Lets see what you got or have done.I have one i need to get started on. Need some inspiration.Or any one building rolling chassis or components to put that merc on the rockers.
http://www.ericksonskustoms.com/html/mercury_frame.php check out this one. they also make a bunch of parts to put them on your own frame.
stock frame stock front with fatman dropped uprights, c notch in the back and bags. i think it sat about 1/2" to 3/4" off the ground. with a little tweaking in the front a merc will touch the ground.
This just happens to be the shop I've worked in for the last 4 years...my boss Rick is the one to go to for a top notch '49-'51 Merc frame. We have been building custom front suspensions that utilize tubular A Arms, 11 inch discs, camaro ball joints, airbags, and trans am power steering- all without clipping the frame. That way your stock sheetmetal and bumper bolts right back on. We are located in Wildomar, CA...give Rick a call for more info- (951)852-3593
G'day Feder.... Jag Series 3 front crossmember replacing front end Triangulated 4 link rear (bagged)....(with a 2/3 'C' notch on rear) Note: lower trailing arms need another mounting bracket so that the pivot bolt is in double sheer, have since added. stretch the hump for the tailshaft a bit... Cheers, Drewfus
Mercury Charlie is building full chassis' for '49-51 Mercs. Give him a ring and let him talk your ear off! www.mercurycharlie.com
wow $19,000.00 for a frame?you can get a whole car for that.think i'll stick with a gm donor front end.
I think you need to decide how deep you want to go into your car, and what you want to do with it. I bought a '51 Merc that has a later model frame under it, most likely a Caprice or Bonneville, and I can tell from looking at it, and looking at Kevin's posts about putting a 90's Towncar frame under his that's it's a lotta lotta work. I think if it was me I'd look hard at doing just the front subframe.
<meta http-equiv="CONTENT-TYPE" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><title></title><meta name="GENERATOR" content="OpenOffice.org 2.2 (Win32)"><meta name="AUTHOR" content="Mercury Charlie"><meta name="CREATED" content="20081206;11441882"><meta name="CHANGEDBY" content="Mercury Charlie"><meta name="CHANGED" content="20081206;12450810"><style type="text/css"> <!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> </style> Here is your 49-51 Mercury frame solution. This particular frame has been developed after years of modifying Mercury frames. After trying different front clips, C-ed, Zed, boxing them, and modifying them in countless other ways, I still was only achieving OK results. Realizing that the only part of the original frame that was saved was the center section, I developed this complete frame design you see in the attached photos. This blueprinted frame design boast the following benefits; All new metal (1/8” square) is used in every frame Removable X-member Easy Exhaust and Tranny removal State of the art Air Ride Technology's suspension components utilizing their Shock Wave technology. The frame will accept both air ride or coil overs, both are bolt in installation The car is able to be dropped over 2 inches lower to the ground compared to modifying a stock frame Allows for wider tires in the rear. (10” of rubber ON THE GROUND fits comfortably) Only name brand parts are used in the construction of this frame, Heits, Air Ride, John's Rear End All welds ground smooth for a show car appearance Comparable cost to heavily modifying your stock frame, with better ride quality, appearance and structural integrity. Utilizing this frame design insures greater handling capabilities, shorter stopping distance, all while enhancing the visual appeal of your vehicle. Base price for this frame is $17,000. This includes the frame, front and rear suspension with your choice of gear ratios in the rear end. The fallowing upgrades are available at additional cost. Stainless Steel front A Arms $390.00 Stainless Steel 4 Link bars $134.00 Power Steering rack $150.00 Disk Brake rear end kit $450.00 Upgrade from 1/8” to 1/4” wall thickness $1000.00 (for high horsepower or convertible applications) Consider all the chassis options that have been used in the past. If you were to use a donor frame and floor, which is a tremendous amount of work, it still only yields a salvage yard look and fit. Another option has been to clip the front and C notch the stock frame, which is a lot of work and cost, only really saving the stock center section of the frame while retaining factory transmission and exhaust accessibility shortcomings and lacking all the benefits of my frame while your rockers still sit 2 inches off the ground. If all the cost and time are factored into the different options to achieve your goal, my frame offers by far the most quality for your dollar. You will not regret how your car performs and looks riding on a Mercury Charlie Frame. Also, my complete floor kit which replaces all the metal from the top of your fire wall to the rear taillight area will be available in early early February 2009. Please feel free to contact me with any additional questions. Sincerely, Mercury Charlie 512-331-6500 <meta http-equiv="CONTENT-TYPE" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><title></title><meta name="GENERATOR" content="OpenOffice.org 2.2 (Win32)"><meta name="AUTHOR" content="Mercury Charlie"><meta name="CREATED" content="20081206;11441882"><meta name="CHANGEDBY" content="Mercury Charlie"><meta name="CHANGED" content="20081206;12450810"><style type="text/css"> <!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> </style> <meta http-equiv="CONTENT-TYPE" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><title></title><meta name="GENERATOR" content="OpenOffice.org 2.2 (Win32)"><meta name="AUTHOR" content="Mercury Charlie"><meta name="CREATED" content="20081206;11441882"><meta name="CHANGEDBY" content="Mercury Charlie"><meta name="CHANGED" content="20081206;12450810"><style type="text/css"> <!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> </style> <meta http-equiv="CONTENT-TYPE" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><title></title><meta name="GENERATOR" content="OpenOffice.org 2.2 (Win32)"><meta name="AUTHOR" content="Mercury Charlie"><meta name="CREATED" content="20081206;11441882"><meta name="CHANGEDBY" content="Mercury Charlie"><meta name="CHANGED" content="20081206;12450810"><style type="text/css"> <!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> </style> <meta http-equiv="CONTENT-TYPE" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><title></title><meta name="GENERATOR" content="OpenOffice.org 2.2 (Win32)"><meta name="AUTHOR" content="Mercury Charlie"><meta name="CREATED" content="20081206;11441882"><meta name="CHANGEDBY" content="Mercury Charlie"><meta name="CHANGED" content="20081206;12450810"><style type="text/css"> <!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> </style> <meta http-equiv="CONTENT-TYPE" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><title></title><meta name="GENERATOR" content="OpenOffice.org 2.2 (Win32)"><meta name="AUTHOR" content="Mercury Charlie"><meta name="CREATED" content="20081206;11441882"><meta name="CHANGEDBY" content="Mercury Charlie"><meta name="CHANGED" content="20081206;13003790"><style type="text/css"> <!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> </style>
Everyonen will sell you a frame for a Merc but truth be told you can go a long way with either the $60 bracket to adapt ps and throw a power booster at it or clip it. Dropping $20k for a frame is nuts.
Geez, yeah! That's stupid money. How about someone trading me out of my nice original "western desert" Mercury frame/chassis?
my right and your right might very well be different. i'll still have more $ saved to spend on other parts.i could finish my whole car with $17,000.00 flame away here,but has anyone done a s10 swap with a merc?i was going to use a gm but the front steer interferes with the radiator.i don't want a second mortgage for my car.i would think that most peoples pockets aren't that deep plus the way the economy is those that have the $$$ will probably be holding it. i know 2 local custom shops that are struggling since the down turn.this is after all a luxury.
Hey There are a million ways to go about putting different suspension under a car. Whatever is right for you is the way for you to go. Have Fun Respectfully Wil www.sakowskimotors.com www.ridefree.com
Back years ago I read in HRM (IIRC) about using a mid 80s Olds 98 frame under a Merc. I don't recall anymore about it , just remember reading it with interest since I once owned a '51 coupe. I'm making a guess that you would do the job in somewhat the same way we used to build Chevelles, Chevy IIs, and Camaros for dirt oval racing, only with a bit more finesse and care on body alignment due to needing doors that opened and shut, etc! We cut the frames to the wheelbase length for the Chevy IIs and Camaros, but the Chevelle was the same wheelbase as the tri 5. We cut the tri5 floor pan out of the body all the way out against the rockers, door posts, etc. and left it bolted to the frame, set the body on a started trimming floor pans till you got things aligned and in a weldable configuration. Then you took the torch and went to welding. Nobody had a mig welder then, but having one would make for a much faster job. Then you had to fabricate mounts for the front sheet metal, etc. Dave
They are still doing some Mercs like that. There is a HAMB'er that is doing one in a similar way but with a Lincoln towncar chassis. Same basic mating of the modern floorboard to the old body as you described. Mercury Charlie's frame is not something I would see myself buying. Now if I won the lottery that would be a different story. Then I would be building a Merc that I would show, tilted up with a full length mirror underneath. So if I am going to paint that frame candy red or just chrome the entire frame, I would certainly appreciate all the welds being ground,etc.
My Merc has a 80's GM frame under it, was told Bonneville but am not sure. Sure looks like a lot of work, I'd rather change the frame then do what the build did to do all that work.
I would take a look at a 80's up Ford Crown Vic for a frame and donor parts. It's late model pieces and it has a full frame . The pre 89 ones have a 351Windsor. OB
I grafted a 1992 ZR1 Corvette C4 IFS/frame clip onto my Merc and fabricated the rear frame section to accomodate the C4 IRS as well. It worked out well except for the fact that the engine has to sit back a good ways to clear the rack and pinion...seems a shame to have to mod the firewall for engine clearance when the engine bay on these cars is so big to start with.
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