1940 Merc Tudor

F

f1builder

Well-known member
well, i just picked up a 1940 merc tudor. the body is pretty good, very little rust and not all banged up. the engine looks stock but you never know, it isn't running and is missing radiator, etc.. haven't got it home and cleaned up yet.

my questions are: 1) will 39-40 merc parts interchange? 2) will 39-40 (or other years) ford interchange? 3) is there a club or group for 40 merc owners? 4) are these cars rare? i have seen only a couple 40 mercs.

i would appreciate some comments and any other information relative to this old car would be very helpful.

thanks,
george (s.dak)
 

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I can't really answer any of your questions but think the car looks really cool.
Enjoy your new project!
 
F1 builder,i have a nos in the box glove box door lock and 2 cut keys for 40 merc. Any need for it. $50 includes shipping. Works perfect. As im told fits only 40 Merc not ford or other yrs.
 
sounds good ken, will get back to you next week when i get it home and check it out good. haven't had time to inventory everything i will need but i will probably want your lock and keys.

thanks labold.....is yours a 40 merc? looks great!
 
[Ihi --f 1 --i believe the body shape of the 39 2-dr and 40 2dr is different...can't say about front and rear fenders between the two years so be careful...my father in law owned a 40 merc convert so i know for sure the hood deck lid doors front and rear fenders WILL NOT FIT a 1940 ford sedan,,,,you may check the inner fenders they may be the same...motor,, trans ,,breaks drivetrain,, should be the same with variations...remember the mercury was a step up from the ford and i think the body was wider for the 40 mercury as opposed to the ford...i owned a 40 merc cpe 30 years ago and noticed it was wider inside with a big steering wheel as compared to 40 ford coupe....I know the dash and speedo assy for 39 and 40 merc are different...sheetmetal parts to my knowledge are not being reproduced and can be pricey...repair your original parts in you can just my 2 cents!! good luck,,,,Gump[/I]
 
thanks gump....all the sheet metal looks real good, just a few small dents and a little rust in front of the rear wheel wells, not bad at all. the dash also is complete but the plastic pieces (blue) are all warped and ruined. seats are in there but will need total rehab. can't see the floor yet and am hoping it isn't rusted out too badly. it was in nebraska and cars don't rust out around here much at all. i am pretty sure i will do a build on it, nothing fancy though. thanks again for the info.
 
No problem F1 ive had it for a while and never even put it up on the barn.It only fits 1 yr Merc so options are few to sell it. And i paid dearly for it,im just barely making my $$ back on it. I make mistakes too sometimes.lol. ken ct.
 
The Mercury shares some drive train parts but not all. The Mercury has a one piece rear drive shaft assembly but the banjo parts other than the pinion are the same. Most brake parts are the same. Transmissions are the same but many of the Mercury cars had different ratios than Ford cars. The wheel base is 118" versus 114" for the Ford and it's all in the front end. The fenders are all different. If the motor is original, it will be the 239 "99" type block for 39 and 40 which is desirable (95 HP). The body designs are similar but I don't think they are interchangeable. Rear quarters and floor pans might be similar enough to swap but I'm not sure.

The Mercury frame looks just like a ford except it is 4 inches longer in front of the firewall.

Kerby
 
Rotorwrench, your description of the Mercury chassis fits the 1941-1948 Mercury. The 39 and 40 Mercury had a completely different chassis than the 39 and 40 Ford.

F1builder, it looks like you have found a very good car to restore. The Tudor Sedans are hard to find as there were only 15,506 built. Any sedan was stripped for parts to restore convertible sedans and coupes during the last century. Finding one with most of its parts is a treasure.

The 40 Mercury has a 116"wheelbase and most Ford mechanical parts will work. The differential is different. The torque tube and drive shaft are longer and the drive shaft has the pinion pressed on, it does not use the coupling like the Ford.

No sheet metal or trim items interchange between the Ford and the 40 Mercury. Most body parts will interchange between the 39 and 40 Mercury, but not all will look correct.

The rear fenders on a 39 Merc have a smaller wheel opening than the 40. The outer front fenders are the same, but the inner panels are different.

The grill is different between the 39 and 40 and the center piece for the 40 is hard to find.

Your best bet is to find a copy of the 39-48 Mercury Chassis Parts Catalog and buy the reprint of the 39-40 Ford and Mercury Body Parts Catalog.

There are very few parts reproduced for the 39-40 Mercury. Dennis Carpenter does most of them.

The best club to join is the Early Ford V-8 Club of America. They have a very good Tech Adviser and a web site with a forum devoted to Mercury.

Next would be the International Mercury Owners Club. They have some help for cars in the flathead era, but most of their members are into the overhead valve cars from 54 and up.

I have had my 40 Mercury Sedan Coupe for over 35 years and have enjoyed it very much.
 
thanks kerby and tomo. great help. i am anxious to get the 40 home so i can inventory it. will get it next wed or thurs if it don't snow on us again. it is complete from what i can see except for the radiator and grille assembly. the motor has the manifold heater setup and has a large logo 97 on it, i think that carb might be stock but not sure. the dash is all complete but the plastic pieces are badly warped (blue). i am getting pretty pumped up the more i think about it, thanks again for your help.

george
 
gump....posting a few more pics i have of her. there are a lot of parts in the back seat, don't know what i will find.
 

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Regarding that blue dash plastic... In case you need to know, there is a fellow in ca that is (or was??) reproducing it. Clarence Levy, and he is in the roster.
Just for info, jmo.
congrats on the find !!
 
WOW--- time warp looks like 1972 again...where can you find one of these with a radio and the mercury eight emblems on the deck lid....Great Find,,,,,,love those mercurys!!
 
unlike ford tudors which were the best sellers by far, the`40 merc tudor was not the big seller. they sold the same amount of coupes but i bet the tudor is harder to find than a coupe or conv. in `39 the merc tudor was the lowest production of all models[6560]. the only part on a ford that is the same as a merc are the headlite doors and some misc. hardware.---barry
 
F1--- I just realized i have an extra clock layin around...pm me if you are interested...regards gump
 
Looks like a nice car to restore. In the unlikely event that you need a ring gear and pinion, I have a good set ready to install, less the torque tube and axle housings. I took it out of a '40 Conv. in 1983.
 
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