Misidentified 60 & 61 Mercury Hubcaps

[mercman from oz]

It seems that when Hollanders wrote their original Interchange Manual on Hubcaps, they got the Hubcaps from the Full Size 1960 Mercury & 1961 Mercury around the wrong way.
Hollanders list the 1960 Mercury Hubcap as a 1961 model, while they list the 1961 Mercury Hubcap as a 1960 model.
From here, the error just keeps on happening.
Check out the Listings on eBay for these 1960 & 1961 Mercury Hubcaps, & you will see that the bulk of the Sellers list them around the wrong way.
A lot of eBay Sellers obviously refer to the very comprehensive Web Site of a large Hubcap Dealer in Southern California to help them correctly identify the Hubcaps that they want to list on eBay.
This Californian Hubcap Dealer has obviously taken what Hollanders have as Gospel & continued the error.
I would hate it if I needed a set of Hubcaps for my 1960 Mercury, & in good faith ordered a set from the Californian Dealer, or bought on eBay a Set that was advertised as correct for the 1960 Mercury on eBay, only to receive a set of 1961 Mercury Hubcaps?
When is this mistake going to be corrected?
To prove what I am saying, check out the Hubcaps on the Original Sales Brochures for the 1960 & 1961 Mercurys, & this will confirm that firstly Hollanders got it wrong, & then everyone who refers to Hollanders continues to get it wrong & the mistake just continues.
Would the Californian hubcap Dealer, or the eBay Seller be prepared to exchange the wrong Hubcap for the correct Hubcap?
Then who is going to pay for the extra Postage.
Check out the attached Photos.
These have Tags with the correct year against them.
What do others think?

[mercman from oz]

Check out the Hubcaps on this Original Sales Brochure for the full size 1960 Mercury. You will see that this is the correct Hubcap for the 1960 Mercury.
Hollanders & the Hubcap Dealer from Southern California lists this Hubcap as a 1961 Model. Type in "1960 Mercury Hubcap" on eBay, & in the majority of cases, a 1961 Mercury Hubcap will be illustrated. This is the result of this Hubcap being misidentified in the first place by Hollanders, & everyone just takes this as being correct. Only the experienced people advertise these Hubcaps correctly.
Hopefully, this Post might help others to correctly identify these 1960 & 1961 Mercury Hubcaps.
Now, if only the Hubcap Dealer in Southern California could correct his Mercury Hubcap listing, it would be a big step in the right direction.

[mercman from oz]

Similarly, these pictures are from the Original Sales Brochure for the 1961 Full Size Mercury. The Hubcaps that are correct for this car have been cataloged by Hollanders as 1960 Mercury Hubcaps, when in fact, they are only correct for the Full Size 1961 Mercury. And the mistake continues on & on & on.

[mercman from oz]

Good News - Hubcaps.com have corrected their Web Pages for these Hubcaps, & they are now listed correctly. Hopefully, others who advertise these 60 & 61 Mercury Hubcaps will start to correctly identify them.

[SJ13]

I recently purchased a 1960 Mercury Monterey 2dr hrdtp and much to my surprise after numerous owners and being stored for 5 years I got the original hubcaps and wheels with this car , this car has turned out to be a gem all the chrome was still on it and with only a few minor dings and a tiny bit of rust in the left rear quarter it has been a relief to find that my purchase was a good one

[mercman from oz]

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Here is a beautiful original unrestored 1960 Mercury Monterey Commuter Station Wagon that has found its way to Australia. It is the only 1960 Mercury that I know of in Australia. There could be a few more, but I am not aware of any. It has the correct 1960 14" Mercury Hubcaps fitted. I don't think that there are many 1960 Mercury survivors that are as good as this one. This one belongs to a friend.

[mercman from oz]

A lot of people listing these 1960 and 1961 Mercury Hubcaps For Sale on eBay are still getting their facts mixed up. They are still listing a 60 cap as a 61 and a 61 cap as a 60. Check it out and you will see some Sellers are still taking what Hollanders say as the Gospel, when in fact, Hollanders got it wrong in the first place & the error just continues. Many are Hubcap Dealers, that you would think would get it right?

[mercman from oz]

At least, the owner of this Beauty got it right, and has the correct Hubcaps on his lovely 1960 Mercury Monterey Commuter Station Wagon.

[scicala]

One would wonder why Mercury would issue a new wheel cover for 1961 with only minor changes, that almost look the same from any distance.

Sal

[darrell]

i have a friend who has one 312 stnd,.whats in that one for a motor

[mercman from oz]

My friends 1960 Mercury Monterey Commuter Wagon has the standard 312 Y Block.

[darrell]

something you may not know ford of canada like australia didnt use yblocks after 58 but they didnt build any wagons in canada after 57 for some time.so if you bought a wagon you could get a yblock as all were made in usa.when i first saw one i thought someone had brought it up.

[scicala]

I believe 1960 was also the last year for a 312 in anything, except maybe a marine engine.

Sal

[mercman from oz]

scisala, You are correct in saying that 1960 was the last year Ford used the 312 when it was the base engine in the 1960 Mercury Monterey. In the 1961 Mercurys, they reverted back to the 292 plus a 223 Six for the first time in a big Mercury. For 1962, the 292 was once again the Base Engine along with the Six, as well as the new 390. The old faithful Y Block was gone in 1963 and replaced by the 390, 406 and 427.
Just for the record, the 56 Mercury had a 312. In 1957, the 312 was joined by the 368. In 1958 and 1959, there were three engines to choose from in the Mercurys range, the 312, 383 and 430. The choice was trimmed down to just the 312 and the 430 for 1960.
The 312 was not offered in a Ford after 1957. The base V8 in Fords from 1958 through 1962 was the 292. In 1963, the Y Block was dropped and the range was extended to include the 352, 390, 406 and 427.

[mercman from oz]

scisala, Back in the Fifties just about every manufacturer introduced a new design for the Hubcaps annually. In the Mercury range, the only hubcaps that remained the same 2 years running was the 52/53 models. In the Sixties, the 62/63 Hubcaps and the 66/67 Hubcaps are also the same but with different colours applied.
Regarding the 1960 and 1961 Hubcaps pictured above, in my eyes, the 1960 Mercury Hubcap is a much better looking Hubcap than the 1961 models?

[scicala]

Are you saying there was no 390 in a '61 Mercury ? I got that impression when you said the 390 was new in '62. I thought 390's were available in '61 Merc's .

Sal

[Jimz Bird]

Originally Posted by mercman from oz

The 312 was not offered in a Ford after 1957.

I read recently that there were some early '58 Fords with a 312 instead of a 292. Not "offered" as an option but as a left over engine. '57 Tbird production run cut off was later in the year than normal cut off so I suppose it is possible there were some 312s left over.
There are some other anomalies such as '58 turn signal levers and some other '58 parts on late '57 Tbirds. It is even reflected in the car data plate but not real clear how the extra codes/parts were applied.
The TBirds and the Fords were produced on the same assembly lines and old Henry taught them not to waste any parts so it could happen, maybe.

[mercman from oz]

As Jimz Bird has stated, the 57 Thunderbird was sold into 1958 before the true 58 Thunderbird was ready for sale. If you check out this Ford Brochure showing the various models of 1958 Fords that were available, you can see the old 1957 Thunderbird in the top right of the picture. The true 58 Thunderbird was finally released for sale on Feb 13, 1958 . Actual production started December 20, 1957 and the final 1958 Thunderbird was produced on September 16, 1958.

[mercman from oz]

scisala, You are correct in saying that the 390 was available in the 1961 Mercury, as was the 352. I just checked out my source & found this information listed in a different way than the other years listed. Just checked out the Book "Identification Guide - Mercury and Edsel 1939-1969", and it only mentions the 292? All very confusing. My apology for the misinformation.

[alt63bird]

Originally Posted by mercman from oz

...In 1963, the Y Block was dropped and the range was extended to include the 352, 390, 406 and 427.

You're forgetting the small-block 221, 260 and 289 ('62 was intro year for the 221 with 260 being added mid-year (?)).

Re. the misinformation on wheel covers: Caveat Emptor (Let the Buyer Beware): If you're going to buy wheelcovers online from Down Under, above the Arctic Circle or wherever you are, ask for photos and educate the seller if they got it wrong before wiring them money. You're never going to get a 55-year old typo corrected that's been in wide circulation since "back in the day." Roll with the punches and, as the song suggests, "Let It Go".