66 Mercury Build Thread

[Dirky]

I've started to get into this project! Pulled it out of storage last week and have begun disassembly.

The plan started off as a very mild 351 Windsor based cruiser, but has snowballed into a stroker big block street/strip truck.

I will post pictures as I go. Questions, comments, and suggestions are appreciated!

This is pretty much how I bought it. I took off the original Mercury steelies and hubcaps, to try on a set of 31x10.5-15 wheels & tires we had kicking around.

The truck has seen a lot of use. I bought it out of Alberta, and had it shipped back home. I was very blessed because a local overhead door company was running out to Alberta to deliver some product, and offered to pick it up for me for the cost of fuel!

 

[Dirky]

Came with a 300 and a 4 speed from the factory. The carb was full of crud and goo, so I rebuilt it and drove the truck around for a little while. Engine knocked and pulled about 10 P.S.I at idle when warm, but still had plenty of torque. I was really surprised actually... Combo is for sale. $95 for both. Not willing to ship, though..

 

[Evan's f250]

neat truck, Ive never seen a Merc pickup in person, just in pics.

 

[Dirky]

neat truck, Ive never seen a Merc pickup in person, just in pics.

Thanks! I guess anyone that would have wanted a Merc. in the U.S. would have had to import it.

 

[ezernut9mm]

i'll be watching this one. always wanted a merc, alas, i am in missouri and have ever only seen one in person and wasn't sure if it was real.
i would kill for a merc uni tailgate. lol
have fun with your build.

 

[Dirky]

i'll be watching this one. always wanted a merc, alas, i am in missouri and have ever only seen one in person and wasn't sure if it was real.
i would kill for a merc uni tailgate. lol
have fun with your build.

I know of 3-4 other local Merc slicks, and one Merc bump. They don't come out very often. Not sure if I've ever seen a uni, never the less a Merc!

 

[Dirky]

Truck stripped of all it's chrome, going away for the winter... More flashbacks.

Now we are up to date. I've got the interior disassembled and put away... Next step is the doors and then the front clip. Hoping for nice weather this weekend, been raining alllll week!

 

[polarbear]

very

 

[Sven7]

Wow, nice find! I've never seen a Merc.

However I do see a few troubling looking holes in the bodywork... do you know how bad that is underneath? Not ripping on it- just curious.

 

[Dirky]

very

Thanks

Wow, nice find! I've never seen a Merc.

However I do see a few troubling looking holes in the bodywork... do you know how bad that is underneath? Not ripping on it- just curious.

How dare you! Haha... The front fenders have rust issues, and have taken a lot of hits through the years. Floor pan is bad on the pass. side and both cab mounts have some rust as well. The cab corners will need some repair on the inside corners, and the bed floor needs to be patched up. That sounds like a lot! Oh, and one of the floor pan supports on the bottom side needs to be replaced. I am getting replacement floor pans, cab corners, cab mounts, and whatever else it needs through Dennis Carpenter.

It's not as bad as it sounds, really... For a Canadian truck, it is quite solid.

 

[Dirky]

I was ripped when I bought the truck. The pictures that I got of the truck before I bought it never actually showed the tailgate. The pictures showed the corner of the tailgate, but I never actually saw the letters "MERCURY". I asked for pictures, but was fooled by "email attachment issues". I should have never been so naive.

I happened to be driving through the industrial park, and found a rusted out 65 Merc. sitting out behind a noodle factory! I went to take a closer look, and found the tailgate sitting in the bed, under a lot of other trash. I called the company, and asked about the truck... Sure enough, it was all for sale and ended up with the gate for $50. Not great, but repairable.

The bad floor pan. Looks like moisture and crud gets caught between the cab mount and floor pan, and whalla!

Solid

Not bad, but will be replaced entirely

 

[Dirky]

Engine is a SCJ-A headed 521.. Cyl. heads and intake have been ported by Carl @ CarsbyCarl. Very good to deal with, and I would definitely recommend him. These heads will out perform the Kaase P-51 with the right combo. They flow 25 CFM more than the P-51 on the exhaust side but flow approx. 20 CFM less on the intake side.

Tanked and fluxed. I have yet to go through it for a deburring and oiling system mods... Waiting on a rotating assy. before I send it out for machining.

 

[DNFXDLI]

Looking forward to seeing this get built!

 

[Dirky]

Looking forward to seeing this get built!

Thanks! I haven't had much time to work on it lately... The new job has been wearing me out, so I pick on it here and there.

I stripped one door and adjusted the door gaps so that I could index them for reassembly.... What a pain that is!

 

[Austin]

Milk and intake; the best was to start any day!

 

[LEB Ben]

Dude that's awesome. I'm salivating over seeing the end product.

 

[Dirky]

Milk and intake; the best was to start any day!

Hahah, you know it!

Dude that's awesome. I'm salivating over seeing the end product.

Thanks Ben.

Truck isn't going to look originally as planned. I am going through everything, except the paint. Originally I was going to put nice paint on it, but man does it add up $$$$$... I am going to attempt to keep the farm truck look on the outside, but once you open the hood or look under the truck, you will know that this is something else. The expression on someones face when they check out the engine bay will be hilarious!

 

[Austin]

Sleeper!!!! I was dreaming up something like that. Run some electric cutouts right behind the headers, and when they're closed the exhaust runs through a stock style whisperer...

 

[Dirky]

Sleeper!!!! I was dreaming up something like that. Run some electric cutouts right behind the headers, and when they're closed the exhaust runs through a stock style whisperer...

It's going to be hard keeping this thing quiet! Using fenderwell exit headers, and running a Borla on either side before dumping @ the rear tires.

My plans to remove the front clip went down the drain today. Rain rain and more rain! Hopefully Monday (long weekend!!) is nice, I'll be at it all day then...

Some pictures of stuff that I went through over the winter months. Everything has been scrubbed and cleaned to perfection, and is ready for installation. Anything that has any kind of chrome or aluminum finish was polished as well. Gonna be one shiny farm truck. Even the molding clips were scrubbed. No dirt will be left behind! Not going to re-finish many painted pieces, that stuff just adds character.

 

[fatherdoug]

Are you including a thousand dollars for ziploc bags in the budget?

Looks like it is well organized.