1963 Mercury Meteor S33 factory 4 speed car. 80,000 mi, great black interior, but really rusty. Fix it or part it?
That's got to a pretty rare car at this point. I'd don't recall seeing too many of them back in the day, esp. a 4-speed. It looks very complete, so by all means, I'd vote for a resto. If you're on the young side, it'll just mean time (which you have) and relatively little money.
Remember the odo only goes to 100,000 miles, it may have 180,000. This car shares a lot of common Fairlane ans Mustang parts that are available. If you don't restore the car, offer it whole to someone who will.
The way that interior looks I really think the milage is more like 80K than 180 K, it really looks nice. Usually there are tell tale signs like rips and worn places but from what I can see in that picture it looks great. Tough call on saving it though. It is a hardtop and a four speed car, which is really in it's favor. Question is, does this car have enough value when done to justify a lot of repair work underneath ? Maybe it would be better to find a nice body and transfer everything over. Don
A quick google search shows 4,865 S-33 hardtops were produced, I doubt there were many 4 spd's. I have never seen one before. I have owned four 62-63 Meteors, never had a S-22 or S-33, mine were Customs, they were good cars but not that popular and could be bought cheap. I would call this one a fairly rare car that no one cares about. If it was mine I would try to restore it.
Looks like a complete tear down on the body. Too much for me. I had a 65 Falcon Sprint Convertible in about the same condition. I ended up selling it to someone who could fix.
If you have the knowledge & tools to fix a body in that shape, fix it. Fixing rust is very inexpensive if you can make most of your own panels. DON'T PAY SOMEONE TO DO IT. Shop rates will make that project cost WAY more than it'll be worth. Figure $50-$75 an hour for 150+ hours(conservative estimate) which won't include body & paint. You get the picture. Honestly, I'd swap the body. Good Luck. -r
I first picked it up to make a race car out of it, but the more I thought about it I started thinking it would be wrong to cut up a car so complete. With the hard to come by 4 speed and black interior one might get onto somewhat of a morale obligation. I've always felt like I have to save them all. I think a lot of you know what I mean. The real problem with this is coming up the large amount of time and money it will take to complete the project and what the car is worth after the smoke clears. I, like most of you, love these old cars, but its always tough to know where to draw the line.
Yeah, it's a car that will never be worth a lot of money, on the other hand you won't see 3 or 4 everywhere you go. Tough choice.
Well, it's only metal and that's very fixable and they ain't building them anymore so FIX IT. That's a very rare Merc..
If you can do the work yourself, and there will be a lot of it, FIX IT. If you have to pay to have it done, not so sure. Check out my post " my 59 edsel wagon build" and see what im doing on rust repair. Your car looks fixable to me, but im brave, or a little crazy!!!
That thing does look pretty beat to hell but if you do decide to part it let me know because my buddy could possibly use some parts
How many 1960s cars made it to 180K? That car is a keeper. The rust looks like rocker panels & sheetmetal. How's the frame?
LOL! If the S-33 has a 260 v8 it may have the Dagenham [from UK] 4spd also used behind 6cyl engines..If the 4spd bolts to the bellhousing from the inside it is the Dag, if the bolts are external its an BW T10...If a 289 v8 it will have external bolts as no 289's made with the Dag trans./.
You really need to fix it and I have a '63 Meteor 2 door hardtop that would be a great parts car for you (or a solid base for your parts), it's a lot less rusty than yours. I've got a of pic in my 'cars for sale' album. PM me if interested.
Your votes have all been tallied up, and the "fix it" party has won. I will have to tell you, it didn't take much convincing. I really liked this car and couldn't lay off buying it. Now it's time to roll up my sleeves and get to work. I will post some pics when it's finished.
We want pictures, and story, of the whole build process!! start ya a build thread and I will be a loyal follower. OK, get started and I will waiting patiently for the 1st pictures.
I vote fix, too. Once you part it out or cut it up, it's gone, they aren't making any more. If you can't fix it find someone who can and sell it to them. Too many guys make the mistake of letting their skill level blind them to the fixability or value of a car.
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