Mercury Turnpike Cruiser??

[TampaRiv]

Hello all,  I am hoping to buy a 1958 Mercury Montclair Turnpike Cruiser project car in the very near future.  

 

Does anyone know of any forums or other resources related to these 58 Mercs?   When I search "vintage Mercury", boat motors show up in the search results. I can't quite seem to find a website/forum dedicated to the late 1950s Mercury automobiles.   Any help would be appreciated.   Thanks!

[m-mman]

Mercurys are neat cars but they are not a Mustang or a Chevrolet.  
Crowds do not flock to them for restoration or ownership.  There is the International Mercury Owners Association and probably a group on Facebook, but opportunities for linking up with other enthusiasts and parts is not going to be vast. The only reproduced parts are those that are shared with Fords. 

Certainly this board will provide excellent general information and knowledge's from people who have FoMoCo experience but Mercury experts are a much smaller group.

 
You used the word “project car” if it needs substantial work and is missing parts and you don’t associate headaches as a normal part of car restoration, then you need to have your eyes wide open before you go in. 
 

This is from someone who had a 1957 Turnpike Cruiser and currently has a 64 Park Lane cv 66 Park Lane cv.  

Edited April 11 by m-mman (see edit history)

[TAKerry]

What M Man said. I know ziltch about these cars other than I think they are fantastically styled, great looking cars. I was talking with an owner of one at Hershey. By the looks of that car it may be the best one on the planet! He was telling me of all the special quirks (all good things) with this particular model. Everything seemed to be special to this one car. Sounded like a nightmare to restore to me, not for the faint of heart. If you get it GOOD LUCK!

[8E45E]

A great article on a '58 Voyager two-door hardtop station wagon was in the January, 2024 HCC:  Hemmings Classic Car - January 2024 - Issue 232 - Hemmings Motor News

 

Craig

[ABear]

Those were good looking cars!

 

My Dad had a 1958 Monterey four door, very similar to the Montclair Turn Pike Cruiser, gave it to my Oldest brother for his 16th Bday.. Dad found and bought a 57 two door Montclair Turn pike crusier for my next oldest brother when he turned 16.. Very cool rides..

 

Sadly, both cars were eventually sold out of the family..

 

And no, I didn't get such a cool looking car as the 70's really beat the tar out of car looks..

 

If I remember correctly the TP cruiser had optional air vents that opened near the top of the windshield and an optional retractable rear window.. The 58 my Dad had had factory 383 with 4 barrel and the 57 my brother got had a 362 or something like that with factory 4 barrel. Both were push button two speed trans, not sure if there was any other optional trans.. Tube AM radios, the 57 had a motorized station seek with a remote button on the floor by the dimmer switch.. Both were in black..

[TampaRiv]

Thank you gentlemen for your input.   I'm not a novice to the classic car milieu, BUT, I have made some ill-advised purchases in the past!   The car appears to be a decent car, and , as with my Riviera, I would improve the car and make it a reliable driver, but not necessarily look to "restore" it.   Of course, if I were to find that box of money, I could go all-in with a resto.

 

I have 3 nice driver-quality cars, and I don't really "show" them for trophies, which I feel is a waste of time and resources. I love the time spent in the shop making things work again, wrenching with my car buddies, and driving them on the street and seeing peoples' positive reaction to the cars.   My wife has asked: "How many cars can you have??".    I tell her:  "I checked, and there isn't  a limit!".  

 

 

[m-mman]

13 hours ago, TampaRiv said:

My wife has asked: "How many cars can you have??".    I tell her:  "I checked, and there isn't  a limit!".  

Don’t tell her but based on available parking-storage space most car people are at 110% of what they have room for. 😁

[ABear]

15 hours ago, TampaRiv said:

I have 3 nice driver-quality cars, and I don't really "show" them for trophies, which I feel is a waste of time and resources.

They all look nice!

 

I don't have anything nice enough for judged car shows, so we go to local car cruises which are more like "bring what you got" type of thing.. Pretty much see everything from all originals to partly restored to I threw every penny of my children's inheritance into the paint job alone.. I try to meet up with a few friends at the cruises and shoot the breeze while others admire our cars.

 

 

[69merc]

My experience with Mercs is 1. join the IMOA club.  It should come in handy at some point, although not terribly active.  2. find a fb group for your project car.  I am on a fb group for 69-70 Mercury Marquis/Marauders, and that group has been worth its weight in gold for info and parts.  There are other slightly less specific fb groups for my car too.  In fact I only joined fb for the car groups!  (and their marketplace) which has lots of good stuff also.  You're already here on AACA, which I only found recently, even though I have been a long time follower of the "Not Mine" forum, even when I wasn't a member here. 🙃

[ABear]

Dug up a really rough picture of my Dads 58 Merc Monteray..

 

That pix is a snap shot from some Super8 film my Dad took in the 1970s that I digitized.

 

Dad bought new in 58, drove it in the summers only (keep it out of the salt) up until 1968 when he bought a new Merc Colony Park wagon.. Kept the 58 parked in a garage for my oldest brother to drive as his first car..

 

Don't have a good pix of the 57 Merc my next oldest brother was gifted..

 

 

[Dan Cluley]

Greetings from a fellow '65 Chrysler owner.  I recognize that New Yorker from FCBO.

[TampaRiv]

Thank you all for your input on this 58 Turnpike Cruiser.  Just tonight, after an agonizing 2+ months of waiting, I m scheduled to pick the car up on Friday. Fingers crossed.