Projects Bought a Mercury on purpose

So for so good.
I was hoping it at least had a good rotating assembly. It does. The rest is just a bonus if it’s good.
Plus I t learned how to get the valves out.

 

I’d like to thank @LB for hooking me up with a nice NOS skirt.

 

Those bumper gards and center piece make a great bar grill if laid out horrizontal and welded together.

 

I had some 49/50 bumper guards. Held em up in the grill opening.
Looked pretty good.

 

You have a way to get froze-in valves and seats out that isn't just brute force? Or just got the valves out of the seats? Because I've got a Merc engine that a mouse set up house in the lifter valley and everything in there is hopelessly stuck but the bottom end looks great, I'd love to know the best way to get all of the valves and guides out without wrecking shit.

 

Learned how to remove the unstuck valves. Never been this deep in a flathead before.
The stuck ones? Well, they’re soaking. I did free up the lifters.
I watched a video where I guy welded a slide hammer to a stuck valve and yanked it up enough the cut the valve with a grinder. Then knocked out the guide.
My uncle suggested a heat lamp. Warm it a while then let it cool. Repeat. Probably wouldn’t hurt while it’s soaking.
I figure some parts will be sacrificed eventually

 

Did a plastigauge check on the mains.
0.015.
It’ll come down to the flatty and the 283.

 

I'm thinking flatty and 6V.
Hold on, think about what a great teaching tool that can be. Generator, Regulator, Points, King Seely Gauges and senders Heavy Wire and all the old solid-state stuff. Everything is repairable. With the old manuals you can just about repair everything. It's like a flintlock rifle. It's rifle but only more so. A flathead 6V car.....is only more so.

If you can master a flintlock rifle, you can shoot anything. If you can repair and run a Flathead 6V car, This gives a fundamental understanding of.....a car in its raw form.

Custom?????
I had a long reply, but I lost it in editing. The jest was The Mercury is the "Custom Car". It's been done and done and done. I know you are a custom guy; you like to stand out. The Custom Mercury is almost cliched. I'm feeling a little irony.... Custom Guy gets a Mercury, and does not go down the "Merc" Route. The irony is it will stand out in all its Mercuriness.
Mercuries had a heritage before Barris and Hirohita.
[Verse 1]
Now me and my wife and brother Joe
Took off in a port from San Pedro
Didn't have much gas and the tires were low
But the doggone Ford could really go
Along about the middle of the night
We's rippin' along like old folks might
When a Mercury behind, he blinked his lights
He honked his horn and he flew out of sight

[Verse 2]
We had twin pots and a Columbia but
You people may think that I'm in a rut
But to you folks who don't dig the jive
That's two carburetors and an overdrive
We've made three sparks out of many a-town
And left the cops spinnin' 'round and 'round
They wouldn't chase, they'd run and hide
But me and that Mercury stayed side by side
[Verse 3]
I looked at my bride, her face was blue
I was stuck to the throttle just like it was glue
We left streaks through town about 40 feet wide
But me and that Mercury stayed side by side
My brother was pale, he said he was sick
He said he was just a nervous wreck
But why should I worry, for why the heck
Me and that Mercury was neck and neck

[Verse 4]
Now on through the desert we did glide
A-flyin' low and a-flyin' wide
But me and that mercury was takin' a ride
We stayed exactly side by side
I looked in my mirror and I saw somethin' comin'
I thought it was a plane, the way it was a-hummin'
A-runnin' along at a terrible pace
I knew right then it was the end of the race
When it flew by us, I turned the other way
The guy in the Mercury had a-nothin' to say
And I could see it was a streak of gray
It was a kid in a hopped-up Model A

Hot Rod Lincoln 1st part....
Well, you heard the story of the hot rod race that fatal day
When a Ford and a Mercury went out to play

I really enjoy my 6V 51 Ford Coupe. It's a car only more so.
I know you'll do great whatever route you choose but....
I do have one request.

Whatever you do, please, please do not airbrush James Dean, Marylin or Bee-Bop-a-Lula on the decklid!

 

Dang. That’s a lot of typing. Thanks I think
No for any corny airbrush work.
6v?……..I’ve got a 12v gen hiding somewhere.
Points? Yep
Might even run the gen if I go 283. And it would more than likely get points.

and plan to keep the 3rd pedal

 

Got the mock up 283 ready

We’ll swap it out with the Y on Monday

 

If you soak the flathead submerged in kerosene for a week or two it'll come unstuck.
My prefference would be the SBC.

 

Pretty big vehicle for a mild flathead to lug around…just saying!

 

I’m not in a hurry

 

The 283 would work much better than a flathead and it is traditional!

 

But the flathead was first

 

That's the point, the 283 is an upgrade from a flathead!

 

Well, the 283 was a nicer fit


Trans and clutch linkage hooked up.
rams horn looks like they will work.

fuel pump would need a notch


19 inch fan. Needs a little more room but we can make if work.

plenty of room under the pan

 

Engine is offset about an inch to the passenger side.
Less room for a mechanical fuel pump but helps the exhaust a lot.
A 265 manifold would center the engine.
But I was using the merc clutch lever to set the engine placement. I could shorten it to center the engine but the fuel pump would still need a notch.
Or go electric.

 

@anthony myrick There is a HAMBer with both a Desoto toothed grill AND a Kaiser grill bar for sale at the moment!?

 

I’ve got the small desoto grill.
Kiser bar. Mmmmmmmm those are sexy
I’m kinda liking the 51 merc.
And mine is stainless.

 

Anyone ever seen an adapter like this?
Would love to find one

Supposed to be Chevy to the later flathead bell housing
I think anyway

 

The 283 looks fact-tree, well done. I love the ram horn manifolds, the center-dump ones are hard to come by, circa 1960-ish.

 

Temp engine mounts
Cycled thru the gears and clutch is good.
Will have to make a call on mechanical vs electric pump.

 

Can’t believe those are just temporary mounts. Surely they would hold...

 

There's a reason small block Chevies get transplanted into so many different vehicles....
I like your approach, trying it centered, trying it where other parts dictate - good old engine swapping techniques. It looks good in there, traditional swap. I'd put a nice, finned block-off plate where the fuel pump goes and run an electric one.
You're not liking the dual bellhousing set-up?

 

The bell housing set up is good but if I had that later style adapter it opens up more trans options.
I’ve got the late late style flathead bell as well, those use the 49-64 style trans.
But I’ve never messed with that style adapter. So starter and flywheel placement (spacer ?) would be my questions.

 

The 4 blade fan clears the old radiator.
Going to run a gm radiator but it will fit closer to the front of the car.

Im not a big fan(pun) of the fan placement.
a fan shroud should help direct air across the entire radiator.

 

Free parts are free parts

 

Yep.
Gonna save the trans and bell from the scrapyard.
The block will turn into furniture