Finally some great progress!! We just finished up the brakes today. All new wheel cylinders, flexable hoses, master cylinder, brake shoes, repacked front bearings, new rear wheel bearings and axle seals. Installed the re-surfaced drums, and bled out the air. Last week we re-assembled the rear end, and got it back into the car. Next I will be sanding and painting the wheels, mounting back up the tires, than we are going to start in on the 302. We already pressure washed it, so now we are going to fire it, than re seal and paint it so we can get it into the car. Our family went to a really cool car run yesterday, called The Rose City round Up, put on by the Driven Dead car club. It was in Portland, and there were tons of great cars there. we worked on Dad's 54 Ford and got it going so we took it. Can't wait till the Merc is on the road!!
Hey great job on the progress! My brother and I were there with my folks and friends. We must of missed you guys! Looking good!
Yeh! Must feel good knowing you have a rear axle that is straight and strong again!?! new brakes, cylinders, bearings...that is a great place to start a project. Sorry I missed you guys at the Rose City Round up. It was a great show and I love the fact that so many showed up even thought it was raining. I noticed lots of cars w/out wipers or even windows for that matter. hhahaha. Keep up the good work you two fellers.
Hey guys that show was really good. We're sorry that we missed seeing you guys there. Pretty cool of Rick and Jen to take the 51 chevy there even with out glass. The kid and me have been working on the Merc a bit. We have a New set of tires, soon to be mounted on the freshly painted wheels, we ran the 302 that came with the car on the 4th of july. 2 feet of exhaust without mufflers was WAY better than the neighbors illegal fireworks!! We picked up another 302 for the aluminum intake and 4 bbl carb. Hoping to start getting the engine painted this week end. Will post some pics again soon!! Hoping to have it running by the end of August.
well, as of today, the engine and trans are out, we went to roll the care out of the garage and found the rear wheels wouldn't move. So, we jacked it up, pulled the rear brake drums off, and found that the brake shoes we bought were too wide, and with the wheels bolted on, the drums were tight against the edge of the brake shoes. We ordered new ones, and will put those on in the morning. Darn it!! this week will be spent cleaning engine parts and the engine bay. hopefully things will go smooth and the car will be running next month!!
This project has been alot of fun for 63rat and me. We have had alot of quality time in the garage since we got this car. Joe is learning his way around the tool box, and is learning to find the right tool for the job. I love it!!! We pressure washed the engine comparment sunday ( Joe's 17th birthday ) and started prepping the 302. Got the gasket kit ordered today, and hope to actually have the engine and trans in within 2 weeks. It'll take some time to figure out the throtle and shift linkage, but we'll get it. Last week, we saw The monster and his folks at a local weekly car show called Beaches, held at PIR in Portland. Was good to visit with them. great people!
In the truck shop we would spray the cast iron exhaust and turbo charger with graphite spray. It returns the old rusty iron back to grey metal and keeps it from rusting out again. If you want to keep those brake drums looking like cast iron and not paint them with high temp paint, try it. Graphite Spray Edit: oooops lol I just saw you painted the brakes. Well try it on somehting else like hte exhaust manifolds. People will wonder where you got the new pipes.
the car will get some attitude once it is sorted out and on the road, we promise!! That pic is sans motor and tranny!
Well, progress ihas been somewhat steady. Joe prepped and painted the engine bay, and we have been working on the motor, getting it ready to go back in. So far, we have cleaned and painted the block, flushed out the cooling passages and installed new brass soft plugs, put on a new timing set, and spent time cleaning parts. the gasket set just came in, so next is new main seals, pan and timing cover gaskets, intake swap, and valve cover gaskets. Been looking at the tranny linkage, but once it's in the car, we should be able to figure out something. Doesn't look like August, but hopefully Sept. to have it on the road.
We've got the engine pretty much ready to go back in, but we cannot find a new set of motor mounts. These seem to be different than anything else that we can find. any ideas would be appreciated.
They originally came with a 6" motor mount to the block. You can add an inch by making a new flat plate with the holes 7" apart. Or find a late '63/64 289 mount, but they are getting pretty rare. The lower half that goes to the perch is about as stout as it's gonna get with the stock piece, but Crites sells a conversion piece that should work. I see their website is down.
Thanks havi, our original mounts bolt up to the 302 ok, but they are just old and should be changed out. They look just like the ones that you pictured.
Well, we ended up using the old motor mounts, and today we set the engine and trans in. This morning, we had just got going, and Joe got called into work, so we dropped in the engine, and when he got off work, we slipped the trans in. Now he's off with his buddys!! Should have some time tomorrow to get a bit more done. At least the Meteor back in the garage, and waiting patiently for us.
Man the photo w/ the copper wheels sure looks good. I love the detail under the hood. This is going to be a sweet ride, and it wont be long either. Great work and Thanks for the great photo updates.