O/t//Rusty 6 stirred up a Mercury story

[larry@stinescorner]

I would post this on tales,but wanted to make sure Rusty 6 caught it. His pictures of his Mercury always bring back a memory to me. My grandmother and stepgrandfather had one about the same year as his. I remember riding in it. It was a really sharp looking car.She had it for about ten years and really babied it..only drove it to church,and the store,kept it in the garage,had it serviced regularly at Mercury dealer in Somerville NJ.Then a good friend of my fathers,who was a mason ,bought it from her and my stepgrandfather. I worked for Bill,the mason who bought the car from her,when I was 16.He is the guy who first taught me how to do stonework.We were talking one day,,and mentioned that he had bought my grandmas sharp looking Mercury. He said,,,now,,let me tell you the whole story. Bill as a young man,,ordered a brand new sharp looking Mercury,He loved it. He started his own masonry buisness,things were going well. Then he did a fairly large job and didnt get paid for a lot of it,the guy stuck him.Times were hard for Bill.He was doing a job near my stepgrandfather and grandmother,Bill mentioned he was going to sell his Mercury . My stepgranfather,who liked Mercurys,bought it to surprise my grandma.Heres the best part.....ten years later,,my grandma said to my dad they were getting the Mercury serviced,when my stepgrandfather looked at the new models while they were waiting.He started thinking of a new model.My dad told Bill.Bill went to my grandmas house and bought his Mercury back,,ten years later,,in mint condition,,with low miles.So Bill got his new Sharp lookin Mercury back,,,ten years after he first bought it.Hope I typed this right,its a long confusing story about a sharp lookin Mercury Im pretty sure it was the same year car the Rust 6 has now.

 

[Russ from MN]

That's a good story, thanks!

 

[RBnWA]

could listen to story s of old all day long. that was great. RB

 

[rusty6]

(quoted from post at 06:40:16 12/23/16) I would post this on tales,but wanted to make sure Rusty 6 caught it. His pictures of his Mercury always bring back a memory to me.Im pretty sure it was the same year car the Rust 6 has now.

Great to read a story of another Mercury like mine. I guess you never forget the cars you grow up with. I've been around this 52 since I was 7 years old so thats pretty much forever. Its been neglected for nearly 40 years but I'm making up for it now. Niether of us are what we used to be but still able to get out and kick up a little dust now and then.

 

[Goose]

I had a '52 Merc from '57 to '59. I then traded it for a '57 and kept the '57 for eight years. That '57 is still my all time favorite car of all the ones I've owned. We hit 42 states together. And there's an interesting story with it.

It was a medium green metallic 4 door hardtop with a white top and anodized gold panels in the fins on the rear quarters. I'd owned it for about two years and had never seen another exactly like it. Then one evening I parked in the parking lot at the Staff NCO Club at MCAS Cherry Point, NC when a MSgt. yelled clear across the parking lot, "Man, am I glad to see you!"

Seems he had a carbon copy and he and is wife had also never seen another like it. Also, he worked evenings frequently and drove it to work. Me being a young single guy, I frequently paid my respects at the local bars. So, when this MSgt. was at work with his Merc, his wife would to shopping in their other car, see mine parked in front of a beer joint somewhere, and assume the worst. She wouldn't bother to look at the license plates. The poor guy was getting all sorts of grief and he was totally innocent.

 

[Dick2]

We had a Ford Model B truck that was in great condition; I think it was a 1934 model. One of the hired men over-revved that small V8 engine and put a rod through the side of the block. We started looking around for a "will fit" engine and discovered that an engine from a 1950 Mercury would fit right in to the truck. We had to move the radiator ahead about 2 inches, so we covered the gap with galvanized sheet metal.

The truck wasn't used much after that; it has a hoist under the grain box. It sits in the old machine shed now, although it would still run, brother has no use for it anymore. He's not one to sell things so I imagine that it will sit for a long time yet.

 

[rusty6]

(quoted from post at 07:49:33 12/23/16) I had a '52 Merc from '57 to '59. I then traded it for a '57 and kept the '57 for eight years. The poor guy was getting all sorts of grief and he was totally innocent.

Its amazing how much car styles changed in the 50s. The 57 was a whole different look from the 52 models. Nowadays they don't change very much over the years it seems to me. I guess there is a limit to how many styling changes they can do on a vehicle. We saw a few 57 Mercs around here but I don't recall another 52. There was one 54 I think. They used to claim it had the Thunderbird V8 but that would have to have been a transplant as the T bird did not show up til 55 and Mercs still had the flathead in 54.
Fords and Meteors were everywhere but not so the Mercs.

 

[01gentdc]

yes , you guys may have the coveted round ones ,, and goose may have the 1st classic in mho .., but guys,,, i hav,...e the ultimate Lincoln Mercury .imho ..lol,. I have owned owned a triple raven black 69 marquis convertible since 74 when iwas senior in hi school ,.. that fine lady had 68 thousand when I got her ,,. got rite at 350 now ,.in the summer it gets a wax job that reflects like a mirror!,.. we took the merc to niagra falls and got spray all over the Lincoln style button and tuft interior , also Virginia beach ,Norfolk naval base , ft rucker Alabama Daytona , alligator ally Sarasota , Pensacola , ft Walton , ne oleans , Houston , got pix of it sitting in front of the Alamo ,. amirilo , abelene ,Topeka , dallas , little rock kansacity , lookout mtn ,Chattanooga , knoxvile , Chicago ,racine wi . Milwaukee , st Louis ,hank thompsan could a sang a song about this car. that 429 luves to cruise at 70 mph,. I have buried the speedometer with plenty of pedal left .. I have got as high 19.3 with 7in the car round trip to opreyland ,..it had a 650 holley 4 barrel ,and it would run just as good and powerful with the holley than it does with edelbrock on it now

 

[rusty6]

(quoted from post at 08:05:45 12/23/16) We had a Ford Model B truck that was in great condition; I think it was a 1934 model. One of the hired men over-revved that small V8 engine and put a rod through the side of the block. We started looking around for a "will fit" engine and discovered that an engine from a 1950 Mercury would fit right in to the truck. We had to move the radiator ahead about 2 inches, so we covered the gap with galvanized sheet metal.

The truck wasn't used much after that; it has a hoist under the grain box. It sits in the old machine shed now, although it would still run, brother has no use for it anymore. He's not one to sell things so I imagine that it will sit for a long time yet.

Those Mercury engines are still quite in demand by anyone fixing up an old Ford. Hard to find one that does not have a cracked block but even then the crankshaft would still be good and that is one part in demand too. The later ones like my 52 were the last best flatheads. Lincolns had the big heavy 8EQ flathead but it was more for trucks and the big Lincolns. Pretty heavy for a Ford or Merc.

 

[Old weldor]

I thought you might like this one. I belong to the early ford V8 club. This is a club members 53 merc.

 

[oldsarge]

I'm pretty sure Ford/Merc went OHV in '54

 

[rusty6]

(quoted from post at 09:58:25 12/23/16) I'm pretty sure Ford/Merc went OHV in '54

In the U.S. but not in Canada. The OHV "y blocks" first showed up here in the 55s according to my info.

 

[rusty6]

(quoted from post at 09:39:28 12/23/16) I thought you might like this one. I belong to the early ford V8 club. This is a club members 53 merc.

That is a beautiful 53. Sure don't see many 52 models other than mine.

 

[rusty6]

(quoted from post at 08:15:36 12/23/16) yes , you guys may have the coveted round ones ,, and goose may have the 1st classic in mho .., but guys,,, i hav,...e the ultimate Lincoln Mercury .imho ..lol,. I have owned owned a triple raven black 69 marquis convertible since 74 when iwas senior in hi school ,w

Great to hear you are enjoying that 69 convertible Marquis. I remember when they were new but we never saw convertibles here. Until this summer when I spotted what must have been a 69 or 70 parked in the lot by the grocery store.

 

[sms]

My 5 year older brother and I look almost like twins. He was married and I was single and playing the field. If I was out with a girl in his neck of the woods we would get some pretty nasty looks from his neighbors.

 

[merlynr]

(quoted from post at 09:39:28 12/23/16) I thought you might like this one. I belong to the early ford V8 club. This is a club members 53 merc.

My friend had a 53 Merc that was light green and we both worked part time in an auto body shop. We decided to paint his Mercury Carousel red and while at it we shaved that emblem off the hood and took those two big bullets off the bumper and added extra teeth between the existing ones. He bought the paint and we prepped it. Asked the boss to spray it and it looked like a million bucks after he was finished. We asked the boss what we owed him and his reply was "get that thing outta here"

 

[Benj R]

Here is a 1953 Monarch for sale in the Saskatoon area not running but complete. Their
asking price is 400.

 

[Benj R]

Beautiful car.

 

[rusty6]

(quoted from post at 15:12:13 12/23/16) Here is a 1953 Monarch for sale in the Saskatoon area not running but complete. Their
asking price is 400.

I saw that one a while back and am surprised it is still for sale at that price. Pretty reasonable but it would cost me that much or more to get it hauled home. Still...