| v8taxman | -- 03-15-2010 @ 10:33 AM |
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Gentlemen, I have been an avid peruser of the site for a few weeks now, trying to gain insight into a future restoration effort. I have been given a 40 Mercury Coupe as part of a dsipositon of some family cars. I am very interested n finding out the specifics on this car as I am new to the restoration effort, never having done one before. I listed the car as a 3W coupe (72A I think when asked for the style) but not absolutely sure of it. I will work on atttaching additional photos. The car is currently housed in Oregon along with some others and I plan, hopefully, on getting it back to Atlanta where I live to do the restoration work. I am absolutely certain I will have many, many questions and what better resource than this group to help provide some answers. I look forward to the process. In the meantime, based on the photos, if anyone has specifics on the proper name of this beautiful auto, evn in the state it is in, I would enjoy hearing. I do know that based on my father in laws meticulous efforts with his cars over the years, that the engine is in working order evidenced by the rag in the carb, his sign of a good engine. And it has been kept out of the elements and the body is rust free, which many of the chrome accent parts,etc. available already. Thanks..and look forward to an enjoyable task ahead.. Dale Cooper
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| v8taxman | -- 03-15-2010 @ 10:38 AM |
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I am attaching a document that has the photos imbedded in it. Hopefully this will work, if not be glad to e-mail them as needed. Thanks Dale Cooper
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| 42wagon | -- 03-15-2010 @ 11:31 AM |
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Your body style number is correct. However your name for it is not. It is a Sedan Coupe. The full number is 09A-72. Ford stopped making 3 window coupes after 36. What counted as the three windows were the windshield and the two windows in the doors. The two windows in the quarters would make it a five window coupe.
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| Stroker | -- 03-15-2010 @ 1:16 PM |
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42: Don't you mean the REAR window and the two door windows,rather than the windshield?
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| v8taxman | -- 03-15-2010 @ 2:04 PM |
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I appreciate the clarification with respect to the windows. I'll go in the profile and see if I can make the change and figure out the proper designation. Is this a common style that is still around? It is hard to tell from looking thru the web based information. Thanks Dale Cooper
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| 42wagon | -- 03-15-2010 @ 3:24 PM |
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Stroker Yeah, you probably are correct. I forgot about the back window. I guess you don't count the windshield. Ted
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| Stroker | -- 03-15-2010 @ 4:27 PM |
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Ted: If I count the windows on my 38 woodie, I come up with 11, counting the "sliders". If I only count the "openings", then I guess we both have 7-window Fords. Us woodie folk have to stick together. More is better! Dan
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| trjford8 | -- 03-15-2010 @ 8:56 PM |
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Dale ,you came to the right place. Our resident Mecury guru is TomO who posts here frequently. He has a Merc coupe like yours and will be a great help to you. If you just joined the V-8 Club welcome aboard. If you live in Atlanta you can also contact Waymon Brownlee who sells parts in your area and is also familiar with Mercurys. His company is Brownlee's Old Time Auto Parts and he adverises in the V-8 Times.
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| 42wagon | -- 03-16-2010 @ 3:19 AM |
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Dan If your going to count openings in the 41 to 48 wagons do you count the vent windows as separate and how about the upper tailgate? Since there is a solid wood divider in the center is it one opening or two? Wouldn't want to call my wagon a seven window if it really is a ten. Like you say more is better. I heartily agree us woodie folk have to stick together. Got to keep ahead of the termites. Ted
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| TomO | -- 03-16-2010 @ 9:05 AM |
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Dale, you have a good restoration project or with less work you could make it a good driver. Your car looks to have all of the hard to find parts on it. Chrome plating will be expensive and you should take care where you send the grill, hood ornament and license light housing to be rechromed. These parts can be easily ruined by not properly filling in the pits in the grooves on the hood ornament and the license light housing. The grill is very hard to replace and a slip on the buffer can cause the plater to return a bunch of broken bars or gouged out bars. Other hard to find parts are the plastic parts on the dashboard. I had to make all of mine. I have had my car since the early 70's and have enjoyed driving it and restoring it twice. The first time is when I found out how little attention is paid to detail by the platers. I spent the next 25 years looking for NOS chrome pieces and reselling parts that platers did not do right. The car is now in the Dearborn Emeritus class. Tom
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| jerry.grayson | -- 03-16-2010 @ 10:06 AM |
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Stoker In Ford terminology, the description of coupes counted the windshield(1), door windows and if present the quarter windows. Hence, a 5 window coupe had one windshield, two door windows and two quarter windows. The rear windows did not count as all models had rear windows. A 3 window coupe had one windshield and two door windows. This method started when all models had only one piece of glass in the windshield and continued after the two piece windshield was introduced unchanged. Only coupes were described by counting windows.
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| Stroker | -- 03-16-2010 @ 11:11 AM |
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Jerry: I certainly don't doubt your research. Guess I've been counting the wrong windows for 60 years. Just go's to show you CAN teach an old dog. Dan
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| Alan | -- 03-16-2010 @ 3:04 PM |
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In Australia we always counted the number of window (3 window - 5 window), the front window as you said is the windsheild, technicaly a window but called a windshield.
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| Stroker | -- 03-16-2010 @ 4:00 PM |
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V8taxman: I'm sorry I sort of got us off track on the window question. That debate really only applies to 32-36 Ford coupe's, and in contemporary nomenclature, 1947-early 1955 GMC and Chevy trucks. You have a very nice starting point for either a driver, or an award winning restoration. Your 40 is a rare and very stylish example of the effort that Ford was making in building an upscale car. As such, it has some unique styling elements in the side window treatment that weren't seen until the "hardtop" era of the fifties. I hope you will join the Early Ford V8 Club, and share the trials and tribulations that many of us have had the joy of experiencing when dealing with somewhat rare Ford products. Most of us would like to see you keep this car as original as possible. I have spent considerable time with my project "un-doing" changes that were made by my dad, brother and myself over the course of 72 years of ownership. In this age of digital photography, it is easy to record project progress, which is in-valuable when reassembly takes place. It is also very entertaining to your fellow Forum/Club members. document everything! Good Luck!
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| Stroker | -- 03-16-2010 @ 4:18 PM |
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Forgot to add: 1939 and 1940 Merc's were unique in that all the body parts are Merc-Only. Later 41-48's shared all but trim with Fords. In 1950, Mercury once again got their own pieces.
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| v8taxman | -- 03-16-2010 @ 7:23 PM |
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Tom and Stroker, Thank you both very very much for the information. I will certainly be in constant touch with ya'll I am certain about this restoration. One of the conditions that came with the car is that it stays as true to original as possible, a premise I agree with heartily. Tom, I would only hope to one day have mine in such a beautiful condition as yours. MY father in law was very meticulous about he cars he collected. He has restored a few others and has several in various states of condition. Fords, Packards, etc. all great cars in and of themselves but I really like the design and lines of the Merc. Most of the original chrome is on the car or with the car to be put back on, and rust free according to my brother in law. My main task right now is to find a place in Atlanta to keep it and be able to work on it. Unfortunately, I personally do not have the space to do so at present, so if any ideas or suggestions, I am open to them. I will definitely follow up on Waymon Brownlee and it is good toknow that there is a difference in the Ford and Merc parts for the 40. My intentions are to make it a driver as best as I can and then if the urge arises, go for a complete restoration. I just think a car such as this can be just as appreciated in use as it is in show. I will definitely look into the Early Ford V8 CLub as well, as it was my intention to document the process as best as I can. Thanks again to everyone for the encouraging words, and I hope to meet ya'll someday. It is my understanding that there is a national eve t in Charlotte in June and I am thinking about attending to get a true appreciation and gain some good insight into what I really have. This means I know have to take time off from the Harleys and refocus my efforts on 4 wheels instead of two..Not a bad choice to have to make! Thanks again. Dale
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