1978 Mercury Marquis Colony Park

351 V8 engine. Looks good - let's see more pics, please!!!!

http://nmi.craigslist.org/cto/4454574414.html

 

Yep, really like what I see in those few pics though.

mike

 

Cool color! Looking good.

 

I would wonder if a 351 would have enough 'oomph' for one of these big and heavy monsters....... I'd be a bit concerned, especially if I was going to tow something.

 

Very nice, wish it was closer.

 

I think the 351 would be fine. The 351W did fine in the Econoline full size vans. Plenty of torque for towing and easily modded for power if you wanted to burn some rubber.

mike

 

Another loaded Colony Park. Looks like leather, plus it does have tilt, delay wipers, air, power seat, for sure power windows, and likely power locks. This would be a fantastic wagon to have in the driveway. Just add a good dual exhaust and change the intake to an Edelbrock Performer with 4 bbl carb, and this will have sufficient get up and go to handle almost anything short of towing a large trailer. I'd certainly love to own it.

 

I spoke with the owner and he sent me a few additional photos. Any opinions?

 

Any thoughts on a good offer?

 

It's good to have the additional photos showing some of the rust spots. My concern would be about the rust you can't see. At a minimum, I'd want a thorough look underneath, at the frame rails. I would probably pass on this car as a collector car, just on the possibility that the rust could be extensive.

 

Colony Park

Would love to set sail in that land yacht.

 

I saw a late '70s Ford wagon comparison flyer. The Econoline/Club Wagon was actually lighter than the full sized wagons. It was roughly the weight of a Gran Torino wagon.

With impending CAFE regulations and a focus on fuel mileage, all the American manufacturers made some questionable choices in standard engines. The Fairmont wagon originally came with a 2300 four cylinder, and Consumer Reports actually advised people not to buy one with this motor and an automatic transmission.

Likewise, I think the smogged up 351 in stock form would be light on torque for a '78 CP, which was a pretty heavy car (near 5000 lbs without options). Remember, from '71 through '77 the base motor for the CP was the 400. The '78 may have shed a few pounds through some lighter components, but nothing really significant. I doubt driving this beast with a stock 351 would be a very pleasant experience. Some mods would definitely be in order, here.


All that aside, this looks like an exceptionally nice car. Is that color dark chamois metallic? Very unusual (and attractive in the light) for a CP. Looks like a reasonable price, too.

 

I like it, too.

 

Price down to just $4000. Looks like a killer deal now!

http://nmi.craigslist.org/cto/4531363869.html

 

Really surprised it has not sold at this price.

http://nmi.craigslist.org/cto/4531363869.html