Hello

[Stephenorf]

Hi, I recently purchased a 1959 Mercury Monterey, 4 door sedan. I'm looking forward to having fun with it. Attached are some pics. It doesn't run, but I'm working to remedy that in short order. I'm finding that '59 Mercury parts are not easy to source!

Its got the 312ci motor with an automatic transmission. Originally Champaign Gold and White, now a cheap respray red and white. Overall pretty good condition and fairly complete and unmolested for a 63 yo car.

I'm looking forward to learning from and contributing to the members of this forum.

These pics are from the listing when I bought it. I'll take some better pics when the lighting is right and post additional.

Near term goal: get the car running and pass safety inspection. It was sitting in a field when I bought it, but it was supposedly in a warehouse prior to that, and looks like it has been sitting since around 2007. I already got a new battery, next item to figure out is fuel delivery. The motor will fire off with a shot of starting fluid, but doesn't seem to be getting any gas to the carb.

 

[mercman from oz]

Congratulations Stephenorf on your purchase of a 1959 Mercury Monterey Sedan. It is great to see these cars appreciated. Regards Mercman <><

 

[KULTULZ]

It has a dualing reservoir MC and a HI-PO low restriction air cleaner ...

Enjoy It!

 

[Stephenorf]

Congratulations Stephenorf on your purchase of a 1959 Mercury Monterey Sedan. It is great to see these cars appreciated. Regards Mercman

Thank you. I asked why there are so few parts available for the 59 Mercurys Mercuries...Mercury's...), and someone said most of them were crushed. So I guess these cars are underappreciated? I think they have a lot of style!

 

[Stephenorf]

It has a dual reservoir MC and a HI-PO low restriction air cleaner ...

Enjoy It!

Yes, and it has a newish A/C compressor (R145a?) with an aftermarket under-dash condenser. Hopefully it will still blow cold air (eventually). We need the A/C for most of the year with the Texas heat & humidity.

Someone cut a big chunk out of the driver's side inner fender apron to fit the brake proportioning valve.

 

[Dobie Gillis]

Thank you. I asked why there are so few parts available for the 59 Mercurys Mercuries...Mercury's...), and someone said most of them were crushed. So I guess these cars are underappreciated? I think they have a lot of style!

Parts specific to any classic Merc are hard to come by (body panels, trim, etc.). You just have to keep looking until you run across something you need.

 

[Ole Don]

That is a very nice Mercury. Big, as cars were in those days. I hope it serves you well for many years.

 

[mercman from oz]

1959 Mercury Monterey from the Original Sales Brochure

 

[mercman from oz]

1959 Mercury Monterey 4 Door Sedan

 

[Stephenorf]

That is a very nice Mercury. Big, as cars were in those days. I hope it serves you well for many years.

Thanks, I measured it and it is about 18 & 1/2 feet from bumper to bumper. I've been trying to find a car cover big enough to fit. It is also pretty wide!

 

[Stephenorf]

1959 Mercury Monterey 4 Door Sedan

I was surprised at how low the car seems to sit. Looking at those images it looks like it sat pretty low on those 14" tires right out of the factory doors.

 

[fordor41]

"appears" like '59 ford front fenders/ hood would fit

 

[JimNNN]

[FONT=&quot]Welcome to the forum. I really like your old Monterey. I have a '61, also a 4 door sedan. It seems to me the years '59-'62 aren't common today, just as you say, but there may be many reasons for that. I'm not sure they were crushed more than any other car of their type. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]There was a major economic recession in '58, and it created the worst car sales year in the US since WW2. Things picked up by the start of '59, but Americans (maybe because the recession was still fresh in their minds) seemed more interested in buying economy cars than the great big machines most of Detroit was producing. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]As far as the '61 models went, FoMoCo started putting full sized Mercuries on the same platform as Fords, but still tried to sell them for a big premium over the Ford. As a result, people bought Fords instead of Mercuries. And the funny looking little Comets sold extremely well. They outsold big Mercuries that year by 70%, or close to it. Full sized Mercuries of that era just didn't sell well. I think they sold a little better when they introduced the unique retractable rear window models in '63. They also offered a very stylish sloping back roof option in the coupes, which looked great. [/FONT]

 

[mercman from oz]

1959 Ford Galaxie Hardtop.
fordor41 compare the Front Fenders of the 1959 Ford and Mercury and you will see that they are nothing alike, and will not interchange. Check out the distance from the Wheel Opening to the Front Door. It is much greater length on the Mercury.

 

[mercman from oz]

1959 Ford Galaxie Hardtop and 1959 Mercury Park Lane Hardtop.
Comparing actual cars is better than comparing the illustrations in the Sales Brochure. Compare this 1959 Ford Galaxie with this 1959 Mercury Park Lane. You can see that all sheet metal plus windshield is unique to the Mercury.

 

[58Yeoman]

1959 Ford Galaxie Hardtop.
fordor41 compare the Front Fenders of the 1959 Ford and Mercury and you will see that they are nothing alike, and will not interchange. Check out the distance from the Wheel Opening to the Front Door. It is much greater length on the Mercury.

I was nine years old in '59, and my grade school principal had a Ford just like this one. I was building quite a few model cars then, and built and painted one just like his. I would leave school in the afternoon and look inside to see the color combinations, then go home and paint them on my kit, even the stainless trim on the sides. It looked really good. Wish I still had it.

Later on in high school, I bought a black '59 2door Fairlane sedan.

 

[jayvee34]

Thank you. I asked why there are so few parts available for the 59 Mercurys Mercuries...Mercury's...), and someone said most of them were crushed. So I guess these cars are underappreciated? I think they have a lot of style!

I agree, I think they have a lot of style, along with the 57 & 58 models.
I have a 68 Mercury Cougar and have some difficulty finding parts.
Sometimes you will just have to use similar parts that will fit or work from
other makes and models.

I know you will enjoy your Merc, and best wishes.

 

[Ford Freak]

Nice Merc & welcome to the Barn! - F F

 

[Stephenorf]

"appears" like '59 ford front fenders/ hood would fit

Hi, thanks. Luckily I don't need any sheet metal. Just some under-hood components and maybe some interior parts too (like the light switch knob!). The hunt is on!

The car didn't have the windshield wiper motor (it was missing) that bolts to the firewall under the hood. This particular car had the electric wiper motor (vs. the more common vacuum controlled wiper motor). I search high & low for one, then then found a reference to New Port Engineering on thread on this site. Went to their website and viola...they have a replacement unit made specifically for the 1959 Monterey. Ordered...waiting for the package to arrive. It also comes with a generic switch....which I will mount in an inconspicuous place under the dash. I can't pass safety inspection in Texas without working wipers...and I can't register the car if it doesn't pass inspection.

I didn't know what was missing when I bought the car...it's obvious now...

 

[Stephenorf]

[FONT=&quot]Welcome to the forum. I really like your old Monterey. I have a '61, also a 4 door sedan. It seems to me the years '59-'62 aren't common today, just as you say, but there may be many reasons for that. I'm not sure they were crushed more than any other car of their type. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]There was a major economic recession in '58, and it created the worst car sales year in the US since WW2. Things picked up by the start of '59, but Americans (maybe because the recession was still fresh in their minds) seemed more interested in buying economy cars than the great big machines most of Detroit was producing. [/FONT]

Thanks, I was reading that the recession really killed the "big car" market. Mercury was already committed to manufacturing the big cars when the recession hit and it took a couple of years to move to a more moderate car. 1959 was not a good year for Mercury. Seemingly the public was also moving away from all the chrome and fins and fancy stuff. So the 1959 Monterey, with all its style and largeness, had fallen out of favor rather quickly.

Oddly enough, this is an example of where scarcity does not dictate value and NADA pegs these cars with rather conservative value estimations.