Want to buy a '54 Mercury Monterrey 302ci V8 but the overflow is dripping?

[ollie88]

Hi folks,

I'm looking to buy a '54 Mercury Monterrey which has a 302ci V8 (probably a' 75 engine), it doesn't have the original flathead V8 anymore but other than that it still has the original radiator and all else also looks original.

1. I noticed that right after driving it out of the garage 5min it started to drip water from the radiator overflow, nothing extreme, really just a few water droplets every minute or so
2. The owner says he doesn't drive it often, but he drove it about 3-400 miles home when he just bought it about a year ago, he only once had to fill it up with ~1 liter of water

My thinking is that either
A. It's a blown head gasket that is causing the overpressure, I didn't check for bubbles under the radiator cap though, I did open it quickly but it didn't seem overfilled, OR:
B. A clogged-up radiator

The engine does not seem to be overheating (even though the temp gauge is not working, it doesn't blow out steam).

What would you guys guess? The engine runs nicely, and the manual gearbox, clutch, brakes etc all seem okay. Owner is asking $6k (down from $8k).

Lastly, the car seems to appear low on its front wheels, it's so low that you have to be really careful with speed bumps. Could it be that the front springs are just at the end of their life or it's the sway bar? All seems to be appear normal when I inspected it, so maybe it's lowered by another previous owner?

[rotorwrench]

The 54 Merc would have had the 256 Y-block. If the head gasket is leaking, the engine would likely overheat. It may be a bad radiator cap or the filler bung is damaged. It may also have the wrong cap on there.

[Lanny]

If the '54 Mercury was built in Canada, it could have had a Flathead V/8


Ollie, curious, where are you located ? And please post a Picture.


.

[KULTULZ]

Originally Posted by ollie88

I'm looking to buy a '54 Mercury Monterrey which has a 302ci V8 (probably a' 75 engine), it doesn't have the original flathead V8 anymore but other than that it still has the original radiator and all else also looks original.

1. I noticed that right after driving it out of the garage 5min it started to drip water from the radiator overflow, nothing extreme, really just a few water droplets every minute or so

2. The owner says he doesn't drive it often, but he drove it about 3-400 miles home when he just bought it about a year ago, he only once had to fill it up with ~1 liter of water

My thinking is that either
A. It's a blown head gasket that is causing the overpressure, I didn't check for bubbles under the radiator cap though, I did open it quickly but it didn't seem overfilled, OR:
B. A clogged-up radiator

The engine does not seem to be overheating (even though the temp gauge is not working, it doesn't blow out steam).

What would you guys guess? The engine runs nicely, and the manual gearbox, clutch, brakes etc all seem okay. Owner is asking $6k (down from $8k).

My thought is a bad pressure cap. You can borrow a COOLING SYSTEM TESTER @ most any box store to test the system (incl. cap).

As for squatting, worn coil springs. Maybe it was lowered with the engine swap. Does your state require an inspection before tagging?

If it is a nice survivor for six grand, I would pick it up in a heartbeat as long as it was inspected.

EDIT -

Let me qualify that loose statement ...

Depending on one's mechanical ability, how much damage done and missing parts as a result of the swap, if you are wanting a driver or restoration and the depth of your pockets.

[Dobie Gillis]

If the cooling system does not have a recovery reservoir then you need to run the coolant an inch or 2 below the filler neck, otherwise it will puke coolant until it finds its proper level.

[5851a]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Can you post some pictures of car and engine compartment? 1st thing comes to mind is radiator overfilled. Kind of rare for a small block Ford to have head gasket issues, if that is what was transplanted in your car.

[ollie88]

Thanks for the quick replies!
Based in Colombia, so not sure how the law deals with lowering your car...
Interestingly enough it's just as low on both sides, it does feel as if the camber on the left wheel is a little outward.

In terms of the overflow, sounds like this is not a major issue. But can you tell why the small blocks generally don't have head gasket issues? Pretty sure it's a 302ci ford V8 as that's what the owner tells me, but maybe you guys know more based on the pictures (not super, but hopefully OK).

Below some pictures:
https://ibb.co/6Ngkpc3
https://ibb.co/fG07wqW
https://ibb.co/XYYhBB5
https://ibb.co/4dRHJH8
https://ibb.co/f196SWR
https://ibb.co/F0x1vH2
https://ibb.co/S56JnQQ

[Lanny]

Ollie, you must have some terribly high speed bumps, cause
I think the Merc has a nice stance in the front...
I like the Dagmars on the front bumper, too...;

It's a pretty good lookin Merc.

Looks like the lower radiator hose is on the left, and I think the
early Ford Winsor engines had the lower hose on the right, so
maybe it could be a 302. ?

Adding 3 pictures of '54 Merc. and 1 picture of Dagmar and her Caddy
Click on pic to Enlarge.

.

[5851a]

302 is very durable engine, I've had them in many vehicles and still do have a couple. Have gotten a couple of them pretty hot from pulling too big of a load. I usually get 200K miles out of them before the bodies rust away. Have never had a head gasket problem with one of them. Ford did move the lower radiator to drivers side in 1969.

[rotorwrench]

Originally Posted by Lanny

If the '54 Mercury was built in Canada, it could have had a Flathead V/8

Ford of Canada purchased bare bones Mercury cars from Ford USA and then changed them to Monarchs. Regular Mercury cars were set up in Canadian fashion but all of them had Y-blocks in 1954. The Ford cars kept the 239 L-head V8 that one more year but the Mercury and Monarch cars didn't.

[Lanny]

Good information to know "rotor" thx.






.

[Alaska Jim]

I would buy that car for 6k even if the eng was bad

[ollie88]

Thanks guys, so you say low chance it's a blown head gasket?

And if it continues to leak a few drops while driving it's very likely to be a clogged up radiator which would be solved if properly cleaned or replaced?

What about the front suspension/springs? do they get tired at some point or has this car clearly been lowered? I couldn't see any evidence of a bad chassis or modifications tbh, so guess it might have been fitted with lower springs.

If you guys say yes buy it, I'll put in a 5k bid. It's not original anymore but runs well enough that it's worth taking the risk.

[paul2748]

Can't really tell from the pic, but if the water is filled up close to the neck than it's overfilled. Should be just a little over the core, one inch or so below the bottom of the neck.


If the car was orginally a Y Block car, then you would have to use a 54 Merc sending unit in order to make the temperature gauge work because the gauge and sending unit must be compatible.



Lowering - lowering a car like this usually meant using a dropped spindle or cutting the springs. From the pics, it doesn't seen to be excessively lowered.


Closely examine the front suspension and the frame where the springs mount for any signs of modifications or repair.

Originally Posted by ollie88

Hi folks,

I'm looking to buy a '54 Mercury Monterrey which has a 302ci V8 (probably a' 75 engine), it doesn't have the original flathead V8 anymore but other than that it still has the original radiator and all else also looks original.

1. I noticed that right after driving it out of the garage 5min it started to drip water from the radiator overflow, nothing extreme, really just a few water droplets every minute or so
2. The owner says he doesn't drive it often, but he drove it about 3-400 miles home when he just bought it about a year ago, he only once had to fill it up with ~1 liter of water

My thinking is that either
A. It's a blown head gasket that is causing the overpressure, I didn't check for bubbles under the radiator cap though, I did open it quickly but it didn't seem overfilled, OR:
B. A clogged-up radiator

The engine does not seem to be overheating (even though the temp gauge is not working, it doesn't blow out steam).

What would you guys guess? The engine runs nicely, and the manual gearbox, clutch, brakes etc all seem okay. Owner is asking $6k (down from $8k).

Lastly, the car seems to appear low on its front wheels, it's so low that you have to be really careful with speed bumps. Could it be that the front springs are just at the end of their life or it's the sway bar? All seems to be appear normal when I inspected it, so maybe it's lowered by another previous owner?

[Late model]

Great looking car!
I posted a pic of the left front upper A arm with arrows pointing to areas that look like they may have been welded or modified. Good chance that it may have been wrecked at some point in it's life. Also, there are no camber shims used on the A arm so either the camber is OK and they weren't needed or it was repaired and alignment be damned.
A long test drive may help figure out if it has overheating or suspension problems.
It is a hard car to say no to.

[miker98038]

I can’t comment on Late Models comment, but he’s probably right. The upper bushings look like they’re cracked and failing. I’d guess the springs are old and tired. I’ve got no idea what price and availability are in Columbia, but in the states that looks pretty good.

Been under it looking at the floor pans,rust, etc? From what little I know Columbia is tropical and sea coast? Rust just in the air a problem?

[KULTULZ]

- GREAT PLACE FOR A PLASTIC FUEL FILTER -

As for the coolant level in the top tank, it will bleed itself out eventually (if the cap is functional). If you keep adding coolant, it will continue to expand and be expelled.

You have no one that can look at the car for you?

[Grumpy Rick]

Wouldn't be surprised if it was originally a stolen car from CA. Lots of them went to Belize. I saw a news story that showed a stolen car being used as a police car there.

If that car were in my area I would buy it immediately. It's a steal (OOPS).

In CA it is worth twice that easy, unless it is trashed underneath.

[Lanny]

Yes, in the pictures it looks pretty decent, but looking at it in person
can tell many many things that pictures just don't cover.

Bring a couple of "car friends" with you (the more eyes the better)
and look it over good and drive it if you can to see how it drives
and handles... and is the title up to date and clear ?




.

[ollie88]

Originally Posted by Late model

Great looking car!
I posted a pic of the left front upper A arm with arrows pointing to areas that look like they may have been welded or modified. Good chance that it may have been wrecked at some point in it's life. Also, there are no camber shims used on the A arm so either the camber is OK and they weren't needed or it was repaired and alignment be damned.
A long test drive may help figure out if it has overheating or suspension problems.
It is a hard car to say no to.

Thanks so much for your help! So if it's cracked/modified/welded, what's the best way to fix this or just leave it as is? The car looks relatively good underneath, no major evidence of rust or holes in the chassis... (except for one in the bodywork underneath, see photo )

See photos:
https://ibb.co/qW9jjKw
https://ibb.co/Ky8PyXW
https://ibb.co/NTtCL20
https://ibb.co/W301N37
https://ibb.co/G0mHFR5
https://ibb.co/hR0LVNN
https://ibb.co/8b22nBv
https://ibb.co/hf3HyZP
https://ibb.co/qkyDHJX
https://ibb.co/sCVnTSm
https://ibb.co/hLBQKMK
https://ibb.co/qgrFbV7
https://ibb.co/DD1pv30
https://ibb.co/dp4jS78
https://ibb.co/ZXBtNDR
https://ibb.co/61fgBx7
https://ibb.co/71WVWZ9
https://ibb.co/sySYRKn

And I'm pretty technical myself, just don't have a lot of experience with American muscle heh, but I worked on lots of old Mercedes W107, 123 and 126 types as well as old Renaults.