I know my chassis swap is a little O/T but the car will otherwise be traditional, I just wanted reliablility for an everyday cruiser to go to work and soforth...go here: http://landyachts.homestead.com/index.html I thought maybe some of you out there might be contemplating chassis swaps for your rides and would like to see what's involved. Keep in mind I am tring to do this on the cheap, I don't have a pole barn or a lift, just a 2 1/2 car garage, and I came up with this lifting system from Lefturn's (Ray's) posts...they work well. Use camper jacks to lift your body, and build a jig to support it, it works very well. I am putting my Merc on a 1987-8 Lincoln Town Car chassis, they ride good, and I plan (for now) to retain the 5.0 EFI and AOD driveline. I do have a 460 and C-6 stitting on a stand nearby, and that may be it's final incarnation, but for now I just want to get it running and driving!
Nice post MercMan those are some good shots.Keep em coming. Looks like you will be cruzin for sure this summer. Feder
Thats a lot closer than the chevelle [frame only] swap on a merc-Thanks for the pics and details man.......GREAT WORK.
Thanks guys...it's the support and inspiration on here that has kept me going...when everyone else I show the project to scratches their heads in dis-belief...I'll post more progress pics as it comes along...
You rock, you three-hubcap-havin', old-boat-drivin' Dude, you!! At this rate, you'll be test driving the thing by New Years!!! Give a yell (or a PM!!) if you need a hand, critical eye, or just beer disposal specialist!!
Tokyo- I got the rockers from some guy on e-bay a couple years ago. They're not stamped right, and besides that I have to re-bend them in to clear my frame...you get what you pay for, I think they were like $60.00 for both. They'll work...with work...
Merc...thanks, i might have to get a set of those, i see them pop up on ebay every now and again, not sure if they are cheapo repops, or the decent pair. good luck with making them work..i will probably get some soon then..
Nice job on the web page layout. It really explains the process well. The trunk really looks good with that deep section. So where is the gas tank then on the donor chassis? The channel details look good too, I don't think the traditional box shaped inner rocker parts are even needed. The frame is so close to the outer edge of the car they seem redundant now.
Mikes- The gas tank is in the stock Lincoln location, vertical, behind the rear seat, up against the back wall of the trunk. This is how they get those huge trunks, by not having the tank underneath the trunk floor like GM did with their full size cars. The rockers still need to be boxed, as this is a major structural part on Mercurys. Without it, the door sills are as flexible as a piece of thin plastic. I want to make sure my doors don't sag because of lack of support on the A pillars.
Jay- I idled it for a half hour today (in drive) and the cooling fans kicked on like normal and everything stayed cool. I dunno, the only thing I can think of as to why it "burped" yesterday is that there is (was) too much air in the system, and when it got a little hot & pressurized, it blew it's top. The car never actually overheated yesterday, I think the pressure was too much for the plastic cap on the resivoir to hold back. Looking at the underside of the cap, it's made to blow off if pressures exceed a certain amount, even though it screws on under normal condiditions...it seemed fine today, I just added a little more coolant and left well enough alone.
Tokyo- the guy I got mine from has a set on E-Gay right now...but for a 4-door. If you write him, I'm sure he has a 2 door set available... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=42611&item=2445819734 Kevin
MercMan--Looks great! Oughta drive and ride great too! Darryl Starbird did a chassis swap like this, but he used a Chrysler 'K' car convertible for the chassis, of all things, complete with the four banger! Never could figure out why....... You've got the right idea, looks like the hardest part is behind you. Good luck on the rest of the swap. --slacker Flatheads forever
[ QUOTE ] The rockers still need to be boxed, as this is a major structural part on Mercurys. Without it, the door sills are as flexible as a piece of thin plastic. I want to make sure my doors don't sag because of lack of support on the A pillars. [/ QUOTE ] Good point, I forgot about those 6 foot long doors on the 2 door Merc. Ugh, door sag, one of my least favorite things to fix.
Thanks again guys for the comments...keeps ya going on a project of this magnitude... I was bored and updated the site a little with some "flashy" photoshop work...actually, I've been poking around the last few hours with it, trying to make it look a little more cohesive...take another look, use the link above...
Thanks Slacker! I couldn't imagine a 4 cyl. powered Merc...I was thinking the little 302 would be a dog as it is!
Jay- I know, I know, I know...I was looking for instant gratification! hafta turn in early tonight...
Well told and illustrated, but even more important are your great solutions to the big and small problems of what is, for most folks, a very difficult job. I look forward to seeing more as work progresses.
Thanks, AV8. I do plan to keep posting as I go along. It keeps ME going along, too. Your comments mean a lot to me! Check back often... MercMan
you really are making somthing out of a big mess! that takes some serious balls!... i see the diamond from the rough! - it's going to be really pretty!
The Jalopy Journal
