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Projects The un-dork-ifying of a Merc

Discussion in 'Traditional Customs' started by drdave, Mar 7, 2012.

  1. 53Hattie
    Joined: Mar 11, 2010
    Posts: 374

    53Hattie
    Member

    You're doin' a really right job of turnin' the old girl around, all absolutely positive changes so far!! Should be a very sweet traditional ride when you've finished, ...already lookin' very nice!

    Per AtwaterMike's comment regarding the "trident kickstands" [as he calls'em], I'm with you on liking lakes pipes, but do kinda feel they'd be more tasteful with a single plug at the same length as the existing rear one, ...just a thought.
     
  2. love the changes so far;keep it up!
     
  3. desotot
    Joined: Jan 29, 2008
    Posts: 2,036

    desotot
    Member

    Nice! You're going to be cruising with a really big grin.
     
  4. arkiehotrods
    Joined: Mar 9, 2006
    Posts: 6,803

    arkiehotrods
    Member

    If y'all are talking road trip, I'm in! Finally got the flathead repaired and back on the road. It runs great!
     
  5. Grumpyj
    Joined: Aug 15, 2011
    Posts: 14

    Grumpyj
    Member
    from Neenah, WI

    That's great Duncan. I'm happy to hear that. If I had that car, I'd be pretending I was Junior Johnson all the time haulin' jugs of.........."water". That is one neat ride.
     
    arkiehotrods likes this.
  6. The dash looks killer.
     
  7. Grumpyj
    Joined: Aug 15, 2011
    Posts: 14

    Grumpyj
    Member
    from Neenah, WI

    The dash looks killer. Hey Dave, another of your nick names!!!! Remember Killer's Magnet???
     
  8. GaryB
    Joined: Dec 19, 2008
    Posts: 3,529

    GaryB
    Member
    from Reno,nv

    nice facelift on the merc
     
  9. TonyVan
    Joined: Oct 15, 2008
    Posts: 120

    TonyVan
    Member
    from Vancouver

    I love these update - or should that be backdate? - stories.
    And this is shaping up great.
     
  10. keep it going man. I love my mercury and never even got to drive it ( yet). I know I will tear up when that day comes. Hell I will tear up when I get to sit in the seat of it. Keep us posted and best of luck
     
  11. RDR
    Joined: May 30, 2009
    Posts: 1,480

    RDR
    Member

    shaping up real nice....me likeee...
    keep up the good work doc
     
  12. OahuEli
    Joined: Dec 27, 2008
    Posts: 5,243

    OahuEli
    Member
    from Hawaii

    I'm glad you finally caught the more serious issues with your Merc. Unfortunately sometimes the bad stuff is hard to see, especially when overshadowed by the thrill of getting something you always wanted. I'm guilty of that myself. In any event, judging by your badass orthodontics office I'd say the car is in good hands. Subscribed.
    On a side note, I got a laugh when I saw you were in Conway. I spent a weekend in the jail there in Jan. 1977, courtesy of Mother Nature. Got snowed in by a major blizzard while passing thru on Navy leave and the sheriff let me stay for a couple of days. Still have the letter on the Searcy County jail letterhead explaining to my commanding officer why I was late getting back to the ship. :D
     
    Outback likes this.
  13. Bigcheese327
    Joined: Sep 16, 2001
    Posts: 6,694

    Bigcheese327
    Member

    Nice to see a mauled Mercury coming back from the dead!

    -Dave
     
  14. LOW LID DUDE
    Joined: Aug 16, 2007
    Posts: 1,223

    LOW LID DUDE
    Member
    from Colorado

    WOW nice Merc ! Looks like you are coming along great with the rebirth. You arn't afraid to dive in an head first and rebuild it the way it should be. Man I like your new dash. Now it is going to be YOUR car not just a car you bought. I like what your doing! Congratulations.
     
  15. I'm digging that dash too. It's too bad I live so far away, I'd love to check the car out.

    I replaced my hood too, mine had rust repair all on the front edge and it was bubbling and cracking.

    I don't know really anything about old cars, are these cars 6 volt and if so are you keeping it that way/
     
  16. LOL...just recently put the plate from that car on the caddy desk...it matched and I have not had much luck finding a California plate with a '59 tag still on it.
     

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    brEad likes this.
  17. Now that's funny right there! How was the food? LOL



    It had already been redone as 12 volt when I got it, but it had a modern set of gauges in the smoothed off dash. The stock Merc gauges I got with the new dash were still all 6 volt, of course. Classic Instruments made an all new gauge cluster with modern guts and made a new face plate for the dash that looks stock but has the modern ranges to them (the temp reads higher, etc). Not inexpensive, but will be all new and work right. I've already put 3k miles on it in the two years I drove it and plan on driving it pretty much daily when I get it back together (soon?), so I didn't want to hassle with gauges sometimes working and sometimes not and the readings not being accurate, etc. I figured I had jumped in this far, it was worth the investment to go all the way. All told, when it is all back together I will still be in less than 25k even with the cost of the new wiring, gauge set, steering column, brakes and other odds and ends I have put on since getting it....inlcuding some extra chrome goodies ChromePlaterJosh has right now just for fun. :)

    Thanks for all the encouragement and kind words folks, I appreciate it. In the grand scheme of things, by the time it is all back together I will have invested a fair amount and not changed the look drastically, but it will all be dependable, safe and work right...apparently something it has never really been since it was built in '95. The good news is that the exterior cosmetic things like the headlights, fixing the hood (and axing the portholes) and putting the chrome back around the windows won't cost a ton other than the hassle of tearing up the paint and requiring an overall scuff and reshoot...which will take care of the ghost flames and general wear and tear in the process. :)
     
  18. Are you thinking bodywork this year or next?
     
  19. I'll probably hold off on bodywork for a while John. I get this back on the road, I have a few other car projects I would like to get done to get a couple of other cars back together. My 64 Pontiac convertible was rear ended about 15 years ago (and had been broadsided 4 years before that with a poor repair). I have an entire pass rear 1/4 section to replace all the messed up stuff, but have been unable to get anyone to step up and put it on for me "right." So, that will leave me to cut it all apart at the factory seams and put it back together as it should be. That's probably my next big project after the Merc is back on the road.

    After that, I have my dad's 69 Mustang and it is in need of paint baaaaaad, which really means it needs completely disassembled, stripped, repainted and reassembled. Surely that is a "quick" project and should "only" take me, what...4 or 5 years at the speed I am going? LOL I'll probably not be able to stand myself and cut into the Merc doing headlights and hood and stuff in the meantime. I just hate to jump into that knowing it that will put it in primer and not be all one color for a while. I may do a bit of it and scuff over the flames so I can paint over them the first time I mess with it...that way I can just blend sections as I go and keep it from looking too "project-ey" and then block the whole thing back down and reshoot the whole car at the end.
     
  20. Grumpyj
    Joined: Aug 15, 2011
    Posts: 14

    Grumpyj
    Member
    from Neenah, WI

    Soooooo, what are you gonna do in your "spare" time?? Seriously, that '64 could be another whole thread, starting with work you did in the 80's already until present time. I never did ask and, and you know my limited knowledge of custom anything, but what are your plans for the hood? Just remove and fill the holes, and smooth it out, or is there something else up your sleeve, besides a hairy old arm?? Is the hood savable, or is it all sprung out of shape and needing to be replaced?
     
  21. Hey since you're un-dork-ifying the car anyways, I'll give you $20 for the steering wheel??

    :) :) :)
     
  22. Mike, I'm not sure if the hood is savable or not, really, It appears pretty sprung in the back and sides, but I ended up with a replacement rear hood brace a while back (that juuuusssst happened to be chromed! ;) ) that I intended to use as a guide to work it all back out. I have since ended up with a reasonably solid and straight hood and given my ability to warp metal nicely when welding, I figure it will just be easier to replace the hood rather than straighten it and weld the port holes closed. I will have to round the front hood corners of the replacement hood, however, but that's not big deal. This way I can use the straight hood as a guide to line back up the sprung fenders. I'll also replace the inner fenders since they are bent...and hacked.

    mr57, the steering wheel went with the column to a happy new owner at the swap meet last year...sorry. LOL
     
  23. I bought a donor hood from a guy about 2 hours away, and also had my buddy Paul who painted the car to weld in another extra brace so that the hood would have a lot less flex in it. Between that and having Max aka 51gringo rebuild my hood hinges, it's tight like a new car.

    you should go ahead and fit the buick side trim, and mist in some other paint... cuz it'd look cool.

    thx again for the parts Dave.
     
    Outback likes this.
  24. 1964countrysedan
    Joined: Apr 14, 2011
    Posts: 1,131

    1964countrysedan
    Member
    from Texas

    GREAT JOB!
    but...


    I like the old wiring! It looks like it would be easy to work on (EVERY DAY).
    [​IMG]
     
  25. couvy
    Joined: Aug 21, 2011
    Posts: 35

    couvy
    Member

    Dr. Dave: Loved your Merc when I first saw you in Branson a few years ago. I was taking pictures of the show and we spoke for a while. Also saw you in 2010 again in Branson. Hope your rebuild goes GREAT. Richard
     
  26. Grumpyj
    Joined: Aug 15, 2011
    Posts: 14

    Grumpyj
    Member
    from Neenah, WI

    We still gotta work out the delivery charges on the hood brace don't we? I had to stop in Illinois to get it. It costs extra getting a Wisconsin guy to stop in Bear country!! Get busy, May is right around the corner!!
     
  27. LOL, I forget you brought that down with you...so you already knew I had it. In the words of the great Rosanna Anna Danna, "Nevermind." LOL Teri will flip one day when she sees how that ratty stock seat you brought along also turns out. ;)

    Hey Richard! How are you! Didn't see you at Branson last fall....of course it rained cats and dogs the whole weekend, so it was pretty much a bust. I drove all the way up there just to see the Dream Truck in person since Kurt said he was bringing it. Fortunately, the rain stopped long enough that I could go out to see it and take some pics. Kinda cool, though, seeing a historical car like that tough enough to sit in the rain. ;)
     
  28. Grumpyj
    Joined: Aug 15, 2011
    Posts: 14

    Grumpyj
    Member
    from Neenah, WI

    Yeah, when she saw that seat, I had a tough time explaining why we had to drag it 1000 miles. She's a great sport though. I wanna get to sit on it (the seat) when it's done. Kind of a "full circle" thingy.
     
  29. shoebox1950
    Joined: Jul 17, 2008
    Posts: 1,216

    shoebox1950
    Member
    from California

    Am I the only one who can't see any pics? :(
     
  30. I see them all...they are linked directly off my profile so they are on the HAMB server. You should be able to see them so long as you are logged in....you paid your monthly dues, didn't you? :D
     

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