A Mercury FE engine in 1957?

I saw a 57 Ford station wagon for sale the other day, pretty solid and very complete. I had the seller open the hood and instead of the Y-block 312 I was expecting, there was an FE engine with Mercury valve covers.
I've seen alot of FE's but never one from Mercury.
According to the seller the car was special ordered by the original owner in 1957, driven only 29,000 miles before the owner died in 1964, and the cars been sitting inside a shed since.
The mileage was correct and the car was in excellent shape except for a few small rust holes, But I was suspicious of the FE engine.Did they make them as early as 57?

 

Lots of stories can happen in 50 years......

 

don't know if mercury put their name on them but, could it be an MEL instead of an FE??
both engines series were introduced at the same time. Unless it's really a 58 though, it's not a stock engine....

 

I belive the fe motors weren't made till 58. I dont think you could even order them in 57 cuz they didnt exist. I know the baldy valve covers with the mercury name on them was a 60's thing. Safe bet it's transplanted!

 

There were a couple of different FE covers used in Mercurys...but I doubt those covers would have been used in a Ford.

I suppose it is possible that a dealer installed it as a special order from a customer in late '57- I know of several examples of this kind of thing- but I highly doubt it came that way from FoMoCo.

 

It was definitely an FE engine. And I suspected the motor had been swapped at some time.

 

It'd be interesting to see if it's a 383 merc engine

 

Like others have said, FE's didn't hit the streets until model year 1958.

 

They didn't come in 56s either.
Damn hotrodders!

This was a common swap back in the day so it may have weathered to look like it was original. I'm trying to build an early 60s era hotrod using period parts.

 

Mercury, like Ford and Edsel used the FE engines, but not until 1958. The 58's were all 332 CI. In 59 the FE's were offered as 332 standard or 352 as an option. The MEL engines were also not available until 1958.

Mercury did in fact have their name of FE valve covers in the late 50's. So did Ford and Edsel.

If the car is in-fact a 1957, then the engine, if it is in-fact and FE, cannot be original equipment.

 

Thanks, just wanted to clear that up. The car would have made an easy project, but it's a wagon and the lady selling it had been watching too many Barrett Jackson auctions. She was asking $7500!

 

Seems to me I recall seeing a guy in high school who had a brand new 1957 Mercury 2 door hardtop painted(of all things)white and light purple.It had as an(original)engine a 368 cu.in. big block Lincoln engine.I'll see if I can get some info on the car from a friend of mine as I believe the original owner has passed away.

 

The '57 Turnpike Cruisers did use the Lincoln 368...it's the only factory source for a Lincoln bell with a passenger car manual trans-side pattern....one member here has also stated that the '57 Ford police "S" code used the 368 as well.

 

The 352 engine was also available in '58. Rated at 300 hp, they had adjustable rocker arms like used in later HIPO
FE engines. As for the Merc wagon, are you sure it is a '57 and not a '58? They look a lot alike.

 

Well I didn't look at the ID plate, but I've seen plenty of 57's and 58's.

 

Maybe an early '58, that was sold in 57 so it was titled as a 57?

 

NO. Man, any car that has a MODEL YEAR that is the year of the car as to the "title."

Let's think a little, so much wrong information thanks to the internet.

 

look at the casting number on the block, intake, heads, etc...

 

60's mercuries with FEs had the "mercury" valve covers....as numerous people have said 58...first year...but they seem to almost fall in earlier models..haha

 

MERC did not use the FE until the 1961 model run. 58/60 used the 383 and 430 MEL along with the FORD Y 312 as the base V8.

The 368 LINC Y was available in the 56 FORD as a Police Option (Engine Code S). The EDSEL 361 was available as a Police Option in the 57 FORD.

MERC used the 368 LINC in the 57 MERC as the 410 MEL was scheduled for installation but there were so many foundry problems, the 410 was put on hold. It was given to the 58 EDSEL as it began production before either the 58 FORD or MERC.

 

I had a 58 model year titled as 57 as it was a Chevy it sound good in the paper as the owner listed it as a 57 and no one would buy it. Once they saw it. I got for cheep as I did not care that it was a 58 instead made money on it as I sold it as a 58.

 

The above statement is incorrect. That info came from a hot rodding magazine where a guy bought a 1956 FORD with a LYB 368 installed claiming it to be a POLICE OPTION and I a$$-u-me also had S as the ENGINE CODE within the VIN.

The real story is that the FORD ASSEMBLY PLANT in Somerville, NJ received so many 312's from the engine plant ID'd as 292's. The mistake was not realized until after assembly. FORD then gave those cars the ENGINE CODE 'S' to identify the cars from regular production for service work.

There was a SERVICE LETTER released covering this.

Just caught this and had to clarify.

 

Not always true.

 

The very first FE was a 361 cubic inch sold in 1957 as a 1958 model in the Edsels!




Bones

 

Ford also had the FE in 57...becase the 1958 cars were introduced in the fall of 57 ....

 

And THE OLDE WIVES TALES continue ...

The FE was introduced to the 1958 MODEL RUN.

 

Facts are facts. They sold the first 1958 models in about October or November of 1957.Fact! sSince then the OEMs kept creeping up to where the new year models come out in about July of the previous year! Just facts, no old wives here!








Bones

 

If what you are trying to purport is accurate, there would have been an FE or MEL in a 1957 PRODUCTION YEAR CAR. Please show me a 1957 MODEL YEAR PATENT PLATE that shows an FE install.

If you want to follow this train of thought, how about as the engines were developed
and they were put into previous model year test mules, the engine would have come out in 1955.

How often do you come out of orbit to refuel?

 

Have you refueled lately? What's being said is the FE was introduced for the 58 models which were actualy on sale in late 1957..The last several replies never said it was under the hoof of a factory made 57 model..