[Virgil & Sue Klein]

John,

I would think one of two things is occurring. If the screws that you are using to tighten the mirrors are too long they will bottom out and feel tight before they make contact with the mirror bracket and then cannot hold the mirror itself tight. The solution here would be to purchase new shorter screws (am not sure of thread count difference and screw size differences between the US and the UK) or to very carefully hacksaw the ends of your current screws being sure not to foul the threads. This can be tricky as the screws typically are fine thread for this application. Take real care if you attempt this. In many instances a washer would do the trick but I think the screws are countersunk and a washer cannot be used.

The other issue could be threads that are stripped either in the mirror itself or in the screws. That would require new screws and a tap and die to make new threads in the mirror itself.

One other solution would be to purchase new mirrors. Many of IMOA’s suppliers carry mirrors that would be appropriate for your car.

Good luck with your car. ’62s are pretty rare (love the taillights) but are gaining in popularity especially the convertibles.

[Virgil & Sue Klein]

Jack,

Contact Gary Richards in Sun City, CA. You can look up his contact info in the “member directory” on the website. Just click on the “access the member directory” line in the box to the right.

Good luck with your project.

[Virgil & Sue Klein]

I’m not so sure that the shocks are the issue for your bottoming out. Shocks are there to dampen the travel of the springs so that the car does not bounce continuously after hitting a bump. They are not designed to affect ride height unless of course you are using air shocks. I have ridden in a car with no rear shocks in place and it is a very scary ride. My ’55 also has issues with being “too low” in the back. It probably wouldn’t hurt to add one more leaf spring. That worked wonders on the ’53 I used to own.

[Virgil & Sue Klein]

Just look to the right on this web page. There is a link to LeBaron Bonney Company who specializes in automotive interiors. I am sure they can answer your questions or may have available the seat covers you are looking for.

[Virgil & Sue Klein]

Joe,

Thanks for the link to the ad for the car. For a bunch of easily seeable reasons that is NOT a ’55. The grill is from a ’56, the “MERCURY” lettering on a ’55 is on the hood, not the bumper as on the car pictured. The quarter panel molding is definitely a ’56 and it is a Medalist model which was not made in ’55. Also, as stated above, the serial number of 56SL is for sure a ’56.

I have seen this come up before on these older cars. When the car was an early production (for the model year) and it was registered for the first time, many motor vehicle departments (the local county in my case in Nebraska) registered the car for the year it was built but not the model year of production. Remember, back in the 50s the new cars were almost always introduced in September or early October. The confusion can arise from that. It could also be a simple typing error on the title or registration as well.

[Virgil & Sue Klein]

If the serial number begins 56SL that is a ’56 built in St Louis. There were no ’55 Medalists according to my shop manual which lists all of the ’55 models. I believe in ’55 the “cheap” Merc was a Custom.

As to why there are no ’57 Medalists, who knows.

[Virgil & Sue Klein]

Bill,

Concours Parts in Carson City, NV shows rear shocks for your ’56 on their website. They advertise in Quicksilver and their info is on page 49 of the winter issue. C&G Early Ford parts in Escondido, CA also shows they have shocks that fit your ’56. Best news of all is that NAPA Auto Parts also carries these shocks. Hopefully you have a NAPA store close to you so you can save on shipping.

[Virgil & Sue Klein]

John,

If you “google” “Mercury data plate decode” a whole bunch of websites with decoding information will come up. If you post your data plate info here some one will help with the decode. What year Merc are you trying to decode? In the past, Gary Richards had published decoding information in Quicksilver and I have those copies to assist. Years ’49 through ’60 as I recall.

[Virgil & Sue Klein]

Tom,

Looks like we (you and I) have figured out that the Lightning Bolt was a ’64 Comet built exclusively for drag racing. It ran in the A/FX class and a replica of the car can be seen at dluxhotrods.com under the “cars for sale” tab. Anyone interested in buying it can purchase it from them. All the info on the car is at the website as well. Maybe an IMOA member will bring it to Louisville!

[Virgil & Sue Klein]

I looked at Dearborn Classics website. They seem to have lots of parts for mid 60s Ford products including Mercury. Don’t know if they have body panels but I’m guessing they are worth a look. Hopefully they can give you some ideas as to who carries body panels.

[Virgil & Sue Klein]

John,

I looked up a bolt pattern chart on google. They show a bolt pattern for all big Mercs from ’55-’60 as 5 on 5

[Virgil & Sue Klein]

The simple solution to bolt pattern is to measure it on the wheels you have, even though they are 15″, and use that for your new wheels. Wheel diameter does not affect bolt pattern. And, “YES” your mechanic should know this as should any good tire/wheel shop. Somewhere there must be a chart for bolt pattern on a ’60 Merc. Just a thought: take the two wheels you have and try them on your car. If one fits use it.

[Virgil & Sue Klein]

John,

May I first ask why you want to switch to 14″ wheels? In my opinion, for wheel size, bigger is better. As to rim size, the gentleman at the tire store is a bit confused I think. If you are looking for 14″ rims that are 6″ wide then order them that way. I think the bolt pattern (5×4.5) is being confused with rim width. It is important that the bolt pattern on your new wheels matches the pattern on the car otherwise the wheel will not fit on the car. Bolt pattern is stated as 5×4.5 which means it is a five lug wheel with a space between the bolts of 4.5″ (but not the bolts that are right next to each other). Please read up on bolt pattern on the internet as it can be confusing. Measure the bolt pattern on your existing wheels. It MUST match the pattern on the new wheels. Please also read up on “wheel offset” (the inside depth of the wheel). This can be critical to good handling and even fitment issues, not to mention “look”. Swapping wheels ain’t that simple as you can see.

[Virgil & Sue Klein]

If you are going for an original look then the tread design might be important to you. My personal feeling is that as long as the tire acts like a radial it is OK. I run Firestone radials on my ’55 with narrow whites. I am not that concerned about the originality of the look but I personally like the black between the rim and the whitewall.

[Virgil & Sue Klein]

Hi John and welcome to IMOA. We look forward to seeing your Park Lane at an upcoming IMOA event. Louisville in July 2016 comes to mind. I assume you know the size of tire you want. Any good tire store can help you with the change in dimension from SAE to metric. I would personally suggest a good radial tire for handling and safety reasons. That leads to a bit of a problem since you want wide whites (WW). The one tire maker that would make such a thing (that I am aware of) is Coker tires. They have available just about any size radial in a wide white. Be prepared for a bit of “sticker shock” when you price them but they do a made a quality product and are well known for that. Good luck with your project.

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