This Mercury Crew Received a Second Chance
the trucks are rather rare. And crew cabs of this vintage are even more difficult to find. For Kyle to find a Mercury crew cab was about as lucky as finding a leprechaun riding a unicorn. So, despite the rusty crustiness, Kyle went through the importation process and brought the Merc home.
After getting the her across the border, the next challenge was to figure out exactly where to start. Luckily Kyle grew up in his father’s body shop, so building is in his blood, and having a day job reconditioning and selling vehicles certainly doesn’t hurt either. The initial goal for the Merc was to get it on the road quickly, without cutting corners, so it wouldn’t languish in a field for another 40-plus years.
The obvious choice for the engine was a Ford 460, a tried-and-true
powerplant that works well in a big truck. Kyle also planned to convert the truck to four-wheel drive along the way. Kyle began with the chassis, grafting the front clip from a ’79 F-250 into the Merc’s original frame. Up front, a high-pinion Dana 44 from a ’79 F-250 was hung from 4-inch Rough Country lift springs. The axle swap had another welcome benefit: more modern disc brakes. In the rear, Kyle used a
Dana 60 from the donor
’79 and the stock rear leaves were used along with factory high-boy lift blocks. Both differentials have clutch-type limited slips to make sure the big Merc maintains traction. Fate intervened when it came time to choose shocks, as a buddy of Kyle’s was changing directions on a newer Jeep build and selling very lightly used Fox shocks and a steering stabilizer. The Mercury rides on a set
of 17x8.5-inch Fifteen52 Traverse HD wheels wrapped with 35-inch Goodyear Wrangler MTRs.
Unfortunately, the 460 Kyle intended to use had rusted bores and was beyond repair. As luck would have it, Kyle happened to have a complete drivetrain from a ’14 Ford GT500 lying in the shop that was slated for another project. But how can you go wrong with a stock motor that puts out 662 hp and 631 lb-ft of torque? Short answer: You can’t. The motor and transmission fit well in the chassis, but biggest challenge for Kyle was getting the motor running. The stock ECU was used, but that presented a number of challenges. The first was sourcing a suitable harness for running the modern engine standalone in the old truck. Kyle turned to Power by the Hour for a solution. Their Coyote swap harness made the daunting task much easier. Lund Racing provided a tune and helped Kyle troubleshoot a few hiccups along the way. Now, a JLT intake helps the engine breathe a little better, and a twin disc clutch sends power to the Tremec 6060 transmission. Kyle chose an S1 sequential shifter to get through the gears quickly and accurately. A custom driveshaft powers a Dana 24 transfer case from a
’61 Ford F-250. While it might sound somewhat