aka "The Big Merc"
aka "The Beast"
I
bought my 1967 Mercury Park Lane 2-door fastback in April of
2004. The owner was a 72-year-old widower named George
"Les"
Juhasz. This guy really knew how to build an engine, too.
The following was the information he gave me on what he did to the
engine:
Engine 390 truck block w/reinforced mains – 1974 D4TE
Bore 4.120
Stroke 3.98
421 cubic inches
428 crank
Carb 4609 C-J Holley 735 CFM
Intake manifold C-J cast Gasket matched to heads
Exhaust manifolds (headers) C-J cast
2 ½" exhaust pipes w/Flowmaster mufflers
Heads CGAE-R Tall ports w/C-J intake and exhaust valves hard seats
Street Ported
Block Torque Plate bored and chemical lined, bored, decked
Oil passages opened up & oil passage to filter expanded from 3/8" to 7/16"
High volume oil pump – Heavy Duty oil pump shaft
Crane adj rockers – Crane Cam #343941
Engine assy balanced
C-J heads and internals with tall ports
To see the original build sheet (or what's left of
it) click here.
Before the car was delivered, I had bought a set of correct 1967 Mercury hubcaps to replace the 1972 Buick hubcaps that Les had on the car. After a while, I decided I needed something to "sport it up" On EBay, I found a set of the Mustang Bullit Rims from a 2001 Bullitt Edition Mustang. They made a big difference in the appearance of the car. Where I had been told that it looked like something an old man would drive, I was now told it looked "BAD!".
This is what the car looks like today.
I love the "semi-fastback" roofline.
And, I think the taillights are classy.
Interior
After the wheels, I had the interior completely redone.
From a different angle - due to the flash, the colors are a bit off in this shot.
I had a special "doggie seat cover" made so Buddy and Tiny won't destroy the leather.
Notice the "marine-style" turnbuckles along the top edge of the backseat. (There are two more below, where the seat meets the carpet.)
These are the pictures that Les sent me before I flew out to see the car:
Note the 1972 Buick hubcaps , and...
the curb feelers...
and the custom-made dash pad cover (which concealed a very cracked pad)
.
I actually fit all four new tires mounted on the rims in this trunk (in addition to the full-sized spare).
These photos are of another Park Lane that I was considering. I love the color - Sea Foam (although no one else does).
Too bad it cost more than twice as much as the car I bought. It might have been nice to tool around in a convertible!
Back to My Cars
Back to 1967 Mercury Photo Archive
Engine 390 truck block w/reinforced mains – 1974 D4TE
Bore 4.120
Stroke 3.98
421 cubic inches
428 crank
Carb 4609 C-J Holley 735 CFM
Intake manifold C-J cast Gasket matched to heads
Exhaust manifolds (headers) C-J cast
2 ½" exhaust pipes w/Flowmaster mufflers
Heads CGAE-R Tall ports w/C-J intake and exhaust valves hard seats
Street Ported
Block Torque Plate bored and chemical lined, bored, decked
Oil passages opened up & oil passage to filter expanded from 3/8" to 7/16"
High volume oil pump – Heavy Duty oil pump shaft
Crane adj rockers – Crane Cam #343941
Engine assy balanced
C-J heads and internals with tall ports
When I spoke to him on the phone, he
told me that he was often challenged at red lights by "snot-nosed punks
in their 5-0 Mustangs and Camaros " and that when he did push the big
7-litre beast, he usually won. I decided that I wanted that
car. Jim and Lorette and I flew out to San Francisco, and rented
a car to
drive to Carpenter, which is outside of Sacramento. I drove the
car
for 30 minutes and wrote a check on the spot.
Les told me that he bought the car in 1982 and believed that he was the second owner. The car was in such good shape that I believed him. While doing some work on the car, we found the original build sheet. While not a highly optioned car, it did have some interesting options such as the cornering lamps.
Les told me that he bought the car in 1982 and believed that he was the second owner. The car was in such good shape that I believed him. While doing some work on the car, we found the original build sheet. While not a highly optioned car, it did have some interesting options such as the cornering lamps.
Before the car was delivered, I had bought a set of correct 1967 Mercury hubcaps to replace the 1972 Buick hubcaps that Les had on the car. After a while, I decided I needed something to "sport it up" On EBay, I found a set of the Mustang Bullit Rims from a 2001 Bullitt Edition Mustang. They made a big difference in the appearance of the car. Where I had been told that it looked like something an old man would drive, I was now told it looked "BAD!".
This is what the car looks like today.
I love the "semi-fastback" roofline.
And, I think the taillights are classy.
Interior
After the wheels, I had the interior completely redone.
The original interior was beautiful
except for ONE RIP on the driver's seat. Unfortunately, it was
right where everyone could see it and it made me crazy. My buddy,
Larry Rutherford told me that the guys at Lawrence Auto Marine Trim did
great work, so I took it there in November of 2004.
On
Friday, February 18, 2005, the final two pieces were installed:
The dash pad (refurbished at Dash Specialists in Oregon) and the dash
gauge bezel (the chrome and black piece around the speedometer, gas
gauge, clock and heater/AC controls) was rechromed at American Classics
Restorations in Massachusetts.
From a different angle - due to the flash, the colors are a bit off in this shot.
I had a special "doggie seat cover" made so Buddy and Tiny won't destroy the leather.
Notice the "marine-style" turnbuckles along the top edge of the backseat. (There are two more below, where the seat meets the carpet.)
While
driving the car around to recharge the battery after two months of
sitting, the speedometer rolled over (presumably 200,000 miles) at the
intersection of Green Bay
Road and Lake Avenue in Wilmette.
Although it is not "original" (because the old
interior was
vinyl and this one is leather), we stayed true to the original
design. The man who did the work (Pedro)
is a true artist/craftsman. He reproduced (and improved upon) the
original interior pattern and even used the original metal
"ringlets". The stitching on the "pleats" of the seats is hidden,
unlike the vinyl which had visible stitching. I left off the
"faux wood" trim
because we couldn't exactly match the trim under the dash.
I
went with leather seating surfaces and door panels. I must be
colorblind, as the new color is nothing like the old one. But, I
really like it. The new interior is on the left.
Since the CD changer is in the
glove compartment, I had a hidden box built to store small items, much
like today's consoles. However, when this one is closed, you
hardly notice it. Plus, you can sit on it!!
The following pictures were taken shortly after I took delivery of the car.
The following pictures were taken shortly after I took delivery of the car.
These are the pictures that Les sent me before I flew out to see the car:
Note the 1972 Buick hubcaps , and...
the curb feelers...
and the custom-made dash pad cover (which concealed a very cracked pad)
.
I actually fit all four new tires mounted on the rims in this trunk (in addition to the full-sized spare).
These photos are of another Park Lane that I was considering. I love the color - Sea Foam (although no one else does).
Too bad it cost more than twice as much as the car I bought. It might have been nice to tool around in a convertible!
Back to My Cars
Back to 1967 Mercury Photo Archive