This is precisely the kind of unloved old car that calls to me, and precisely the kind of unloved old car I know I have to stay away from.
Do they call to you too? I was dropping young Miss D off at ballet this afternoon and found myself swinging by the other side of town to see if it was still there. It was, this 63 Mercury Monterey squatting forlornly in the garage front yard under gently falling snow.
For a 50 year old Ontario car it doesn’t look that bad. With bright red paint and genuine Cragar S/S five spoke chrome rims (with genuine imitation 3 spoke knock off lugs) it was obviously someone’s pride and joy at some point.
The backward canted breezeway window is worth mention, as is the amount of horizontal space between the chrome strip at the top of the door and the boxy greenhouse springing out of the flat upper surface. Never noticed that feature until Paul pointed it out in a Lincoln post.
The front end is a bit of a letdown. As Laurence Jones previously mentioned this is all very generic. Label this “Typical Early 1960’s American Sedan”. I prefer the grille on the 1964 version of these cars.
This interior still looks good in my bad shot, but this Mercury has seen better days; it’s showing a little rust, the red paint is just starting to go and the rear suspension is obviously shot. It’s probably a massive project in more ways than one.
Why do these cars call to me? I always wonder how they got here, how a flashy new Merc someone bought in 1963 became a spruced up cruiser in the 1980s, but then how did it wind up in front of an auto repair shop with FOR SALE written on the window in shoe polish?
Cars like this call to me because I think they should be saved, and because I know I COULD do it I feel some sort of guilt that I SHOULD. After all, who else is going to take on a ’63 Mercury project? Nobody apparently, this car has sat for a year with $4200 scrawled on the windshield. But, I have neither the time, the space, nor the spousal goodwill to take on every project car that calls to me. All I need to do to have my own running old car is install the gas tank and steering column in my 63 VW, and it calls to me too from my own garage.
The green Mustang behind the Mercury belongs to a friend. It’s a goner, apparently his teenage son ran it low on oil and it’s not worth fixing. While he was there he overheard the mechanic mention that the Mercury may be off to the scrap yard soon as well.
If you hear the call of unloved old cars too, now might be a good time to give ol’ Bert an offer.
Related Reading:
CC 1963 Mercury Breezeway: The Cure For The Heatwave
This is a crying shame. I’ve always had a weird fascination with these Breezeway’s and have never, ever seen a two-door version. When I was in college there was a man in town how hoarded these Breezeway’s, but all were four-doors.
What a wonderful find.
+1.
Someone, please save it, so I don’t have to!
This is my sort of car!
Agree, I’ve never see one either, and this was a favourite model for me growing up in the 60’s.
+3, never seen a 2-door Breezeway. TBH the rest of styling does nothing for me though. Using the wonderful phrase Robert Kim publicised earlier this week, I don’t hate the Monterey, I nothing it.
I bought a 2-door ’63 that I’m restoring, this beauty runs great…I’m having a bit of a time finding parts (mostly the emblems and chrome mouldings) but otherwise I’m very happy to own one of them.
If any of you have a lead on parts please be so kind to let me know..
I’m also a sucker for cars like that. Main reason, not too expensive. It’s a cheap way to get a ’60s car if you just want a vintage car. It is not worth what it would take to completely restore it, but it could easily be fixed up, cleaned and driven as is. Right now I have a 1964 Ford Fairlane base model sitting in my driveway. I bought it back in 2008 for $900. About the same condition as that Merc, only white. The paint was in bad shape, and still is. I had the seats redone in marine grade vinyl by a local shop. While they were out, I removed the carpet, padding, and 50 years worth of dirt off the floor, and coated it with light gray truck bed liner. The headliner was falling apart, I ripped it out and painted the metal. I made door panels out of that corrugated plastic they make signs out of.
Mechanically I rebuilt the brakes, front end, replaced all the rubber bushings on the rear leaf springs, new shocks, wheel bearings, etc. Biggest thing was the 2 speed Ford-O-Matic trans. Seals were shot, and I like to never found the parts to repair it with. I tore it down and did a complete rebuild. The 200 c.i. straight six ran fine with just a few minor repairs. I replaced the rusty and dented original wheels and rotted tires with new chrome smoothies and bargain tires. For about $3500 (and a lot of work) I have a vintage daily driver that has been completely reliable. Certainly not a show car, but it’s a blast to drive. Even the gas mileage is not that bad. And the best part? Being a ’64, it is emissions exempt, so I can do whatever I want with it. I have considered putting a 5.0 Mustang engine in it.
Cars like this are reasonably priced, and can usually be fixed up and made driveable for not that much. Anyone who is mechanically inclined (I’m a retired professional mechanic) can drive a vintage car on the cheap. And these cars do need to be saved, if only because they are old. It makes me cringe to think of old cars like this being scrapped. Just because it is not a high dollar collector car doesn’t mean it is worthless. If it is straight and not rusted out, I’d love to get my hands on it. There needs to be more old cars on the road.
Yeah ;
The two doors are pretty thin on the ground .
For $4.3K , it should have ICE COLD AC and *perfect* paint .
I hope they wake the hell up and let it go for the $1,800 it’s maximum value is currently .
As you said : revivable ? yes indeedy but loads and loads of hard work for a car few will ever care about in spite of it being a dang good one .
-Nate
Someone save this car please.What a great find Doug,I have a soft spot for Mercury having had a Comet for my first American car,and the 67/68 Cougar being my all time favourite American car.We had the Ford Classic and better known Anglia with a similar rear window(no breeze a way) from Dagenham in the early 60s.
“The backward canted breezeway window is worth mention, as is the amount of horizontal space between the chrome strip at the top of the door and the boxy greenhouse springing out of the flat upper surface. Never noticed that feature until Paul pointed it out in a Lincoln post.” Sorry, I don’t get what you are pointing out.
The very broad horizontal “shoulder” that runs along the base of the greenhouse. Like a big, wide platform to park one’s elbow on in the summer with the window down. It’s the antithesis of “fuselage” style.
External armrest – very Sixties.
For me, I don’t really care whether it means anything to anyone else. I like driving old cars. The one remaining big issue with my Fairlane is lack of A/C, and this is AZ. It would cost about $2000 for the parts to install a complete system, and I haven’t decided to put that kind of money into it yet.
I agree. My father-in-law laughs at my old, impractical heap, but I don’t care. It *is* more difficult to drive and noisier to ride in and all of that, but I enjoy the heck out of it. I like the feel of the suspension and engine you get driving older cars. New cars are too insulated and regulated. They’re bland.
Have you looked at Old Air Products? http://www.oldairproducts.com/catalog/index.php
I figure I can get and under dash system in my 68 Ford for @ $1,200.
If one picks and chooses and goes used/new components shopping (compressor, mount & drive, condenser, under dash evaporator and hose hits) “a la carte” on ebaymotors; a complete system can slowly be pieced together quite cheaply.
“Old School” R-12 Freon is also dropping in price.
Poor car. But as someone else hinted at, if it’s sat for a year with $4300 on the window then price is too high. It may well need expensive repairs too, it is parked in front of a garage. Alternatively the owner brought it in to get fixed and then found they couldn’t afford to pay. The garage owner might have sunk a few grand in to it and is trying to get their money back. The scrap comment is ominous but scrapping it would get you less than $500, so there’s a lot of room to go down on the price before that starts making sense….unless its a lame duck because of title problems…
When I was a kid, a neighbor of my father’s foster mother would take us to church in his car. He had Mercurys for as long as I can remember, but all 4 doors and all “regular” sedans. One of the many Mercurys he would own was a 63 in that dusky pink-beige.
I also think 63 Mercurys look a bit plain compared to their 64 “sisters”, even the Comet got more exciting in 64.
Cars like this used to call out to me, too. I rarely see them anymore, so I am not tempted. I’m guessing folks do like this seller is doing: price it too high and when it doesn’t sell for “their” price they junk it. I don’t even see older cars, except for “classics” on my local Craigslist. I do find old trucks, though.
Looks to much like a relic from the `50s with that reverse slant roof,but a Monterey hardtop coupe with the Galaxie 500XL style “fastback” roof looks a lot more modern and cleaner than this.
We were just talking yesterday about the awkward proportions on the roof of the 64 Imperial Crown Coupe. These Mercury Breezeways are even worse. There are few cars that made a less attractive transition from 4 to 2 doors than this one. Probably another example of Ford’s refusal to tool up for two separate roof panels, making the 2 door car use the 4 door roof.
I really hate to see this scrapped. But, it’s too far away, I don’t really care that much for the Breezeway roof, and Rangoon Red is not a color that really appeals to me. But I hope someone else grabs it. And DougD – with the VW that close to completion, whatever will you do with your spare time? 🙂
I spotted this Mercury as well, on a visit to Dundas a couple weeks ago. I heard it calling too, but didn’t stop for a closer look. It’s a siren song which will, at the very least, consume your time and money.
A neighbor was selling a Breezeway Mercury sedan of roughly this vintage when I was in high school. It would have been about 20 y.o. then. I knocked on the owner’s door and talked to her about the car. I remember her saying it “rides like a rocking chair,” and she meant that as a compliment.
I vaguely remember she didn’t seem tickled about a teenaged boy taking it for a test drive. I know that the more we talked, the more my interest waned, probably because her asking price was as far from reality as the asking price for the one in this post. So I didn’t even drive it. Kinda wish now that I had at least taken it around the block.
Notice how even in a snow, the rear window stays nice and clear! Distinctive and functional too!
I remember an ad/picture showing a little bird taking shelter from a shower under the breezeway! 🙂
Ugh. Breezaway roofline.
Ugh is right. Yeah, yeah, it may have been “functional” but ugly is ugly. It’s like those back- canted rear doors on the Nissan Armada. A terrible aesthetic feature.
+1.
That roof structure is the last of the ‘Turnpike Cruiser’ Mercury produced for many years. I follow your CC regularly and wonder if you are all to young to appreciate these 50s and 60s cars.
No.
We appreciate these cars, but we are also realistic enough to know the weak points of each. I think of it in terms of one’s friends and family; you think the world of them, but you know their faults.
Age and experience is relative; I’m 42 and have owned a ’63 Ford Galaxie since 1986. I’m not unfamiliar with how this Mercury would drive and behave.
Being a 57 model myself and living near a USAF base I grew up seeing a lot of 50s and 60s American cars and became a fan of them.We often went to America and Canada for holidays so I saw even more of them,we always rented a big Ford wagon though Dad had 2 Falcons a Dart and an Aussie Valiant as the larger cars were too big or thirsty for him in the UK.
I owned a 64 Comet and a 69 Javelin both 6 cylinder cars,the Javelin later became my brother and sisters first American cars.
the ‘Turnpike Cruiser’ Mercury produced for many years
The Turnpike Cruiser was produced for two years only, 1957 and 1958.
And I’m not sure what you mean by ” that roof structure is the last”. The Breezeway roof was built through 1966. And the 1963-1964 Breezeway roof structure was obviously not the same as the 1957-1958 Turnpike Cruiser roof structure. One good look makes that quite clear. Each generation of the Breezeway had its unique roof structure.
As to your question, the answer is also no.
Actually, if you count the TC as G1, the 63-64 as G2, and the 65-66 as G3, there was a G4 Breezeway for 67-68. Much more conventional, and the window only went down a few inches.
@ Hemi ;
I was going to say ‘ yes ‘ but I see some Young Folks have chimed in to indicate liking these old nails so I glad to be proved wrong once again =8-) .
-Nate
The grill looks similar to a 63 Rambler Classic grill. I wonder who’s idea it was at first ?I like the Rambler one better with the enclosed headlights.
I have always liked the 1965-66 Breezeways due to their elegant “in the Lincoln Continental Tradition” styling. I think the “C” pillars have a nicer, vs the earlier models, due to the fact that they are wider and have a longer slope back to the rear window. I love all of the real chrome plated moldings around the interior windows. It would cost a fortune to re-plate all of it! They are very quiet also, due to the body on frame and special body mounts. Ford Motor company advertized the 1965-66 Fords and Mercurys as being as quiet as a Rolls Royce (actually they were quieter). I own a 1966 with only 58,000 miles on it. It has almost perfect original interior and no rust with one re-paint in the original color. It has the 410 cu. in. engine which is extremely smooth in operation. It is a relatively fast car since it weighs less than 4000 lbs. Amazing for a car that is longer than my 1972 Lincoln Mark IV – about 200 lbs less than a 2014 Dodge Challenger! Unbelievable!
When the rear window is down and the under the dash vents are open, you would think you are in a convertible with the volume of air flow – albeit with none of the noise. Very cool – no pun intended. The rear window has several neat qualities: Great air flow, no heat on an inclosed package tray, Little or no sun coming in the rear window, no ice buildup during winter, fun factor to have the rear window down during a rain.
Back in High school, a friend of mine took a tumble out of one while trying to ride on the trunk after a football game. Low speed, luckily, and yes, beer was involved.
Thanx Bill ~
That’s a sweetie and it’s good to hear it’s in good hands .
All through the 1970’s I remember older (my age now I imagine) guys hoarding dozens of pristine 1960’s vintage Fords and Mercurys ~ they were dirt cheap (like $150 ~ $250) and all under 60,000 original miles with perfect paint and interior ~ I used to wonder why they botherd saving these worthless old things , taping newspapers in the windows to protect the prefect cloth interiors from the harsh California sun .
Now I understand completely .
-Nate
Rear seat area of the interior, showing the beautiful and expensive and perfect condition chrome garnish molding and upscale seat material and pattern.
Boy this is beautiful. Love all the chrome. Was this part of an optional interior? I remember seeing a ’65 or ’66 Breezeway years ago that didn’t have the chrome, nor the sail panel lamp.
Congrats on such a great specimen of a unique and interesting car.
This is a Park Lane, the top trim level.
Front seat area of the interior – showing the almost like new condition, very cool clear steering wheel (like the Pontiacs of the 1960s), and the upscale looking instrument panel, and the original floor mat!
I always admired the complete instrumentation that all Mercurys of this time period had; compared to the gas gauge only on the comparable Ford models from 1965-up.
Side view closeup of the elegant wide sloping and sort of hunkered down “C” pillar – nicer shape than the 1962-64 models, which were shorter and more vertical.
To some extent I prefer the 1965 styling over the 1966, but on some counts I prefer the 1966. The front end styling is nicer on the 1965, as is (maybe the chrome treatment on the 1965 “C” pillar. However I prefer the blacked out instrument panel and the tail lights of the 1966. I like the wheel covers of the 1965 a little more than those of the 1966 although I have the optional spinner hubcaps, which look nice. The 1965 wheel covers just don’t look right on my 1966.
I am just glad that I found a very nice original one.
I remember a Mercury commercial from 1964 that featured Joie Chitwood making a ramp jump, and saying the only thing that beat his ’63 Marauder was his ’64. At least I think I remember it. I can’t find it online, or any other mention of Chitwood in a Mercury of this vintage. I was 13 at the time, so maybe it’s a construct of my imagination.
While no fan of the breezeway styling, I can see the practicality in an era where A/C was still a rare option in much of the USA. The look, however, was to the past. In ’63, Rambler Ambassador/Classic was a view into the future.
This is the only era where Mercury really looked upscale and trimmed out closer to Lincoln than Ford, even if the BOF structure is all Ford, compared to the unibody Lincoln. Just as we saw with the plain Monaco interior yesterday, Mercury would go down the same path, where an LTD is just as nice as a Merc in a few years.
If you think about it – in the 1965-66 time frame, you had a choice between the square body look or the coke body look. Both unique and both attractive, depending on the car in question. Unlike today, where the choice is basically Jelly Bean.
The square bodies that look nice included the Ford LTD, Mercury Parklane, Thunderbird, Lincoln Continental, Chrysler New Yorker, and several of AMCs cars. The coke bottle designs that looked nice included the full size Pontiac and Chevy, and the Riviera, and the Grand Prix. I don’t know if I would say that the square body design was out of date at this time. Of course by 1967, Ford was going the way of the coke bottle design. By the 1980s, most cars were designed similar. And of course eventually all were of the Jelly Bean design. But, as I recall when these cars were new, the square body design was just as new and attractive as the coke bottle design in my eye. I think the square body design seems to have held up a little better than the coke bottle design a half century latter. After all, the 1961- 64 Chevys have a mush larger following today as compared to the 1965 – 1968 Chevys.
Completely agree about the square bodies/coke bottle choice. Some critics write (today) that the re-designed ’65 Chrysler full-size cars’ square bodies were somewhat dated when new (because of the GM move to coke bottle).
As you point out Bill, that was hardly the case, given the number of cars that went with the square body design -including ’65 -’66 Cadillac. And the ’65 LTD garnered all sorts of attention when it was released.
PS: thanks for sharing the pictures or your ’66; what an clean gem -and a very elegant interior.
As for me? I’ll take a ’64 -love the sport roof line and that dashboard.
I agree that the 1964 4 door hardtop fastback is a great looking car. I had a chance to buy a one owner light tan on with the very cool interior using the Thunderbird front seats back in the early 1980. The original owner had keep it in like new condition. It was stunning. I love the front end on the ’64. That car as well as it’s brother, the ’64 4 dr hardtop semi-fastback Ford Galaxie XL, are still some of my favorite designs. Unfortunately, the original owner was completing the sale as I walked up the driveway! To this day I am upset over the loss of that car. The ’64 Ford and Mercurys that I mentioned, actually have prettier or more sporty interiors than the 1965-66 Ford and Mercury – but maybe not as upscale or elegant.
Too bad I’m not in Ontario and the seller has a bad case of Barrett-Jackson-itis.
Somewhere in the family archives, there’s a picture of me changing the right-front tire on a ’60 Mercury. It was a dirt brown 4-door that my dad picked up on the cheap around 1971 or so. He didn’t keep it very long because it had an annoying habit of puking transmission fluid out of the dipstick tube and onto the exhaust manifold. BIG smoke show whenever that happened! I marvel to this day that the car didn’t catch fire from doing that.
As a kid I thought the Breezeway rear windows were pretty cool, but our ’60 didn’t have that feature.
I might like a ’64 to ’66 Breezeway Merc for my lotto garage. Weren’t those the ones with the boomerang shaped tail lights? Make mine midnight blue metallic, please.
— Just took a peek over at OldCarBrochures.com. Must have Pontiac on the brain. My dream Merc would be a ’65. Each tail light was composed of an upward & a downward pointing triangle.
Wow, that’s a really clean (at least from the internet) looking 51 year old car. The two door Breezeway has got to be fairly rare. What impresses me the most about the outside is that the sheet metal grille is hardly damaged or disfigured and it looks like most of the exterior chrome is still on the car. Some of that stuff would be nearly impossible to source, in my opinion. Even the way it sits now (unless the floorboards are gone) it looks like it could be a nice resto-mod with a little work. But $4200? Hmmmmm….
I wish I had the time/space/money for something like this, but alas, too many other things to look after right now…
$4200 is too much, but it could probably be gotten for half that. If the body is straight, and there is no major rust, and the drivetrain is salvageable, and if you can do all the work yourself, it wouldn’t take as much as you might think to get it back on the road again. “Patina” cars are quite popular now. Imagine the looks you would get driving that car down the road with all the “jelly bean” cars. My Fairlane is not a “pretty” body style, compared to most collector cars. But it sure stands out among all those jelly bean cars, and it sounds and feels like a real car. I don’t care if it is not perfect, that was never my intention. In fact my original intention was to build a rat rod, but I decided to leave it as is. If that car was as easy and cheap to get back on the road as my Fairlane was (it sat in someones back yard for a couple of years, yet there was no rust under it) it would be a great deal. Some of us want old cars (I hate new cars) but can’t afford a pristine ’57 Chevy Bel Air or mid ’60s Mustang. This is the way to get one.
Of course, Mercury made a Breezeway in 1967 and 1968 as well – then they were totally gone for good. You never see those. I looked for one years ago, but could not find one. I have not looked since the advent of the Internet however. Anyway, it had a standard looking roof for the time, however the rear window was recessed (Frenched) an the rear window lowered, albeit only about 2 inches. Interesting, but not as dramatic and the styling was morphing into the coke bottle school of design. And the interior chrome was gone due to government regulations on reflection from chrome distracting the driver.
Here’s one up in my neck of the woods. http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/4769706470.html They had me until the Super Professional Installed stereo. At first I thought here was hope since the factory radio seems to still be in the dash and the dash seems uncut. However they cut the front door panels for speakers. I don’t mind the aluminum heads and intake too much, as long as the factory pieces were included. I really hope it is still wearing Powered by Mercury valve covers.
The one on CL is not a breezeway.
I love these Breezeways, having learned to drive on my parents’ ’63 Monterey Custom 4-door hardtop, Jamaica yellow with a beige fabric interior. First car we ever had with power windows and air conditioning. Fabulous, to this 16-year old, my brother and I loved riding in the rear seat with that back window all the way down. And a major step up in the automotive hierarchy from our dowdy ’59 Ford Galaxie. Dad took delivery on it on Christmas Eve, 1962, and what a Christmas present it was. I took such pride in driving that car to high school functions, it seemed so upscale. Unfortunately, I recall it had a lot of problems, which ultimately prompted Dad to trade it in on a ’65 Lincoln Continental. But that Breezeway window design still had presence, and it was one of my favorite family cars. Recently here in the Palm Springs area I saw a ’63 Monterey S-55 4-door hardtop at a Great American Cars of Yesteryear show, and I couldn’t tear myself away from it, I kept seeing myself riding in and driving that car as a teenager. The bucket seat interior of the S-55 was so much more sporty, to use a phrase, and scarce as hens’ teeth, even back in the day. Great cars, you had to have been there to appreciate them.
The price is silly. That being said, somewhere there is a buyer. If it was mine I’d put it on one of the free ad places. Auto trader .CA would do the trick. List it as.. “what it is, where it is” …$.1500 cash bring your trailer” If I guy shakes $ 900 under your nose ? take it and run. I hear it everyday, from private car sellers. “Nobody wants to buy my car/truck” I see old cars on the road sides, parked for months with for sale signs in the window. Why ? Too much money.
This car really does it for me.. I love ’60’s sedans, and the cragars and two-door configuration really make this car special for me. I even love the resale red paint! I’d love to have car like this. I’d probably want to use it to pull a vintage camper.Probably something like the newer add below.
As a kid, I would be green with envy seeing a luxury car pulling a rig like that. The total value was probably 10 times the money I was riding in.
This car, on a used car lot around my New Orleans home, and enough “room” on my visa card would be a dangerous combo. Eighteen one hundred dollar bills waved in front of the car lot owner’s nose would be MY limit.
And if there was a ’62 Fury and a ’60 Valiant, in the same condition, sitting next to this unusual and eye-catching Mercury……
The Breezeway makes it kinda cool, but otherwise ’59 through ’63 full size Mercurys were probably the least competitive cars in their segment. Oddball styling lead to poor sales, decontenting, and a reduction in model offerings. Things began to turn around in ’64 and ’65 was a revolutionary improvement.
I want that car. Badly.
Around 1970 the family had a 62 Monterey in beige 2 door. It was well equipped with bucket seats and floor shifted automatic with the 390 engine. It had a 2 tone light and dark beige interior, which was beautiful with all the chrome trim it had. It even had lap belts front and rear with the chrome lift type buckles. Also had factory under dash AC. The styling with the round ‘fins’ tailamps was a little strange, but it was still a nice car and the engine was very strong. The problems it had were mostly because of the repair shop my dad used, the tie rod ends were replaced but the nuts fell off as the car pulled up to a stop sign, with both front wheels pointing out in opposite directions. There were no cotter pins installed, and I doubt the nuts were tightened. Another time after a brake job from the same shop, the brake pedal went to the floor (single circuit). We drove slowly to a shop and when the rear brake drum was pulled, the shoes, springs and cylinder pistons dropped to the floor. I think after that Dad found a new repair shop. I was about 14 and I used to ‘park it in the driveway for Mom’, sometimes that included a quick speed run down the still being built freeway the next block over.
Actually it is a good thing it isn’t in my neighborhood as I would have already bought it if the price were reasonable. I like the cars that everybody overlooks and would just as soon crush. Seeing a big 63 in red, 2 doors no less, on the freeway would be quite a sight. Sometimes, but not always, they are at a price that reflects that reality and this one doesn’t. Consequently I have already saved two much to my wife’s annoyance.
My 67 4dr hardtop Park Lane languished on Craigslist for 4 months in 2004. I couldn’t stand it and decided to save it and purchased it for $900 and in above average shape mechanically and interior wise. Love the ride. Love the 410-4V.
My 73 4dr. hardtop Polara was on Craigslist for 3 months at the time I got interested in the 73 model. I tried to resist the call and it disappeared and thought it sold. Nope, it was back weeks later and all people wanted were parts. So I bought it for $1500. Cleaned the interior, repaired mechanically and eliminated dents plus surface rust before painting. In the end another ignored 4dr saved.
Bravo! I applaud anyone that puts their time and effort into the less popular body styles. I get plenty of people asking me why I’m wasting my time and $$$ fixing up a ’78 Fairmont. Why? Because I like it! That’s all that matters!
C.C. Effect ! .
I was driving the other day and a really nice original Two Door Merc. hardtop pulls up next to me at a stop light , original Sea Foam Green paint , good chrome , nice wheel covers , looked like new seating under those awful clear plastic seat covers Baby Boomers hated in Summer , I asked the nice man what year it was and he said ‘ 1960 ‘ and commented he likes my Metropolitan Coupe .
Good thing this gas hog is so far away .
-Nate
It’s been offered at $4200 for over a year with no takers. But now the owner is considering scrapping it? At todays prices it should bring about $500 tops. Why isn’t the owner considering offers or bring down the asking price? Seems pretty drastic from $4200 to scrapping it. Hell, for scrap price I’ll buy it and have it shipped cross-country.
Folks, I’m interested on this car…anyone know who I may contact?
I’m restoring a ’63 2 door that I bought 2 years ago…
Here’s my lovable money pit…
Hi,
I have to use this chance and ask you all, if you can help me finding a quite rare piece to my 1963 Mercury Monterey. I’m looking for a specific dash panel/moulding for my car with a swing-away steering column. It is the one that sits above the steering column with 7 holes for the knobs and switches, see picture.
I really appreciate your help. I live in Finland, but have a ship to address in the States as well.
THANK YOU
Regards Leif
Ah, you Finns and your American cars. I work for a Finnish company so I know 🙂
Have you tried CTC Auto Ranch in Texas? I saw them on an episode of RoadKill, they are expensive but they seem to have part of a 63 Mercury:
http://www.ctcautoranch.com/Parts%20Cars/Parts%20Cars%20Sub-Pages/Parts%20Cars%20Mercury.html
Oh yeah…….we finns make top restorations 🙂 . I’m not sure if I’ve been in contact with CTC, but will do it now. Thank you
Regards Leif
Update on this:
It did finally disappear about six months ago, I was at the garage getting a brake line fixed on the Focus the other day and asked about it. Apparently it sold for something like $1,500 to a fellow who plans to put it back on the road.
That’s a relief, because I don’t have to do it…
I was searching online for a 1963 Mercury and this post came up. I ended up buying this car in mid 2015. If all goes well, this will be the summer it will hit the road!
Fantastic! Shoot me a personal email through Paul (webmaster) once you get it going.
I’d love to see it running and do an update for this site.
I am looking for 1963 marauder quarter panel
I have one too
10 years later (!!!) I’ll bet this is the same car popped up on FB Marketplace. It’s about 10km from where I spotted it in 2014. The interior is the same, and the red paint can be seen peeking from under the brushed on and scuffed off black paint.
I’m glad to see it’s still around, but I still have enough trouble looking after what I’ve got.