Kev, keep it up! and thanks for posting the pics along the way... mom had a 56 two door and it holds a special place in my heart!

Mark

"God Bless Texas"location: Houston,TX

Kiss those dents goodbye!!! Thought I would show you guys some progress.









Loving my Y!

Kevin Walshe

Costa Mesa, California

Very nice Kevin! Now the question is-what color are you repainting it?Hint-these cars look great in two-tone.Very 1950"s.

  

Looks like a nice complete car to start with.

I don't know if there is a parts catalogue specific for the Mercury, but the car is based on the Ford of the time.

Dave Dare, simplyconnected@aol.com , used to be a member on this forum and had copies of the 49-59 Ford Parts Manual as PDF files with a link to download them. He is now an administrator with Square Birds and will give you details on how to download the files if you want them. They are an invaluable resource for finding where everything goes. There are pictures of everything.

I got the same files on CD from Daniel Jessup who is a member on this forum.

Either way that you get the manuals you will find them a great help.

A manual for the car is also a good idea. Detroit Iron have them on cd with everything that you will need in one place.

Oldcarmanualproject is another place to look.

Regards

Rick - West Australia
Do Y Blocks Downunder run upside down? Gravity Sucks!!

Mark - I am going to paint it the original "Biltmore Blue" on the bottom and the top is going to be the original "Alaska White". I have already got the paint, ordered it through tcpglobal.com I bought a gallon for the big part (bottom half) and a quart for the top since I am using white primer. It is acrylic lacquer so it will be some strong paint. I will probably clear coat over it so I can color sand and polish it while giving it some real depth.



Rick - I just bought the repair manual for my car, it was one of the best investments yet. I originally ordered the "supplemental" manual and it didn't have much info. I could definitely use a parts manual though.



More pics to come!!!

Kev



Loving my Y!

Kevin Walshe

Costa Mesa, California

Daniel Jessup is probably the easiest way to get a manual unless one of your mates already has it. I wouldn't mind sending you a copy, but it would be cheaper in the US. If you send simplyconnected@aol.com an email he will give you the links to download the files. They are pretty big though. About 300Mb.

Let me know if you want me to send.

Regards

Rick - West Australia
Do Y Blocks Downunder run upside down? Gravity Sucks!!

Kevin you might want to rethink putting clear coat over your lacquer paint, that is not normal procedure. Lacquer is unlike the modern paint systems in that is has a deep mello sheen rather than high gloss and because it is easy to apply and sand, the traditional method is to apply multiple coats then color sand to a perfectly smooth finish, then buff.



If you are set on clear coat be sure to do your homework on compatibility between the color and clear



Another no no on lacquer is to apply it too thick. It cracks over time.. color + clear may leave too thick a paint film.



One more thing.. Lacquer is a low solids product so it take 3 times as much to get the same amount of paint on the car.. Most full size cars will need around 3 gal of paint

Rick - I will shoot him an email.



The company I bought the paint from have a special clear that is compatible with the acrylic lacquer. May just stick with the paint, and not go the extra mile for clear. I am fortunate enough to have one of my dads friends fix the dents and spray it for me. He used to work on Rolls Royces and other high end cars way back in the day. I know that if the primer is too thick, the paint will chip easily as well. Thankfully, he is getting it smooth as butter and the only bondo is merely a skim over the hammer marks and the primer is nice and thin too so the paint will be nice and hard. I appreciate all the input as this is my first time ever doing this much work on one car. I will take all the pointers I can get!

Kev



Loving my Y!

Kevin Walshe

Costa Mesa, California

Looks like you have a good winter project to keep you busy! I love these old cars and can't figure out why people can't see the potential and satisfaction of fixing them up. If it's old, I like it. I guess you "get it" or you don't! I live in an area with a bunch of "non car" people. They see a car as a form of transportation only. They probably wouldn't know a carburetor from their rear end. Give me an old Merc over a new Toyota any day.

Unfortunately I haven't had much funds to keep the ball rolling on the car as much as I would like. It is still making progress though. I am saving for the window channels and window seals right now. Anyone know a good place to get a full kit? Stainless and everything. I would really like a "bolt in" kit. After that, I am gonna order the interior from a guy in Pennsylvania who specializes in the Mercs. I want it to look all stock and cherry. Just wanted to stay in touch with everyone.

Kevin



Loving my Y!

Kevin Walshe

Costa Mesa, California