Projects All The Twos: 1962 Mercury, 352cui, 2bbl, Too Many Doors.

This all started a couple of years ago when I built a second race car. You can’t have too many race cars can you? Apparently you can! I’ve just not got the time or energy to run two race cars so one had to go. What to replace it with? I started looking at 40s/50s Chevys and Pontiacs but then one day this popped up and I decided it was the one. Yep it’s got too many doors and it’s a Ford in a frock.


The interior looked great


And the underside is tidy compared with what we’re used to due to road salt over here.


It seems pretty unmessed with so should be a great starting point not having to fix a bunch of Bubba’s doings.


It’s hopefully now making its way across the pond, just in time for winter to arrive! Which will give me the chance to get it sorted. Im just after a nice cruiser/mild custom to use as a car, go places with the Ms and with limited budget this time around there’ll be no 427s or AOD swaps. Plans as it stands are:

Protect the underside.

Engine seems pretty leaky so plan is to pull that and give it a going over. Already found an alloy manifold and a 4bbl Autolite from a Thunderbird, need to look at a cam swap and the rest will be dependant on condition.

I’m not sure about the 14 inch wheels, tyres are pretty old anyway. I like 15 inch steels but by the time you’ve bought them, painted them and got caps you might as well have gone alloys. If it wasn’t for the upkeep I’d be leaning towards polished Supremes or Torq Thrust.

The stance isn’t right but I can’t work out it it’s too low at the back or to high at the front.

Keeping myself busy during the wait surfing eBay/forums for any bits that I can use. And keeping telling myself that a Mercury isn’t really Ford!

 

I’d drive it
As is
with a big ole cheesy grin

 

Looks like a nice, unmolested car to enjoy. Congrats!

 

Great pick.
Like the plan.

 

Handsome car, it’s a highway car (if you can afford to feed it). Nothing sounds quite as sweet to me than a cammed FE, get the dual exhaust for it and you won’t regret it. Very nice score.

 

Yuppers, that car just flat does not need or want a lot of modifications. Dual exhaust with nice sounding mufflers and maybe swap intakes for a bit more grunt along with changing the timing gear and chain if there isn't documemtation that they have been changed lately. Any thing over 60,000 miles I would change them for peace of mind. Truthfully outside of pressure wash and scrub and paint back correctly I wouldn't do a lot under the hood. Make sure that the belts and hoses are in good shape or replace them and work on reliable more than fast.

Still it isn't a race car or custom as it is just a nice cruiser that you can load family or friends in and go off down the road in comfort. Wheel change to 15 inch? only if 15 inch tires in the correct size are a lot easier to get than 14 inch tires are. I'd find some classy looking hubcaps and call it good.

 

I’d cruise the $&@“&@$ outta that!! I’m not even sure I’d change the camshaft, if I pulled it to reseal it (I would!!) I’d put a 4V with electric choke on it with nice, quiet dual exhaust. Personally, I would use the stock exhaust manifolds after taking them to my large belt sander. That is the exact type of car I’d be looking for if I didn’t have 9 million other things going on.

 

"Ford in a frock" LOL! Never heard that before. Though I have heard people refer to a Pontiac as just being a Chevrolet with lock-washers!

Why so anxious to change out the cam, at least if it's still running good? With all the grief that many folks seem to have breaking-in a new flat tappet cam and lifters I think I'd leave well enough alone. Or do you Brits still have high zinc oil readily available everywhere?

 

I'd lower it a bit (mostly front), put on some 15" wheels, and cruise the crap out of it. That's a great looking car!

 

It’s got a dual exhaust on at the mo so that’s covered although it’s welded to the existing down pipe. For cost I want to keep the existing exhaust manifolds but am worried about taking them off one is definitely leaking so there isn’t a choice, but the bolts in the head look tricky!

I’ve got a 4100 off a Thunderbird, bit of a bargain hopefully, odd description on eBay so got it for less than the gasket set for it cost me. Rebuilt it this week so was thinking of going to a similar spec cam to the T-bird if I’ve got the engine out wasnt thinking of anything nutty. Run an additive for break in and then VR1 like the race cars. With a 3.0:1 rear end it’s going to need some low down grunt.


I guess I always think 15” are better. There’s more choice in 15” tyres but perhaps 14” with a bigger white wall would be good too.

 

That is a fantastic carburetor, pretty much exactly what I had in mind. Great score!

 

If that 4100 doesn’t work out, Summit has their own brand of 4100 clone, M2008. I had one on my 1978 F100, no issues.

 

4 doors were always a bargain, nobody wanted them. So I would grab up a nice clean one when it came around. Cops never gave them a 2nd glance and they were great sleepers. I had a '66 Caprice 4 door that surprised a lot of people.

 

Car is dang near perfect.

I miss my old 352.

The best FE I ever had

 

4 doors also means the Ms has somewhere for her “clean” bags

 

What a tease. No more pics?

Nice car...

 

Here you go.

 

That car is beautiful. Got A/C, too. Perfect.

 

I would daily the crap out of that.

 

I had an oil belching 1964 vintage 352 that ran amazing well considering. I had another in better shape with a 3-speed behind it, that was in a Country Sedan.

 

The guy I bought it from asked what I was going to use it for, when I said I was going to use it like a normal car he seemed a bit shocked.

 

I had a 1968 Galaxie 500 with a 390 that I daily drove from 2001 through 2008, it's what they were made to do.

 

Be careful, soon you will be turning it into a custom....

The other cool thing, is where ever you go, you are about guaranteed to be the only one driving a '62 Merc, especially on that side of the pond.

Mine didn't start out nearly as nice as yours, but it finished up OK....

 

I know! The engine is the slippery slope for me! I guess the great thing is it’s an up and running car already.

I read your build thread a couple of weeks ago. Such a fab looking car. Are you happy with your camshaft choice?

 

Congrats on getting this oh so clean car. Oh and given that we're in the UK and Europe we don't know about that 4-door stigma anyway...

 

You say that but you just wouldn’t look cool in a 4 door Marina

Hopefully the car will be here end of the month. We thought it’d be safer to post old paperwork a bunch of stuff but somewhere between USPS and Royal Mail they seem to have lost it

 

Nice car. Kinda makes you want to go out and buy a moredoor. Question about your carb. It looks like the lever and link to the rear barrels are missing. Also the pivot for the lever that operates the rear barrels looks like it's been drilled out. Not a total loss though. They used to make an aftermarket part that you installed on the rear barrel linkage that eliminated the function of the vacuum actuator at the rear of the carb. Essentially made it a mechanically operated secondary. Don't know if they are still available but you can ck it out. Last one I had to make myself. Maybe it's just the way you took the Pic or you just haven't installed it yet but I don't see them.

 

Thanks, it’s all there it’s just the angle of the pic and I think the pivot is shiny so it looks like a hole.

 

Well the parcel isn’t lost, it’s in Ghana!

 

'Tricky' is the polite term for those bolts. The last one I had with leaking manifolds, all but four broke between the two sides. Be prepared to pull the heads to have the broken ones extracted. That's the FEs one major maintenance flaw. And if it is leaking, it's a good idea to have a light machine pass done on both the heads and manifolds to ensure a flat surface so the leak doesn't come back. Reinstall with grade 8 bolts, and torque to spec in small increments to avoid warping.

And if you do pull the heads, give some thought to installing some higher-compression pistons. More compression will really wake that 352 up, with not only more power but better fuel economy. I realise this is getting out of the lo-$$ realm, but if you have to tear it down that far....

VERY nice more-door!