are many, many more that I would invite you to visit.

Even if I had sacrificed the Merc and gone, it is doubtful that my memories would be of such quality as these photos and threads contain.

So... Can I have my cake and eat it too? You bet'cha!!!

 

those fuel infected engines are real simple. simple hookup and as far as a factory comp. no real tuning. just set the timing and your good.

 

OLM: Easy for you to say!

The car is a runner and driver, but the Lincoln 5.0 HO engine has some quirks it's not supposed to have.

For example, it starts very hard. This could be the result of several things, but I've not been able to mess with it due to the cold and snowy weather. The gas is stinky and the rear in-line fuel filter looks dirty. It may not be able to get enough fuel pressure up to start, though it will run when coaxed into life.

Once it's running in Park, a slight touch to the accelerator causes the engine rpm to rise very rapidly to a peak around 4000 rpm, and then slowly settle down to an idle again. This does not happen as dramatically in Drive or Reverse.

Also, when the engine revs as above, the brake pedal goes to the floor even though the brakes seem to work okay at idle and in Drive and Reverse.

Very curious...

As I mentioned before, this car was a mild custom back in the day. In addition to a custom diamond-s***ch interior, it had all the inside window garnish moldings chromed. Both have suffered over the years.



While snowed in for the last four days I messed around with the chrome moldings to see if they might clean up enough to be used in a "driver quality" car, which is what this will be.



Well, to my surprise, most of the moldings show promise, especially the lower side window moldings and the glove box. The front and rear window surround trim, however, will need rechroming. Too much rust to polish out.

Oh, well. Ya' can't win 'em all.

 

Can't beat that with a stick! The only thing that I found I had to do because of chroming my garnish moldings is that I need to chrome my dash now! Oh well, one thing leads on.

Anyway, car looks great as I've mentioned before. Bring it back to its former glory!

 

I guess saying I hate you would be to harsh. So I just dislike you.
Supercool project makes me want one.

 

I cheated a bit today. I promised myself a full day working at my real job, but took a couple hours off to get the hood to open and close properly so I wouldn't end up tweaking the hinges.

It was worse than I expected. All four bolt holes in the hood are ruined, so I'll have to fabricate some nut-serts to receive the proper bolts, which I found on eBay. Thankfully, however, the hinges are just fine...a bit tweaked, but easily repaired.

I also took a second look at the stuff I took out of the car when I cleaned it, and want to share my good luck. As I mentioned before, I found the Painless Wiring instruction books for the engine wiring kit and the full car wiring kit. I also found the Fatman Fabrications parts/instruction sheet for the dropped spindles, disc brakes and master cylinder conversion. They were all mildewed from water exposure, but I dried them out and they are fine.

I also found the owner's manual and warranty cards for the Lincoln MKVII LSC from which the motor/transmission came. This provides a VIN # which may come in handy when determining which motor parts I need as time goes on.





Pretty lucky, eh?

Okay, enough fooling around. Back to work!

 

some real good stuff you got there, those painless kits are nice, I wired up a truck once with one and really liked it. As for that hard start, definetly make sure you got some fresh gas and a new filter, if that doesnt help i would check the fuel pressure, I cant remember what the specs are for the pressure but if its not generating enough, you will get a hard start condition. As for the other look into the idle speed motor, some of the older fords had issues with those.

 

NICE!! I love it what caps ar those? looks simalar to a set I'm thinking of running

 

The caps on the Merc and the trailer are the same ones I also run on my '55 Buick: '56 Oldsmobile. I've liked them ever since I was a kid. I like spinners...on other people's cars...but I prefer the smooth, liquid "floating with no movement" look of the car as it goes down the highway with these caps in place. Cl***y.

 

The "misplaced ***le" that the PO promised to produce which went with the Merc never materialized, leaving me a bit miffed and with a paid-for car with no legal paperwork.

I had no choice but to apply for a "bonded ***le." This is not a big deal, as I discovered today, as long as one has his ducks in a row...and a couple hundred dollars more cash.

Texas DMV has been computerized for many years, so almost any car will have some sort of record archived in the system, so making up a "story" that you've owned the car all along simply won't fly.

Same goes for low purchase prices. They use an old car guide to set the bond value, not the purchase price. This is the only way they can be sure that all parties are protected adequately.

I called the TEXDOT office, a special office dedicated to problem ***les and registrations in Ft. Worth, having been referred there by the DMV office I usually attend, to find out exactly what do***ents I needed in order to apply for a bonded ***le. Fortunately, I had what I needed: a bill of sale, a pencil rubbing of the VIN plate, a photo of the car and $2.65 - easy and cheap.

What this got me was a vehicle "background check" to be sure the car wasn't stolen or registered to somebody else, the name and address of the last ***le holder, a Letter Of Refusal, saying that the State of Texas would not grant me a duplicate ***le because I lacked sufficient do***entation. This is simply an official "hoop" through which I had to jump before anything else could happen.

Armed with the Letter Of Refusal and several other official do***ents including the required bond value, I can now go to a seller of surity bonds - my auto insurance company referred me to a reputable place - and buy the bond.

The bond covers me against any claim which could arise by the prior ***le holder in the case of duplicate ***les. Again, simply another legal hoop I must navigate. No big deal.

So, tomorrow I go the the bonding agent, buy the bond and then go to the DMV to pay the sales tax and license fees. I'll register this one as an "antique" like the rest, so the fees are very, very cheap.

The bond costs a percentage of the "book value" of the car as determined by the State of Texas, as mentioned earlier. In my case, the TEXDOT-***igned bond value of the Merc was quite reasonable and accurate. I had expected the worst - full restored value - but was pleasantly surprised when the agent ***igned a more reasonable value for a car in the condition my Merc is actually in.

The valuation is still pretty high, especially in today's economy, as it comes from one of the NADA "dream books", but it does set a value which will cover me adequately as I continue to put money into the car. I don't like paying the higher premium, but the coverage will be good in the meantime.

And, if all goes well, tomorrow I'll walk out of the DMV with a valid bonded ***le in my name, a current registration tag to go on my year-of-manufacture plates...and a big smile on my face!

Not as easy as doing a simple ***le transfer, but not too terribly bad either. I had expected it to be much worse.



UPDATE:

Today I spent most of the day running around getting the paperwork straightened out - the TEXDOT agent made a simple error, mis-spelling my name, so I had to go back over there and get the erronious do***ent re-issued in a corrected form. Not really the agent's fault, as she had been double-tasked by her supervisor on the day I was there, answering the phones AND waiting on customers...at the same time. I wondered at the time how she could do both tasks at the same time and not mess up. I certainly couldn't. I learned today that she couldn't, either.

The bond cost a little over $200 with a potential payout of up to $12,000 and is good for three years. Not too terribly bad, considering that without it I could possibly lose the money I paid for the car AND the car itself if a claim were filed which held up in court. Pretty cheap insurance, I think, not that I think there's much chance a claim will be filed.

With bond and paperwork in hand I headed to the DMV...twice as it turned out, considering that the initial attempt to register was turned down due to the clerical error on the paperwork I got from TEXDOT. But, on the second visit I was successful and came away with a legal bonded ***le in my name and a current registration using the unissued year-of-manufacture plates I had bought last week at a swapmeet in Austin.



So... Big Smile! Tonight I'm a happy guy!

 

To maintain the vintage look of the dash area while also keeping the neat '67 - '72 Chevy pickup tilt column that's already in the Merc, I looked about for an early vintage, non-dished, two-tone, art deco-style wheel that would fit with as little modification as possible - preferably none.

Since Fords/Mercs have a totally different spline and offset, I looked towards various GM wheels as possible candidates. I also needed a wheel that was somewhat innocuous, one that would not by its very design give away the source from which it came. Not an easy task as I discovered.

After much measuring and eyeballing, it appeared that a '53 - '54 Chevy p***enger car wheel would work. I got one from fellow HAMBer Tokyo via the HAMB Cl***ifieds. He really went out of his way to pack it so it would not get damaged. Thanks, Bryan!

BEFORE:



DURING:





Today I did a quick trial-fit and found that the '54 Chevy wheel will fit the Chevy pickup steering column just fine with no modifications at all. The splines and for-and-aft offset are perfect and the wheel center-to-column bell fit looks like the parts were made for each other. I couldn't be happier!

I still have to get the turn signal and horn mechanisms worked out, but I will as time goes on. Also, it needs a horn ring and horn ****on, but I'll find these pieces soon as well. A chrome bullet will cover the Chevrolet emblem in the center and nobody will be the wiser. Pretty cool, eh?

UPDATE:

I had a chance to fiddle with the car for a bit today and found that the complete turn signal cancellation system and horn mechanism from the Chevy pickup will fit up to the '54 Chevy steering wheel just like it was made for it. I've got it put together loosely and it works perfectly. I also located a new turn signal lever to replace the butchered one that's on it now.

It looks like the '54 Chevy horn ring / horn ****on will work as well. It uses the same "tube" and moving connector design as the pickup column to transmit the horn signal voltage up to the horn ring, to be grounded when the horn ring is pushed, thus activating the relay and sounding the horn. So far, so good. I've got a '54 Chevy horn ring, ****on and mechanism on the way. We'll see what happens when it arrives.

Well, it worked. A complete bolt-on swap. Everything works as it should, tilt mechanism, shifter, turn signals and horn...and other than the Chevrolet emblem in the center it looks stock. Mission accomplished.

AFTER:

 

looks good!

 

looks great, glad ur going with a chrome bullet, love those in steering wheels.

 

Looks way better than the wheel that was in there to be sure. Amazing how things seem to be fitting just right for you.

 

Awesomeness! I love my 55 Customline but you see A LOT fewer of these Montereys on the road. Killer car. I got mine already shaved and painted with almost every part i needed in the car. I put in a better interior and a rebuilt 68 Fairlane 302 and rebuilt C4. I'm wiring it right now. You should bring it down to The Lone Star Round Up and meet up with us!