Hey guys, let me start off by saying I am new to the site and the cl***ic car scene. I can thank my brother and father for getting me so addicted to these hunks of steel. I am building a 56 medalist. So far I have rebuilt and painted a 64 390 from a donor tbird and aod trans. Wire wheeled, primed and painted the engine bay and then dropped in the swap. I tore out the old damp carpet and wire wheeled and stripped all the tar from the floor. I sealed the metal with herculiner bedliner. The suspension rebuild is next as I have an entire front end rebuild kit. I would like the merc to sit on the ground without comprimising any damage underneath. Im sure you have all seen the gold 56 coupe, if you havent do a yahoo search and it will pop right up. He has cut springs up front and 4" blocks in the rear but I dont think it looks low enough. Any pics or build advice would be greatly appretiated. I will try to get my pics to upload
I use the "manage Attachments" sorry no help there. My dad (Old Beet) on here had one long ago with a 390 police interceptor in it with a 4 gear and man it was fast. Hardly ever lost a street race and is the car that got me into hot rods when I was a wee lil lad. Was black with a white roof and eventually got a set of Americans, was one of my favorite cars ever. Here is a pic of me standing next to it in 1969!
k-member, that is awesome! I too am running the interceptor 390 and it is a beast. I actually took the interceptor air cleaner off and hung it on the garage wall. Thanks for the input on uploading my pics, Im going to try it now
Nice, always tripped on the double front bumpers on those things, so much chrome. Put a top loader in that thing and I guarantee it will do the coolest axle dance ever. That will be one fun ride.
I originally wanted to convert it to 4 or 5 speed but its a cruiser. I'm lowering the car this weekend, any advice on how low is to low? I plan on cutting the springs up front to drop it 3" and doing 4" blocks in the rear.
How low, I like em low, but we have some rough roads around here, but I still roll low in my merc pick up, it sounds like all Hell is unleashed when I hit a good pot hole or speed bump, you know with the running boards s****ing and the tailgate chains clanging and slapping around back there. Start with the front and go easy, and you know, they look real mean and proper with a little rake on one of those. Get some good pics.
Didn't get to lower it today, but I did get a lot of little things done. I installed an adjustable throttle cable because the old one was sticking. I also had a problem with my aftermarket tstat housing. It is a swivel housing. And it was leaking. So after pulling it off and putting a little silicone on it problem fixed. I then installed a new ignition. I started the install on my painless wire harness. Just enough to start the car by turning the key. I actually have a question for the FE guys. There is a vent tube on the back of the intake mani, any idea where the hose is supposed to go? Is it just an engine vent? Thanks in advance
I have a few questions about my engine. I don't have vented valve covers or oil fill tube. If I use a vented oil cap and a pcv valve on the back of the intake mani will this be enough to vent the engine or should I run vented valve covers as well?
Ok, so I figured out the pcv system and will post pics once I complete it. It is actually a very simple design by ford. I am now looking into bagging the merc instead of blocks and cut springs. I have no clue what goes into bagging a car and am still researching the subject. If any of you guys have bagged an old cruiser advice would be apreciated!
alright so I have put together a list of parts I will need to bag the merc. This list is not complete so please post suggestions or parts I am forgetting. 4 bags single port axle brackets for rear bags crossmember for upper mount of rear bags upper mount for front bags I will mod the spring perch for front lower bag mount 200 psi tank 3/8 air line 2 ball valves in car 1 for front 1 for rear 2 compressors I will leave one leaf in the rear to eliminate the need of a 4 link
Heres a few pics I promised. Still need to body drop it so it lays out completely. Alright fellas enjoy Hey merking56 you can pm me if you need any help.
I plan on lowering my 46 Olds but that is so low. Here I legally need 6" (125mm) minimum clearance for registration. On bags I could go lower after registration. I'll be setting up my suspension at 2/3 stroke at setup though. 56 Ford Custom, it's a bit hard to tell from here but looking at forward mounting brackets I would gusset them to stop flexing during cornering as the ch***is twists. A lot of load when you have such a big heavy car. I helped another fellow with his project where a local shop did his ch***is work and that was something I noticed that wasn't done to his upper 4 bar mounting points. 'T' shaped bracket came off perpendicular to ch***is and would eventually tear away after driving, and his car was Anglia sized with a SBC and auto; a lot lighter than your big Lincoln. If gusseted please disregard as photos don't show it as it is. Not criticism but I'm used to our different engineering requirements and inspection processes. Equal length arms keep you pinion angle constant as suspensions goes through its arc. As we aren't allowed to use rod ends in road registered cars, we use 4 bars ends to stop lateral movement. Another local Ford trick was a Watts linkage mounted on the rear differential carrier cover. It kept the rear end centred all the time.
56 ford, I like how low you can set the ford. Where did you get that kit? I was planning on mounting the bags on the rear and leaving one leaf in so I didn't have to install a 4 link. I know this will limit my drop but I'm building on a budget. That ford looks sick layed out!
Stumpy, yes they are gusseted its just hard to see them in the pics. Thanks for all the info. I like the watts linkage. Merking56, it wasnt a kit. My good buddy is doing all the frame and suspension.
Hey merking56, anything new with the build yet? im really anxious to see what you are going to to with it.
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