Projects 1941 Mercury Coupe driver thread! Question heavy.

Not exactly a Build thread but gonna clean it up a bit while i keep driving it.
This is gonna need some questions asked and hope to get some answers along the way.
Got the car shipped out from PA from a HAMBer and its plated now in Eugene Oregon.
SBC 327 with a Carter carb, Cragar adapter to the stock 3 speed column and banjo rear. Drives good runs excellent just changing it a little. Rear dropped by straight 2x3 or 4 steel with a poly gas tank.
Stock brakes and master. 12 volt wiring but needs dash changed over.
Good car man! LOVE this thing!!!
So as far as the changes go I have some lincoln bendix brakes out of a 46 i am putting on. New hardware and wheel cylinders and hoses. Pads are new.
1939 3 speed top loader from Oakland Ca. just brought home.
New frontend king pins, tie rod ends and drag link ends with front stabilizer on the way from Early Ford Store.
Actually the Early Ford Store has sent me all the small stuff for this car.
Except i bought a trans torque tube drive shaft seal with gaskets from ebay. (Oh well)

As for the the questions...
1. Does the Lincoln backing plate that is deeper (taller) at the mounting part go in the front?

2. And the lincoln brake pads dont have one side that is shorter... Normal?

3. 1939 3 speed trans is not too strong since its made for the 60hp flathead (85/95hp ford merc...) But behind this sbc 327 for awhile should i drive grampa style or ??? Replace broken parts when they brake?


The cheap overflow tank i put on is working really good and im not getting any radiator fluid onto the floor.

4. I hooked up the (T) knob on the dash to the manual choke on the carb after cutting it to length but is a kit made to properly secure it to the carb instead of looping it like i did for now? Works good though forward and back!

5. And what year banjo steering wheels fit this car? Ebay Gold has a couple for a million dollars but i was wondering what fits...
6. Oh yeah, as far as the original Lincoln brake harware... adjusters and nuts... should i run them cleaned up as is or paint them or eben have them zinc coated????
Gonna run the car for about 2-3 years like this until i get a built flatty for it and start to make it real nice.
Thanks for your input and feel free to drop some knowledge! I don't know everything even if it seems like it... Haha.

 

I'll comment on the trans.
I have known guys that have run the stock Ford flathead trans behind everything from a SBC to a Hemi. Not to mention Nailheads and Olds Rockets for years without a problem. If you take it out and race it all the time and slam the gears you might have issues. Driven every day in a normal fashion it will probably last longer than you or I.
Torchie

 

Thats what I wanted to learn. Thanks torchie. I thought it wouldnt be an issue but i didnt know for sure.
Not going to be racing but glad to hear it will last.

 

why a banjo wheel
hard to beat a 41 super deluxe wheel
a banjo wheel will fit the shaft but not the column
but i doubt if anyone would have put an older wheel on there back in the day, kinda like putting grandmas steering wheel in there
try a K wheel or a crestliner. what happened to the column shift?

 

There's two sets of Lincoln front brakes, one that is deep the other shallow as you've shown, I am unsure of the rears. The deep backing plates require Lincoln spindles, axle and hubs since the camber angles are different from Ford as is the hub and drum spacing. Ford parts interchange with the shallow Lincoln brakes with little or no modifications.

 

Well, I just like the look of a couple of wheels... Like the banjo and the 50 merc wheel too!
Nothing wrong at all with the wheel i have.
Column? Still running the 3 speed column shift. Till i through in the 39.

 

What? That sounds like a problem you found in the backing plates i have! So i have to bring the deep plates down to fit or get 2 more... Dang.
Thanks for the info.

 

why would you ditch the column shift?

 

You would have to find the early shallow backing plates, not much you can do with the deep ones as they will not fit Ford or Mercury spindles.

 

I just want to shift it on the floor. Used to shifting that way on all the cars ive had.
No other reason, except that shifting it on the column makes me feel kinda fancy like i have a basket of bread and cheese in the back with a bottle of wine and im a steak and pbr guy!
Nothing wrong with bread and cheese though.

 

Cool.
Im going to cut the bolt circle and drop the rise down, then weld it back on the plate at the right height. Thanks for catching that for me. Atleast i have 2 shallow ones to measure from.

 

I agree with F-Head, My 41 Merc came with a ****ty floor shift and I worked like hell to get it back on the column, I also like the stock Merc wheel after I restored it and moved it 3 inches toward the dash.

 

Wonder what the first column shift car was...
Measured the backing plates and they will work once i drop the mounting cups down. Little bit of heat and hammering should get them to match on the other indented portions also. All the rest of the brake stuff mounts the same.
Just like everything else i have, it always needs a little bit of cutting, grinding and welding. (CGW) Maybe a future company logo...

 

There are so few people alive today who know how to drive a 3 on the tree that your column shift works pretty well as an anti-theft device. Sweet car.

 

I "believe" it's a '46 steering wheel. '41's don't have the chrome bars an the spokes.

 

I ran a Ford 302 with my stock '41 ****** for years. No problems even on trips at 70-75 MPH on the hi-way for extended trips

 

mabee a monterey wheel

 

For info purpose...The ****** pictured is NOT a 60hp ******...60hp ****** has part of the bell made to fit the starter. that is a 85hp ******

 

Was wondering about that. Thanks.
Also wondering how difficult it is to make the banjo rearends a positraction... and not break the bank.

 

[QUOTE="Black Clover Custom, post: 11492345, member: 258557"
Also wondering how difficult it is to make the banjo rearends a positraction... and not break the bank.[/QUOTE]
Not possible at all...

 

Not possible at all...[/QUOTE]
Wow. Not at all huh? Looks like i will buy a cheap one and look inside to see how they are put together.
Didnt some of the big trucks back then have a positraction banjo type rearend? Maybe not the car one but something?
Gotta be a frankenstein banjo posi out there somewhere in a barn right? I mean how did they outrun the cops with a bunch of shine in the trunk? Just raw horsepower?

 

Not possible at all...[/QUOTE]
Sure it is! Weld the spiders. (locked rear end)
Seriously? Don't do this. If someone suggests it, punch 'em.

 

Weld spider gears

 

Wow. Not at all huh? Looks like i will buy a cheap one and look inside to see how they are put together.
Didnt some of the big trucks back then have a positraction banjo type rearend? Maybe not the car one but something?
Gotta be a frankenstein banjo posi out there somewhere in a barn right? I mean how did they outrun the cops with a bunch of shine in the trunk? Just raw horsepower?[/QUOTE]

I guess you don't read much on old hot rods...Ever hear of a Columbia rear end??? Google is your friend

 

I guess you don't read much on old hot rods...Ever hear of a Columbia rear end??? Google is your friend[/QUOTE]
Wait... I thought you said it wasnt possible.
Ok so what i meant was getting one to spin both tires cheap! Like a****er mike and chris suggested.
I know stuff has been made thats really out of my price range.
Welding the spider gears is about the best you can can with a welder in my garage... real cheap. Although it creates a weak spot were it is welded.
Gonna check to see if anyone has made a spool for that rearend. If not I will weld it up and run it.
Im not drag racing so it should be totally fine.
Thanks for the info though.
I will google everything!

 

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=185821
Ok found this.
It was in a thread about converting banjo rearends to modern axles with locker or limited slip diffs. EXPENSIVE.
But one dude commented with a spider gear weld suggestion like you guys and said to just carry a pocket full of axel keys!! Didnt know that they were setup like that. Going to look at some diagrams!
HAMB kicks ***.

 

what is the advantage of the Lincoln brakes?

 

Well they are Bendix style which i guess means they have the adjusters at the bottom and the through pins with springs in the middle of each pad that give them an anchor and allow for movement in the middle... but anyway Bendix style puts the pad on the drum during braking more completely than stock 40 style... more pad equals more braking. Plus 40 style has to be adjusted all the time to get the best braking out of the pads through the life of the pad. You adjust Bendix style brakes way less.
Most all modern rear drum brakes STILL use the Bendix style but they added SELF adjusters which is ythat small cable that loops around one of the pads.
I saw a guy on here add the self adjusters (self energizing) to lincoln brakes for a model A and it would give him total modern style brakes! Drum of course.
I am going to do the same to my Lincoln 12" brakes when i put them on and just forget about them and drive.
Nothing wrong with stock 12" brakes except properly adjusting them all the time.
Today I am cutting down the front backing plates that are too tall (deep). And may add vents to them while im at it.
But i am driving the car as is until these pads wear out. May as well.

 

I guess you don't read much on old hot rods...Ever hear of a Columbia rear end??? Google is your friend[/QUOTE]
Read everything i could about hotrods this weekend... found out i even have one! SCORE!

 

So had gotten the tie rod ends and kingpin set the other day, but i had to order the drag link end today because it was missing. They didnt charge me for it, just forgot.
But today I couldnt really see ANY movement in any of the ends except a tiny little bit on the drag link end.
Nothing excessive anywhere!
Sooooo why so muchsteering wheel play? The steering box seemed to move exactly with everything when i moved the tires by hand.
Any suspect play somewhere im not seeing?
I know later i will rebuild everything and see if in fact the steering box is the culpret but dang wish i didnt have to.
Is there a test of the steering box i can do to check for play?