Hi I pulled the flathead out of the merc and am looking into a replacement. I'm thinking of an early Hemi with tri power and all bits polished and shiney. There are not that many hemis in France (bar Facel Vegas)so am not sure about sump clearance and crossmember. Which hemi do i go for and who does the dress up bits for them. If not a hemi anyone got any suggestions. Thanks Neil
hate to state the obvious, but keep the original engine in it, id kill for a merc,let alone a 51 merc engine, , hope u have somewhere nice to store it or a rod to put it in, but choice of engine to change it, what bout 350( i know common),later ford v8,caddy motor is a beautiful thing, hemi's are pretty well my dream motor,y not olds motor(they are wide,great lookin motor come in gd size), capacity wise one last idea for ya here chev 348-409 w headed monster, plenty of stuff for chevs for the 348-409 from speedways even i believe
Stick with the stick flathead....Looks so right in that engine bay! If you have to switch I would go Caddy.
all you guys who are so pro flathead have you ever even drove one they were really underpowered for big merc like the 51 so ivote for the hemi or the caddy. these cars scream big motors mho tom
If the question is "Which engine looks as good as the dressed flathead and has plenty of torque in stock form?", the answer would have to be Buick nailhead.
The way I look at it, the motor in your car is secondary to the looks of the Merc. Since you're in France and I'm sure finding American engines is tough, go with something that won't break the budget. My first choice is a Cad though.
Thanks for that what manual box can i hook up to a 365 caddy motor and are they more expensive to build than a 500. Is the 500 a bigger block to fit in the Merc? Thanks Neil
A 331 or 354 Hemi! I have 331 in my 51 merc.I heard the 392 is a little wider and you have to modify the fender wells.
You pulled the best engine. Mercs are supposed to be low and slow, and there's just something about the sound of a flathead. I'm doing a 700r4 swap right now, and I could have gotten a free SBC, but I bought the adaptor for the flathead instead. I know there are plenty of critics out there, sorry to be one of them, but you asked. Good luck on whatever you choose. Looks like a beautiful start though.
You have no idea how much I regret selling it's heart but I did and need to move on. Thanks for the nice words about the Mercury. I've had it 26 years now Best Neil
I drove my 53 ford with flathead both stock and rebuilt with performance mods and the two speed fordomatic every day for three years in the 80's. it was 45 minutes to work 5 days a week. I drove it to Chicago for a work trip. All the motors you are interested in will be expensive to rebuild correctly, especially in France. I'm sure even the flathead will cost $$, mine did. Saying that, I would probably build the flathead but put a modern transmission behind it. That would have made my 53 fantastic. Oh, and the MPG with the flathead was not too bad, 15-20 mpg.
That is one of the best looking 51's I have ever seen... 365" caddy with the 3 speed merc trans... Top that 365 with my 4x2 log manifolds
Keep it simple small block Ford or Chevy. The hood will be shut most of the time, so just make it reliable. Love your Merc, Enjoy the cruise. Happy Trails, Mick
Im putting a flathead back in my '50. The flathead will do just fine for what it is. It's a Merc; who cares if it's slow? They're meant to look cool and sound cool, and nothing fits that bill better than a Flathead V8.
you know, if I settle the deal with this guy I know, my next merc is going to recieve a 57 merc 312, it's a beauty, has mercury script right across the valve covers.
Can anyone post a photo of a period dressed Caddy motor. I saw one in a black 34 in LA last year that was up for big money(the car not the motor)I think it was a 500ci Caddy. What is the best manual box to stick behind the motor Thanks Neil
See if you can find a pic of Jeff Nepel's Caddy,in his Merc. Circle City did it for him. LOOKS AWESOME!!!
as my friend who daily drove his chopped merc with a flat head said. "its cool to everyone to see a chopped merc with a flat head but not cool to be the guy driving the chopped mer with a flat head." a early 331-365-390 caddy is an easy swap in a merc.
Mine has a small block chevy in it, but I will eventually change it to a 56 Olds 324. I vote Olds, Caddy or Nailhead, in no particular order. Head over to Rikster's custom car photo archive to find pictures of the dressed Caddy in the Hirohata Merc. You can't go wrong with that look at all. Jeff Nepel's motor is tough looking also, although I don't have any pictures of it. Use the search function and it may come up.
Having owned more than a couple '51 Mercs, the first being flatty powered , which was no slouch on the highway. I later put a 53 hemi with a Cad/La salle box, Fairly easy swap as I recall but I did have to do some sheetmetal work for the long bellhousing.Olds powered one came to me already badly done and I redid it using a slant pan 4 speed hydro and lincoln crrossmember, that proved to be a real redlight bandit with that short first gear and a 4:10 gear in the rear. Sold it then bought it back a year later with a blown motor ,stuck a tired 324 in it and sold it. The quality look of your car deserves a Hemi if you can find one but I'd use a post '54 motor with the short bell, you can take your pick on trannies.
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