Hi guys. Im the new owner of a Mercury Medalist 2dht coupe 1956. The bodynumber is BU-64 E. I bought it from a 78 year old man and his father bought it new in 56. Somebody told me that this is a rare car in this bodystyle. Do anybody have any idea how many they made of this 2d HT in 56. I cant find any information on google or anywere.
Oh yeah, it's required that when you ask a question such as yours one must include pictures of the aforementioned vehicle.
Little know dealer installed option on the 56 Mercury is the M 260 dual quad setup that went on the standard shift vehicles. The package included milled (broached) cylinder heads,camshaft,dual quad intake,pair of carbs and and two air filters. Bad assed setup for that era. Oldmics
I believe the Medalist was the price leader(read that cheaper) series Mercury. We had a neighbor that bought a new 55 Medalist, it had no radio, dog dish hubcaps with black wall tires, you get the picture. On the up side it was a 292 with a standard trans and his teenage boy could lay rubber for a long ways when the old man wasn't around!!
Interesting that the 1956 Medalist came in both 2 and 4 door hardtops as well as 2 and 4 door sedan body styles. The 1956 4 door Phaeton was also badged as the Medalist. Oldmics
If you can find or order a August '18 issue of Hemings Classic Car there is a great article on th e'55-56 Meteors.
1956...Montclair, Monterey, Custom, Medalist 1955...Montclair, Monterey, Custom According to the Standard Catalog of American Cars, the Medalist was a model in 1956 only and was a mid-year introduction. Oldmics post #7 figures for production of that body style are in agreement with my reference book. The only Medalist I clearly remember seeing in the 'flesh' was a 2 door sedan that was being repaired (body work) in a shop I hung around and later worked in, as a kid. That would have been '57 or '58. The '56 Mercury Monterey 2 door hardtop was for me, at that time, what I dreamed about owning. That same shop had pulled in a light rollover, Persimmon and White, and I wanted that car so badly I couldn't think of anything else for awhile. Alas, didn't get it. Ray
Everything you state about that car is correct, but for 1955......and it pretty much had to be a base Custom Series. They had the 292 standard. The '56 Medalists all got the 312 according to my book. Ray
Hello, I was able to drive our neighborhood piano teacher’s 55 Mercury hardtop sedan around our area when I was still in elementary school. The neighborhood girls wanted to go for a drive while waiting for their turn in the piano lesson track. So, a 30 minute to 1 hour drive around the block was just perfect for me. Keys were readily available, the gas tank was full, and so was the green/white paint combo Mercury. Was it a Medalist? Memory only goes back to…it was a cool car to drive. It was my first gas, brake, and steering escapade as a kid. It also impressed the girls with my driving skills. Montclair or Medalist? "Only the Shadow, knows..." Jnaki 60 YEARS LATER: One day I see this bright red, Mercury Montclair sitting in a local bank parking lot. My wife saw it from all the way across the huge parking lot. That looked like the one I drove, with the exception of the Sea Foam Green paint where the Red was on this pristine Mercury. This red Montclair had Florida license plates. The sight of it did bring back a ton of memories of those mid-morning, impromptu cruises around our Westside Long Beach neighborhood back in 1955. We did make sure that we only used about a 1/4 of a tank on the longer drives. The short drives did little on the gas gauge. It was not scary as I had been behind the wheel of a big 49 Buick with the help of my dad, since 5 or 6 years old. But, this was the first time I had driven a car using the pedals. Yes, I was tall enough to reach the brake and gas pedals, by scooting the seat as far forward as possible. The piano teacher was so wrapped up in her business, that she never caught on to the gas usage on her Mercury. The girls were so happy to go driving that they never mentioned it to the teacher, either. Yes! Me? well, I got a lot of points for being the only young kid that could actually drive and knew cars quite well. Nah, I never took piano lessons, I should have, but did not.
Yes i know its not soooo rare but if you look how many 1956 chevys are build it seems to me that is a rare car. And you cant find the for sale. My car is a one family car (father and son) and the whole history is known and that make it very rare for me.
All Mercurys are rare. I have been looking in junkyards for 50 years and you almost never find a Mercury
I just inherited a 1956 Mercury Medalist 2 door from my grandfather who is the original owner. Unfortunately he has recently passed on and I don’t know much about this one. I do know that he said it a Mercury-o-matic in it but I’m not sure what engine size. It is all original and matching numbers. I’m going to restore it to its original glory and I absolutely love this car. Can anyone give me any information on this vehicle and it’s rarity or where to find parts for it?
Very early AC system missing compressor. 6 volt battery must be just sitting there which it appears to be. 56 was the first year for 12 volt system. The side trim is definitely 56. Tag on the driver A pillar tell a lot on a FOMOCO. Looks like a good one to save..
I have a 56 Merc Monterey. Got it from OG owner (Well my dad did 30+ yrs ago) Parts are difficult to come by. Your best bet will be Ebay. Very few junk yards have them with decent parts. I have been on the hunt for different parts for a long time and I believe I have everything now thanks to ebay and literally emailing all junk yards I could find and emailing people that list 56 merc parts asking if they had other parts.
Oooh, and it's a 2-dr hardtop too. The Medalist is the least-common 2-dr hardtop version sold that year at not quite 12K built. But it's also the least-expensive version built, with the majority of buyers opting for the upscale models so in this case rarity won't really translate into more value. In a way that may save you money as these didn't have as much gingerbread trim to find/restore. Mechanically these are pretty much the same as the Ford so those parts won't be any more difficult to find. The motor should be a 312 if original as that was the only motor used that year. The Mercomatic trans is the same as the Fordomatic, a three speed. Low is low only, drive it starts out in second unless you floor it, then it drops into low. Mercury-specific body/trim parts will be tougher as there isn't as much aftermarket support compared to the Ford but diligent searching can be rewarded. Dennis Carpenter list some bits for these, there's some regional specialists out there also. Do get a factory service manual. Good luck! Well worth saving!
I wish those fog lights did not cost so much money when I find them. People want a pretty penny for those.
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