Frozen 390 - If anyone can help me save it, it's you guys.

[428Marauder]

Ok, if you guys are up to the challenge ... what we have here is a rare 1965 Mercury Montclair Marauder fastback. Came to me as a car I was going to use for parts, more I looked into it, I think this car has 30k original miles. Sitting a long time. So, I thought I could get my money back out of it, since it's so rare, original and complete, and then I realized I would be a fool to sell it, if I can save the motor. Seized when I got it. All original down to the tags, have the original engine and carb tags. Have the entire original engine. Would be awesome if it could be saved. Z code 390 4b. Big, Orange beast.

So here's what I have done. I removed the entire intake,  og carb still mounted to it. Removed everything down to the block and the heads. The original dual exhaust has mostly been cut out, I am trying to cut it so I can remove the heads with the exhaust manifolds. My goal is to get down to the block and the cylinders and get this motor spinning again.

Almost sold this car for $2k. I would have regretted that. This car is worth doing right. I also have a 65 Mercury Park Lane custom convertible with a 428 in it, so I have lots of original extra parts. This fastback still has most of it's original paint.

Anyway, thanks to you guys I am about to get the heads off without breaking anything, once I can finish cutting the exhaust, and then the entire top end will be off and I will take some pictures.

Then you guys can tell me, if it can be saved. Then if you want to walk me through putting it back together, that's where I get stuck. It's full of fouled oil right now. I have not forced anything. Have not broke anything but some metal fuel lines and trans lines. I got all the parts in boxes, everyhting to put it back together. Obviously, need to drain, and (how to dispose?) fouled oil, and get PB Blaster in those cylinders, see if it can spin again, see how bad it is damaged inside. I didn't intend to get this deep into it, but this car deserves saving if I can save it.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/arizonaclassiccars/22124931318/in/dateposted-public/

Here is my current dilema. I have an extra set of heads sitting in my garage. Think I have them sold for $200 which is twice what I paid for them in a package deal. Rebuilt good heads. $200 would help, but maybe not as much as having a good set of rebuilt heads in regards to getting this motor going.

If it's hopeless, obviously I sell the extra heads. If it's saveable, maybe I hafta get the original heads rebuilt anyway, to do it right. Thinking sell.

Issue number 2, maybe slightly off topic, but ... and I think everyone who knows what "rolled fenders" are is going to agree with me here, car has never been fully repainted and the lower rear quarter panels has some rust, as well as the wheel well lip. I cut it out already on the drivers side. i am thinking doing a "custom" wheel well with fiberglass on both sides, to allow wider rear wheels. i can do fiberglass and body work. Just slow. I know, from experience putting 17s on my convertible, these rear weheel wells are really tight. Half an inch of clearance can be a world of diffference. Just makes me want to puke cutting out the passenger side, which is not rusted, on a car this original.

Sorry for the wall of text but, sound like a good project?

Pics of car: https://www.flickr.com/photos/arizonaclassiccars/albums/72157644208477655

Lol, you can see my breaker pipes right next to the car in some pics. I got the top end almost all removed without breaking anything. Found a really cool original "65 390" tag on the back of the passenger head. I think where the dispstick bolts in or something? Complete, but maybe fubar original motor, but that is amazing to me, that tag was on that motor for 50 years.

[machoneman]

If the bores are rusty, I'd not hesitate to hit them with some 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper, some WD-40 for a lube and/or your P-B Blaster. Soaking the bores in diesel fuel works too. Keep in mind that it may not be turning over due to seized rod or main bearings that will never break loose...short of taking the motor out for a full teardown.

On the wheel wells, I'd skip the fiberglass route and stick to metal flares and yes, even Bondo! The 'glass will crack before you know it...and likely even before it gets painted!

Best would be to carefully weld on those metal flares and try one of those lead kits (lead, beeswax, paddles, etc.)  to fill in the voids and have a really good looking modification. 

http://www.eastwood.com/ew-body-solder-kit-basic-with-dvd.html

[Tboggus]

On the car itself, if its that rare of a car, then restore the body back to original. Don't do the flares.
Leave the exhaust manifolds on the heads until you get the heads off the engine. You can have better access to the manifold bolts. May not be able to get them out but still have better access.

[chilly460]

As other have said, diesel or kerosene in the cylinders. 

I personally don't see how flares will look right on that slab sided bodystyle and especially frontend.  I've been surprised before with what guys can pull off, but just can't imagine it looking right on this particular car. 

[Qikbbstang]

Quite the conundrum.

The rust & dried crud in the lifter valley, rust around some head bolts and inside #2 Intake kind of paints an ugly picture of what you may expect in the bores. Get those heads off and lets see close-up pics of the cylinders!!! For sure a valve job's in the future for those heads.

 When you have the motor down to the shortblock, if the various penetrating oil soaks will allow breaking it loose and get it free'd up with just a carefully placed pry bar and then the starter motor to get it freely spinning. You'd be crazy going to extremes to get it turning over because the pistons/rings will likely not be sealing properly anyway.  Then odds are the motor will likely be burning oil and/or have low compression. Since your down to a shortblock and would need gaskets, likely valve job etc you already have an investment, it should not take much more to just do the whole motor - there goes your bargain priced get it started project!
Logic, if iffy says dump a gallon of filtered with a cloth in the funnel used motor oil in, spin on a new filter, prime it and crank the shortblock...  IF the FE Gods are with you it spins over nicely............

 Ditto on the Jerry-Rig'd fenders!

[turbohunter]

X100 on the "no flairs".
But I'm not in the restore to original camp either.
I'd get it sitting right (read that as low) with newer wheels and upgraded (modern) running gear and drive the poop out of it with a new stroker.
But that's just me spending your money.
That fastback is cool as heck.

[tomsfe64]

If it were mine, I'd pull the 390, bore it, and stroke it to 440 + cubes, some flattop forged pistons and a torquey cam. Smooth power for that beautifull boat.

[chris401]

If your happy with the bores and want to re-use pistons and rings you should pull the rings off for inspection, shine them up and discard if scratched. Clean out the piston grooves. Don't trust them to stay free moving with gunk in the grooves.

[mlcraven]

Nice looking machine...but I'm confused.  Was the Marauder its own car, or an option package on the Montclair, or on the Monterray?

[BruceS]

Agree with Marc, do a resto on the body, no modified flares.  It will be just as much fun to drive, and hold more value.  Those Mercs are getting pretty rare! 

Bruce

[428Marauder]

Nice looking machine...but I'm confused.  Was the Marauder its own car, or an option package on the Montclair, or on the Monterray?

There are 3 full sized Mercs for 65. In order of trim level they are: Monterey, Montclair and Park Lane. Some of those (the Z code ones) came with the "Marauder" badging and the 390 4v "Super Marauder" motor. They are known as Marauders, however you are correct, it is more of an option package than it is a model.

Having some trouble getting that exhaust cut. I have a bad back so I have to do things slowly, but I will some pics soon. So you guys think I should sell those extra heads? I figure if I am going to rebuild it, might as well have the correct heads on it.

BTW, I also have a 65 Park Lane convertible, mild custom with a 428 and modern wheels and stuff, what makes this car so neat is how original it is.

[428Marauder]

Ok, sorry for the delay. I got my uncle to help me get those heads off. He's not a Ford guy but he is an old school mechanic. He says the wrist pin has come off on one cylinder and dug into the cylinder wall and and thats why it's frozen. Not worth trying to force it to turn, he says.

Anyway, here is a pic, as requested, but it doesn't show much detail, like the scar on that cylinder wall:

http://imgur.com/ouLDaAM

Soaking in PB Blaster, may try the deisel 2 later, but I think my unlce is right. This one, just beyond my finances, tools, space and skill.

[chris401]

Those look like cast 428 pistons

[428Marauder]

Should be whatever came in the 1965 Z code 390.

You can kinda see, second one up on the left, somehow scarred from hitting the head. Looks like a small white line in the picture but you can see it and feel it in real life. On the wall of the farthest back, on the right side is the gouge and where I found a bunch of black burnt stuff. Looks to have frozen at top dead center. Right?

It's been for me, a great learning experience. Like trying to bring a dead person back to life my uncle says... Yer not gonna hurt anything, cause it's junk. Can't it be resleaved? I mean, if the block is not cracked, and you got all the original 390 Super Marauder parts, rebuildable original heads, intake, carb, specific to this car, with the tag ... "Nobody wants this car, is your problem. It's not a Mustang or somethin" my uncle says. "It's not worth rebuilding."

I think maybe it is, for the next guy. The guy who sold it to me was not honest about the motor, at least now I can be honest.

[428Marauder]

I do want to keep some parts, like the pentroof "Mercury" valve covers. Those will look nice on my 428 convertible that originally came with the same Z code 390. I have kinda cleaned them up and like them oily metal with the original orange paint left on them but they could also be painted.

Will add an authentic touch, to the 428 with an aluminum Holley. Run an aluminum radiator too. i got, in the shed, an OG 1965 Radiator.

The convertible is a Park Lane. Same model, one trim level up. Lot more rare. But she came to me with the wrong motor, and I had an opportunity to swap in this "service block" 428 and I went with it. It does not have the "C" welded on it, but it does have the external webbing and 1U marked crank, externally weighted flywheel, C6. Course it's got custom exhaust, runs, sounds just like it should. I went with Magnaflow over Flowmaster because I am not TRYING to sound like a big block, right?

And you guys know, FE fans, you get your foot into it... and it's all running right, with the right exhaust... Bwahhhhhh, bluh , bluh bluh ... who needs a radio? I just love the sound of that car running.