when I was a young boy my dad bought one of these and it was black with blue interior and it had the 383 engine and it was my job to vacuum and wash and polish it EVERY WEEKEND so it was nice for Sunday when we would get to go visiting after church and it was a luxurious car back then for the time this brought back good and fond memories of my father and mother who has went on to heaven and I thank you immensely for that and wished I had the money to buy it or one like it I'm 62 and would love to own it no matter what shape it is in just for the memories-thank you and may god bess-steve
What I like the most about your project is that you took your time to change oil and other issues in need of being adressed to ! Many 'salvagers' don't give a shit about oil, - as soon as they hear just the remotest sign of life they floor it to astronomic revs....
As someone who has workied on these in my teens, the one thing you really need to remember is that theses old FoMoCo products use F type trans fluid. You really need to drain that dexron, change the filter, and refill with F type. Otherwise you will be learning the very intricate art of rebuilding a 60 year old trans! LOL Also, I've never heard the starter gear called a "barrel". We always knew them as "Bendix Gears". Love your videos though. Ones like this take me back to my 56 Chevy ragtop. Should have kept that car! LOL. Keep up the good work!
years ago we were told if you have a tranny with f fluid in it and it is very old, then leave alone if you are not having any problems. i changed the original fluid in a 64 mercury in 1980 and the new f fluid cleaned all the built up shelac out and i had to wait until the car warmed up before i had access to 3rd gear. i went crosscountry twice and it ran like that for 20 more years until i sold it-no 3rd gear until it warmed up and everything expanded for it to properly work.
I would love to have a car like that for a daily driver. I have a 1964 Fairlane 4 door which I bought for $1500, then proceeded to put over $5000 into. Everything had to be replaced/rebuilt, other than the engine, which does burn a little oil. I did everything myself except the Ford-O-Matic 2 speed automatic transmission, which cost me $1000 to have rebuilt. The seals were dried out inside and it wouldn't shift. I put new tires and wheels on it (STOCK size, not GHETTO) completely new brakes, suspension, steering, ne wheel bearings front and rear, new U-joints, new fuel sender unit, it was leaking and not working, I switched it from a generator to an alternator, I had to replace the left front floor pan (only rust on the car) fuel pump, carburetor, radiator, thermostat, water pump, trunk lock, ignition switch, and several other small things. It runs good now, but all the weatherstripping is still rotted and leaks like crazy when it rains. I recovered the seats in marine grade vinyl, and ripped out all the carpet, and did the floor in truck bed liner to waterproof it. Also it has no headliner, and worst of all here in AZ, no A/C. That would cost me about $2500 more. So $6500 into the car, countless hundreds of hours in labor, and there are still problems, but nothing that affects the way it runs. There is a lot more that goes into a project like this that what it may appear at first, even if you don't plan to cosmetically restore it. I wanted that beat up old car look. But it is still a bottomless pit of work and money. But I love it. It is so easy to work on, is pre emissions, has no emissions crap on it, and is so old that AZ seatbelt laws do not apply to it. I call it my freedom car. Best of luck with yours.
My Dad had a 1959 Mercury Monterey like this in blue with white hardtop boy the memory's this brings back .......He got rid of it in 1980 what a sweet car........
So enjoying this one, Thanks. What a great old car. You have done some strange old cars but this one is My absolute fave of them all quite possibly. 10/10.
Ben..like the honest way you approach fixing these cars..admitting your foibles..and mistakes..and how you corrected them is is the way to go..cause..we all have been there..and done much worse..keep up the good work....
Hey bud I enjoy watching you bring these oldies back to life , you have a passion for it . That starter that said 11/5 , it was probably used , salvage yards use yellow markers to mark the date they sold it for there 30 day or whenever guarantee …I've been doing this for 30+ years and I would like to give some free advice if no ones mentioned this yet . I know you've had to notice that on these cars that have been sitting forever that your constantly having starter issues and problems . It is expected , they're always mounted in the lowest part of the vehicle and receive the worst that mother nature can throw at it unless the thing was garage kept . 1. Once the starter has shown you a sign of life spray wd40/PbBlaster, some kind of rust dissolver/lubricant on any exposed area of the starter gear/spring . shaft area .2. Every time you try to start these vehicles or turn the engines over make sure you have consistent 12.5 volts IF NOT MORE...As soon as the starter isn't spinning at full speed anymore consider yourself the one causing the failure . I'm sure you noticed how your positive cable gets warm/hot when you stay cranking on it well think about those copper windings that covered in corrosion from all these years of sitting , while your making that starter struggle to crank the engine the insides of that starter of quickly burning themselves out... The starter still today is the component of your vehicle that demands the highest Amps Draw . A modern starter on a V8 till this day demands serious amps , Imagine what a rusty old primitive 1950s starter that hasn't spun a engine over in 40 years needs to turn it over . NEVER KEEP TRYING TO START AN OLD CAR WITH A DYING BATTERY...Keep at least 80% full power when cranking , guarantee you'll be replacing less starters...Keep up the good work...
Some Ford starter applications had the starter on the left side of the engine... That is the cone you had on the new starter. It was maybe a tractor starter.... the motor part, there all the same in that era. The axle is non posi. Engine sounds great! Glad you fixed the vacuum leak. Love that 59 Mercury! So far it's my favorite of all the cars you have fixed up. I also like the way you open your gallon jug of trans fluid... what a great idea. I doing that from now on!
My first cR was a '59 Merc. Loved that car, wish I still had it, was nice to see the instrumentation near the end of the video. It had a tick under the hood that turned out to be an exhaust manifold leak. Had gaskets replaced, but a few weeks later it was back. That was 1966. Knowing what I do now after 47 years working in dealerships, it probably had warped manifolds, probably some broken studs, too
Engine sounds good. It was always interesting replacing starters for me . Especially when the auto store got me the wrong one and after trying to get it in for hours noticed it was not the right one well i got back to the auto store and they closed the door on me. You should have seen the guys face when I faked chucking the starter through their door. But glad you figured it out. That torque converter will always have transmission fluid in it. Very rarely that the plug on the torque converter leaks that much. Oh and the one side drive reverse is correct it was not posi traction on that car Thanks for sharing
It lives! look at all that underhood room...what a joy it would be to work on that! esp with dogs and chickens checking out the progress. doubt that the Merc has posi...pretty unusual option for back then...but the Lincolns had it as an option, so probably the Mercs did too. If it did have posi, with the wheels in the air, there's no torque against the posi clutches anyway, so would be hard to tell...my guess is that the brakes on the right wheel are holding it from rotating and all the torque is going to the left wheel.
took some fixing to resolve but as ever you were not going to be beaten. Result with starter in place runs well looking forward to the next instalment.
Hey, I need to get a starter for my dads 58 EDSEL, it surely looks exactly the same as your new one!!✌️. The reason your old one has white marknings 6 V is because that particular starter is off of a truck or car that had a 6 volt battery system in it which means yes, it will work on a 12 volt system, but not for long, that's why you noticed/smelled an electrical burn out inside the starter. In the mid 50s the big three started converting 6 volt systems to 12 volts then in the early 60s they started getn rid of GENERATORS AND started installing ALTERNATORS WHICH are alot better. Oh I jus love that MERCURY!!!💓❤️💓❤️ AWESOME!!!! 💪👌✌️👍
Good job, starters are hard to replace and the wiring is tricky to! The learning curve is hard knock old school but for sure when the car starts and runs you have success and can go on !
My 59 Ford with the 352 FE engine has a 9 inch open differential "one legger" with 3.10 gears. Posi-traction was a pretty rare option back then. The starter you took out was marked 6V, probably from a 55 or older with 6 volts. 12 volts probably fried it. NAPA and AutoZone still carry old Ford brake parts. From AutoZone I got all 4 wheel cylinders, shoes, master cylinder and 2 wheel bearings for $105.
Ben your alright. I feel for you working in the cold. I know how it feels. Rebuilt my Willis Jeep motor in driveway in the cold. Bust a knuckle really felt worse.
Engine runs what a miracle after all these years. I had forgotten how simple those old cars were until I saw you working on the Merc . Hydraulic lifter noise on an engine sitting that long is not surprising . the oil in the rocker assb is probably like sludge. Try adding some Marvel Mystery oil or Berryman's and change oil and filter a couple of times early.
I would think this car has an open diff so with the car up on stands if there's a dragging brake on one side at the rear all the drive is going to go to the side that is free spinning...
Exactly. And even when both brakes are free, an open diff tends to do this anyway. It just picks the path of least resistance, even if the resistance is just caused by bearings or the viscosity of the oil in the diff.
More than likely, it's a non-posi 9" Ford rear end. Looks like 352cid -2v possibly and 390cid-2v. That's the same style starter as the older Y-block Ford engine. Flapping sound is your exhaust heat riser. The 3-speed Merc-o-matic are very close to the FMX and later AOD transmissions internally with the difference being the early transmissions had a mechanical kickdown linkage vs the later vacuum and throttle valve cable for kickdown.
I know exactly what you're going through with that starter. I had one go out on my 95 f150. Picked up a used one, worked well but kicked out early. Eventually it stopped working. Took it off and went into the starter, first time for me. Bad bendex. Took the bendex from the old one and put it in the new one. Worked good until a few weeks ago, I thought it went bad (little did I realize it was just a connection) Went to my neighbors and got a starter.. had an ear broke off, so I took the "nose cone" off the 2nd one and put it on this one... working again. I can take the 2nd motor; and the first "nose cone", as well as the 3rd bendex and make another good starter haha, I may do that before I forget what's good and what ain't.
I think the date that is hand written on that old starter is not the date it was overhauled, that looks like the markings a salvage yard will put onto parts that they sell.. so someone bought that starter from a salvage yard in 11-5 could even be 1965 who knows. the reason the drive gear won't retract is it is designed to stay engaged until the engine starts, and the only way to get it to retract is to get the engine running and the high speed rpms of the ring gear will drive the drive gear at an extremely high rpms. the centrifugal force will release the catch pawls and allow it to retract. for more info google Bendix starter drive operation
It works the same way a Bendix brake works on a bicycle, with the addition of a locking mechanism. I've serviced many a Bendix hub over the years. It's the same concept but a different application.
Those look like carhart insulated overalls.... I still have a pair from 20+ years ago. I don't fit them anymore but will give them to my grandson in a couple of years....
Thanks for showing the struggle of resurrect an old Merc , the reason for the starter gear "get stuck" in the engaged position is two plungers that locks it there , this is because the engine needs to start before the gear is "allowed" to return , this happends by centrifugal force when the engine is started and the gear spins faster then the starter spins it , the plungers gets moved and that release the return the gear to its disengaged position , I dont know when this feature came , a -58 Edsel I owned had it , my -51 Mercury with a Mercomatic doesnt so maybe 1958 ? My -51 Merc stater loses the engagment when the engine caufs during startup , the Edsel didnt so its a neat feature .Wolf
Ulf Christiansson They called it a folothru if I have it spelled right. It helped keep the starter from kicking out before the engine started as it was doing earlier.
I enjoy watching. If you put the car in park this should lock the drive shaft. If you rotate the right side axle the left side should rotate in the opposite rotation if you have standard open rear axle (Which I bet you have.) If the right side brake was dragging it would produce the result we see when you put it in drive. Hopefully that is all it is.
On that last question there is only one way to find out. Once it's all running fine hit the go pedal on your lot. If you dig a single trench you got a peg leg, if you dig two trenches you got yourself a LSD! I am glad you got it running, I hope that exhaust leak is an easy fix.
Yes, they have open diffs, 2. the choke needs a lil adjustment still. 3. the driver side lower control arm bushings are shot. 4. probly need to adjust the valve lash and it sounds like it has a miss also. other than that, great job!! cant wait to see it driving
Ben I think that trans. fluid should be type f. Old ford products always used that kind. Those markings on the old starter were from a junkyard to prove they sold it, and when, in case someone brought it back saying it was defective.
So nice to see and hear it running! It gives you a boost, more hope that all the other fixes go well. Earlier people were talking about generators vs alternators. I can add one more reason for using alternators; no brushes to wear out! Alternators make AC without having any moving parts touch. Finally, could you pull out a tape measure and let us know how long, wide and tall this aircraft carrier wanna be is? I remember reading a British car magazine that got a hold of a Pontiac GTO. It freaked them out that it was 17' feet long. Does this Mercury reach 20' feet long or even go over that? Thanks Ben!
My dad used to have a 1969 all Blue in and out Ford Fairlane Cobra fastback with the 428 super cobrajet! It was in the early 1970's! But he said the engine would break motor mounts every week, it was a pain to work on, so much engine in the engine bay, but it would leave anything sitting there, like my mom did in it! A Neighbor came flying up on her like always, my dads friend said next time push it to the floor, she was going 45 he came up in his Nova which had a 396 to fly around her while going 75, so she kicked it down and left him there! He rushed back home and was complaining to my dad, that she didn't win that race! But as soon as she slowed down, after drinking nearly a whole tank in that race, she had to fill it back up! They also had a rare, 1968 Plymouth GTX Convertible with a 440 six pack Yellow and Black, he bought it for $400 off a friend who bought it new in California and drove it back to Indiana, where he blew the engine! After that his friend went back to California to get a new 69 Chevelle SS which was Black with White stripes and cowl induction! His friends which were brothers came from Georgia and their parents had lots of money to buy them any car they wanted! That is how my dad got the GTX for $400 in the early 1970's as well! The brother of the chevelle owner bought a brand new 1968 chevy Camaro RS/SS with a 302 and they used to drag it every weekend! And yes it was an RS/SS with a 302 Chevy and 4spd manual!
I'll bet this Mercury is making you appreciate that '58 Studebaker more and more. :) One more vote for Type F as the right fluid and that this has an open diff. I recall limited slip diffs as quite rare outside of the snow belt and before the performance era. I just looked up the 1959 and 1960 brochures on OldCarBrochures.org. Neither brochure nor the 1960 fact sheet or owners manual mentions a limited slip, even as an option, it is possible that Mercury didn't even offer one.
It's interesting that you would have to remove the motor mount and raise the engine 1" on a 1959 RWD car. You have to do the exact same thing on my 2013 Chevy Sonic 1.4 turbo FWD POS transportation car. I had to replace the water pump at 52,000 miles, because the previous owner left Dexcool (commonly known among mechanics as Dexkill or Deathcool) in it for 4 years. It pretty much destroys the entire cooling system. Fortunately when I got the water pump off, it didn't look too bad behind it. Just the seal and bearing were destroyed. $120 for a new water pump. The proper transmission fluid for a 1959 Ford is "Type A Suffix A" This stuff is still available, though you may have to search for it. I found it at a Loves truckstop. It is a lot thicker than Mercon. Type "F" should only be used in transmissions that specifically call for it. It is very abrasive, and will cause rapid clutch wear in transmissions that were not designed for it. My former 1975 Ford F250 service truck with a C6 trans used Type F.
Late 50s automotive technology was at a point where production and experimental were usually synonyms. There is likely a good reason Ford eliminated that method to remove the starter, and created better mounting brackets. There is a reason the K Member was born, I am sure of it.
sounds good sounds like you have a bad exhaust leak probably a bad exhaust doughnut between the pipe and manifold,also I believe you said it was a lower end model it would only a single drive wheel.
I noticed that too --- you were not using TYPE F automatic transmission fluid. I have several cans of it (unopened) same vintage as the car, but no longer have my `59s. I want an Edsel!
On these old cars, EVERYTHING in the front end is gone. All the bushings, ball joints, kingpins, tie rod ends, center link idler arm, sometimes the steering box, always the bearings and brakes. You have to replace everything to make them drivable (and stoppable)
What a lot of response Ben.. Don't.you think that the brake is stuck on right side.. The div is solving it with the planet wheels.i think.. So Only one side is turning now.. So first I should do is remove the passenger drumbrake. Can be hard... Mebe fire 🔥 is nessesarry.. 😀 Enjoyd the video from begin till the end mate.!! I might do a video to some they... I ruined my sons egnission yesterday... Did a compression test and did not unplug the wire of it... I didn't know that one... I bought him a new one.. Honda Del Sol... You have to start small... 😂
i searched and found the following on fordforums.com - its from a 2010 post so I hope it is still current: I took your suggestion and contacted Castrol yesterday, Al was "offline" so I left him a message. I have just received his emailed reply, along with another from a Ford Transmission Mechanic I am acquainted with. Castrol Consumer Relations said: ↑ Thank you for contacting Castrol, Type A transmission fluid was introduced in 1949. It then evolved to type A with a suffix. Eventually it became Dexron I, then II, then III and now Domestic Multi-Vehicle ATF. Therefore Castrol Domestic Multi-Vehicle ATF would be applicable to vehicles where Type A is recommended. Hope this helps to clarify and answer the question. That was a reply to a post from a man looking for the correct atf for his 1957 Mercury with Merc-O-Matic. Apparently there were issues when the transmission has been rebuilt with upgraded organic friction materials instead of asbestos(wow!) and following rebuild, they required a different atf, I think Type F (need to verify). Something to do with the material the clutches are made of. Very confusing! Castrol Domestic Multi-Vehicle ATF is still available. But I think you have the right atf already.
More than likely it's an open diff. You could have gotten posi back then but it was an extra cost option either found on cars setup for towing or if someone wanted better traction in the snow.
Hey Ben I had a question about my 76 vette, when I adjust the instrument cluster lighting from the headlight switch, I get this loud buzzing noise that gets louder the brighter the lights get, it sounds like it's coming from the fuse box but I'm not sure. I would appreciate it if you could help. Thanks!
The valve cover gasket on the rt side has probally leaked for a while but it should burn off and quit smoking, if you want you could use a power washer to clean it up.
I bet there's someone looking for one of those original glass overflow jars at a swap meet somewhere. I can't imagine to many of those survived without breaking.
after the motor starts, that spring is re wound by the engine, it throws the pinion gear into the ring gear when centrifugal force causes a Bendix style clutch to drive it into engagement with the ring gear. the starter motor provides the initial rotational speed to to cause it to release the drive gear...I can hear every moving part in this engine, any oil in it?
I thought the same thing. Probably not. He'll wear out the important stuff really quick, like the cam shaft, the lifters, the connecting rods, the push rods, need I go on?
the important thing is he learns from this experience, a very willing student I think, he's getting what he needs. It's a better teaching car than I had...
Surly you would change the oil after the motor had been sitting for all that time before start up ? I would have thought that would be the first thing to do.?
when I was a young boy my dad bought one of these and it was black with blue interior and it had the 383 engine and it was my job to vacuum and wash and polish it EVERY WEEKEND so it was nice for Sunday when we would get to go visiting after church and it was a luxurious car back then for the time this brought back good and fond memories of my father and mother who has went on to heaven and I thank you immensely for that and wished I had the money to buy it or one like it I'm 62 and would love to own it no matter what shape it is in just for the memories-thank you and may god bess-steve
What I like the most about your project is that you took your time to change oil and other issues in need of being adressed to !
Many 'salvagers' don't give a shit about oil, - as soon as they hear just the remotest sign of life they floor it to astronomic revs....
Good job, one step at a time. Be careful going under those big boats. Nothing wrong with extra jack stands.
As someone who has workied on these in my teens, the one thing you really need to remember is that theses old FoMoCo products use F type trans fluid. You really need to drain that dexron, change the filter, and refill with F type. Otherwise you will be learning the very intricate art of rebuilding a 60 year old trans! LOL Also, I've never heard the starter gear called a "barrel". We always knew them as "Bendix Gears". Love your videos though. Ones like this take me back to my 56 Chevy ragtop. Should have kept that car! LOL. Keep up the good work!
years ago we were told if you have a tranny with f fluid in it and it is very old, then leave alone if you are not having any problems. i changed the original fluid in a 64 mercury in 1980 and the new f fluid cleaned all the built up shelac out and i had to wait until the car warmed up before i had access to 3rd gear. i went crosscountry twice and it ran like that for 20 more years until i sold it-no 3rd gear until it warmed up and everything expanded for it to properly work.
I would love to have a car like that for a daily driver. I have a 1964 Fairlane 4 door which I bought for $1500, then proceeded to put over $5000 into. Everything had to be replaced/rebuilt, other than the engine, which does burn a little oil. I did everything myself except the Ford-O-Matic 2 speed automatic transmission, which cost me $1000 to have rebuilt. The seals were dried out inside and it wouldn't shift. I put new tires and wheels on it (STOCK size, not GHETTO) completely new brakes, suspension, steering, ne wheel bearings front and rear, new U-joints, new fuel sender unit, it was leaking and not working, I switched it from a generator to an alternator, I had to replace the left front floor pan (only rust on the car) fuel pump, carburetor, radiator, thermostat, water pump, trunk lock, ignition switch, and several other small things. It runs good now, but all the weatherstripping is still rotted and leaks like crazy when it rains. I recovered the seats in marine grade vinyl, and ripped out all the carpet, and did the floor in truck bed liner to waterproof it. Also it has no headliner, and worst of all here in AZ, no A/C. That would cost me about $2500 more. So $6500 into the car, countless hundreds of hours in labor, and there are still problems, but nothing that affects the way it runs. There is a lot more that goes into a project like this that what it may appear at first, even if you don't plan to cosmetically restore it. I wanted that beat up old car look. But it is still a bottomless pit of work and money. But I love it. It is so easy to work on, is pre emissions, has no emissions crap on it, and is so old that AZ seatbelt laws do not apply to it. I call it my freedom car. Best of luck with yours.
Gerald Scott I remember the car you described here in your posting...I so miss the cars of the 50s
My Dad had a 1959 Mercury Monterey like this in blue with white hardtop boy the memory's this brings back .......He got rid of it in 1980 what a sweet car........
Glad to see a nice old Merc, coming back to life. Good Luck,
Love your ROOSTER cracks me up!!! Thanks for the extra entertainment😨
I love 59 Mercury my dad bought a new one I love the dashboard and tail lights the way there laid out everything about them
I’m really liking the videos about this old Merc. Looking forward to more of them! Good luck!
Very nice video, as usual. It's nice to hear it running again and the engine sounds great.
So enjoying this one, Thanks. What a great old car. You have done some strange old cars but this one is My absolute fave of them all quite possibly. 10/10.
Just started to watch your vids, really good stuff. Love the caddy vids ,that ones a keeper. keep em coming.
Never Boring Vids! your so patient and committed!
Aw man, it is so good to see this car again, and even better to hear it running! Here's hoping the rest of the work she needs doesn't hurt too bad.
Ben..like the honest way you approach fixing these cars..admitting your foibles..and mistakes..and how you corrected them is is the way to go..cause..we all have been there..and done much worse..keep up the good work....
Hey bud I enjoy watching you bring these oldies back to life , you have a passion for it . That starter that said 11/5 , it was probably used , salvage yards use yellow markers to mark the date they sold it for there 30 day or whenever guarantee …I've been doing this for 30+ years and I would like to give some free advice if no ones mentioned this yet . I know you've had to notice that on these cars that have been sitting forever that your constantly having starter issues and problems . It is expected , they're always mounted in the lowest part of the vehicle and receive the worst that mother nature can throw at it unless the thing was garage kept . 1. Once the starter has shown you a sign of life spray wd40/PbBlaster, some kind of rust dissolver/lubricant on any exposed area of the starter gear/spring . shaft area .2. Every time you try to start these vehicles or turn the engines over make sure you have consistent 12.5 volts IF NOT MORE...As soon as the starter isn't spinning at full speed anymore consider yourself the one causing the failure . I'm sure you noticed how your positive cable gets warm/hot when you stay cranking on it well think about those copper windings that covered in corrosion from all these years of sitting , while your making that starter struggle to crank the engine the insides of that starter of quickly burning themselves out... The starter still today is the component of your vehicle that demands the highest Amps Draw . A modern starter on a V8 till this day demands serious amps , Imagine what a rusty old primitive 1950s starter that hasn't spun a engine over in 40 years needs to turn it over . NEVER KEEP TRYING TO START AN OLD CAR WITH A DYING BATTERY...Keep at least 80% full power when cranking , guarantee you'll be replacing less starters...Keep up the good work...
Sounds very smooth now, good job! Can't wait to see it move!
thanks for an interesting review for me, I loved the one I owned so many years ago
Good job on cobbling the starter. Looking forward to the next. video.
That was great being keep them coming looking forward to the next one I can't wait to see you drive that will girl
Runs well, I could watch this all day.
Some Ford starter applications had the starter on the left side of the engine... That is the cone you had on the new starter. It was maybe a tractor starter.... the motor part, there all the same in that era. The axle is non posi. Engine sounds great! Glad you fixed the vacuum leak. Love that 59 Mercury! So far it's my favorite of all the cars you have fixed up.
I also like the way you open your gallon jug of trans fluid... what a great idea. I doing that from now on!
Yay! I love LONG Ben videos. Awesome stuff!
Really enjoy your vids...
sounds pretty good, considering what it is...That is some crazy looking starter drive system!
Old school Ford starter drive. They used it into the mid 1960s. I had a 65 TBird with that same drive.
My first cR was a '59 Merc. Loved that car, wish I still had it, was nice to see the instrumentation near the end of the video. It had a tick under the hood that turned out to be an exhaust manifold leak. Had gaskets replaced, but a few weeks later it was back. That was 1966. Knowing what I do now after 47 years working in dealerships, it probably had warped manifolds, probably some broken studs, too
This guy has the patience of a saint.
Really liking this series!
Engine sounds good. It was always interesting replacing starters for me . Especially when the auto store got me the wrong one and after trying to get it in for hours noticed it was not the right one well i got back to the auto store and they closed the door on me. You should have seen the guys face when I faked chucking the starter through their door. But glad you figured it out. That torque converter will always have transmission fluid in it. Very rarely that the plug on the torque converter leaks that much. Oh and the one side drive reverse is correct it was not posi traction on that car Thanks for sharing
So cool Ben! Turn this into a driver like the Cadillac. God bless
It's great to see it running.
That is so sweet bro u started it up 👍👍👍
It lives! look at all that underhood room...what a joy it would be to work on that! esp with dogs and chickens checking out the progress.
doubt that the Merc has posi...pretty unusual option for back then...but the Lincolns had it as an option, so probably the Mercs did too. If it did have posi, with the wheels in the air, there's no torque against the posi clutches anyway, so would be hard to tell...my guess is that the brakes on the right wheel are holding it from rotating and all the torque is going to the left wheel.
took some fixing to resolve but as ever you were not going to be beaten. Result with starter in place runs well looking forward to the next instalment.
Always look forward to your vintage car videos
You know you're a gear head when the sound of that old boat running almost puts you to sleep.
Hey, I need to get a starter for my dads 58 EDSEL, it surely looks exactly the same as your new one!!✌️. The reason your old one has white marknings 6 V is because that particular starter is off of a truck or car that had a 6 volt battery system in it which means yes, it will work on a 12 volt system, but not for long, that's why you noticed/smelled an electrical burn out inside the starter. In the mid 50s the big three started converting 6 volt systems to 12 volts then in the early 60s they started getn rid of GENERATORS AND started installing ALTERNATORS WHICH are alot better.
Oh I jus love that MERCURY!!!💓❤️💓❤️ AWESOME!!!! 💪👌✌️👍
Looking and sounding good!
Good job, starters are hard to replace and the wiring is tricky to! The learning curve is hard knock old school but for sure when the car starts and runs you have success and can go on !
What a beautiful car, gotta love Mercs!!
The last couple minutes are just idle sounds, i love it
Nice Job Ben..............
Good job. These old merks could be ordered with limited slip rear ends, but most were not. She seems to run great.
You can now load up Wally and The Beaver and head for the malt shop.
I Love This Mercurys' s video!!!
My 59 Ford with the 352 FE engine has a 9 inch open differential "one legger" with 3.10 gears. Posi-traction was a pretty rare option back then.
The starter you took out was marked 6V, probably from a 55 or older with 6 volts. 12 volts probably fried it.
NAPA and AutoZone still carry old Ford brake parts. From AutoZone I got all 4 wheel cylinders, shoes, master cylinder and 2 wheel bearings for $105.
Great video. Just subscribed.
Nice! Was looking forward to this, sucks about that windshield. Imagine it will be a pricey part
Good job sounds like I'm hearing a serious vacuum leak somewhere around the intake
u hear vacuum leak but not that is running on 7?
Ben your alright. I feel for you working in the cold. I know how it feels. Rebuilt my Willis Jeep motor in driveway in the cold. Bust a knuckle really felt worse.
Engine runs what a miracle after all these years. I had forgotten how simple those old cars were until I saw you working on the Merc . Hydraulic lifter noise on an engine sitting that long is not surprising . the oil in the rocker assb is probably like sludge. Try adding some Marvel Mystery oil or Berryman's and change oil and filter a couple of times early.
Whoa........FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!
Would someone tell that rooster to be quiet! We don’t hear many of them in Massachusetts! Love your 2 doggies!!
Amazing how well it runs after being dormant so many years.
I would think this car has an open diff so with the car up on stands if there's a dragging brake on one side at the rear all the drive is going to go to the side that is free spinning...
Exactly. And even when both brakes are free, an open diff tends to do this anyway. It just picks the path of least resistance, even if the resistance is just caused by bearings or the viscosity of the oil in the diff.
Congrats! Sounds pretty good, maybe an exhaust leak or rod knock, but good on ya!
More than likely, it's a non-posi 9" Ford rear end. Looks like 352cid -2v possibly and 390cid-2v. That's the same style starter as the older Y-block Ford engine. Flapping sound is your exhaust heat riser. The 3-speed Merc-o-matic are very close to the FMX and later AOD transmissions internally with the difference being the early transmissions had a mechanical kickdown linkage vs the later vacuum and throttle valve cable for kickdown.
In an earlier video in this series, he explained its a 383 MEL motor, not a Y block or FE,
Loving the old merc
I know exactly what you're going through with that starter. I had one go out on my 95 f150. Picked up a used one, worked well but kicked out early. Eventually it stopped working. Took it off and went into the starter, first time for me. Bad bendex. Took the bendex from the old one and put it in the new one. Worked good until a few weeks ago, I thought it went bad (little did I realize it was just a connection)
Went to my neighbors and got a starter.. had an ear broke off, so I took the "nose cone" off the 2nd one and put it on this one... working again.
I can take the 2nd motor; and the first "nose cone", as well as the 3rd bendex and make another good starter haha, I may do that before I forget what's good and what ain't.
Out of all the car CZcamsrs I’m subscribed to, you have the cars I’m least fond of. Yet you probably have the content that I enjoy the most.
+xXFIREWIREXx what cars are you more interested in?
atleast in the driver seat the floor boards looked like they were in great shape! keep the vids up.
I think the date that is hand written on that old starter is not the date it was overhauled, that looks like the markings a salvage yard will put onto parts that they sell.. so someone bought that starter from a salvage yard in 11-5 could even be 1965 who knows. the reason the drive gear won't retract is it is designed to stay engaged until the engine starts, and the only way to get it to retract is to get the engine running and the high speed rpms of the ring gear will drive the drive gear at an extremely high rpms. the centrifugal force will release the catch pawls and allow it to retract. for more info google Bendix starter drive operation
It works the same way a Bendix brake works on a bicycle, with the addition of a locking mechanism. I've serviced many a Bendix hub over the years. It's the same concept but a different application.
Those look like carhart insulated overalls.... I still have a pair from 20+ years ago. I don't fit them anymore but will give them to my grandson in a couple of years....
Thanks for showing the struggle of resurrect an old Merc , the reason for the starter gear "get stuck" in the engaged position is two plungers that locks it there , this is because the engine needs to start before the gear is "allowed" to return , this happends by centrifugal force when the engine is started and the gear spins faster then the starter spins it , the plungers gets moved and that release the return the gear to its disengaged position , I dont know when this feature came , a -58 Edsel I owned had it , my -51 Mercury with a Mercomatic doesnt so maybe 1958 ? My -51 Merc stater loses the engagment when the engine caufs during startup , the Edsel didnt so its a neat feature .Wolf
Ulf Christiansson They called it a folothru if I have it spelled right. It helped keep the starter from kicking out before the engine started as it was doing earlier.
I enjoy watching. If you put the car in park this should lock the drive shaft. If you rotate the right side axle the left side should rotate in the opposite rotation if you have standard open rear axle (Which I bet you have.) If the right side brake was dragging it would produce the result we see when you put it in drive. Hopefully that is all it is.
well done!
On that last question there is only one way to find out. Once it's all running fine hit the go pedal on your lot. If you dig a single trench you got a peg leg, if you dig two trenches you got yourself a LSD!
I am glad you got it running, I hope that exhaust leak is an easy fix.
Runs great
Some like cat videos, I like that stuff! Cheers from a german Chevy guy :)
Yes, they have open diffs, 2. the choke needs a lil adjustment still. 3. the driver side lower control arm bushings are shot. 4. probly need to adjust the valve lash and it sounds like it has a miss also. other than that, great job!! cant wait to see it driving
+Ion Racer how do you adjust valve lash on a valve train that has rocker shafts? The four bolts that hold the shaft down are what lash the valves
Ben I think that trans. fluid should be type f. Old ford products always used that kind. Those markings on the old starter were from a junkyard to prove they sold it, and when, in case someone brought it back saying it was defective.
+douglas brown bottle says dex/Merc which is safe for all old gm and Ford products
I believe you are wright, It seems to me back in the day that is what junkyards would do to mark what year car it came off.
So nice to see and hear it running! It gives you a boost, more hope that all the other fixes go well.
Earlier people were talking about generators vs alternators. I can add one more reason for using alternators; no brushes to wear out! Alternators make AC without having any moving parts touch.
Finally, could you pull out a tape measure and let us know how long, wide and tall this aircraft carrier wanna be is? I remember reading a British car magazine that got a hold of a Pontiac GTO. It freaked them out that it was 17' feet long. Does this Mercury reach 20' feet long or even go over that? Thanks Ben!
My dad used to have a 1969 all Blue in and out Ford Fairlane Cobra fastback with the 428 super cobrajet! It was in the early 1970's! But he said the engine would break motor mounts every week, it was a pain to work on, so much engine in the engine bay, but it would leave anything sitting there, like my mom did in it!
A Neighbor came flying up on her like always, my dads friend said next time push it to the floor, she was going 45 he came up in his Nova which had a 396 to fly around her while going 75, so she kicked it down and left him there! He rushed back home and was complaining to my dad, that she didn't win that race!
But as soon as she slowed down, after drinking nearly a whole tank in that race, she had to fill it back up! They also had a rare, 1968 Plymouth GTX Convertible with a 440 six pack Yellow and Black, he bought it for $400 off a friend who bought it new in California and drove it back to Indiana, where he blew the engine!
After that his friend went back to California to get a new 69 Chevelle SS which was Black with White stripes and cowl induction! His friends which were brothers came from Georgia and their parents had lots of money to buy them any car they wanted! That is how my dad got the GTX for $400 in the early 1970's as well!
The brother of the chevelle owner bought a brand new 1968 chevy Camaro RS/SS with a 302 and they used to drag it every weekend! And yes it was an RS/SS with a 302 Chevy and 4spd manual!
Good Progress
Engine sounds good! Brake may be a little tight on the right side.
That transmission needs type F fluid. Dextron/Mercon will ruin it fast.
“A dog named chapstick” could be a good book title.
Maybe, but his name is chopstick, and the other is noodle
I'll bet this Mercury is making you appreciate that '58 Studebaker more and more. :) One more vote for Type F as the right fluid and that this has an open diff. I recall limited slip diffs as quite rare outside of the snow belt and before the performance era. I just looked up the 1959 and 1960 brochures on OldCarBrochures.org. Neither brochure nor the 1960 fact sheet or owners manual mentions a limited slip, even as an option, it is possible that Mercury didn't even offer one.
My dad had one of these just after high school.....
I like the lines on that car , good substitute for a 58 impala.
Mike Grandinette I agree. The 2 door models are even nicer looking.
It's interesting that you would have to remove the motor mount and raise the engine 1" on a 1959 RWD car. You have to do the exact same thing on my 2013 Chevy Sonic 1.4 turbo FWD POS transportation car. I had to replace the water pump at 52,000 miles, because the previous owner left Dexcool (commonly known among mechanics as Dexkill or Deathcool) in it for 4 years. It pretty much destroys the entire cooling system. Fortunately when I got the water pump off, it didn't look too bad behind it. Just the seal and bearing were destroyed. $120 for a new water pump.
The proper transmission fluid for a 1959 Ford is "Type A Suffix A" This stuff is still available, though you may have to search for it. I found it at a Loves truckstop. It is a lot thicker than Mercon. Type "F" should only be used in transmissions that specifically call for it. It is very abrasive, and will cause rapid clutch wear in transmissions that were not designed for it. My former 1975 Ford F250 service truck with a C6 trans used Type F.
Late 50s automotive technology was at a point where production and experimental were usually synonyms. There is likely a good reason Ford eliminated that method to remove the starter, and created better mounting brackets. There is a reason the K Member was born, I am sure of it.
If I was down there I'd be trying to buy it off of you.
sounds good sounds like you have a bad exhaust leak probably a bad exhaust doughnut between the pipe and manifold,also I believe you said it was a lower end model it would only a single drive wheel.
Bob Wood old fords eat up exhaust donuts, my 68 torino 390 went thru many, i miss that car anyway...
I noticed that too --- you were not using TYPE F automatic transmission fluid. I have several cans of it (unopened) same vintage as the car, but no longer have my `59s. I want an Edsel!
So, what are we thinking about the rear end? Change the oil in it, maybe pull the right axle if that doesn't work?
man that suspension control arm bushing is gone
On these old cars, EVERYTHING in the front end is gone. All the bushings, ball joints, kingpins, tie rod ends, center link idler arm, sometimes the steering box, always the bearings and brakes. You have to replace everything to make them drivable (and stoppable)
What a lot of response Ben.. Don't.you think that the brake is stuck on right side.. The div is solving it with the planet wheels.i think.. So Only one side is turning now.. So first I should do is remove the passenger drumbrake. Can be hard... Mebe fire 🔥 is nessesarry.. 😀 Enjoyd the video from begin till the end mate.!! I might do a video to some they... I ruined my sons egnission yesterday... Did a compression test and did not unplug the wire of it... I didn't know that one... I bought him a new one.. Honda Del Sol... You have to start small... 😂
i searched and found the following on fordforums.com - its from a 2010 post so I hope it is still current:
I took your suggestion and contacted Castrol yesterday, Al was "offline" so I left him a message. I have just received his emailed reply, along with another from a Ford Transmission Mechanic I am acquainted with.
Castrol Consumer Relations said: ↑
Thank you for contacting Castrol,
Type A transmission fluid was introduced in 1949. It then evolved to type A with a suffix. Eventually it became Dexron I, then II, then III and now Domestic Multi-Vehicle ATF. Therefore Castrol Domestic Multi-Vehicle ATF would be applicable to vehicles where Type A is recommended.
Hope this helps to clarify and answer the question.
That was a reply to a post from a man looking for the correct atf for his 1957 Mercury with Merc-O-Matic. Apparently there were issues when the transmission has been rebuilt with upgraded organic friction materials instead of asbestos(wow!) and following rebuild, they required a different atf, I think Type F (need to verify). Something to do with the material the clutches are made of. Very confusing! Castrol Domestic Multi-Vehicle ATF is still available. But I think you have the right atf already.
Sounds like it needs a valve lash adjustment, good to hear no rod knock.
+eovdubs VW curious how you adjust valve lash on a valve train with a rocker shaft.
More than likely it's an open diff. You could have gotten posi back then but it was an extra cost option either found on cars setup for towing or if someone wanted better traction in the snow.
Hey Ben I had a question about my 76 vette, when I adjust the instrument cluster lighting from the headlight switch, I get this loud buzzing noise that gets louder the brighter the lights get, it sounds like it's coming from the fuse box but I'm not sure. I would appreciate it if you could help. Thanks!
+Benjamin Ramirez jr could be a bad headlight switch. Have you looked under the dash to check where the sound is coming from?
My 57 Y block 292 v8 has a similar starter, starter gear is on other side of the shaft on mine.
run some rislone oil mixed with the normal fill, really helps loosen the oil rings, which are usually really stuck in the piston
The valve cover gasket on the rt side has probally leaked for a while but it should burn off and quit smoking, if you want you could use a power washer to clean it up.
I bet there's someone looking for one of those original glass overflow jars at a swap meet somewhere. I can't imagine to many of those survived without breaking.
My uncle bought one of these new in 1959. That was a smooth riding car, but I think it had a 312 cid engine and wasn't too fast as it was a heavy car.
Really needs a new Coyote engine! That would be the rarest Coyote Conversion in America! You know, just a 435hp kick!
after the motor starts, that spring is re wound by the engine, it throws the pinion gear into the ring gear when centrifugal force causes a Bendix style clutch to drive it into engagement with the ring gear. the starter motor provides the initial rotational speed to to cause it to release the drive gear...I can hear every moving part in this engine, any oil in it?
I thought the same thing. Probably not. He'll wear out the important stuff really quick, like the cam shaft, the lifters, the connecting rods, the push rods, need I go on?
the important thing is he learns from this experience, a very willing student I think, he's getting what he needs. It's a better teaching car than I had...
Surly you would change the oil after the motor had been sitting for all that time before start up ? I would have thought that would be the first thing to do.?
I could just smell the ancient junkyard gas when he was starting up..
after brakes, suggest drain transmission and change filter, cheap and couldn't hurt, same with rear diff gear oil