My 1963 "SVT" Mercury Meteor-Mr.Venables

[svtmeteor]

Figured I would start a build thread for my car, even though its winter and the car is up on jackstands right now. The whole build started about 5 years ago with a stock 1963 Mercury Meteor (build date December 24,1962 early build car for its model year, interesting). My dad and I built the car as a father/son project that would end up being my high school ride. The car was basic in every respect, no major options, nothing rare, but it is pillar-less! We started by swapping in a 1993 5.0l (stock minus intake and headers) with aod transmission. We had gotten this 2003 SVT Cobra IRS that we were going to use on another meteor of ours (had to send that car to the junkyard sadly), and so after about a year of driving it on the stock suspension we pulled it apart. My dad made the IRS mounts, and together we installed it, made our own spring perches, shock mounts, and brake lines! We did all of this in our backyard with no fancy tools, and on weekends and nights! It is the first Mercury Meteor to have a fully independent suspension, and since it shares the same frame as the 1962-1964 fairlane, I am willing to be that its the only one with the platform to have a fully independent suspension! After all that we drove the car around for about another 6 months (not counting winter), tore the car apart again, notched the strut towers, installed a fatman IFS kit with coil over shocks, sn95 spindles, rack and pinion steering, tubular a-arms, svt cobra front brakes with the anniversary calipers. At the same time we installed a 1999 SVT Cobra hydroboost setup, so yes its got a complete SVT Cobra brake system (although abs isnt hooked up, even though i could set that up!) We also put a larger front sway bar on the car at that time. Since then nothing major has happened, we did some interior work, some paint/body (primer body, dont wanna paint it yet due to stooges in the school parking lots), and it did have a t-bolt hood on it for a while, but one day I was having carb problems, forgot to lock the hood and you know the rest (its getting repaired now, bad mistake wont be doin it again). I took it to the high school nats, and on a 1500 stall it ran a 15.53 best (slow i know, but its in for a major suprize soon), and heres the insane part! It ran the same time 3 times that day out of 7 passes, and two of those were in a row without cooldown. I got eliminated in the 2nd round by a friend but I had a .028 light to his 0.019 light, and both of us were 0.01 off our dial ins. Sucked to go out that way, but it happens (i placed 3rd in the other class I raced in, and had a personal best et of a 12.31 at 111.6mph!) Plans, well ive got a lot for the car, ill post them when I start posting concept renderings of the next phase for the car!

Stats:

Suspension:

2003 SVT Cobra IRS

Fat Man IFS front end

SVT Cobra hydroboost

SVT Cobra brake rotors and calipers (brembo calipers :D )

custom front sway bar

IRS brace

Custom made IRS Mounts

Eibach rear springs

QA1 one way adjustable shocks out back

Coilover shocks up front

Strut notching kit

Brake balance adjuster

Ididit steering column

Engine/transmission:

1993 Mustang 5.0l

Carburator swap (650cfm holly double pumper)

single plane intake manifold

modified headers

KRC power steering pump

Aod trans (stock converter, 1500 stall, soon to be 3500 stall)

Custom exhaust with 2003 SVT Cobra Mufflers hung from the stock IRS hangers!!!

Body:

1963 Mercury Meteor Custom 2 door pillar-less coupe

T-bolt hood (will be back as of 2012) for those wondering its from a 65 fairlane, and yes its fiberglass

rear wheel tubs-massaged to help fit the rubber under it

shaved emblems on the roof

primer on body/red paint on roof

Interior:

Grant steering wheel

Monster tach

1999 SVT Cobra front seats (yes 6 way drivers seat works)

reupholstered rear seat

Fiberglass door panel inserts (soon to be tuck and roll)

stock gauges minus tach and water gauge (for now)



Well thats all thats on the car for now, plans for the future include a turbo, cam, better intake, the good stuff, stickier tires, some trans work, and some secrets to be shown soon! I dont know how to post pictures (help would be appreciated), so for now heres my cardomain

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3111858/1963-mercury-meteor

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[Dolmaner]

awesome car Eliot!!
race me :p

[CruizinKev]

wow cool mercury! great work :twothumbs any videos of it?

[workbenchracer]

That is awesome!

[svtmeteor]

wow cool mercury! great work :twothumbs any videos of it?

Actually Yes,

Heres my first 1/4th mile pass in the car http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Sb0Ck6X4TM&list=UU16i7Fu52bMDm9cI6vwcvAg&index=8&feature=plcp (please dont laugh at how slow it is lol)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvm9swnOYqU&list=UU16i7Fu52bMDm9cI6vwcvAg&index=3&feature=plcp front suspension cam

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCSeGR_jEn8&list=UU16i7Fu52bMDm9cI6vwcvAg&index=53&feature=plcp when we finally got it back together (we ran it open headers on the jackstands just to annoy the neighborhood)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIT1rmzDJCQ&feature=related IRS cam (we made a makeshift mount for that)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2yj2oF5KWQ Heres me in round 1 eliminations. Ended up a double breakout

[svtmeteor]

http://www.rodauthority.com/news/63-mercury-meteor-with-svt-fully-independent-suspension/ Still kinda off season, but an article was written up on the car by rod authority, and I found out today!

[fordguycharles]

Great

[fordguycharles]

Goodlooking car can u tell me were to get the hood thanks

[Jetfixr320]

Check with Crites Restorations in Ohio for the T-Bolt hood.