Laughing Coyote

Nice old Packard in New Mexico. Don't know much on value but it looks to be all there and in pretty good condition. http://tucson.craigslist.org/cto/5617206712.html

I'm still making progress on the Mercury. I have the rear axles all cleaned up and the new bearings installed and ready to go when it's time. I also installed one of the pinion bearings on the pinion shaft. I'm waiting for my neighbor to get back from his vacation so he can help me with the 3rd member. Have to get all the pre-loads right. I did manage to get the other side of the front suspension hung and the other spring painted. My rubber bumpers came in and I installed them too. Other than that the heat is coming. Not looking forward to 106 next week.

Time for another update on the old Merc. I got all the pieces to rebuild the rear differential now. The spool I got off of Ebay was the larger bearing and not the smaller one that I have. I was still able to use it since the size of the spool is the same as mine I just put the two halves together and mounted the new ring gear and turned the ends on the lathe as one unit. There was a lot of check and re checking on the set up to make sure it runs true before I started turning it. It came out nice and the new bearings pressed on great. I put it in the housing to check the run out and it was at .002". Ford spec is .003". I still have to adjust it and install the new pinion shaft and set everything. I mocked up one of the spindles today to check it out. I have my new rubber bumpers coming in the mail tomorrow so I can put them on. I'm going to hold off on the spring install until I get ready to drop the engine in. I don't want it to smash the new upper rubber stoppers while it sitting with just spring pressure on it. I did notice that once I tighten up the nut on the upper ball joint that the hole for the cotter pin is going to be was past the nut and the pin wont engage the castle part of the nut. I did keep one of the original nuts, but thru the other one out when I was tearing down the front end. Had to make a new nut. The ones that came with the ball joints are 1/8" too short and if I order a replacement I'm sure I would get the short one again. Other than that still plugging away at it.

Bleach. I used a spray gun and the oil based Rust Oleum for the frame. The rest of the smaller pieces I used the spray can. Has great coverage. I also used ACE hardware's red oxide primer and coated it with a satin clear for the 3rd member. It was an exact color as the original. The satin clear gives it a nice sheen. I put the upper control arm on today and painted the other one. Also I got the other rear backing plate all torn down and just have to get it cleaned up and ready for paint and rebuild.

pehernan. I'm using Rust Oleum professional type gloss black paint. It comes in a spray can, qt or gallon. It goes on shinny then after it cures out it turns a nice semi-gloss. I didn't want it to be too shiny and not to flat. After it dries it's pretty tough stuff. The price is not bad either.

Came across this on the CL. Looks like a nice one. http://tucson.craigslist.org/cto/5589630584.html

Thanks for the info on the springs Paul. I managed to get the rear differential housing all cleaned up and painted. Thank goodness, nasty, dirty stinky thing. I started to receive parts for the third member rebuild. I also got one of the upper control arms put together too. Still making strides. Have a few more little things for the front to buy and it will pretty much be done. I think i'm going to set the engine in the frame so I can compress the springs when I'm ready to finish the front suspension. It's pretty tight to get a spring compressor in the there.

Maybe for the spring rate??? May have to look into it and see for sure.

Thanks Gary. Here are a couple more progress pictures. Have to blast and paint the other spring and they will be done. Started to clean up the differential. The last of the nasty, dirty parts.

I have the center section all painted up and re added the marking that was on it. Looks pretty close. Had to do that one by hand. The casting is too bumpy to use a stencil. I did manage to find a spool on the Bay for a good price. Should be here in a week. Once it arrives then I will verify the bearing sizes and put in the big order for all the new differential parts.

I don't think that quarter will fit Bleach. Looking good Roger. Keep on amazing us with your talents.

Thanks Paul. Technology can be nice. It's just some big old pieces left over from when I re-did the floors in the house. That way I'm not laying or kneeling on hard concrete and I can set finished parts on it without them getting all scuffed up. I did manage to pull the rest of the third member out of the differential and took it over to the neighbors to have it washed up. Came out nice and clean. No nasty 90w. I hate that smell. Can never seem to get rid of it once it's on you. Have some more marking that I will have to add back once it gets painted. This time I will use a paint pen since the surface isn't so smooth. While taking it apart I did notice that the spider gear shaft was spinning inside the carrier housing after I removed the ring gear. I looked it over and figured that it can't be since there is a roll pin in there to hold it. Weeeeelllllllll, the roll pin is in two pieces and the shaft ends jacked up the carrier housing pretty bad. So, anybody have an early style 9" carrier they are wanting to part with?

Thanks for all the comments. I hung some more items on the frame today. Also managed to get a spring blasted and painted. Going to install the bushings in the lower control arm later this week and that will be installed also.

Today was a busy day for the Mercury. Got the frame down loaded of the trailer. I repainted the frame markings that were on the frame. I used one of my computer programs to trace over the original marking pictures and cut stencils out on my vinyl cutter. I then moved the body out and got the frame under the body. The fun really got started when I got to start hanging parts back on the frame. So nice to handle clean parts and not get dirty. I have to get the axles pulled so I can get the bearing numbers for the carrier. I will be getting the other lower control arm finished up this week and get that hung as well. I need to get the springs blasted and painted so they will be ready too.

Today I took apart the pinion part of the differential. The pinion was really sloppy in the housing. The bearings were pretty worn out. I'm going to order a new ring and pinion, bearings, seals and whatever else I need to get the differential rebuilt. I got the pinion housing all cleaned up and painted along with the yoke assembly. Tomorrow I will be moving the frame in the garage and start working on it. Moving right along.

IT'S PAINTED!!!! WHOOOO HOOOO. Yes I'm a little excited. Wasn't the funnest of times, but it's done. Going to down load it off the trailer Sunday.

It's not a real pet like a dog or cat in that sense. It has a burro out back behind my shop in the desert. Last year a quail lay some eggs in a flower pot that was really low to the ground and he was by the pot trying to figure out how to get them when the quail left. They are slow and neat to look at. I just leave it alone and let it do what it wants. Here is a link with more facts. https://www.desertmuseum.org/kids/oz/long-fact-sheets/Gila%20Monster.php

I got to pick up the frame today!! It looks nice. While looking it over I noticed a little round slug laying inside the rear leaf spring front mount. I picked at it and it popped off. It was a slug that came from when they punched the holes for the spring mount. I can't believe it's been in there since the car was built and never fallen out. Another keepsake. I also was looking at the welds on it. They're not very pretty. Some look like they are just globs of melted iron. I also have been tearing down the rear brakes. The wheel cylinders are pretty nasty, but cleaned up nice. I will order the rebuild kits for the rear brakes along with some other goodies. I located the VIN number that was on top of the passenger frame rail. I will be painting up the other control arm this week and rebuilding that as well. I also installed some ball joints too. A lot going on now. I hope by the middle of the month it will start to look like a real car again. Now we're having fun!! I included a picture of the "family pet" that roams around the desert out back. I see him at least once a year. He (or she) is about 24" long. They're pretty cool to look at.

1953 Buick? http://tucson.craigslist.org/cto/5509365732.html

Came across this on the local CL. http://tucson.craigslist.org/cto/5549038102.html

I wanted to know what was the first year Buick came out with a true hardtop body (no post body) Thanks in advance.

Thanks Keiser. The frame and other control arm is now at the coaters and is waiting to be blasted. I'm glad that the project is moving along. Still have a little bit more under coating to scrape off and the under side will be ready for a final clean and seal. Then I can apply the coating on that too.

Thought I would give an update. The frame is going on Monday morning since I have to drop off some gates I made for a customer along with the other lower control arm. The other one is ready to go. I have installed all the bushing and it looks pretty good. I will be ordering new ball joints in a week or so. I also have been working on removing the old under coating and that is going well. Not much more to take off. Once it's all off then I will do some more wire wheeling and then final seam sealing and then the final coating. Once that has cured up I will be painting the under side of the car the factory body color. I think with the black frame and other parts it will give it a nice contrast and make things pop more. I can't wait until the frame is all done and I get to start hanging stuff back on it. It's going to be great to start putting it back together.

Well I finished up the leaf springs on Monday and are ready to go. I stopped by the powder coaters and dropped off a door to get blasted and powder coated. I threw in the two control arms that I had disassembled so I can get them blasted when they do the door. I will be taking the frame next week. Probably Tuesday. There is going to be some rain chances coming this week and weekend so I don't want it sitting on a trailer blasted and not be painted yet. I have to get some paint for it anyway this week. I did get the body on wheels so I can roll it in and out of the garage when I need to. That will help when I get ready to coat the bottom of the body. Things are still moving along, and that's a good thing.

Thanks Gary, I actually have a light in my cabinet. I also put clear vinyl on the inside of the glass to keep it from getting etched so bad. I bought a bright 3' led strip with power supply on Ebay and put it inside of one of those plastic tubes you put florescent light tubes in and sealed off the ends. When I built the cabinet I added some hooks to lay the tube in and it works pretty good. I see your from SC. The second owner of the Mercury lived in Banberg SC. He bought the car when he got stationed here for the Army.