Car Talk

rusty6 · Apr 10, 2015

Been about 35 years since this old 52 Mercury cruised down my driveway under it's own power for it's last ride. Today it moved under it's own power again. Too wet to do any farming so I took it out for a test drive. The old flathead has a few carburetor issues , not too surprising for sitting that long. But it starts and runs not bad. The Mercomatic goes through the gears. All in all, better than I expected.

ShadetreeRet · Apr 10, 2015

Well, ain't that cool! Sheet metal looks straight, that car has possibilities. Nothing like the satisfaction of bringing an old machine back to life after sitting for years, is there?

rusty6 · Apr 10, 2015

(quoted from post at 22:42:05 04/09/15) Well, ain't that cool! Sheet metal looks straight, that car has possibilities. Nothing like the satisfaction of bringing an old machine back to life after sitting for years, is there?

This one especially as it is the car my dad bought in 1959 and I can remember riding in it as a little kid.

rusty6 · Apr 10, 2015

Some driving video from today.
52 Mercury

jeffcat · Apr 10, 2015

Whoa it has a RADIO!!

Bruce from Can. · Apr 10, 2015

Thanks for the ride. The old Merc looked a little drighter in this video than it did the day you pulled it from the bush. Here in Ontario ,there wouldn't have been enough left of that old car to hook the chain on to,she would have rusted clean away. How far are you going to bring this car back? Bruce

showcrop · Apr 10, 2015

I have recently discovered the "Power of Mig" I am working on an old car and it feels good to not be concerned about the rust. Just cut it out with the angle grinder, cut out a replacement piece, and butt weld it in with the MIG. I remeber when my uncle had a Merc of that vintage. It was probably not Auto though. It looks like we are a lot wetter down here, rain falling with the ground still snow covered.

johnlobb · Apr 10, 2015

We had a '53 Mercury that looked just about like that. My mom said the color was "wine". They were always having to replace the "points". When I was a kid I wondered what the "points" were and why they failed so often. No one bothered to explain.

Goose · Apr 10, 2015

I had one that was identical, only it was light blue with a dark blue top. It was one of my favorite cars.

flembo · Apr 10, 2015

We had a 53 merc. station wagon with the wood panels on the side when I was growing up. My dad traded it for a 62 merc. wagon, the 62 was no where near as nice as the 53.

rusty6 · Apr 10, 2015

(quoted from post at 02:51:55 04/10/15) Thanks for the ride. The old Merc looked a little drighter in this video than it did the day you pulled it from the bush. Here in Ontario ,there wouldn't have been enough left of that old car to hook the chain on to,she would have rusted clean away. How far are you going to bring this car back? Bruce

Not sure how far I am going with this car Bruce. The rockers and floors have major rust through.
Showcrop I would love to mig weld new floors and rockers into this car but do not have the skill. I could borrow my brother's mig and there are new panels available to buy. For now I have just cut some galvanized sheet metal and screwed it down to cover the holes. Crude I know but it will do for now.

ericlb · Apr 10, 2015

looks good to me, i just bought a 1951 ford coupe from a lifelong friend, his dad bought the car new, it runs fine, but was parked in a shed back in 1972, and sat in there until last year the roof of the shed leaked, so i am in the process of painting the car, only minor surface rust and 1 quarter sized hole in the floor, kids broke the drivers window at some point and water got in, easy fix though

gwstang · Apr 10, 2015

That is very cool!!!!

rusty6 · Apr 10, 2015

(quoted from post at 05:35:13 04/10/15) We had a '53 Mercury that looked just about like that. My mom said the color was "wine". They were always having to replace the "points". When I was a kid I wondered what the "points" were and why they failed so often. No one bothered to explain.

Yes, it makes a guy feel old when you realize there are a whole lot of people out there who have never heard of points or carburetors.
The colour of this Merc is "fanfare maroon". Looked it up in case I ever want to restore it to factory original appearance.

jeffcat · Apr 10, 2015

Hey -We awl goin to the BIG city! Step on it PAW! Fun video!

GordoSD · Apr 10, 2015

I had three cars in the 50's with Flathead V8 engines. Do a little trouble shooting removing one plug wire at a time, until you find the TWO that are not firing. Good luck. Thanks for the memories. Was that a GoPro on a stick?

rusty6 · Apr 10, 2015

I'm not sure if there is an ignition miss or if it is the carburetion issues. It smooths out momentarily when I spray a shot of penetrating oil in the right venturi so that suggests carburetor problems.
Yes, I use a 7 foot "selfie stick" to get a different point of view for my videos. Springy piece of electrical conduit pipe. I am surprised it looks so steady as there is a big of springing movement when driving.

rusty6 · Apr 10, 2015

(quoted from post at 08:55:26 04/10/15) Hey -We awl goin to the BIG city! Step on it PAW! Fun video!

Jeffcat, your comment reminded me of a time as a kid when we really did go to the big city. My dad never drove in the city so my Uncle who was a trucker did the driving that day. He would drop the old Mercomatic down into low at every green light to keep up with traffic. We thought we had never seen such performance from the old Merc. It normally starts off in second gear if you just put it in drive and the acceleration is leisurely to say the least. "Lo" give you a first gear start off and then you manually shift up to Drive.

ShadetreeRet · Apr 10, 2015

Watching the video, the extent of rust was more apparent, nothing that can't be fixed, though. The windshield visor add a unique look to it. Not many of those visors left. I have always thought the 52, 53, and 54 Fords and Mercurys were some of the sharpest body styles ever! I owned two 54 and one 53 Ford over the years plus a 52 and 53 that I never did manage to get on the road.

ObsoElitist · Apr 10, 2015

(quoted from post at 00:16:31 04/10/15) Whoa it has a RADIO!!

Nice. My 52 Ford F3 with Marmon Herrington 4wd has a heater and a radio too. Most of those went to utility companies and had neither.

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