1967 Mercury Commuter Wagon...

Thanks, the car sounds great, but not on the road yet. Once the weather breaks, I can dig back in on the body work. I'll post more when there is more to talk about...

 

Right! Michigan. The snowbelt. Forgot.

 

Well, the body work continues. Doors, fender, quarters, etc. Rather than retype everything here, check out the link to my blog and see pics of some of the work, and the respray of my dash area (while still installed in the car), too!

 

Wow Paul! What a nice blog! Do they supply the tools to code all the HTML?

Fine attention to detail, Paul. Well done!

 

"Code", what's that? Nah, this is a WYSIWYG editor. You set up the template, add your art, define the styles and post content. All menu-based, and the editor is much like what we use in this forum to post. It's free to use, and relatively easy to learn for the novice.

Honestly, I set it up for myself as a digital scrapbook of my work and I could explain what I was doing and share it with a few family members and friends. After a while I realized others were checking out, stumbling across it, and they were interested in some of the work I was doing, so I tried to make sure I included info on the materials or tools I was using with my non-compensated opinions.

I do a lot of research online before I buy something new, or try to take on a different type of repair. Often times you can't find decent documentation, or information on hazards to avoid. So, I decided to post the good, bad and ugly of my efforts so another novice, like me, could gauge if they wanted to take on a project and what was really involved.

A perfect example of this will be when I finally do a writeup on the selection and installation of my hoist. Lots of things to consider, and I have a lot of information about actually installing it.

Anyhow, thanks for the accolades. Hopefully others will consider doing blogs of their own. I know it has helped me stay connected with my project, even through the slow times of the project, and its always a blast to go back through the old posts.

 

You bet! Research Online is what I use it for too.

On Ford engines, a lot of guys don't know that Fel-Pro head gaskets are thicker than Victor Rentz gaskets. They get the heads milled, ported, etc. to improve CR and lose some with the FP brand.

Can't get them in Canada, so I got them from RockAuto, cheaper, delivered, than the Felpros.

Can't buy steel head shims either, anymore, as part of the gasket kits. But you can at these places:

http://www.innomach.com/shims.htm

http://www.silver-seal.com/c=gYJl4j...op.engine_parts.cylinderheadspacershims.ford/

And why would you use them???
To prevent head gasket failure
http://www.aa1car.com/library/ic697.htm



So you pay for the blog service?

 

Nope, the blog service is free. I get some administrative controls so I can weed out the posts from people promoting their websites or businesses (surprising how many you see like that) or the ones who are just promoting their own blogs and have re-marketing deals. I looked at the re-marketing when I set mine up, but decided I didn't want people to have to deal with ads.

 

Just a quick update. Metal work is finished. Working on wrapping up the body and stripped the paint off the (seemingly endless) roof. One step loser to paint...

 

sound like your on the down hill run Pvan and what the colour have chosen it all takes a while

 

Thanks, still plenty left to be done, but it does feel like I am headed downhill (finally!)

As for color, I will almost certainly return to stock, or an available color very similar to it. It was a factory medium bright aqua green metallic two-tone with a white roof and white interior.

Personally, I like to stay with era-correct colors, if not stock. Even when customizing, I prefer to keep a stock type of look when possible. The bucket seats I have are from a '68 Galaxie, and the upholstery is patterned after '66 Fairlane GT upholstery. The center console and floor shifter are from a '67 Monterey, and when I did the engine, I tried to minimize the "bling" and used a modified early 60's air cleaner assembly.

Probably the two biggest "modernization" additions to the engine compartment that will stand out are the addition of a serpentine belt setup on the 429, and the Jacobs Ignition. I couldn't fine a good place to hide the ignition, and I really liked the look of the serpentine setup.

 

In 1967, the bucket seats in the T-Birds, Galaxies and the full-size Mercurys were a one-year-only style. My Commuter is '67, and when I made the decision to add buckets, I went looking for a set of original Mercury seats, console and buckets with no success.

I eventually came across the '68 Galaxie seats I have now, and they have been been redone and are ready for installation. Shortly following completion of the seats, I found console, shifter, shift hump, and bucket seats from a '67 Galaxie and couldn't pass them up.


For nearly two years now, I have pondered whether to redo these seats, or just use the Other set that are already complete. Tonight I have made the decision to move forward with the '67 buckets. What I really like about these are the steel back panel with the curve as opposed to the flat back panel of the '68s. It looks so much more finished. And the steel skirting along the bottom of the seat adds to that.

Attached is a picture of one I took to send to the upholsterer to have new covers made. It's one step backwards, but a giant leap forward for my enjoyment of my wagon. I will try to get some pics of the seats along the way, but will include more details on my blog.

 

it all takes time , colour choice sounds great and 67 buckets will complement your Longroof perfectly in my opinion from Downunder

 

I think I want buckets in my wagon! I still have to get both original country squire benches re upholstered someday. Currently I have the lower level country sedan or ranch seats from a 68 in my wagon. I would rather go the route you took!

 

I really tried to enjoy the bench seat in my wagon.

Gave up, installed buckets and a console.

Column shifts are no fun.

 

I don't have a spare floor shifter, but I do have a '67 console, a good shift hump, and it looks like a set of freshly refurbished '68 Galaxie buckets in white that I will be selling...