Technical 49-51 MERCURY front suspension

anyone running something other than the stock stuff? like maybe ...... ?

 

Ford or Mercury?

 

Can you be a little more specific?

 

DOH! Mercury!

 

im running stock stuff on mine but would be interested what others are running too

 

These suspensions can work well with a little help.
If they are like my 53 Ford and I suspect they are close. My book only goes back to 53.
1. They need a good anti sway bar up front. Attached to the frame and to the lower A arm.
2. They need a modification to the upper control arm mounting. When you lower them the upper control arm gets tucked way in making it hard to adjust. Make a 1 and 1/2 alum block to go under the A arm mounting. Make a pocket to go around the shock mount. Get longer bolts and install. The block allows for a better position of the upper A arm so you can get some adjustment out of the adjusting cam.
Good luck

 

anyone else?

 

I had a 50 baby Lincoln with stock suspension and except for my wife would have liked power steering it drove great with 1 1/2 coils removed, my wife got used to the manual steering.
Next I have a 50 Merc with a 75 Torino front frame grafted on, this is one way to get PS and PB but it doesn't seem any better than the stock Merc stuff and looks a little wide which really bugs me.
I also have a 49 Merc with a Nova rear steer and disc brakes and it also has a power box but it doesn't really handle better than the stock stuff either, but it does fit quite nicely.
Now I am about to start another 49 Merc but I found a mint stock frame so I will cut the coils and install a saginaw manual box out of a 59 El Camino, and maybe install a heavier sway bar.
There are several other options such as Fatman dropped spindles, Fatman frame stubs with Mustang 2 suspension, but some EXK here on the board has some interesting alternatives which he also sells on Ebay.
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=633259&highlight=49+merc+build

 

The 51 Merc I have also has a rear steer Nova sub on it. It drives very nice. Could use stiffer shocks and a heavier sway bar up front. That combo would be make the car handle and drive like a dream. The small 2bbl Rochester in the center of the tripower under a lite foot makes for descent fuel mileage. I plan on a 200-4r in place of the turbo 350 and a 3.73 r&p in place of the 2.73.
I plan to leave the stock frame intact on my 50. Just bolt on upgrades.

 

thanks!

 

I had my 51 Merc set up with a rear steer Nova subframe like Ebfabman said he had on his. The subframe slipped in between the rails that were cut off just behind the original crossmember and the rear legs of the subframe mated up to the X member of the Merc Frame with a little trimming on the ends of the legs and more than one guy looked under the hood and thought it was a factory setup. The stock core support even sat on the Nova subframe's forward crossmember that the sway bar hooks on and with two drilled holes an some thin rubber pads I had it mounted.

 

it sounds like upgraded front suspension makes them cruise smoother! anyone do independent front and rear?

 

There are many good choices for the rear but IMO a truck style rear suspension is easiest/best overall.

 

I'm working on a truck style rear for my 50 using a 10 bolt from a first gen Camaro. It's a 60 inch wide rear axle

 

that setup is under just about every bagged vehicle i looked at in socal when i was living there, simple and it works!

 

I have a nova front end on mine...

 

Desotot:
Does a 59 el camino box work with the stock front suspension? What's involved
in installing it?

 

Fat Man

 

if i go beyond adding disc brakes i'll go ahead and upgrade to jaguar front and rear since i have both already.

 

With the jag you will still end up cutting off the stock front end and building your own framework back in. Revised: or do you just cut the crossmember out and clean the stock frame rails up?

The good part of using a Jag XJ suspension over a GM stub or subframe would be that you wouldn't have to alter the front sheet metal like a subframe swap requires. That is one of the main reasons I'm going with one on my 48 pickup this time. All of the suspension is outboard of the inner fenders and doesn't require any sheet metal mods.

 

new frame rails that are built to slide into existing rails is option. i aiso have 76 nova that would love to donate front and rear suspension plus drivetrain.

 

I used a front steer nova in my 51 merc. I like the way the tilt collum lays in my lap. Rear steer you are reaching up for the wheel. Plus you get disc brakes and power steering , and you can lower the front end as much as you want. Cutting on the fenderwells hardly noticeable. Running all chevy suspension as I like to drive mine. Flatheads are pretty but chevys will get you home.

 

Getting ready to sub frame my 50 with a Camaro rear steer.

 

cool! any undrhood pictures? do subfame rails line up? any info would be great. what rear end are you running?

 

AWSOME! THANKS STEVE YOU ROCK DUDE!

 

looks to be 75-79 nova,70-81 camaro/TA front and A-body back?

 

I had a custom magazine back in 70s 80s that featured putting a 49-51 Merc on a 73-75 4dr Pontiac Lemans full frame, the body would drop over the frame rails, you moved it back until it stopped, then you had to move the rear end a couple inches. I kept the mag and always wanted to try it, but I keep buying other cars.

 

I believe you are correct on the front. The customer supplied it, and I don't remember. The rear was G-body.

 

Nova front steer on mine. Running hoodless this year. Only 1 guy in 10 picks up on the fact it's a different stub grafted on.