New guy with a 70's Mercury land yacht!

[73Mercury]

Hello Solent Renegades!
I've just registered myself having found this site.
My name is Dan, I live in Waterlooville and just got my first yank tank in September 2014. Although I actually bought it in October 2013, I had trouble with the import, which I will explain later!

I've always loved American cars and vowed to have one some day. I often have a look at what's going on ebay etc but one day decided to look on ebay US, and spotted a 73 Mercury Marquis. This thing really did it for me so I bought it there and then! I should mention I had no plans to buy anything, no thought given to budget and I had no experience of importing stuff either!

So, the car is a 73 Mercury Marquis Brougham, full size beast of a thing. It's got a Ford big block 429ci (7.0 litre) V8 with column shift auto box.
It originally came from Georgia state, but I got it from a dealer in Illinois. This is what caused my problems! The car didn't have a title as Georgia don't issue them on stuff this old so the plan was to use a bill of sale to export it from the US. This wasn't accepted for some reason so I had to get the dealer I got it from to reregister it in Illinois, then get a valid title that way! It all took time but went ok in the end!

So here it is.






Since it arrived here and got an mot/registration I've had to change the starter (failed on the trip home!) alternator, reset carb mix and idle, timing was a mile out and various other bits and pieces. From what I gather it had spent several years off the road back in the US so it was inevitable some things would need attention once it was made to be drivable again.

Hopefully now winters nearly over I can get it out on the road and give it some use!

I also own a 74 mk2 Capri, 84 Transit van and a 85 mk2 Granada! - I just can't help myself!

 

[TransAmDan]

Wow, that looks very nice. Clean and tidy. I'm from Waterloovile too, you have probably seen the Trans-Am around.

A big welcome to the club, and thanks for posting.

we have a club night this Tuesday coming at the Farmhouse pub off the eastern road, Portsmouth. We will be there from 6.30pm onwards, feel free to pop down, you don't have to bring the american or classic cars out, many people will be in the daily run abouts. Many club members have the club logo on them so you will spot us just fine.

 

[AmericanThunder]

:welcome: from a non-local member!

 

[TransAmDan]

:welcome: from a non-local member!

you may not be local, but on the forum more than me keeping it ticking over very well so you are local in the virtual world. :yo:

 

[AmericanThunder]

:blushing: gimme a :hug: !!

 

[73Mercury]

Thanks for the welcomes!

It is a lovely old thing, it's a real experience driving it too, it's massive! I knew it was a big car when I bought it but when you actually see it in the metal it is huge. Especially since it's my first American car and I'm used to European cars, I thought my Granada was a big car!
It does have a few marks and paint flaws though as it's the original paint, never been re sprayed, it's just looking it's age in a few places. I'd like to get it sorted at some point.

Dan, I've seen your Trans-am around the area. It's one hell of a car!
I'd like to come down to a meet at some point, I'll be working Tuesday (typical!) though, and maybe get the Mercury down to a meet or the cruises you guys hold.

 

[sarah]

Welcome to the forum!!

Wow, that is one beautiful car! Looking forward to seeing it in person

 

[an88fiero]

:welcome: - another Dan too. Lovely car!!

Hey if he has a :hug: I think it should be a :grouphug:

 

[chris68coupe]

Lovely motor. One of our agents in Phoenix AZ had a similar age Cadillac - Parking was like berthing the Queen Mary!

 

[saleen 192]

:heh:Core blimey You lot are you feeling ok ????? He's a FORD man looking at list of car's I know what you lot think of ford owners :heh:


welcome fellow petrolhead Very good choice in cars and like you new motor

 

[73Mercury]

:heh:Core blimey You lot are you feeling ok ????? He's a FORD man looking at list of car's I know what you lot think of ford owners :heh:


welcome fellow petrolhead Very good choice in cars and like you new motor

Yep, I'm a Ford man! Although I love GM stuff too, and just about anything else really. As long as it's not a VW!:bounce:
Seriously though anything and everything's good with me!

 

[sarah]

Sometimes we have the tendency to 'banter' with Darren (Saleen) about his very expensive 'work bench' he uses whilst working on his Transam lol.

 

[saleen 192]

Sometimes we have the tendency to 'banter' with Darren (Saleen) about his very expensive 'work bench' he uses whilst working on his Transam lol.

:thumb::heh:

 

[mummyjan]

:heh:Core blimey You lot are you feeling ok ????? He's a FORD man looking at list of car's I know what you lot think of ford owners :heh:


welcome fellow petrolhead Very good choice in cars and like you new motor

only just read this, whats wrong with ford owners, he he he !! i have a lovely ford and its on the road and it passes its mot every year and its all mine lol how ya doin babe xxx oh and welcome to thwe forum, i love your car and a very feminist comment as in I love the colour !!!:flame:

 

[73Mercury]

only just read this, whats wrong with ford owners, he he he !! i have a lovely ford and its on the road and it passes its mot every year and its all mine lol how ya doin babe xxx oh and welcome to thwe forum, i love your car and a very feminist comment as in I love the colour !!!:flame:

I think they're all jealous! As Ford owners were the elite!:devil:

It's probably not vary manly of me to admit this, but the colour is what drew me to it when I bought it! Certainly stands out.
I've just been touching in a few scratches it picked up during the shipping over, very annoying really but hey ho!

 

[sarah]

But being that colour definitely makes it look more different, and that's a really good thing! Who wants to blend in with the crowd? To be fair, I doubt you would anyway lol.

I can't imagine it's an easy colour to touch up? That must have been so frustrating your new toy turning up with marks

 

[73Mercury]

It's a weird colour, kind of similar to the old Ford (Europe) highland green they used to do Cortina's and Capri's in! If it was on a modern car it wouldn't look very nice, but I think it suits this sort of car well.

It's not easy to touch in, or even easy to mix up a paint to match. The paint is original and probably sun bleached a fair bit too. But, I've got some paint mixed that seems pretty close and although the repair is far from a perfect invisible finish it has at least covered the bare metal scratches up and should stop it from rusting. It probably does want re spraying within the next couple of years really though, there's marks and defects all over it if you look but it'll be fine for now.

This weekend should see it get an oil and filter change, good post winter check over and a thorough wash and polish. Then maybe a run up the road since the weather finally seems to be improving!