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1949 Mercury coupe

45K views 146 replies 26 participants last post by  D Pope 
#1 ·
I've been watching this forum for a while and just got approved today so this is my first post.Earlier this summer my daughter decided I should build a hot rod so that's what this thread is all about.
This old Merc coupe sat in the same spot in a pasture since 1962. I checked it out and there's several 30 cal bullet holes but no rust at all. I was impressed so I went and got it free for the taking. I knew of a 4 door Merc too so got it for parts. Gotta love that picker truck! Everybody should have one!
I wondered about that caved in roof so got in and put my shoulders against the low spot and pushed up hard. There was a pop and it mostly popped out. A few more pushes on the low spots and it was back to shape. You'd never do that with a newer one.
 

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#135 · (Edited)
0Those old Ford hardtops are almost as cool as a Merc LOL
Start a build thread and post some pics and kick some ideas around.
I think I'm getting the hang of this upholstery thing. The lighter springs made the upholstery easier to install. I can even remove a few springs when I stretch stuff then install them again to tighten the fabric up.
There's still a few wrinkles to work out but it still looks pretty good
I put it in place then started on the bottom .
 

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#137 · (Edited)
Did I ever mention that I hate doing upholstery?
Anyway I got the back seat covered but there's still a few wrinkles to work out later.
I'm glad I went with the red and white. It's quite striking.
Now the buckets. AGGHHHH-----
 

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#138 ·
I got the drivers bucket bottom half covered then had to do something other than upholstery.
I wanted the trunk compartment completely sealed off from the passengers compartment so I caulked all the cracks and used spray foam on the big gaps. I also filled the gap between the Merc package tray and the T-Bird tray with spray foam to stop if from vibrating with the stereo. Then I glued in a piece of automotive carpet underlay to quiet things down a bit.
Next I decided to fix the tranny hump. What I had started was quite crude so I Zip-disked it out of there and cut up an old water pressure tank that was the right size to do the job. When I get that done I'll have to trial fit the bucket to see what needs changing.
 

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#139 · (Edited)
I welded the pressure tank piece to the removable tranny hump then had to evacuate my house for a while. The tank must have used some kind of epoxy paint or the like because it really made me dizzy. I opened the house windows and went to town for a long coffee break.
Next I laid more underlay for soundproofing. The cat thinks she's got a new home.
The shifter handle had to be tweaked quite a bit but it's good now.
The wires are for the taillights and speakers. They had to be tunneled through the foam.
 

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#140 ·
The battery is going in the trunk on the drivers side so I bought 25 feet of 2-0 cable. The copper is a half inch diameter so that should overcome the distance factor.
The cables are going inside the console so I'll use some of that split wire loom for extra protection.
I have a Slug Buster tool from a farm auction so I used it to make some 1" diameter holes in the partition behind the back seat. It worked pretty slick too.
I got some solder on cable ends with the cable. I'll use a side post battery to make them work.
I also got some cable hondo clamps to use to ground the cable to the body and frame. They'll hold everything in place too.
It's going to take the full 25 feet of cable too.
 

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#143 ·
The tank wasn't galvanized, just funny paint. I've welded galvanize but I do that outside with a good wind to keep the fumes away from me. That thick stringy greenish smoke just doesn't look healthy!
Running a couple of battery cables is a simple job.
Right!!!
It took me most of two days to get it done. I ended up clamping the ground cable to the body in three places to keep it from getting into places it shouldn't be. My brother had a Fox Mustang with the battery in the trunk. His buddy had a fat chick in the back seat and they wore through the positive cable and caught the seat on fire. I don't want that happening to the Merc!
The ground cable goes through the floor then grounds to the frame and ends bolted to the tranny tailstock.
Next the console got bolted in permanently. I'm going to put a piece of stainless on the flat part that the stick goes through and cover the rest with vinyl and carpet below the chrome strip.
 

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#144 ·
I was in Swift Current (100 miles from home) the other day and spied the Merc on the top of the scrappies pile. I climbed the 25 feet of junk and took a few pieces off. The dash and grille are still good so I'll go back when it warms up and get them. You can't have too many teeth in a grille!!
I cut a piece of stainless for the top of the console and mounted the power seat switches in it. I had to put the seats back in and try it for fit. The bucket was too high so I fixed that.
The stick is at the machinists. He has to shorten it and rethread the end so the B+M shift handle will fit.
 

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#145 ·
It's really coming together, lots of great scrap in that yard. Is the yellow slick picker truck yours?

I'm over in southern Alberta, let me know if you come across a 57 F100 if you don't mind.

Thanks D


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#146 ·
When our rural municipality was done with that picker truck we got it for 150 bucks. It needed a set of heads but that was nothing. Handiest thing on the farm now
I had to get creative mounting the tach in the dash. The speedo surround piece lost all its mounting lugs so I fibreglassed it in place. I was on a roll so I hose clamped a tin can around the tach then propped it at the angle I wanted. I packed Bondo between the can and the dash to fasten it in place. Now I can loosen one of the hose clamps and slide the tach out of the dash if the need arises. Just a little body putty work to pretty it up and I can paint the dash red.
 

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#147 ·
It seems like forever since I last worked on the Merc. My daughter bought a fixer-upper house and I've been doing a lot of fixer-upping!
I got new side glass and windshield out of Oregon for a good price then decided to fix the doors. The front half of the coupe doors were destroyed so I cut the coupe and sedan doors off and will weld them together. Several holes in the inner panels are in the same place relative to the doors front edge so that'll really help lining things up. The body line is the same on both cars too. I'll get everything ready then take them to the local body shop and get them to MIG them together.
It looks better already!!
 

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