Projects School Me, Please: '63 Mercury Meteor 2 Dr.

I'm a lurker, mainly, with a paltry 54 posts under my belt, which is a disclaimer of sorts (please don't beat me up TOO bad). My other disclaimer: I am a Buick girl tried and true, knee deep in my '54 Roadmaster build. However, I've stumbled across this '63 Meteor, and I really, really love it. It doesn't look glorious dangling from a tow truck in the picture, but...imagination is everything.

Can someone give me a run down of how hard some of this will be? It's missing all of the trim, which I know will be difficult, a taillight, a passenger seat...and...

The owner claims its a 292 V8/Toploader...which is two different shades of wrong.

I know the front suspension can rearrange your fingers without the correct press, but otherwise, it's mostly Fairlane underpinnings, yes?

I've H.A.M.B searched and google searched, and it appears the '63 is rare, and before I pull out the checkbook, I would like to see if I'm parking another car in the yard that will just end up a lawn ornament.

Feedback is so appreciated...I've learned so much from this forum and my Buick definitely thanks everyone, hopefully...the Meteor can benefit as well.

 

Like you mentioned most of it is just Fairlane. Meteor trim may be hard to track down but sometimes your surprised at what you can find. Isn't the chase for parts some of the "fun".
Those with v8's came with either a 221 or 260 for that year. They did come with 4sp. but you would have to look at it to see if it's a toploader or a t10. I would try to find out what engine it has in it 1st. Lots of variables. 5 or 6 bolt bell housing, generator or alternator if it's a 221/260. I doubt it's a 292. If it's a 221/260 the distributor will be in the front, 292 in the rear. 221/260's are a bit anemic on power. If your lucky maybe the PO upgraded it to a 289.
Still a bitchin' car. Add it to your Roadmaster & you'll have a couple sweet rides.

 

That trim is going to brake the bank if you can find it since its all gone maybe think about filling the holes car looks good with and without it I myself love the trim on cars but if you don't have it it might not be worth the cost, you might get lucky at a big junk yard that has old cars still , but over all cool car , and good luck

 

Checked it out last night in person, is an s33 260 car with most of the trim hiding in the trunk. Questionable body work but very complete, so I bought it. His asking price was super low so I couldn't pass her up. Thanks for the feedback. If anyone knows NOS parts resources, care to share the secret?

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Tail light lenses are hard to find where I am. I've seen what look like "home made" re-pops on evilbay for $100 each from time to time. Neat cars though.

 

That scares me. Need taillight lenses...

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Do you want to end up like the rest of us, finish the Buick.

 

Ha, I'm already like the rest of you. The Buick will get done...I just have a few conundrums to sort out and I'm waiting for my new grille and bumper to make it via mail. Six months to roadworthy.

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Try most of the Ford catalogues,Macs,Autokrafters,Dearborn Classics.Most,if not all suspension is same as 63-65 Fairlane,same engines as most 63-65 midsize Ford products.Get your Buick done,then worry about the Meteor!!! ROY.

 

Got it. Buick is priority one. I try to explain that to my boyfriend often enough...

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s33? Score! My friend had a Meteor waaaaaaaaaay back in '77 or so. It was missing a tail light lens, he adapted flat trailer lenses that came out pretty decent. Does it have bucket seats?

 

Yes buckets and that full console...manual trans with a 4 speed knob but I've not gotten it on stands yet to see if thats legit or if its a 3 plus OD. Hoping someone along the line swapped a toploader. There is a weird amount of contradictory info out there, I can't find literature that says a 4 speed existed in this model. Just a 3 speed. I read accounts of 260/4 speed but the literature doesn't back that up. Maybe it was a late 63 addition?

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The 63 Fairlane had an optional T10 4spd (from memory), which should apply to the Meteor as they are the same platform built side by side on the same line. A 3 speed or OD would have originally been a column mounter shifter so the steering column would be a quick and dirty way of telling if a T10 was orginal to the car or not. All (or most) Fords from that era with a 4 speed had a reverse lockout on the factory shifter handle.

 

Yep, a rare Mercury; about 4800 S-33s were built in '63. First year a four speed was available in this platform, always installed behind the 260. The T-10 was the only offering, the toploader didn't appear until '64 and was rare even then as Ford had difficulty supplying toploaders so those went to the FE powered cars that would break a T-10. The Meteor is basically a reskinned Fairlane, so it shares mechanical/glass/most interior parts with the Fairlane.

There's no help for exterior trim, you'll need the S-33 bits to restore, but a fair amount of the small interior parts were also used on '64-65 Comets and early Mustangs.

 

Oh damn, I was thinking floor shift, but tbat makes much more sense. It wasn't a column shift car, and warranty plate reads s33, so looks like it was indeed the v8 4 speed car originally, which excites me. Thanks for the T10 info, this was definitely a hole in my Ford trans knowledge.

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What does the warranty plate have for trans & axle?

 

5 and 5...

All of the information for Meteor that I have stops at 3. However...5 and 5 exist for Galaxie. I assume they mean 4 speed, 3.50:1 like the Galaxie...?

 

Pedals and column tell the tale. 3 pedals and no shifter on the column, it must have been a four on the floor.

A 302 and 5 speed would be cool.

 

Yep, 4-speed with 3.50 rear gears....

 

I'll take it . Pretty pleased it turned out to be this configuration...

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The April 2014 Issue of Hemmings Classic Car has a blurb on the "Marvelous Mid-Size Meteor" on page 72 you may be interested in.

 

That's incredibly specific...why yes...I WOULD be interested. Any and all write ups actually. I have so much fun when I find 54 Buick articles and literature, I'm happy to be able to expand the search.

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Greetings! Had one of those for a short period of time, sold it on ebay to someone in Tennessee who added it to his collection, the car was pictured in several tech articles he wrote for a Ford/Mercury collector newsletter (website) and by now is probably parted out. Yes, the basic body shell is based off of the same year Fairlane but the front suspension is, well, unique (read utterly bizarre). You will be hard pressed to find replacement suspension parts, my recommendation being to replace it with a MustangII.

 

It's the April 2014 (current) issue, not 2004 as I fat fingered

 

YIKES! NO!! Damn I hate to hear of the parting out. I like the "utterly bizarre" description, that's what I've gathered from looking at mounting points (WHAT!!??)

Thankfully the glass is good, the trim is there, and the interior is complete (just shot). The Mustang II is a good rec, I'm a purist though mostly and it's kind of a last resort.

I'll be combing Pomona often enough and have a host of Ford fans in the circle of knuckleheads, so hopefully...we'll be able to figure it out.

 

Do you know the website?

 

Nevermind, me. Hemmings. I was thinking you were referencing your friend's stuff specifically, but if it's Hemmings...I know where to find that.

 

The Meteor suspension isn't that weird, but does have a few unique parts (it's seems Mercury always managed to sneak a few oddball non-ford bits in back then, which makes doing a Merc a bit more interesting...). The lower control arms/bushings are the problem child, but some creative thinking with some urethane bushings will fix that. The early Fairlane/Meteor suspension is different from everything else they built, with the main issue being it's a PITA to align because of the design.

 

There used to be a forum site called CrazyforMercurys.com (it appears to be defunct now, probably due to lack of activity), that was all '62-'63 Meteors. Not much else out there currently.

 

Also, check out www.rdrop.com, has just about all the info you'll find on Meteors.