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Topic starter
24/01/2024 10:45 am
By 1963, I had saved up a few hundred bucks, borrowed a friend's car and got my license. I was ready to buy my first car. My father, who wouldn't let me drive his car, pretty much took over the process as he suffered from "Father Knows Best Syndrome". He steered me into buying this '56 Mercury Montclair hardtop that looked exactly like this Sun Star model... except a bit more tired looking. We found out later that the previous owner removed the 312 V8 and replaced it with a 368 Lincoln. With the optional 3 speed automatic, I couldn't wait to get behind the wheel. My father took my cash and went to bring it home. I paced back and forth in the driveway for my father's triumphant return. Suddenly from a distance, I heard a cacophony of smoking, popping and wheezing as the Mercury came around the corner. Actually the first thing I noticed was all 4 tires had ballooned looking like a cartoon car. It turned out that the dealer had taken bald tires and had new tread cut in them. So at highway speeds the side walls ballooned but fortunately didn't blow. I guess he probably didn't do too much at highway speeds as both head gaskets blew and on top of that, there was a significant oil leak from the rear main seal. Unapologetic, my father had me push it into the garage and he would direct me to restore the damage with almost zero help from a licensed mechanic with the proper tools. He bought a couple of gallons of this carcinogenic solvent called "Varsol", 'loaned' me his socket set, and had me take the engine down to the block. What I hated the most was all the after school drudgery of hand grinding the valved with a friggin' suction cup on a stick which took me all winter. Dad did get the heads milled, but everything else was my slave labor including new drums, wheel bearings, points, plugs, distributor, rotor caps, ad nauseum. I finally did get to drive the car the second half of my senior year, and in anticipation of freshman year at college, I nosed the hood, removed the scripts, dumped the skirts and full wheel covers, painting the wheels black and adding baby moons. I did the Bondo number and repainted those panels with rattle cans. First day at college, I drove up early to get a prime parking spot, got matriculated and went to make a grand exit. The Merc had an automatic choke which upped the idle about 1000 rpm. As I started to pull out, the choke suddenly engaged. I lurched forward and creased a good part of the passeger side on the corner of the bumper of the car in front of me, turning my triumphant arrival into a humiliating defeat. I learned so many of life's lessons in this old Merc. When I see one at a car show, I beg the owner to let me sit in the driver's seat for a minute just to relive those bitter-sweet moments.
Anyway, thank you, Sun Star!
Â
24/01/2024 10:52 am
I'm thinking that buying such a problematic car might have been your father's way of delaying you causing the usual teenage havoc on the roads.
24/01/2024 10:55 am
"the man who would be dentist"..........fine presentation Rich
24/01/2024 12:15 pm
Rich; This post reminds me of the old beaters I had for my first few cars....and how cool I thought they were and the cosmetic things I did to them to make them "even cooler" (at least to my eyes). Humorous now of course but what great memories!Â
24/01/2024 1:07 pm
Yep! I remember your story & pics! So very cool Rich. 😎Â
I was glad that SS correctly replicated the wheelcover measurements but hated that they painted on the color-keyed rims. The door frame (for a hardtop ) was also an issue, and I didn't much like the skirts. I promptly fixed these issues.Â
Today, this particular SS Mercury can fetch a few hundred. I'm sorry, now, that I chopped mine up. Initially, it was a $39.99 model...who knew?Â
Steve Jacobs and Marty Johnson reacted
Topic starter
24/01/2024 1:09 pm
@jack-dodds I'd thought about that and if that was the case, he was prescient. By the time I went into the Army I had amassed 23 points, been to driving school twice and landed in jail once... just for 1/2 hour. LOL I had a lot of fun in that old Mercury. The only thing not fixed on the car was the rear main bearing seal because I had no way of pulling the engine. I always carried a 5 gallon can of re-refined motor oil in the trunk. Suffice to say the oil in the crank case always looked pristine.
Topic starter
24/01/2024 1:11 pm
@chris The color keyed wheels were state law. It was supposed to reduce theft. Me painting the wheels black was certainly rebellious.
24/01/2024 1:42 pm
No hiding in the shadows, Rich!
24/01/2024 1:45 pm
The color keyed wheels were state law. It was supposed to reduce theft.
That's exactly correct.... I just didn't like how Sunstar painted them on the whitewalls. 😬 😬Â
Steve Jacobs and Marty Johnson reacted
24/01/2024 5:04 pm
What a trial by fire Rich. Why did so many of us go through agony with our first cars, you more than most of us. Despite all, that first car developed a bond that lasts a lifetime. Thank you for the story.
24/01/2024 9:05 pm
In some regards I think Sunstar models can be better than Auto Art. And I believe that's proven by this '56 Mercury and a few others. I know Auto Art likes to produce newer model cars but when it comes to what Sunstar produced....there's no equal. And unfortunately never will be.
25/01/2024 5:18 pm
Nice story and presentation Rich. The '56 Mercury has always been among my personal favorite lookers of the fifties. I think you being able to share your story with buying and owning the car is what makes owning it, special in hindsight. After all, it's the stories of our past that make our looking back on them. Â
George Schire
Oakdale, Minnesota
26/01/2024 9:52 am
Love the story Rich. Being somewhat older than you my second car was also a Mercury but mine was a 50 coupe. Talk about a fixer upper, my introduction to engine building was on that worn out flat head. When I sold that car I felt like a huge weight was lifted off of my shoulders....today I would love to have it back.
Topic starter
27/01/2024 2:45 pm
@bob-jackman At the end of our first car experiences, you knew how to fix, maintain and service those old tech automobiles. Mainly because after you got them on the road, you still had to fuss with them virtually every weekend anyway. With these new cars, I'm happy if I can find the dipsticks. Troubleshooting these new cars require a different logic that's beyond me. You get notices like "If your cigarette lighter doesn't work, check your transmission" HUH?!?! What do I remember about the older cars now? When I was cleaning out my parents' house, I found my old Craftsman timing light and I had to rack my brain trying to remember how to use it. Memories? When was the last time you repacked your front wheel bearings?
Christopher Moroni and Marty Johnson reacted
Topic starter
27/01/2024 2:46 pm
@bob-jackman Your Mercury is probably a 3rd or 4th generation Toyota. LOL
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