I have a 56 mercury montclair I got my hands on. I can not get it to go past 15 mph or so. When i put the pedal to the floor it shakes a lot and just wont go. Ive given it a tune up, plugs, wires, cap and rotor. Ive also cleaned the carb. I'm wondering if it can be a transmission problem. In which case I feel like I'm screwed because its an original merc-o-matic.

If the engine is under extreme load when it can't go over 15, the sprag in the stator in the torque converter is either seized or what they call "flipped over".  I believe that converter is a bolt-together type and can easily be serviced.

John - "The Hoosier Hurricane"

Will:

I had another thought.  Before you pull the transmission, maybe check to see if varmints have built nests in the mufflers.  You may have to unhook the pipes at the manifolds to see if it will rev without the exhaust system.  Has it been sitting for a period of time?

John - "The Hoosier Hurricane"

I was told its been in LA most of its life. Only moved the past 30 years for street sweeping. There are lots of bugs and crap underneath

Have you checked the distributor to make sure its not seized and the advance is not working at all?Is the fuel line open and clean so gas can flow from the tank?If the cars been sitting that long it could be a number of things.Don't get discouraged-start looking at the simple things first.Fuel and ignition.Did you drain the tank of old fuel-be careful.If not, its very likely there is water in the gas.Water won't burn.Have you had the pan off the transmission to be sure the filter is not plugged and no fluid can flow?You will get lots of input from the members on this site.Don't be afraid to ask questions!

  

You got a pic of it? I love '55 & '56 Montclairs ...


Doing Fords for 45 years. '56 Customline Victoria

E.J. in Havana FL

If the problem exists when the car is in park or neutral:

There is the possiblility of a worn out timing chain. It is easiest to check by removing the distributor cap and observe how far you have to rotate the engine to get the distributor to rotate.

Put a ratchet on the damper bolt and rotate the engine counter-clockwise until the rotor moves. Note the position of the ratchet and turn it clockwise until the rotor moves. 1/16 turn is still good, if it takes more than 1/8 turn the chain is shot and has probably jumped.

http://ford-y-block.com 

20 miles east of San Diego, 20 miles north of Mexico

Thanks for all your good advise. Im 22 and this is my first major project so I'm definitely new to the age of this car. I found something else today. I did a compression test and all cylinders were ok except for number 4. It was 0. I popped of the valve cover and found the push rod for the exhaust had fallen into the head. I fished it out with a magnet and theres nothing really wrong with the rod itself.. its just in there. Could this be causing any of my problems?

Running on 7 cyls! push on valve to check its not stuck, squirt a little oil or lubricant on valve stem, just to help valve run up and down easily, refit push rod etc, set clearance about .018" and  crank engine bit at a time to check valve moves ok and restart. theres plenty more to do but perhaps you could find friend with more expeirence to help check things as you go. best regards bill.

  AussieBill            YYYY    Forever Y Block     YYYY

 Down Under, Australia