All,

I've been lurking out here since last fall when I acquired my "rustified '49 Mercury" pickup and I want to say thank you to all of you who participate on this forum. If I'm any indication, your support, guidance and humor is appreciated by more than just the regulars here. Though I have been working feverishly to turn rust into lemonade (did I get that right?) the last several months I have hit a crossroads which calls for some expert guidance.

In a nutshell here's the deal:

11/17/08: Overpaid for for a "running" truck which had been previously "restored" needing just "brakes" and a "tune up" to make it concourse ready. Stop me if you've heard this before...anyway smiles from the kids and wife assured me this was the best way to spend our life savings. How could it not be on the road by Christmas?

06/10/09: 10K invested to bring it to driving condition including complete brake overhaul, new front/rear springs/bushings/hangars/perches, all new wiring/dash gauges, new starter, new wheels/tires, new exhaust system/manifolds, rebuilt steering box, new kingpins, new (used) front axle, new steering components and much, much more. I've also single-handidly created a whole new Ebay market for F1 parts and kept UPS/FedEx from needing a federal bailout. I am the economic stimulus plan.

Though I have been through this before on a '56 F100 years ago, I've never had the pleasure of so many neat surprises. My weekends of "rest and relaxation" during these difficult times have turned up the following "minor" issues:

• Frame rot hidden behind the rear spring perches
• Hairline cracks in front of the forward spring hangars on both sides and on passenger cab "wing"
• Nicely painted potential salt damage where the crossmembers rivet together
• Lots of "non-original" air inlets in the cab floor mainly under the supports
• Really crummy fiberglass fenders
• Rotted bed cleverly disguised with 40 gallons of bondo (wondered why those bedsides were so thick!)
• Car motor (flathead 8) with incorrect flywheel/clutch attached
• 1942-47 model 4 speed crashbox tranny with $100 broken reverse latch
• That no F1 parts have been allowed within a 500 mile radius of Central Florida in at least 50 years
• That now you can get absolutely anything brand new for a '53-'56 but not for a '49

My 8 year old son teared up at the prospect of getting rid of it since we've worked so hard, but I'm not sure how viable this project is and I'm just concerned we are getting in too deep. Is it time to cut losses and find a better truck for my new stuff? Is saving a Mercury from certain death worth the effort of forging ahead and welding myself into oblivion? Is there a decent set of steel fenders left anywhere in America? Should I buy a Honda Accord and take up stamp collecting?

Sorry for the essay, but any thoughts would be welcome! Thanks.

Ryan

 

Ryan,

Sounds like you've hit the wall. Happens to everyone, solution a few of your favorite beverages and some time away from the truck. Mercurys are cool though and if you're not too set on a 'pure' restoration have you considered a Ford parts truck? Maybe a frame swap from a solid southern Ford F1.

Good luck, hang in there. I hear its always darkest before the dawn but I'm usually sleeping then.

 

So you have spent the money, right. What’s gone (for the most part) is gone, ...........but what you have is an almost completed project.

If you sell you will only recover part of your investment. (a small part).

Who makes the rule that it has to be done at a certain time, ………….you do, ........so change the rule. We really are our own worst enemy. (Just ask me?)

I think you are probably overwhelmed at this time (like most of us), just put it on hold for a while, take a break, have some patience, keep looking and you will find the parts you need.

 

Take a break. This is a horrible time to sell anything, not just market wise but when you're tired with a project. You have a lot behind this, and if you sell it now you won't get what you've put into it nor will still be happy about doing it in a couple months. it should be fun, if its not fun its time for a break. I usually have several projects going at once for that reason. Frustration = bad decisions

Going concour is a lot harder than going to the darkside (we have cookies, lol), but seeing a concour truck is something completely different, its a piece of history.

However there are other things to consider, do you still have your '56? If not how do you feel about not having it still? Personally I get very attached to projects, even if I wish I had gone a different way or something, I would always regret selling/trading/loosing it. I built it, it's mine. Thats a much different feel than just buying something finished.

Best of luck in your choice, be sure to take some time with it and really think it over on the back burner if you're thinking about selling it.

 

Perfection doesn't happen over night. Take a mental break, and come back when you're ready. Not many can claim owning a Mercury pickup? And it is NOT a seller's market right now. Just hang in there.

I've collected 2 trucks that were more or less rusted bare shells to make 1 good one, and I'm still sitting on a bare frame....about 5 years now. It'll probably be another 5 years before I even get it roadworthy. I will have spent more than $10,000 by then without any chance to drive it. But, it's the journey of a 1000 miles that starts with one step.

 

double post, But I'll say it again....Hang in there!

 

I have to agree with all above, I too have hit a wall where the things I need to do right now is above my knowledge, and money is tight. (I haven't spent a penny on my truck since November.) But sell it? No I still regret selling a 65 convertable corvair I done several years ago. As said above you sound like you almost have it done. If you sell it now you will never get what you have in it and will regret it down the road. So it takes you a little longer, so what? I didn't put a deadline on finishing my truck. I just told my sons that if I die before its done one of them better finish it for me!

 

Hang in there & dont sell that truck.
Take a brake (you really need to do this once in a while)
not to many people own a mercury pick up.if you sell it
you will be kicking yourself later.you have put so much
into this truck & you wont get that much out of it.
Like all the guys said itis a bad time to sell.Things will get better.

 

Hi Ryan, as a fellow '49 Mercury truck owner all I can say is to pull back from your Merc and sit on it a bit. Sounds like things are not real good but a few items would get you back on track. If your frame is that bad.. then you might have to find one. The Merc frame is the same as a Ford frame and some one on here might be able to help.
The rotten bed?? Same here. I'm going to have to get a repro or find a good used one.
Have you got all the Merc trim? The front fender lights and fender stainless ? The Merc grill ? the Merc name and head for the front ? the names and stainless for the side of the hood, the silver/grey plastic interior stuff ? Hubcaps ? Probably more I haven't thought of.
What are fiberglass ? Front or rear fenders ? And just curious as to where you got your Merc if you don't mind telling.
Greg M-47

 

Well Ryan, like these guys said...hang in there. I have a 48 F-1 that is going to be coming apart very soon. The frame seems solid, I can verify the condition. You can have it, but you'll have to come get it or take care of getting it transported. I can't help with the bed, as this one has rust in the front of the floor where it sat with a lot of water for a long time. My front fenders aren't that great, but they are fixable steel. I want a one piece fiberglass nose for this 48. The cab floor repair panels are available. Concoursparts.com has them. They are in Carson City, NV. Sacramento Vintage has them too, I believe. The 48 I have is a central Oregon lifer from what I've been told. If all your parts can still be removed and tranferred over to a new donor, then it's time to back track and fix it. Take a break, think about the goal, and then get rejuvinated to get back at her.

 

Hi Ryan, more words of encouragement.. Forgot to ask what your Merc was. M-47? M-68? I can possibly help with M-68 front fenders.Got a set out in the garage that I'm not going to need. I was going to trade or sell them for something I need. I got the whole front clip off a Western Canada truck years ago.
They have some rust in the usual places but very fixable. If I can be of any help just let me know.
Greg M-47

 

Thanks for the encouragement!~

1956 F100 was lost to a fire after complete restoration back in 1995. We're trying a "do-over" with hopefully better results this time.

Coucourse is out of the question on this. I bought it from a guy in Miami who bought it from a guy who "restored" it and then blew up the motor. I actually agreed to buy it because I thought the chassis was in unusually good shape and so did he! Paint covers a lot of sins. The only Mercury parts still there are the hood emblems, grill and tailgate. Everything else is long gone. The front and rear fenders are fiberglass.

I'm no where near finished but all the investment so far could be transferred to a better truck or at least over to another frame. I'm trying to decide if keeping the original Merc #matching frame is meaningful and worth fixing.

WMJOE1953-yes I'm interested. I'll try to do the PM thing if it will let me.

GREG - M47 mine is also a M47 1/2 ton. Is the M68 the "F2"?

Steel fenders would definitely make me feel like I'm getting somewhere. The only ones I've found so far the guy wants $2200 plus shipping for all 4. I just can't quite see doing that.

 

Well, I'm in Oregon. I'll go check out the 48 a bit better this weekend, and take pictures of as much of the frame as possible. Like I said, You can have the frame if you want it, and if you think you can work with the fenders, I don't want $2200 for them. In fact, like I said, I want a one piece nose for it, so ethey are going to the way side, along with the entire front end sheet metal. Their not perfect, but they are very fixable with a little bit of time. I'll go to where it's stored this weekend and bring you back some pictures. We can work something out later, because it's a project I'm not starting on for while. I'm still in the finding things to get me in line with my plans for it stage.

 

Well I guess the M-68 fenders aren't much help to you Ryan. The M-68 is the 3/4 ton so the opening for the front tire is larger than for the halfton. You can get fiberglass front Mercury fenders from a guy in Owen Sound Ontario and they are very good. The steel 1/2 ton Mercury fenders are very tough to find.
If I was any good with this computer I'd show you the stuff you need for your Merc to be complete but I'm not good with this thing and have no pictures to send you via the computer. I could snail mail some info maybe.
I've collected sales brochures and parts for years. I've been involved with the Canadian Mercury Truck Registry for years after myself and a guy in British Columbia started collecting info on Merc trucks.
Let me know if I can be of any help, Greg M-47

 

Greg - M47- Thanks for the offer. I am noticing that 3/4 ton stuff is fairly easy to find. I guess the demand isn't too high. I "accidentally" bought a set of rear fenders which are narrower, presumably for the long bed 3/4 ton. They are pretty nice if you or anyone else out there knows anyone who could use them.

I think I'm late to the game on a '49 and most of the good stuff is gone. When I did my last truck you could still find decent parts locally in the junk yards. After seeing all the reproduction stuff for the '56's now, I thought the earlier series might be next but all the vendors are saying no so far on doing fenders and such.

I know I need hubcaps, a radio block off plate and the chrome trim around the fenders. I'm not sure what else was different other than the location of the parking lights. I'd love to see some photos of other Mercurys.