Ok. The first step to overcoming a problem is admitting you have one. Well, I have more than one, and I am admitting it. Here goes. My 1950 Mercury is destined to become my daily driver, but with style. the body and frame are really straight and there is nary a speck of rust to be found. The Flathead V8 was running strong when I backed the car into the garage for work a few months ago. I have entertained the idea of re-installing the flathead with some bolt-on upgrades, but I want an automatic transmission behind it. This leads me to at least three new problems. First is the sheer cost of flathead work including $2k for an automatic transmission to go behind it. Aluminum heads, aluminum intake with a small 4bbl or twin 2bbl carbs, mildly upgraded cam and lifters for that, distributor, headers, plus a serpentine system to add power steering pump and A/C compressor (these last two are the reason I want to boost engine power somewhat to offset the power drain of these components). Basically for well below the cost of all of this, I can easily buy a SBC or SBF motor to go in the car and get more modern performance. Second is the $2000 transmission for the flathead. Speedway sells a C4 transmission for the flathead, but to install it requires work to the transmission tunnel. I am not a shop; I am a guy with a big car in my garage. I am not set up to do sheet metal work, and while I am pretty handy, I want it to look right when it is done. A modern engine and transmission will still require the sheet metal work, but I think it's cheaper to do the modern engine/****** combo, which will make me feel better about having to do the transmission tunnel work. Third I had someone on another forum tell me the Mercury has 4:27 gears in the factory rear end. Thus I will need to change the gears to get to highway speed with a C4 transmission. I have never done rear end work, and not only do i not know how to correctly change the gears, i don't even know what new gears I would need and where to get them. I know the dream would be to put a new 9 in ford rear end in the car, but that is simply out of my budget. So now what? I guess I am looking to this forum for input on the direction I should go. I see the pluses of putting a SBC in the car, but i'd prefer to have a SBF in the car since it is a Mercury. What is the easiest way to fix the transmission tunnel? What do i do about the gears? What else is out there that's gonna break my heart that I haven't considered? Any ideas will be appreciated. Thanks in advance. Paul
Well to start with you can find your own C-4 and an adapter for less then Speedy Bill wants for his stuff. So shop around shoyuld be your first decision on the ****** swap. next a 3 speed and a C4 will have the same final drive 1:1 so it will do just as well on the highway with the c4 or an original transmission unless your original transmission is an over drive unit. You said the flathead runs just fine, you are not going to build a lot of torque with bolt on goodies and the cam change will only add more torque higher up in the RPM range. Once you get her rolling you don't need power steering and modern A/C doesn't cost that much to run. As far as how or where you are going to get the money to do all this that is up to you. I think if it is running fine drive it as is while you are ammasing the money or the parts to do the job. It wll cost you as much to buy and install a decent SBF or SBC as it will to do the mods that you want to do to the original motor and yes it will make more zot but it will not have the charm that a good running flathead has. I am not against either engine option I am just wondering how many miles you have put on it the way that it is.
I respect anyone who wants to use an antique car as a daily driver. Good for you! That said, it sounds like your mechanical skills and knowledge are still developing. Engine and ****** replacement leads to new mounts, radiator, wiring, shift linkage, modified or new drive shaft, upgrading to 12 volts, etc. = expensive if you don't have the skills to do most of the work yourself. And in this case you're replacing the coolest engine EVER - a flathead. No disrespect to all of the other cool engines that are out there in automotive land! To conserve cost, as that seems like a significant consideration for you, I'd personally stick with whatever ****** came behind the flathead ***uming it's in working condition. Add the A/C if you feel you need it (seeing you're in Texas you probably do) and drive the car. Let your skills develop as you maintain it as your daily driver before you get too aggressive with the changes and because of lack of skills or money it sits unfinished in your garage. Bantam
Well me personally, I have put maybe 1/4 mile in it. LOL! I drove it twice around the block when I bought it. I guess my thing is I WANT it to be upgraded. I don't really need it upgraded, but i want to be able to confidently drive it to work, and I want my family to be able to comfortably ride in it. The three on the tree type shift was loosey goosey to the extent it was hard to determine if you were in a gear or not, and which gear you were in. The transmission is an overdrive, but I don't think it worked. Plus, my little Ford Ranger is a standard shift and I have driven her for 12 years now. I WANT an automatic, especially now that I have a lot more traffic since I moved to my current dwelling. I want to put her in drive and go, not mash the clutch every 100 feet. I did contact Flat-O about their conversion kit for the C4. it's not inexpensive, but it would be a lot cheaper than the speedway kit.
It is hard for me to be objective when it comes to Speedway. It is a personal thing so other then I know you can beat his price it has nothing to do with you buying from them so you are more than welcome to take my advice along those lines with a grain of salt. A flathead is just an engine it can be as dependable or undependable as you allow it to be. it is just a matter of condition of engine and keeping it up in shape, properly tunned etc. The colum linkeage can be fixed pretty easy for the time being. Easy peezy. The C4 is a common swap for the flathead. It can be done for between 400-800 dollars plus ******. A thread asking for info on the swap, IE where to buy adapters etc will net you a wealth of information. With the C4 you will be changing your drive shaft. I doubt that anyone has an off the shelf driveshaft for that swap. Something else to consider, if you decide to do an AOD yu may want to look into a GM ****** instead of the Ford, it is also a common swap. I would choose a 200R4 instead of a 700R4 if you go that route, it has a lower 1st gear and is a dedicated AOD. The 700R4 is based on a Turbo 350 and is not as good a transmission. Something to consider if you go with a Chevy or Ford valve in head you are going to be changing out the rear end. So ad that to the price. As far as floor board mods you can do that right in your garage, if it looks like the ****** won't go under there without a major rework just take a saw zall and remove the hump then once the ****** is in see what it is going to take to put the hump back in, you can cover it with carpet when it is done so it does not need to look like it was done in a NASCAR shop. My absolute best advice to anyone who owns a running driving car is to drive it and give it a chance to let you know what it wants done. A car will tell you exactly what it wants of you give it a chance. I am not trying to discourage you I am just trying to get you enough information to make a decision.
As for the rear, I swapped in the 10 bolt from a 77 firebird in my 51 merc. No mods required. Also a 9" from a 63 galaxies fits to (I know cuz the 10 bolt from the firebird was in my galaxie while the 9" was being rebuilt, u joint for driveshaft even fits the 10 bolt!) Or leave the stock rear and use an aod behind a 302 or something. Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
just stop and search build threads here on Mercs and flatheads. figure out as best that you can, which may involve farming out some of the work due to your current skill level, how much build will cost. then consider buying a Merc that is a driver, not a chopped fancy one, with most most of the upgrades you want. for your planned use of the car you likely will be better off with a 302 Ford & AOD trans. no matter which way you go will need to change rearend. don't forget new wire kit, radiator, upgrade to front suspension/brakes, body & interior work ?, etc. lots to think about before just jumping right in.
Dukelog11<SCRIPT type=text/javascript> vbmenu_register("postmenu_8392510", true); </SCRIPT> , A quick question for ya. We are all oicture *****s on here as you are well aware you got any pics of that old heap? I would love to get aquainted with it. Even if it isn't dressed for the prom yet.
LOL! I sincerely appreciate the insight. I have done some work already, like converting the front to disc brakes, and lowering it 2 inches. I have rebuilt the entire front suspension with new tie-rod ends and all parts neatly cleaned, regreased and refinished. Here is a pic of what I am starting with. I am already in love with her, I just want to treat her right, really. LOL At this point, I'd almost be inclined to just re-install the motor and drive her, but I have some problems. For example, there is a small spring that fell out when I pulled the starter...no idea where it goes. More importantly, I attempted to pull the worm gear off the bottom of my steering column to no avail. Now, the steering gear box is locked up tight with the worm gear in a bind, and i can't unstick it. Even if I could, I want power steering so I don't know what to do with the column shifting I need AND plugging the steering column onto a power gearbox I need.
I started my driving career in a 51 Merc with the 3-speed W/overdrive. In the summer it was all windows open and on with the big vents too. We never even thought about AC until 62 when pop bought a new Mercury Meteor and it was an add on. I still love shifting that Borg Warner electric overdrive. The old 255 sounds like a sewing machine with the hood open but with it closed you can barely tell its running it's so quiet (all stock). Most of the rear axles were either 3.91:1 if its an early Dana 41 or 3.92 if a Dana 44. The higher ratios were usually requested in mountanous areas or for pulling the long long trailer. The automatic ratios with Merc-O-Matic used lower 3.54 or 3.31:1 ratios in their rear axles. I've overhauled a few of the steering gears. Its usually easier to pull the whole unit out of the car to work on it. The access plates on the floor have to be pulled and the steering wheel taken off but it will come out of there without too much trouble. The mid century Mercs are famous for eating the worm gears right in the center area. I've been fortunate to find an NOS shaft & worm the last time I was looking. Any of the Gemmer II reproduction worm gears from 37 to 48 or F1 pickups will fit on the old shaft but its a bear to press it on if you don't already have the equipment to do it. That's usually the first thing that wears out in there. The lower sector seal always needs to be replaced if its been in there for more than 10-years. The mid century Mercs steer realy smooth if the gear is in good shape. That big ol steering wheel is the power steering. The only springs in the starter are the brush spings (clock type) and the only one on the outside is the bendix spring and its not small. There is a spring that returns the throw out bearing up in the bell housing though if it has a manual transmission. As you can tell, I have a lot of sentimentality for the old beasts. That car has nearly the same paint scheme as my latest 51 has with banning blue lower & mission gray upper. The old car looks pretty good. You don't find them that good very often.
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