Got my 63 Merc "Grimstone"

The brick I removed and the surprisingly good donor:



Nice floor from underneath:



Well, the header bolts are seized... first bolt head broke off easily. I'm on hold with that one... not sure if I want to take the chance of being unable to remove the studs with releasing fluid and vise grips and not getting the donor manifold on before Waterton... should I wait?

Also when bleeding the brakes, I found a tear in the front passenger side. Didn't have small enough wrenches, so I borrowed some for today and will deal with it after work. At least all the bleeder valves are good and my vacuum tool is working marvelously! So I'll transplant a brake line and re-bleed, and I'll be able to stop too!

Vacation starts at 5pm, so I'll have all day tomorrow to button it up for my Friday trip to Waterton!!! More pics tonight!

Well, I'm at the point of no return on the exhaust... as I was letting the van warm up, I could see just how much exhaust was escaping around the manifold... my brother did not want me driving like that, so the ice cubes and ratchet came out! I think three bolts worked, three snapped, and two are apparently obstructed by the previous owner's attempt to weld the manifold while installed on the engine! Why not remove it, clean it us, weld it, and reinstall? You'll see the carnage later.

I finished with the brakes!!! One donor hose off the 64!

But I found the van's rust-outs... passenger floor is practically dirt


Anyway, I have to do some grinding to get the last tewo bolts and exhaust manifold removed, then several studs soaked and removed. Lots to do today. Good thing I'm off work today!

you can do it sasktrini! your 'hurricane' van build is awesome, and we all like pictures, too!

Okay... It's 3pm on Friday, and I could not leave Saskatoon yet!

I have to swap heads from my donor van so I can drive.

I've phoned the campground to let them know, and yet to still expect your arrival. When I get there Saturday, I'll straighten out what I owe them. Waiting for their call. If when you get there you want to call me, the campground has my phone number.

Have a good time tonight all! See you real soon.

Corey

Stereo and speakers mess is gone.

Here's a pic of the carnage (why my brother didn't want me taking a long trip in the van breathing the air in there... ) and a comparison shot of the donor out of my 64!





Well I moved on to the brake lights... now I did test the brake light switch, found it has a 12 volt supply, and got to the point where I would check the turn signal switch for problems... to my "joy", the custom steering wheel is WELDED to the steering shaft! AARGH! No easy way to fix that! I'm so mad! Still don't feel good even driving around in the city! I'm working on it...



So after my deadline passed, I did a few odds n ends... installed a working passenger side vent, heater with a temp knob, and visors. Also have to adjust my locks... they aren't working right...

I finally got that steering wheel off today, but messed up the steering shaft a little... not so much that the stock steering wheel wouldn't work... all went back together nicely, and all signal / brake lights are working properly!!! Almost ready to drive!

Finished bolting down the doghouse and fixed my locks... the rear door linkage was worn, so the key couldn't move the lock in to position! So swapped that out and "good to go"! Really, all I have left to do is reinstall the belly pan!

Good thing... I have a gig on Saturday morning about an hour out of town!

Man you got a lot done.sorry not able to come and help you there the last week. I been busy building new dog kennel and fencing on my acreage. Took me nearly 2 weeks to be almost finish it. I still never got to do other things needed doing around here on my 3 weeks holidays.
Good thing your replacing that exhaust manifold. That sucks about the steering wheel. They welded it on. Man what were they thinking. Thjat sounds like a transplant from the 64,
You got a lot one in that week. keep up the work there.

One thing at a time and soon or later the list gets small. Getting it drivable is a big step

Well he is doing a very fine job. I only wish I could get at mine also. But lots of non van work needs to be done here.

Thanks for stopping over demondog! Nice surprise!

Yup... dealt with the details, and ready to drive! Soon, I'll park it for all the body repairs!

Okay... never got ready to drive... my test drives failed miserably! Catastrophic oil leak has left evidence all over the driveway! So I made the decision to swap in the engine from my Ford.

Got some pics... I took a couple evenings preparing to pull the motor out of Grimstone.

New 2ton hoist, made in China, but I'm pretty sure 2tons is the same there... it did the job!


Grimy 170 on new engine dolly


hmmm... maybe I should take some time and prep / undercoat while the motor and tranny are out...


grime has covered everything back from the engine... here's a before pic of the grimy tranny... the bellhousing was worse.


after scraping and mineral spirits...


after washing and clean rags... Ooh... shiny!


Started cleaning the grease off the tranny, but then I might just stack it to the side and do the chassis cleaning / painting...

Here's the broken down rims, still hoping to get them sandblasted soon: 4 13X5.5, 1 13X4.5 (the 4.5" is shiny clean). Once they are blasted, I can straighten the rims out and paint them! The sealing surfaces look like they have rusty bits left over from the old tires themselves... I may attack them with the grinder to see if I can clean them better. Still, there's old paint in the corners that I can't reach well...






Still stripping parts... off the Ford for donations, off the Merc to prepare for bodywork. Slowly it moves along.

I'm preturbed though... the weather is not cold here yet, but as I am under the van working with a spotlight, I see a mouse crawling along the wall a couple feet away from me! I'm a big baby with that stuff! So I have to get some traps and build up my courage to go and lay on the floor again!

Basically, I'm stripping out everything underneath the Merc (pedals and linkage, steering left). My gf will get the gas I drain out of the tank so I can drop it too, as well as that big weight above it! I started brushing accessible areas of the underbody, and will have a little banging and pulling to tend to some dings. I'll have to fix the rear bumper mounts inside the frame, as three bolts broke. Couple small holes to weld up in the floor. With that done, I have major work on the front passenger floor before I can paint the undercarriage.

With the Ford, I'm stuck on the steering, but don't think it will be a problem when I go to pull the motor.

Have to remove the "chin" below the grille, but not sure how to get at all the spotwelds. This one is bashed up pretty good, and I can't unbolt the grille. Any deconstruction tips? Also don't want to ruin my donor panel.






Rear roll pan hiding a rusty mess too, but it looks more straight forward to remove for repairs.







Would like to be able to access entire underbody for repairs and paint from bumper-to-bumper... gas tank is almost empty enough to drop, so I'm close there! I think I can have the underside clean over the weekend, to be ready for beating, cutting and welding!

sask, i gotta ask, you fixed that column and wheel, did you replace your turn signal cam? i picked up that '64 econo and mine wags around!

copenhagenfiend wrote:sask, i gotta ask, you fixed that column and wheel, did you replace your turn signal cam? i picked up that '64 econo and mine wags around!

Well, I used the donor switch from the 64, but it's self-cancelling tabs are broken. The wiring works though, and it secured properly... two screws from the backside. So if you have the two screws and it still wags around, you'll need a new one. I think I should scoop a NOS one up when I get the chance anyway, but in a pinch to fix the brake lights...

Oh, to get at it...
1) disconnect battery
2) horn button is one of those press and turn to unlock jobbies like a rad cap
3) now it's easy... remove steering nut and pull the wheel, may take releasing fluid.

You should find an answer why your switch is wobbling around, and hopefully it's just a stripped screw or something.

My latest progress... removed gas tank and axle weight, fuel lines, park brake cables/levers and clutch linkage. Just have brake lines, MC, pedals and steering gear left to remove before brushing the undercarriage clean. Then it's on to welding some patches. Also going to look at some 63 Mercury Comet steel rims tonight... demondog thinks the narrow rims I'm looking for were used on the cars, so hopefully these are the ones that will give the front suspension that gasser look!

Been a while since I updated this thread...

Trying out my friends air compressor rig for sandblasting and wrenching... like it alot, but his rig was too small. Hopefully today I'll be able to pick up my Sears Craftsman 20 gal vert compressor (was not in stock last week)... $100 off for $250, also impact wrench / ratchet / hammer / hose kit $100 for $80! Wrenching with air feels like I'm cheating!



So the Grimstone van is almost torn down! Still, I couldn't remove the pitman arm bolt from the donor van, so I'm stuck there...

Learning how to sandblast and trying out some of those non-acid rust-eating baths... work okay, but I found the solution doesn't have much life to it... couldn't clean many parts.



Wookie weighed in on this on Vannin.com, and I decided to copy my post below...

Decided it was time to get into spotweld cutting, and remove that beat-up grille once and for all. I hoped to be able to remove the whole front skin on the front roll pan. Got all the visible spots from underneath, none seem to be wrapping around the side...



The panel wiggled around enough to get a vise grip in there to hold the grille nuts, and the impact wrench did the rest! Now I'm left with a beat-up chin that I still can't decide how the skin is welded. It still seems to have welds hiding behind the signal light panels, but it's all enclosed! So any ideas how to cleanly remove this panel? I may need to repair this one rather than get a donor...





I'm hoping that maybe some of you that have cut out your floors or signal light corners OR have gotten this front roll pan out can give me some clues how to remove this without completely disassembling the whole van! I'd like to not have to bring out a cutting disc, but if I must would like to know the best places to cut so I am able to put it all back together when it's straight or replaced...

Thanks,

Sounds like things are moving along (good thing) Working on one of these always takes time. Always slowing than you want, but things get done. I'm here to tell you just keep cracking at it and soon the job list gets smaller. Thanks for the update. Always cool to see a nice update like yours.

Thanks... I hope you're all enjoying this!

We have ice, snow and cold now. Not very comfortable for wrenching... but my new compressor and impact wrench are becoming my best friends in tearing down the Ford!

Am planning to have the Ford towed out of my garage on Tuesday after the long weekend, so teardown is almost done... engine, tranny, and some sheet metal nuts that could be missing or broken on the Merc left to get! Going to leave the windshield in until spring, I guess. I may also cut some metal patches... but then it goes out to the farm, and my brother's 68 Fargo A100 will move in!

Realized the Ford had a front sway bar, and the Merc didn't... so I had to score that! The Merc is almost torn down too... all that's left is for me to cut off the rear roll pan and front "chin" panels! I'll have to clean the vans out so the Ford is finally ready, and I can do some blasting and sanding on the Merc's floor, top and bottom! I was really hoping to be able to do the blasting outside, but I might not have a choice anymore.

I think I've made up my mind to have my rims powdercoated satin black (like police cruiser rims), which will look awesome with chrome centrecaps and match any body colour I go with! One motivator is that my compressor and the blasting equipment I have isn't aggressive enough to rapidly clean these rims... moisture issues, lots of time for minimal progress... sandblasting is worked into a powdercoating quote. So I'll get the rims and other stuff (underbody linkage and whatever else that a durable finish will help) done professionally. So I'll have to weld some out-of-round linkage holes and drill them out again for coating. Also try to straighten some dings in the rims before taking them to the shop.

So next, I hope to have some pics of my stripped and cleaned Merc underbody and floor, and of the stripped Ford. Tuesday, I hope to drop off the rims and linkage @ powdercoating, as well as move vans! Good thing it's a long weekend, because it's a pretty serious list (starting tonight)!

Living north is a pain if your restoring something. If you don't have one (bet you do) get some sort of portalble heater. Its still cold but not as bad

THE DEMISE OF THE 64 FORD: WHY IT WAS SACRIFICED



A peek behind the front passenger wheel... notice the 2X4 sandwiched between the motor mount arm and the floor... probably preventing the engine from dropping on to the ground.



Here is the forward leaf spring perch on the drivers side rear axle. Why am I just now realizing that the perch is virtually separated from the frame, three 2X4s holding the floor up off the axle?



After removing some of the tin hiding the rot here, the wheelwell is separated from the floor (that which remains), and the fuel filler box is severely rotted. That theme continues around the the base of the door pillar. I didn't realize it would be that bad...



I didn't bother removing any more tin... certainly this is hiding more of the same. So you see, the Ford is too far gone. It's parts will live on.



Just after the Ford has given up it's drivetrain!



So here is the two 170 cid Falcon Sixes! The vans are virtually gutted now, and the Ford ready to go off to pasture.

do you need parts? Carlos,montreal,que.

carlos pops out of the bushes with some parts rigs that we'd ALL love to see more pics of!

I would love to get ahold of those original mirror brackets. They are getting to be so hard to get ahold of them.
Sasktrini. No wonder when we loaded the Ford van body on my trailer it would not go straight. The front axle is cockeyed.
Man I cannot believe you were driving that machine. Very unsafe. The Grimstone is much more solid.
Oh by the way I saw the gas tube for venting when you fill the tank laying there in the garage. Save that for getting a replacement made. I do not have one. So I like to get that to have a new one made since most of the old vent tube was still there.

Welcome Carlos!!! You should grab the Mercury trim from the front and back doors! I know one person in Michigan and one in Alberta looking for it! Me need parts? Probably not... here goes parts donor number one!



I'm surprised the front axle on the Ford was a problem... I actually think it's straighter than the one on the Merc!

DemonDog, check the Silver / White "trailer" to see if it has the vent tube... I won't throw it away though. While you're at it, what shape is the fuel filler box in?

So after the 64 moved out, I took a pic of the Merc, but wearing the Keystone Klassic shoes...



When I had checked them on the Ford, it looked like I was going to have to radius the outer wheel wells to get them to fit. However considering the shape of the spring perches, I thought I would see how they look on the Grimstone van (man, I can't wait until I can stop calling it that...) Now, there's no gas tank, axle weight, engine or tranny. Still, I think it will work! The fronts barely clear the steering linkage!

I BELIEVE THE SILVER VAN GAS TANK FILLER BOX IS RUSTED OUT ALSO.
i WISH SOME OF THESE AFTER MARKET METAL FABRICATORS WOULD MAKE MORE PANEL FOR THESE OLD VANS. tHE FILLER BOX IS ONE, FRONT AND REAR VALANCES. fRONT ROCKERS AND MOST OF ALL ARE THE FRONT FLOOR PANS.
tHE MAJORITY OF THESE VANS IS THE GAS FILLER BOX AND FRONT FLOORS THAT ARE GONE.
IT'S GOOD WE CAN STILL GET BACK CORNERS AND A SIDE PANEL.
30 YEARS AGO WHEN i STILL WORKED IN THE SHOPS YOU COULD STILL ORDER THE FRONT SKIN. tHAT IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE.