Self deprecating forum user buys huge car, shares with GRM, hilarity ensues? 1965 Mercury Monterey

In reply to Benswen :

Man the z24 is rad, would love to see it on more period correct wheels. Nice to pseudo-meet you as well. I try to bring the car out as much as I can in the summer so maybe our paths will cross again soon! 

In reply to Recon1342 :

My expectations are quite low overall, but each of these little fixes make the car work just slightly better and that is cool. 
 

Gunchsta said:

In reply to Recon1342 :

My expectations are quite low overall, but each of these little fixes make the car work just slightly better and that is cool. 
 

 

I love what you've done with it. A lot of folks don't realize what a difference all those little fixes can make. 
 

As far as old American iron goes, the mid-60s barges are some of my favorites, no matter the flavor.

Finally got my test drive with the new motor mounts, took the car to work today. Feels downright sporty! 
 

I mean it's still a barge but it is noticeably better. Some random squeaks and rattles are quieter and the whole car feels more solid. 
 

Plus, throttle inputs seem more responsive because the engine is actually held in place so the low end torque is actually being applied to the drivetrain not to the engine trying to seesaw its way free of the engine bay. 
 

Stoked!

Saturday dad and I buffed and waxed the car. No pictures because I'm no photographer and it doesn't outwardly look that different, but it does look overall just better.

Plus it was a great day working with Dad!

Midsummer update- just got back from a road trip! Our annual friends birthday cabin weekend was back on this year so we went to Eagle River Wisconsin. I wanted to take the Mercury because Wisconsin has some of my favorite country roads to drive but I was nervous about traffic on the holiday weekend. After waffling for a bit I decided that we would be fine. 
 

And indeed we were! Caught some congestion on Friday going out of the cities but otherwise it was smooth sailing. Plus, heading north the weather cools off so it was absolutely beautiful driving weather. 
 

All in all we put over 500 miles on the car and it was quite pleasant. I will say that after about 3 hours the "practically sitting on the floor" bench seat isn't supportive enough and gets kinda uncomfortable. It's not awful but it is noticeable. I'm guessing we used a quart or so of oil, although to be honest I don't even care really. I just try to check it periodically and fill as necessary. With the trunk full the car is pretty squat and the front end starts to get light above 80. The 390 is a terrific workhorse, you just put your foot into it a bit and it grunts up basically any incline in your way with ease and power on tap. On this journey I calculated about 19mpg on the drive up, which was absolutely heroic to me. Beyond that the car is totally filthy and resting on the garage. Later this week I'll wash the gunk off it but for now I'm having a beer and relaxing.

I didn't take many pictures on the trip but here's a couple for those not interested in my ramblings. 

Clicked over 60,000 miles! My wife and I both watched as it rolled over and were deeply satisfied with the way all of the numbers changed. It was splendid.

Saw a lot of neat old cars and buildings 

This 59 Ford was for sale and awesome, but a little more than I wanted to spend, not to mention deal with having another car haha. It was sitting at this cool shop.

So naturally I took a picture of the Merc. 
 

Another photo opportunity for the Stranger Things fans out there... and no we didn't find ourselves in the upside down thankfully. 
 

This is the cabin we stayed in. I guess it's owned by some ex-nascar driver so the Mercury seemed an appropriate choice. 
 

Another great weekend in the books. Thanks for reading! 
 

That's awesome! Glad you get it out and drive it.

Gunchsta said:

The other kind of carbon offset!