Laughing Coyote

Today I dropped off the transmission. Woo Hoo. They're going to go thru it and check everything and reseal it too. I also contacted Waldon about the exhaust system and they varified that the 390 dual set up will fit the 352. Woo Hoo. So I have that all set up when I get ready to order. I have decided to send out the radiator after Christmas. With all the packages out for the holidays I don't want to throw mine into the mix and have a greater chance of it getting lost or misplaced, or better yet get thrown and damaged by an overworked angry delivery driver.

Sorry to hear that the pieces are sub par after you put all that hard work into them. I know how frustrating it is when you put all your efforts into something and then when you have to send things out for the final part of the project just to have to re-work them again when you get them back. Wish you better luck on the next run.

Nice compressor John. Looks like you got the 60 gallon one. I bought the 2 stage 80 gallon one 2 years ago. They work well.

Bleach. I actually have to buy one yet. I'm going to pull the measurements from the air cleaner housing and see whats out there. It had a Fram element in it when I got it, but the correct element is suppose to have an upper lip so when the top goes on it it seals it. I will let you know what I come across and the measurements on mine.

Had some time this afternoon to make a quick mount for the radiator. Not to pretty, but functional. Just needs to work for a little bit. Getting closer.

I now have the radiator hoses so I can now make the radiator mount finally. Once done off it goes for rebuild. Spoke with Waldon on the exhaust system. They don't have a dual system for the Meteor 800 with a 352. They have it for the Monterey with the 390. Same car just with more chrome pieces. They were going to check the angles of the pipes and see if they would interchange. I do believe that the 352 and 390 are the same block and used the same exhaust manifolds too. I should here something back this coming week. Once I get a final answer then I will know which way to go. I will be taking the transmission in for service in a week.

Welcome Todd. I'm sure others will chime in and welcome you too. There is a lot of knowledge on this Forum and the fine folks here will be more than happy to help you with your questions. As far as the rusted bolts there was a post of some guy using a lighter and a wax candle to remove rusted lug nuts. It was posted in the General discussion section. I'm sure there is other opinions out there. Good luck on your Chevy restoration.

Looking good Chris. Now you really get to dig into it. I like this part of a restore. You get to remove years of rust and dirt and get all the pieces looking new again. The greasy part wasn't all that fun though, but part of it. Have a ball.

They have Truly Nolan all over in Tucson. Still have the old cars all over town too. You see them everywhere. https://www.trulynolen.com/about/the-mouse-car.asp

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Just a quick blip on some progress. After doing some research on the radiators I decided to have the original one rebuilt. Wasn't sure if the transmission lines would be in the same location on the tanks or not. All the pictures show them higher. I'm sending it out to the radiator shop in California that did my heater core. They will be using a high efficiency core so I will get more cooling for the same cost as a new one. More cooling for the engine in Arizona is a good thing. I have to make a mount this coming week for the radiator when I get my hoses in from Rock auto. Then off it goes. The neighbors with the heavy equipment have giving me a big laundry list of home repairs and other projects they want done. They don't mind paying for good work. Looks like the transmission will be getting done, drive shaft reworked and maybe get the exhaust system really soon. Hoping to get all this done before the end of the year. It's going to be great. Glad the video is down. Maybe I will do my own one day since it had a good following. It won't be for profit. Just for people to enjoy.

Looks like you have a good start. Going to be pretty nice when it's done. What's all the white stuff on the ground?

Do you take them tiny pieces to a special chrome shop that deals in small items or to a regular type chrome shop for automotive stuff? If I was the guy doing the work I would be very nervous. Would hate to have a part that small fall off the tree and get lost in a big tank. Can't wait to see how they come out. Looking good.

Oh no Bleach. They're just used to break in the cam when I run the engine for the first time. I will be putting a Waldon exhaust system on it when I get to that point.

we're getting closer. Got the exhaust pipes all done and ready. Just lacking the radiator and two hoses. I have to do some home repair for my neighbors so I see a radiator in the very near future. I guess I better get going on the mount for it. Can't wait to hear the engine fire back up since I bought the car. It's 2" tubing about 8' long. Should have good back pressure.

Well thank you to MCHinson for getting involved and taking care of it. Keiser, this is what the emblem looks like. That's the one on the trunk that needs some attention.

Your making good progress Chris. Be careful when removing the body. You don't want to get hurt and delay your progress on your project.

I see that the link to the You tube video is no longer. Interesting. I wonder if the guy came back to steal more pictures and noticed that they are now stamped copyright. Well at least he won't be taking credit anymore a car he doesn't own. Anyway, I've been really busy with jobs so I haven't had much time on the car. I did manage to get a pair of NOS rocker molding end caps. I have a drivers side one that was good, but the passenger side was smashed and is a bear to find. They were a little more than I wanted to spend, but at least I have a nice set now. Trying to score a NOS trunk emblem too. Very hard to find the "Mercury" emblem for this year. I have one, but it will need some rework. Maybe this Sunday I will work on the engine stand stuff. I still have to do the pipes and since the radiator is shot I can mock up a mount for that too. That way the new one can just bolt into place.

Dale, Mine is on there too. Did you have to subscribe to send a reply to this joker? I will do the same.

Doing a little test. Input welcome.

I've been searching around to find out how to get in touch with them. Like anything now a days. You just go around in circles. I have something up my sleeve. have to do a little more thinking on it. You will see the next time I posts pictures.

It doesn't sit well with me that this guy can just troll forums and pick what photos he wants and make a video. All for just making a buck. Not to cool, and yes that's stealing. At least the fine folks here on the forum know who the REAL restorer is on this project. Thanks for all the comments and support from you all.

Well since I'm here I will put a few pictures of the exhaust flanges I made on the plasma table. Made them out of 3/16" steel plate. Took about 30 seconds a piece. Got to love technology.

Hmmmm... That's very interesting Pacerman. Don't know who made a you tube video on the progress of the Mercury. I know it wasn't me. Very interesting.

Just a quick little blip on some progress. Received my dust boots for the rear brake cables. I couldn't find Ford ones so I found some on Ebay. They are for 1960-1979 GM. They are exactly what I had on the car originally. Same shape, size and fit. They are snug to get over the big ball at the end of the cable, but once they are on they're perfect. I also picked up some 2" tubing for the exhaust pipes for the test stand. Have to make flanges and get some gaskets for them. Sorry the pictures aren't the best. Bad lighting.

wldavis, Thanks for following along on the progress. They do look the same. My car came with the power brake option and shares a lot of the parts as a 1961 Galaxie. The body panels are different, but the chassis is the same. I do believe the 600 model Meteor did not have power brakes. The 800's were the middle of the Meteor line. The Monterey was the high end with more chrome on the dash and other options. It could be original to your car. If you had a build sheet from the car it may show it. Not sure how you would find out otherwise. I was doing some repair work on a neighbors 1966 Fairlane 500 XL convertible and his doesn't have power brakes either. It has the 390 with the 4 speed. There is no room for a booster. It has a smaller engine bay than the full size Fords.