1965 Mercury Maurader (Park Lane) - info please?

[Pontiac59]

A friend of mine just got a batch of cars... not being a Ford guy, I was curious about this one. A '65 Merc 2dr ht, Park Lane badges on the rear fenders, but at the base of the B-pillar (rear roof support) it has Maurader badges with a checkered flag. The car has bucket seats and a console with a tach up under the dash, which are all in fairly decent shape. I know they made a Maurader in '63 and '64, but I didn't know it continued into '65.

How rare is this car and how much of it is worth saving? It's sat in a back yard in New York State since the mid-'70's or so and the rear bumper along with about 18" of the frame is already torn off the car. The salt did it's work when it was on the road, and sitting outdoors did the rest. It is so rusty we want to wait for the ground to thaw because otherwise it will have to be cut in half on the spot to avoid tearing it up. The console is a no-brainer, probably the Maurader emblems, but beyond that... is the motor (a 390 I assume) even anything special?

Maybe someone would even want the whole thing - most of this full size Ford stuff tends to be a pig in a poke though, so I was curious what other people thought on it.

[Dave@Moon]

According to <span style="font-style: italic">The Standard Catalog of Ford</span>, there were 6,853 Model 67 (Park Lane) 2-door Mauraders made in '65. Breaking that number down <span style="font-style: italic">The Cars of Lincoln Mercury</span> lists production totals 5,111 Model 63F (Park Lane) 2-door Mauraders and 1,742 Model 63C (Park Lane Sports-Package equipped) 2-door Mauraders. (I have no idea why the two books differ in model number for this car.) Your car is definitely a Sports-Package equipped car. <span style="font-style: italic">The Standard Catalog of Ford</span> lists the "Sports Package" cost at $423, which is <span style="font-weight: bold">hugely</span> expensive for that era! It may include more than just the fancy interior.

My 4 year old price guide lists this car at less than $9000 in mint conditon, although given it's a unique "Sports Package" model it's likely worth a little more than that. Financially it's probably not a car that can be restored at a profit. However it is a <span style="font-style: italic">very</span> rare and unique high-end automobile, and in less tangible terms it would be a very rewarding car to save. At the very least It should be a valuable donor car for someone!

[Twitch]

Condition it's in now it wouldn't be more than like $1000 if someone really wanted one. If it has a 427 figure 135% above that. Friend's parents had a black on black in black one back in 65. It was a great cruiser and great for drive in dates. The 390 could get up some too.

[Guest De Soto Frank]

I believe that the 390 was part of the "FE" big-block family that included the:

332, 352, 361, 390, and 427.

If it's salt-eaten and lots of underneath is already missing, it may not be "worth" the time, labor, and $$$ to bring it back...but the "Marauder" goodies must have some value...

Would've been a pretty hot car in its day...

[Pontiac59]

Yeah, it looks like a nice car that would be a bit of a sleeper, especially with that 427. Dash is nice looking and well laid out, too. My Motors says the 427 had dual-quads on it, but that's by no means the expert guide. There any way to tell the difference between the 390 and the 427? I can probably look for head casting numbers and run them on some online sites.

The only way to restore this car would be to find another '65 Park Lane hardtop and put all the Maurader goodies on it. It's sunk to the hubs in the ground, and the ground was still frozen. I'm pretty sure if we try to move it while the ground's frozen, it will break the car in half - it is hard enough to move them when they are up on tires, I've had them frozen to the driveway before from sitting. This one, you open the trunk and there is no frame left behind the axle - it may come apart even if the ground is soft.

That's pretty typical for New York though, if you leave it outdoors. Unless the ground is sandy, hard packed, or way up on a hill for the moisture to run away - they sink in and rot to nothing.

Thanks guys -

[Guest De Soto Frank]

Should be able to ID the engine by the number..

According to Chilton's 1963-'70 Shop manual, the engine is identified by a letter code within the vehicle serial number on the rear edge of the left front door pillar ("B" pillar).

The engine code "is the last LETTER in the serial number"...this is about five characters in from the left, and just before the six digits indicating the unit sequential production number.

For 1965, the codes are as follows:

390 2-BBL "special": "H"

390 2 BBL:, "Y"

390 4 BBL: "Z"

427 2 x 4 BBL: "R"

"The engine number is stamped on the top surface of the engine block near the crankase breather pipe, front left side."

I would expect that the engine number would begin or end with the appropriate letter code, as above.

Hope that helps you out...

[rocketraider]

That looks like a woodgrain steering wheel in decent shape under the grunge. Definitely worth saving- those go for good money. Basically any of the interior that isn't water damaged should be saleable.