Rembrant Posted September 4, 2021 Share Posted September 4, 2021 Hey Guys, Thought I'd post up some pics of the new project truck. Not a Bullnose obviously, but I figured that most gearheads like me can appreciate many other trucks and projects just the same. I took it for a drive a few days ago and just made a deal on it today. I know the truck doesn't look like a project per se, but I'll explain what I mean about that in a minute. First off, it's a 1951 Mercury M1, and the word of mouth history on it is that it's a local truck, sold new here about an hour away. It has had some modifications. It has a 5spd in it out of I don't know what, and a 4bbl intake with 2bbl and an adapter plate on it. It has also been converted to 12v, and has full dual exhaust. Other than those things and the wheels, it appears to be mostly all stock and original. It was originally a 3 on the tree. I don't have any plans for huge modifications as I like them to look mostly original, but the "project" part of this truck will be adding power steering and power disk brakes, and whatever other creature comforts I can add to make it more pleasurable to drive. I'll be changing the wheels and tires also. As charming as the original manual steering and brakes are, to me they are downright dangerous, at least on the types of roads we have around here. Anyway, here are a few pictures of her. I'll share some more details after I get it home and spend some time with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcarlisle Posted September 4, 2021 Share Posted September 4, 2021 That is stunningly beautiful!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpin Posted September 4, 2021 Share Posted September 4, 2021 Cool! That looks like fun! Nice truck, I like it! Be neat to see what you do with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FuzzFace2 Posted September 4, 2021 Share Posted September 4, 2021 Cool! That looks like fun! Nice truck, I like it! Be neat to see what you do with it. Vary nice looking truck A flatty with a 5sp I hear is a nice set up. I have not been up on the 5sp used with them could it be a T5 like used in the Mustangs? A WC T5 I am sure would hold up to any power that flat head could put out. Also not up on the power brakes the guys use but there must be kits. Same would go for the steering but wonder how they bolt a pump to the motor? I have heard a lot on guys using electric power steering on projects maybe that is a way to go? Will be following as I did your other projects Dave ---- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted September 4, 2021 Share Posted September 4, 2021 Vary nice looking truck A flatty with a 5sp I hear is a nice set up. I have not been up on the 5sp used with them could it be a T5 like used in the Mustangs? A WC T5 I am sure would hold up to any power that flat head could put out. Also not up on the power brakes the guys use but there must be kits. Same would go for the steering but wonder how they bolt a pump to the motor? I have heard a lot on guys using electric power steering on projects maybe that is a way to go? Will be following as I did your other projects Dave ---- Cool! That is a really nice truck. It even has seat belts. So, tell us more about what it is and what you plan to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted September 5, 2021 Share Posted September 5, 2021 That's a really interesting truck, Cory! Congratulations! 👏. 😉 I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlas75 Posted September 5, 2021 Share Posted September 5, 2021 That truck is way cool!! And you get to add something new to your signature! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1986F150Six Posted September 6, 2021 Share Posted September 6, 2021 That truck is way cool!! And you get to add something new to your signature! Really nice, Cory! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRittaler Posted September 6, 2021 Share Posted September 6, 2021 This is amazing! Much better shape than the non-bullnose project I just picked up. I love this era of vehicle. I look forward to following the progress! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rembrant Posted September 10, 2021 Author Share Posted September 10, 2021 So, tell us more about what it is and what you plan to do. Well, where to start??...LOL. I've had some time to go over the truck and figure a few things out with regards to the direction I'm going to take. Power brakes with a front disk kit is pretty high on the list, as is power steering. There's bolt-on kits for all of this stuff, so they're relatively straight forward. Swapping on front disks will be easy enough, but installing a power master cylinder under the cab will be a bit of a pain in the butt. I see there are remote reservoirs available, so that might help the situation a bit. I've determined that the 5spd trans is a BW T5 from a 2wd 1987 Chevy S-10. That's nice to know for several reasons, but mainly so I can order input and output seals for it. It needs a throw-out bearing (it's noisy when clutch is pressed) and finding out what's in there might be a bit tricky. This 5spd swap was done before there were all kinds of simple swap kits available, so I don't know what's in there until I pull it. From what I've been reading it seems likely that the pressure plate and everything is 1952 Ford, and all they did was swap in a 10" S-10 clutch disk (to match the input splines of the T5). So the throw-out bearing should be correct to the truck, but I honestly have no idea until I get in there. I'm pretty sure a complete rewire is required, which shouldn't be all that bad on a truck of this vintage. A 12v conversion was done, but it was rough...there's loose wires everywhere, and open ends hanging out, etc. This stuff really bother's me because I've seen a lot of old vehicles catch fire the past number of years. This is fairly high on my winter project list. The engine still has an original Load-O-Matic points distributor, so that is going to get converted to something more modern. I'm learning about the old flat head Ford engines pretty quickly. I find them fascinating. I didn't realize until I bought this thing that the engine cooling system(s) are isolated left and right...so two water pumps, two thermostats, and two inlets and outlets in the rad, etc. The first thing that came to mind was how did the truck's dash only have one coolant temp gauge?? From my reading it looks like only one cylinder head had a temp sensor, while the other just had a temp switch. So you were always only monitoring the temp on a one side, and the other side was either OK, or not OK...lol. I assume if the side with just the switch overheated then it would peg the gauge full hot. Driver's side has a loose king pin, and the passenger side has a loose wheel bearing that won't tighten up, so I see some front end work over the winter. The carb is a Holley 2300 2bbl (350 CFM) with manual choke. This thing starts, runs, and idles very well. It has an interesting mechanical linkage for the throttle, but it seems to work OK, so I won't fuss with it too much. I'm going to try and do a bit of a health check on the old flat head asap...compression test, and check oil pressure, and go from there. The engine runs very nicely, and doesn't smoke so I'm hoping it's all just fine. I'd very much like to leave it in there and not swap in a SBF/302, etc. So for winter 2021/22, I'd like to do power disk brake swap, power steering, complete re-wire with new gauges and ignition, and a whole bunch of maintenance work from king pins to, wheel bearings and u-joints, etc. Peeling the layers of a 70 year old onion, eh Gary??...lol. So far the old thing is a hoot to drive, and it's getting lots of love out on the streets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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