| Downthisroad | -- 10-07-2024 @ 2:40 AM |
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I've recently come across a 48 merc eight for a reasonable price, and I'm considering it. What it needs is a new interior, as well as what ever any car needs coming out of storage and going back on to the road, tires brakes fuel tank clean out ect. I'm thinking I might daily this thing if it works out. My question is, should I pull the engine and do a valve and seat swap to run unleaded, or just run a lead supplement? And is it worth it to swap it to 12v? What are the thoughts on swapping to something like a sniper EFI kit, and or an electronic ignition? Thanks in advance.
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| zeke3 | -- 10-07-2024 @ 7:06 AM |
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Buy it, get it on the road and enjoy it. You won’t need to modify the engine for unleaded fuel or use a lead additive. The engine should already have hardened valve seats. The original 6v system, ignition and carburetors can be made reliable for a daily driver.
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| ford38v8 | -- 10-07-2024 @ 9:36 PM |
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Zeke3 posted before me, so all I can do is agree with him 100%. I will add that electronics of all sorts are (at best), unreliable when exposed to excessive heat, which unfortunately is a Ford Flatheads second biggest byproduct, the first of course being that sweet sound! Alan
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| Downthisroad | -- 10-08-2024 @ 7:32 AM |
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Ok, you guys have greatly reduced my planned cost of recommissioning. This will make the wifely unit more likely to go along. Tires are still going to be on the list though. Does anyone make a wide white wall besides Coker? Almost $400 each seems excessive. I like the look of the biased, but is it worth the compromise for fuel economy and ride quality to go to the radials?
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| TomO | -- 10-08-2024 @ 10:14 AM |
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I agree with the two previous posters. I have bias ply tires on my car and the ride is comparable with the radial tires. I doubt that radial tires will give you much of a mileage increase. Coker Tire is probably the only manufacturer of bias ply tires left. The company makes tires for the other suppliers under their brand names.. If you decide to go with white wall radials, Diamond Back seems to be the current choice for most collectors. I would make sure that there is no play in the tie rod ends and king pins. Then adjust the toe in for the type of tires that you buy. The best things that you can do for fuel economy is to have the carburetor rebuilt by Charley Schwendler in New York. ( cas5845@yahoo.com ) and send the coil and distributor to Skip Haney in FL ( https://skipscoilsandpumps.com/ ) . Any carburetor that has been in long time storage will need a rebuild and these carburetors are not easy to put a kit in without the power valve leaking. The original coil is probably deteriorated to the point where it will be unreliable. NAPA has a replacement coil that works pretty well but looks and mounts different than the stock coil. Skip will rebuild your coil and set the points for you. The rebuilt coil will work better than the NAPA coil. I would also replace the condenser. I don't know where you can get a reproduction. Tom
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| Downthisroad | -- 10-08-2024 @ 2:36 PM |
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Welp, I am just back from a more critical look. Turns out it's a 47, the roll up drivers side window and the drivers side rear tip out window will bother need to be replaced. The paint is horrible, someone painted right over the old lacquer, but black is easy to match. The left rear fender has an old repair that needs to be cleaned out and shown some love. It's got a new 6v battery in it, and the engine has all been rewired. It runs and drives, but it has no brakes. The drivers seat is all torn open. It will come with a brand new fuel tank, not yet installed. The guy's not sure if he got the sending unit with it or not. So now the short list to return it to the road is two pieces of glass, five tires, a full brake system (master cylinder lines, wheel cylinders, shoes, drums and hardware kits) maybe a fuel sending unit, probably a radiator, and a good thick horse blanket. That sound about right to you guys?
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| TomO | -- 10-09-2024 @ 2:29 PM |
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The new gas tank will have to be fitted with an aftermarket sending unit. They are hard to calibrate. If the original tank can be saved that will be your best option. If the original sending unit is available and not rusted out, it will probably work. If it doesn't, it can be repaired. If you have to go with the new tank and sending unit, you can search this website for instructions on calibrating the sending unit. If you have the original glass, contact local glass shops to see if they will cut laminated pieces of glass for you. I had that done and saved about 50% over a local automotive glass company price. Most vendors for the hobby carry glass setting tape. Be careful when removing the flip out window to prevent damaging the seal. It is the same seal as the Ford, but I don't know if a reproduction is still available. NAPA has most of the brake parts that you will need. You can check other local parts houses to see if they can provide the parts. Have the current radiator checked and if needed have it recored. New aluminum radiators will not cool well enough to keep the engine cool in summer traffic. Black is one of the hardest paint colors to match. There are many shades and reflective properties of black paint. You can paint a complete panel and it will not be noticeable to the average person. I reread your original post and saw that you want to make this a daily driver. If that is your goal, I would get tube type radial tires for their better stopping friction on both wet and dry pavement. Nothing is cheap in the car hobby, so take a good look and check out prices before you jump in. The future does not seem to show appreciation of 1940's cars at this time. Tom
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| carcrazy | -- 10-09-2024 @ 3:19 PM |
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Make sure you absolutely LOVE this car before starting a restoration. As previously stated the old car hobby can get very expensive very quickly. If you are willing to use black wall tires, the best thing to do is locate a set of later Mercury 15" wheels and use "modern tubeless tires" in the size of 205/75R15. Once you have 15" diameter wheels on the car, you can use the modern tires that cost about one fourth the price of "classic car tires", last much longer and provide all the benefits of a modern tubeless radial tire.
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| Downthisroad | -- 10-25-2024 @ 3:37 AM |
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Welp! After some careful consideration and a much more critical look, I'm going to have to pass on this one. The body is just a little too far gone, and the real killer for me was the mouse house in the head liner. I hate doing head liners, I can never get them to come out right. On the plus side it looks like the engine had recently been gone through, starts easy and runs smooth and even. Does anyone need a good donor?
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| trjford8 | -- 10-25-2024 @ 8:14 AM |
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Check around and look for a better Mercury. Right now prices have come down considerably and you can find some nice cars at reasonable prices. Get one already done. Drive it today and not 3 or 4 years(or more) down the road.
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