[Virgil & Sue Klein]

One way to get brighter lights and the potential of adding A/C (your other post) is to switch to a 12 volt system.  You mentioned that you will not do that.  I am curious as to why.  Obviously if you want to keep the car original you must keep it 6 volt.  There is also the expense of switching.  The benefits are many however.  The option to add A/C is one, a modern sound system is another, and the brighter lights are another. 

As to options for the 6 volt system and brighter bulbs.  I am not sure anyone makes a 6 volt LED bulb but maybe you have found them.  I’m not sure, but don’t the LED bulbs “plug” into a socket instead of the push and twist style for the stock bulb.  To add a filament to the back up lights you will need new pigtails that have a dual contact system like the brake/turn signal bulbs.  Don’t know what you might gain and if it is worth the trouble.

Have you thought about using an 8 volt battery to get the bulbs brighter.  It will not burn out the bulbs any faster and they will burn brighter.  I use an 8 volt battery in my ’55 and it seems to work without trouble.  You will not need to change anything in the electrical system and only adjust the voltage reuglator to put out a little higher voltage.  The starter loves the extra voltage and will spin the engine that much quicker.  NAPA stocks an 8 volt battery that fits fine in my ’55.  (Don’t know if you have NAPA in Greece however!).

As to the A/C, I recall, when I was a kid, that we had a swamp cooler for the car that plugged into the lighter socket.  It pumped water over a pad and then a fan circulated the air through the pads.  It sat on the driveline hump and although it wasn’t dry air like today’s A/C it was a little cooler than ambient air.  I think ours had a 12 volt pump and fan but I would think you could use a 6 volt heater motor to run the pump and fan.  Just a thought. 

[Virgil & Sue Klein]

Try a new clip.  It will have the proper spring tension to hold the crank in place and they are cheap.  The splines don’t have much to do with holding the crank on.  They make sure the regulator turns when you turn the crank and keep the crank positioned on the regulator.  Are you having this problem with a single crank?  There is a depression behind the splines on the regulator that the clip fits into when you install the crank.  Be sure this is in good shape. 

You don’t need to go online to get the clip.  Most good parts stores (NAPA) will have them in stock for less than a dollar.  I would suggest you replace all of them.

[Virgil & Sue Klein]

Tetraethyl lead was an inexpensive way to add octane to gasoline and also provided a cushion (lubricant) between the valve and the valve seat.  I have had several older cars and have never used a lead additive.  These would include a flathead in my ’53 Merc.  When I overhauled the 292 in my ’55, hardened valve seats were used by the machine shop so that lead in gasoline was not a major issue.  Lead was removed from gasoline when catalytic converters were introduced.  Lead destroyed the chemicals in the converters and rendered them useless.  I agree with John in that we don’t use our old cars in extreme conditions and usually “baby” them.  Under those conditions I think you are throwing your money away buying lead additives.

[Virgil & Sue Klein]

You will have to remove the radio.  That is not difficult.  The speaker grill does come off but only from the bottom.  The speaker itself is held in place by four screws (as I recall) that you access from the bottom.  You must remove the heater plenum (the cardboard to the left of the heater assembly) to remove the radio.  Unhook the power, speaker, and antenna wires, remove the cap screws holding the mounting brackets on the side of the radio, pull the volume and tuning knobs off the front, remove the two nuts holding the radio in the dash (behind the knobs), and the radio will practically fall out of the dash.

[Virgil & Sue Klein]

I checked on C & G Early Ford parts website and they only show one parts listing for ’55-’56 floor pans so that would make me assume that the Fords and Mercs are the same.  Give them a call to find out. 

[Virgil & Sue Klein]

The stand for the jack has slots in it.  Put the slot on the long end of the stand over the tab to the right rear of the spare tire well and lay the jack down in the trunk.  The end of the jack will wind up on the raised portion of the trunk, over the rear axle, in a small depression made for it.  The jack mechanism itself should be somewhere near the middle of the spare tire.  As to the jacking instructions sticker location, I don’t think it is all that critical put it should be on a flat surface on the inside of the trunk lid over the spare tire.  I’m guessing that the factory did not use a template to locate these instructions.

[Virgil & Sue Klein]

Check with Steele Rubber at steelerubber.com  Although they used to be exclusively GM stuff they now have Ford/Mercury stuff as well.  In the catalog I have they show rubber moldings for 70 Montego.  Not sure they have rubber for a 4 dr hdtop but at least it is a starting point.  That is a very intersting car you have being a 4dr with a 429 and a 4 speed.  Good luck with your project. 

[Virgil & Sue Klein]

Both my ’53 and ’55 are stored in an insulated but unheated garage here in southern Nebraska.  Right now it is 15 degrees outside and the garage is probably right around 32.  To store these beasts for the winter I only change the oil and filter after a very good warmup sometime in October and then change it again in April.  The cars are always run after the oil change for a few miles (around 20) just to give the fresh oil a chance to circulate.  I don’t touch the other fluids but do change the coolant about every three years.  I do fill the tank and add “Stabil” to the gas before I put them away.  Both are also attached to Battery tenders.  The eight volt battery in the ’55 is at least 6 years old and still working great.  I attribute that to the the battery tender. I do use an 8 volt battery tender (yes, they do make them but you have to ask). 

[Virgil & Sue Klein]

Try to imagine what tires will look like in 60 years.  I have seen experimental tires on the internet (can’t recall what brand) that don’t have air and the sidewall is open with a sort of bridge like support for the tread.  Imagine never having a flat again.  It was a big step back in the 70s to go to polyglass tires if you recall.

[Virgil & Sue Klein]

I have Firestone radials on my ’55 and they are absolutely wonderful.  I bought them because they have a 1.25″ wide whitewall.  I do not like the real wide whites or the narrow stripe and these fit the bill.  Coker has great tires but they tend to be pretty expensive, but if you want the correct tread design and whitewall width they can fill the bill.  I have had no trouble with the hubcaps on my ’55 coming off.

I did own a ’58 Edsel for a while (4 door Pacer, a real boat).  Originally we used bias ply tires on it simply because they cost less than radials.  That car would absolutely make you seasick with the bias tires and literally floated down the highway almost out of control.  A set of radials instantly made the car a very nice road car.

Just a question: What do you mean by “period correct” radials?

[Virgil & Sue Klein]

The neutral safety switch in the early Ford/Mercury automatics are truly “neutral” safety switches and are not designed to let the car start in park.

[Virgil & Sue Klein]

Wayne,  I responded to your request in the discussion under “hard to find parts” where you had requested this information.  The entire process is there right out of the ’54 Merc shop manual.  Take a look and you will see it isn’t that difficult.

[Virgil & Sue Klein]

I looked up removing the instrument cluster in my ’54 shop manual.  It looks pretty straightforward to get the cluster out.  The trickiest part would be moving the left side heater controls out of the way.  Essentially these are the steps: Disconnect the ground side of the battery (VERY IMPORTANT STEP!!!), take the knobs of the heater controls, remove the phillips head screws at the top of the instrument cluster, remove the phillips head screws (from underneath) that hold the bottom and top of the instrument housing together. lift off the top, move the left side heater controls out of the way (there are three screws you need to remove), remove the screws (2) holding the instrument cluster to the lower control panel, remove four cap screws (two at the bottom and two at the rear of the instrument panel assembly) which hold the lower control panel to the insturment panel.  You don’t need to remove the lower control panel completely.  Disconnect the speedometer cable and pull the instrument cluster forward, disconnect the wire which runs through the loop on the back of the ampmeter at the 30 amp circuit breaker. remove the wires from the oli, fuel, and temp gauges and then remove the cluster.  You can now remove the gauges from the back of the cluster to access the insturment hands on the gauges.  Sounds like a lot of work but I think it should not be a big problem.

[Virgil & Sue Klein]

Let me put in a good word for SMS Auto Interiors as well.  Could not locate any leather for my ’87 Cougar XR7 in a color called “smoke”.  SMS was able to come up with a sample color which matches my interior exactly.  The half hide is on its way and soon my interior will be perfect again.

[Virgil & Sue Klein]

Archie, these are simply brass fittings that you can get at a good parts store or a good hardware store.  You will need to know the diameters for the fittings and the nipple as well (so it will fit the vacuum hose).  I don’t think you need to have two fittings if you can find one that has a nipple the correct size that will screw directly into the outlet on the manifold.  By the way, 53s had flatheads and did not have Yblocks but probably used a similar fitting to get vacuum to the power brake booster.

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