| len47merc | -- 05-11-2015 @ 9:10 PM |
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Well, the time has finally come and after 1 1/2 years of first classic Mercury ownership am finally off to my first Meet & Rouge Class judging at the 2015 Eastern National in Charlotte next month. I want to thank everyone for their patience with the ignorant questions and steadfast resolve in encouraging the 'keep it original' mantra - I only wished I listened more, learned more, been more patient and kept my hands off the engine compartment & chassis to keep it original for judging. Fortunately I kept the tinkering minimal when bringing the '47 back to life and other than the impatient and ignorant use of non-original fasteners in a few places the running gear will make a great foundation for a full-restoration-minded future owner. This said, a few of you have provided steadfast and patient mentoring that went above and beyond and as a result, this '47 will do very well in the Rouge Class - Interior judging next month, basically due to your teaching and excellent information provided that compelled me to keep my hands off of the interior. Again, wished I'd been more patient and listened both more and better when bringing the mechanicals back to life, but glad the lessons learned there resulted in a quality, delicate original-style preservation approach to the interior. For ALL this, I want to thank the following who have been most instrumental and encouraging in supporting me through this process and producing a quality, almost original chassis, almost original body, fully original interior and extremely enjoyable driver: Rusty Davis TomO blarge supereal kubes40 carcrazy cliftford Stroker trjford8 Bertha (aka "it's only original once") There are many others who contributed and I could not list all or recall all, but the above routinely chimed in and provided excellent knowledge, advice and support. For this I am extremely grateful and want to give credit where it is due - could absolutely not have gotten this '47 to where it is without all your and others' support. For any of you just starting the restoration process I encourage you to read up on all the judging classifications (if that's the route you think you wish to take) before you turn the first nut/screw/bolt, and also develop a deep understanding and appreciation for what is truly original. It will save you a ton of time, effort and $$$'s down the road and result in a more quality restoration and enjoyable result. In retrospect, personally not obtaining this knowledge first cost me in all of these areas. Should have read and listened more first (have I said this enough?). Sincere thanks again to you all - hope to meet you in Charlotte! Steve This message was edited by len47merc on 5-11-15 @ 9:13 PM
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| ford38v8 | -- 05-11-2015 @ 10:18 PM |
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Bravo! The best thank you note I think I've ever read here, makes me wish I'd been one of the contributors being praised, and sorrier still that I won't be able to meet this gentleman at Charlotte this year. Alan
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| TomO | -- 05-12-2015 @ 7:23 AM |
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Steve, You are welcome and it has been a pleasure working with you over the past couple of years and I am glad to see that you are an active participant in the Forum and helping out others with their cars. I am sorry that I will not be able to make the Charlotte Meet to meet you and see your efforts in person. I will make the Central National Meet at Brainerd, my son has graciously given up his vacation to travel with me so that the my 40 Mercury can receive its 75th Anniversary badge. I suggest that you do have your car judged in all 3 areas and let the judges decide what is acceptable. The Rouge Class judges do not make point deductions, they just examine the car for originality and if an area is judged to meet the criteria, you will get an award. I always enjoy seeing an original car and know how hard it is to keep you hands in your pockets when you have a chance to upgrade the car. My Lincoln won its 1st Rouge Award at Springfield last year in all 3 areas as well as scoring 98 out of 100 points at the Lincoln Club meet. The lost points were due to changes that the previous owner made to improve driveablity and I probably will not change them. Tom This message was edited by TomO on 5-12-15 @ 7:24 AM
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| len47merc | -- 05-12-2015 @ 8:21 PM |
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Thanks Tom and Alan. I will take your advice Tom and submit the '47 to all 3 Rouge Class areas. Update you both after the Meet. Perhaps we will finally get to meet at another east coast/northern midwest event in the future and I'll get the pleasure of meeting you both and thanking you both in person - hopefully it will work out someday. Steve
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| trjford8 | -- 05-13-2015 @ 7:33 AM |
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Steve, glad we could help and good luck at the ENM. Rouge cars are the basis for all of us to learn just how it was done at the factory. Thanks for preserving as much as possible of your Mercury.
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| Stroker | -- 05-13-2015 @ 6:07 PM |
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Steve: I'm glad we could collectively contribute to your quest. Thank's for the credit. Stroker
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| len47merc | -- 06-11-2015 @ 5:24 AM |
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Following-up with the results from all your input and support: My '47 Mercury earned two ROUGE AWARDS - one for the interior and one for running gear. The former was humbly anticipated, the latter a bit more than somewhat of a surprise that only was realized as a result of all your advice on preservation versus restoration. Clearly you caught me and opened my eyes just in the nick of time on the running gear and for that I am truly grateful. Tom - thanks also for suggesting having all three areas judged. Great learning experience that should be attended by all, IMHO, before starting a preservation or restoration project. And for those who have never done it, the first time you place a tall 68+ year-old bias-ply equipped car on the high banks of Charlotte Motor Speedway can be a bit harrowing. For what it's worth and for future reference, accelerate up to 60+ mph before hitting the curves and you will find it much more manageable with less rear-end crabbing down the banking and much less (false) sense of tipping over. Wife was just short of screaming on the first lap. What a hoot! For those interested I'll attach a few pics of the interior. And for those who catch it, after the first photo from several months ago was taken, the heater cover (with the 3 doors) was re-oriented 180 degrees, based on input from you on this forum. Thanks again everyone! Steve This message was edited by len47merc on 6-11-15 @ 6:01 AM
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| len47merc | -- 06-11-2015 @ 5:27 AM |
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2nd interior photo Steve
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| len47merc | -- 06-11-2015 @ 5:29 AM |
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Headliner 1 Steve
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| len47merc | -- 06-11-2015 @ 5:31 AM |
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Headliner 2 Steve
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| TomO | -- 06-11-2015 @ 6:40 AM |
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Steve, Congratulations on your Rouge Awards. Preserving these cars in original condition is very important to the Club and its future. I am glad that you exercised restraint in not restoring and trying to make the car perfect. It is interesting to see some of the things that were done to these cars when they were young, such as the heater cover installed upside down. You didn't explain why you did not get the exterior award, or did you say in a previous post that the car had been repainted? Tom
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| len47merc | -- 06-11-2015 @ 7:56 AM |
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Thanks Tom! All areas of the exterior - trim, seals, all original glass, etc., were certified to Rouge standards except one. It's a bit of a story on the exterior so I chose to save that in case anyone was interested or asked, so... To address your question Tom - yes - the car was repainted on or about the original day of purchase in 1947 per the original sales receipt and the original owner's account. Some more 'color' on this if anyone wishes to read on... On the exterior two things about the one area of the judges' concern. Item 1 - the most critical to the judges (3 judges, 7 people total on the car for over 35 minutes!) and only item of exterior concern was the paint. The original owner wanted a different color when purchasing the car in March of '47 but the dealership did not have her preferred color (Parrot Green) on the lot. The dealership somehow convinced the original owner that they could paint the car for her more economically and swiftly than the cost and time of waiting for (or ordering?) another car, to which she somehow agreed, so she purchased the car in Tucson Tan color and the dealership drove it in to their paint shop and painted it Parrot Green for her. Thus, the original color of Tucson Tan is under the basically original but dealership-applied and now faded and dulled Parrot Green. The firewall and under the hood were oddly and for some unknown reason not painted Parrot Green but all of the door jambs, under the door panels, under the trunk, under trim, etc., were all painted surprisingly close to the standards described in the 1941-48 Ford Book. The original sales receipt documents this, but the judges held firm that although the top paint is also 68 years old and the original Tucson Tan is still under the Parrot green, the Rouge exterior rules state that only a limited percentage of a car can be (re)painted (regardless of timing/when) to qualify for an award and accordingly they could not certify an award for the exterior. The quality of the dealership's painting effort was not fully on par with the factory, nor was the quality of the paint, but their paint job still looks very good and other than it fading with time and sun to a more pleasing to me lighter green over the years it has held up well. The darker original Parrot Green is still obvious under the hood ornament. Very slightly complicating &/or adding to this is Item 2 which I created before seeing the light on preservation versus restoration. Upon receiving the (30-40 year idled/stored, Michigan) car I crawled underneath it for a personal body rust inspection and as well had it inspected by a local restoration body shop for rust. The body was found to be completely clean, only some minor surface rust with one small exception, that being a cake of long-dried mud was found at the bottom back of the right front fender that, when removed by me, revealed a quarter-sized spot of rust through to the outside that wasn't visible from the exterior until the cake was removed. At the time very early in the ownership period and before joining EFV8 and getting educated, reaching out for advice and listening more, I didn't then appreciate the preservation philosophy. Further, given this was the only structural blemish on the body it was so aggravating to my eye at the time I had the rust removed, the hole repaired, the paint matched to the now faded color and the entire back-bottom of the fender base-clear coated (versus the original lacquer), feathering-in at the top of the wheel. This very small area of new, modern and more reflective paint (the color could be matched but not the finish - it is more mirrored/shiny than the balance of the car's as-good-as-I-can-get-it 'original' paint) is not completely obvious to the average eye, particularly given the location on the car, but the judges saw it and I explained it when prompted. Nonetheless, it was perceived by me this area of newer paint, even though it is a very small area (less than ~3-4% of the total car), added further to the paint limitations for Rouge-exterior in the judges' minds. The judges quoted Item 1 as their foundation for the ruling, with Item 2 as the 'icing', and gave it a no go on the exterior award. Though it was expected by me based on Item 1 only and why originally, still perhaps erroneously, the car was not going to be submitted for exterior judging, I was only a bit disappointed the history, documentation and clear age of the vast bulk (95%+) of the paint did not bear adequate muster with the judges. Still learning the ropes here, and knowing from the rules that over 90% of an area being judged has to be original but not knowing what percentage of the total exterior is considered 'paint' versus metal, parts, trim, seals, windows, etc. - I did not protest or challenge the judges' decision. Perhaps leeway and room existed for tactful debate and discussion but having already received the certifications and awards for the interior and running gear it was felt this was the prudent and proper thing to do to accept their represented technically-correct ruling. I plan to further and better prepare and educate myself in all areas with particular focus on this paint aspect for the next judging if the decision is made to again pursue the exterior award. In the end, I was then and remain still very humbled, pleased and excited to receive the Interior and Running Gear Awards. The absence of the Exterior Award did not and does not detract in any way at all from my enjoyment of and appreciation for the event, the judges efforts, the overall process and the Awards. Steve This message was edited by len47merc on 6-11-15 @ 6:40 PM
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| TomO | -- 06-12-2015 @ 8:56 AM |
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Steve, I agree with the judges on the repaint. The Rouge Division is for cars "as manufactured" not "as delivered". Generally they are the same, but your car is one of the exceptions. Your car is still a fine example of how cars were manufactured in 1947 and should be kept as original as you can. IMHO missing out on the exterior Rouge award is no big deal. Having the interior and running gear awards id a big deal. Tom
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| len47merc | -- 06-12-2015 @ 12:03 PM |
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Thanks Tom and appreciate the endorsement. As noted above I feel very, very good about the Interior and Running Gear Awards. After reading more on the exterior since the judging, and after reading your reply on the same, I plan to let the exterior ride for future judging and focus on preserving the interior and running gear for as long as I own the car. Will continue to have the interior and running gear judged with intent to secure repeat certifications and corresponding V-8 Medallion Award(s). Btw Tom - you might find the attached pic interesting. This car was 5 spaces or so 1 row over and behind my '47 and even though I recalled you could not make this Meet I thought it might be your car from the back left quarter, looking through the other cars, until I saw the front end and realized it was a '41. All the best - Steve This message was edited by len47merc on 6-12-15 @ 1:21 PM
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| TomO | -- 06-13-2015 @ 7:44 AM |
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That is a pretty 41 Coupe. Thanks for posting the photo. Tom
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