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47-508: (Redirected from Mercury VIII ) Mercury 8 or variants may refer to: Mercury Eight , a Ford motor car 1939–1951 Mercury 8, a spacecraft of Project Mercury Mercury VIII, a 1935 version of the Bristol Mercury aircraft engine See also [ edit ] Mercury (disambiguation) Mercury-Atlas 8 , a 1962 crewed space flight Mercury V8 , an automobile Topics referred to by

94-422: A pushbutton on the dashboard, another feature destined to return with the advent of " smart keys ". Although starting cranks had been replaced by electric starters for decades, Ford cars included a manual starting feature until 1948 as an antidote to dead-battery syndrome. The wheel- lug wrench served as a handle (also for the jack ) and the jack shaft with bayonet -coupling pins could be inserted through

141-478: A "momentous effect" on custom car builders, appeared in several magazines at the time, and reappeared numerous times since, earning an honorable mention on Rod & Custom ' s "Twenty Best of All Time" list in 1991. The Eight remains a very popular subject for car modellers. In 1990, Hot Wheels created the Purple Passion , a model based on the 1949 Mercury with a chopped top. Fiberglass replicas of

188-690: A 118-inch wheelbase and had a carrying capacity rated at 10–12 cwt . The 1946 version was coded as the Model S9A and the 1947 and 1948 variants as the Model 6M. A panel van model was also offered. For 1949, Mercury introduced its first postwar model line. The first Mercury of the combined Lincoln-Mercury Division, the Mercury Eight now shared its body with the Lincoln (instead of the Ford). Keeping its 118-inch wheelbase,

235-511: A 1947 model year. Looking at the "top boot" area shape, it appears the 1947 is a real convertible, and the 1946 with the manure on it is a coupe with its top removed to resemble a convertible. In Back to the Future: Part II , some trim is different, suggesting a possible third car. After the film, the car was kept by Universal and displayed in their back lot tour. The 1946 car is now in a private collection. A 1946 woodie station wagon model

282-481: A business coupe, and convertible coupe, sedan delivery wagon, and woody station wagon. The Super Deluxe had several amenities of higher quality over the base models, including more chrome, leather seats, and a wood-grain dashboard. The pickup truck continued with the 1940 standard Ford styling. Production of the 1941 models was disrupted by a sudden labor strike in April 1941; Henry Ford, having resisted unionization well after

329-581: A double red bar. By the end of 1940 Mercury could run with the headline "It's made 150,000 owners change cars!" The 1941 Mercury Eight got all-new styling and some engineering improvements. The Mercury now shared its bodyshell with the Ford Super DeLuxe and the wheelbase was expanded by 2.0 in (51 mm) to 118.0 in (2,997 mm). There were many chassis refinements, including improved spring lengths, rates, and deflections, plus changes in shackling, shocks, and an improved stabilizer bar, but

376-457: A few 1941) cars held in dealer stocks by government edict, to be doled out to essential users during the conflict, were Fords. Some states titled cars by the year of sale, so it is possible to find 1943, 1944, and 1945 models by virtue of their registrations and titles. Following the official surrender of Japan in September 1945, civilian car production slowly resumed. The 1946 Ford was identical to

423-422: A small hole in the grille to engage a bayonet socket on the forward end of the engine crankshaft . A quick-and-easy twist of the handle was sufficient to start the flat head V8 , and the bayonet coupling was self-disengaging for safety. Fords for 1941 were much more modern with a wide body that nearly covered the running boards . The front and rear fenders were still pronounced, but were now integrated more into

470-417: A special four-door model was produced with no chrome at all for military use. The pickup received new styling, as well, with heavy vertical bars, and truck production lasted through March 3. The 1942-style Ford cars continued to be produced as military staff cars from March 1942 through summer 1945. These would have been registered as 1942, 1943, 1944, and 1945 models. Additionally, a large number of 1942 (and

517-469: A success and Mercury wouldn't have another automatic transmission until Merc-O-Matic appeared in 1951, which was a true automatic. Mercury production for the short 1942 model year totaled only 1,902. Output was halted in February 1942 as American auto plants were converted to the exclusive production of war material. Although Mercury's prewar history was short, the Mercury Eight had already earned for itself

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564-464: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Mercury Eight During its production, the Eight offered a full range of body styles, including coupes, sedans, convertibles, and station wagons. For its first generation, the Eight was produced with its own body, adapting its own version of a Ford body for its second generation; for the third generation,

611-581: The Ford Iron Mountain Plant . The convertible had an electric top instead of manual one In the 1985 film Back to the Future and its sequel Back to the Future Part II , the car which Biff Tannen owns in 1955 was a black 1946 Ford Super De Luxe convertible. In Back to the Future , during the skateboard chase scene, based on the park lights, some shots are a 1946 model year, whereas others are

658-646: The Ford flathead V8 engine , its styling was inspired by the Zephyr , and it had standard equipment hydraulic brakes using 12-inch drums . With a wheelbase of 116.0 in (2,946 mm) and an overall length of 196.0 in (4,978 mm), it was a good-sized car, which the Ford company advertised extensively, together with its up-to-20 mpg performance—"few cars of any size can equal such economy". Double sun visors became standard in 1940. Although "Eight" script would not appear on

705-558: The 1942 and 1946 Mercurys. It had thin vertical bars surrounded by a trim piece painted the same color as the car. An "Eight" script now appeared down its center. The Liquimatic automatic transmission option was eliminated. The most distinctive new Mercury was the Sportsman convertible. It featured wood body panels. Only 205 examples of it were produced and it was discontinued the following model year. Mercury Eight sales totaled 86,603. Styling changes were slight in 1947. The Mercury name

752-496: The 1942 model under the skin, though a heavy new grille with horizontal bars and red accents refreshed the styling. The hood was widened by adding a center strip. One notable change was to use the 239 CID engine which since 1939 had been used in Mercurys and trucks, and capable of 100 hp (75 kW) for the first time. With steel in short supply, Ford produced a distinctive "Sportsman" convertible with wood side panels, supplied from

799-513: The Eight shared its body with the Lincoln . For the 1952 model year, Ford expanded its namesake division to three nameplates and Lincoln and Mercury to two each, with Mercury replacing the Eight with Monterey (introduced in 1950 as a trim option), lasting until 1974. The advertisements for this car declared it to be "The car that truly dares to ask 'Why? ' ", referring to the idea that a big car could not also be economical. The Mercury two-door sedan

846-436: The Eight, inspired by Sam Barris's car, are still in production and are popular with custom and rod enthusiasts. 1941 Ford The Ford car was thoroughly updated in 1941 , in preparation for a time of unpredictability surrounding World War II . The 1941 design would continue in an aborted 1942 model year and would be restarted in 1946 and produced until 1948 when the more modern 1949 Fords were ready. During

893-454: The Mercury was sized between its two divisional counterparts. In place of the updated prewar body, Mercury adopted a "pontoon" body, ending the use of running boards entirely, along with separate fenders. The 239 Flathead V8 was carried over, producing more power than in its Ford counterpart. In a change to the model line, the four-door station wagon was replaced by a two-door model; the design of

940-516: The Monterey name made its first appearance, as Mercury introduced a high-end two-door coupe, similar to the Ford Crestliner, Lincoln Lido, and Lincoln Cosmopolitan Capri; the Monterey was intended to compete against the two-door hardtop coupes introduced by General Motors in 1949. The front suspension was independent with stabilizer bars. For 1952, as Mercury redesigned its model line, the Monterey

987-409: The body and the headlights were pushed all the way up and out over the front wheels. The 1941 grille was a three-part affair with a tall center section bookended by twin kidneys low on the fenders and vertical bars all around. The 1941 was a bigger car with a 194.3 in (4,940 mm) overall length and a width increased to 73.12-in. Body styles included two-door and four-door sedans, a sedan coupe,

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1034-550: The company's Iron Mountain plant in Michigan 's Upper Peninsula . The "Eight" script was moved to the rear of the hood. 90,556 Mercury Eights were sold in the 1941 model year. In 1942 the Mercury Eight's slender bullet parking lights were replaced with rectangular units placed high on the fenders inboard of the headlights. Running boards were now completely concealed under flared door bottoms. The instrument panel now features two identical circles for speedometer and clock with gauges to

1081-477: The engine compartment. The final 1947 models were titled in November. In the 1984 film The Karate Kid , Mr Miyagi gives Daniel Larusso a cream-colored 1947 Ford Super DeLuxe convertible as a birthday gift. The car was actually a gift to Ralph Macchio from the film's producer. To this day, Macchio still owns the car. The final year for the old-style Ford was 1948, with an all-new model launched partway through

1128-430: The fenders for greater visibility. Headlight bezels were redesigned. In all closed Mercurys the rear-quarter windows opened out. Front vent wings were now crank-operated, and in closed cars the ventilation wing support bars rolled down with the windows. The 4-door convertible , offered in 1940, was gone, but a station wagon was added. The woodie wagon's body behind the engine cowl was identical to Ford's, and produced at

1175-457: The first Ford to offer a replaceable cartridge oil filter as an option. The two interior heaters were a "Southwind" gasoline burner, which had the advantage of keeping one warm in winter at drive-in movies (provided a small electric fuel pump was used), and a more ordinary hot-water type. Both had window defrosters. It had an excellent radio, which could consume the battery in about two hours. Electric windshield wipers were available in addition to

1222-456: The first models to receive an aftermarket OHV engine swap, since Oldsmobile and Cadillac developed the first high-compression OHV V8 engines in 1949, whereas Ford was still using a sidevalve engine. Sam and George Barris also used the 1949 body style to build "the most famous custom car ever", the Hirohata Merc , for customer Bob Hirohata in 1953. Setting a style and an attitude, it had

1269-428: The front of the hood until the 1941 model year, sales literature prominently referred to the car as the "Mercury Eight" from the very beginning. This is no doubt because the actual series names, 99A in 1939 and 09A in 1940, were somewhat less enticing. A 1940 09A model has the words "Mercury Eight" in an emblem that runs from front to rear alongside the top hood lines on both sides. It appears as chrome wording on top of

1316-519: The grill and headlights. Tail lights were enlarged and moved from vertical to horizontal. The frame was lowered and softer springs were used to improve the ride. The dashboard was changed, moving the radio from the top of the dash to low down, and the linear speedometer and clock were replaced with round ones. The radio had an optional floor button so the driver could change preselected stations without using hands. War rationing required auto makers to black out their chrome trim - Ford used silver paint - and

1363-478: The image of being a fine performer in mph as well as mpg, this "hot car" image quite in keeping with its name, chosen by Edsel Ford , that of the fleet-footed messenger of the gods of Roman mythology . The Mercury Eight was strongly identified as an upmarket Ford during this period. In 1945 the Lincoln-Mercury division would be established to change that. A new grille was the most noticeable difference between

1410-428: The initial year of this car, it evolved considerably. The front fenders came in three pieces, the theory being that small damages could be replaced easily. During the year, it evolved into two pieces with the lower front and back sections being joined. The hood risers changed, the early ones being the same as 1940 Fords, changing during the year to the better later version. The 1941 Convertible had no rear side windows,

1457-494: The introduction of a six cylinder unit. The entry-level 136 cu in (2.23 L) V8 was switched in favor of a new 226  CID 3.70 L L-head straight-6 , the first Ford six since the 1906 Model K . The popular 221 cu in (3.62 L) V8 remained as the top-line engine and was standard c in De Luxe models. Both engines were rated at 90 hp. The 239 CID engine, introduced in 1939 for Mercury and trucks,

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1504-491: The left of the speedometer, a glove compartment to the right of the clock, and a large radio speaker cover in the center. The grille looked more like that of the Lincoln-Zephyr and Continental . The "Eight" script was gone but an "8" appeared at the top of the grille center. Horsepower was increased to 100. Mercury's biggest engineering news for 1942 was "Liquamatic", Ford's first semiautomatic transmission . It wasn't much of

1551-435: The old fashioned transverse springs were still used. The new body featured door bottoms that flared out over the running boards, allowing for wider seats and interiors. The car had 2.0 in (51 mm) more headroom, two-piece front fenders (three-piece at first), and more glass area. The front pillars were made slimmer and the windshield was widened, deepened, and angled more steeply. Parking lights were separate and set atop

1598-410: The only side windows being in the doors; in 1942, quarter windows were added so the rear occupants could see out. Five different coil/distributor arrangements were used during 1941, causing confusion for mechanics. Other variations were: two different positions for the generator, and three for the cooling fan — front of the crankshaft, front of the generator (rare) and on a bracket. This is thought to be

1645-459: The parking lights from above the grill to below each headlight. Exterior moldings were changed from grooved to a smooth design. A new hood ornament with a blue plastic insert was installed. A new hubcap design became available in March. The interior dash color was changed from red accent to gold. By September, the roof-mounted antenna was moved to the cowl. Horns were moved to in front of the radiator from

1692-511: The rest of the American automobile industry accepted it, finally gave in and signed a contract with the UAW . The 1942 model year lasted only four months before the government ordered a halt to civilian automobile production starting on February 10, 1942. Changes were made to the car besides a three-part "electric shaver" grille — and the parking lights were moved from the top of the fenders to between

1739-414: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Mercury 8 . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mercury_8&oldid=911574214 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

1786-634: The vacuum-powered wipers. Three different convertible power top mechanisms (vacuum, electric screw, and hydraulic) and two different header bar latching systems were used. Rear suspensions sometimes had a sway bar, most did not. It had excellent brakes and among the best handling of ordinary cars of the time. It served a transitional role in Ford’s lineup. The two previous Ford car lines, Standard and De Luxe, had blossomed into three, Special, De Luxe, and Super De Luxe. Ford vehicles had been V8-only since 1935, but dealer requests for an "economy" engine option prompted

1833-464: The wagon body structure had shifted to steel, relegating wood to body paneling (still manufactured at the Ford Iron Mountain Plant ). An 8 tube AM radio was introduced as an option; full instrumentation was added to the dashboard. A new overdrive system was optional, activated by a handle under the dash. The shift of the Mercury to the Lincoln body proved successful; alongside its Ford counterpart, Mercury broke sales records for 1949. For 1950,

1880-449: The year. The wood-sided Sportsman convertible, supplied by the Ford Iron Mountain Plant , ended the year with just 28 built, and the all-wood bodies on the woody station wagons were replaced with steel for the 1949 season. The old car-based trucks were replaced by the F-Series this year. With Ford in financial chaos during this period, sales fell well behind Chevrolet—Ford output for 1948

1927-669: Was 430,198 vehicles, only about 62% of Chevrolet's output, and Plymouth came close to knocking Ford from second place with an output of 412,540 vehicles. The car used in the 1978 film Grease is a 1948 Ford DeLuxe. The 1941 Ford was also produced in Australia by Ford Australia in V8 sedan and V8 coupé utility models. Revised 1942 models followed, although only 138 examples were produced. Australian production recommenced in 1946 with V8 Sedan, Coupe Utility and Panel Van models released and minor updates followed in 1947 and 1948. The Panel Van

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1974-421: Was continued in the Mercury models. The chassis was longer, with a 114 in (2,900 mm) wheelbase. The "ignition key" for these cars was actually used to operate a bolt lock which, on one end, unlocked the steering column (a feature destined to return, mandated, decades later), and on the other end unblocked the ignition switch, allowing it to be operated. Starting the car was then accomplished by pressing

2021-527: Was established as a stand-alone nameplate, with Mercury renaming the Eight as the Mercury Custom. Within its era and beyond, the third-generation Mercury Eight was popular with customizers. In 1949, Sam Barris built the first lead sled from a 1949 Mercury Eight; the Eight became the definitive " lead sled ", much as the Ford V-8 (as the "deuce" ) was becoming the definitive hot rod . The Eights were among

2068-522: Was gone. 86,363 Mercury Eights were sold. For all practical purposes the 1948 Mercury Eights were identical to the 1947s. The major changes consisted of different dial faces and no steering column lock. 50,268 Mercury Eights were sold. A unique coupe utility variant of the Mercury was produced in Australia from 1946 to 1948. Marketed as the Mercury Club Coupe Utility, it was built on

2115-410: Was listed at US$ 946 ($ 20,721 in 2023 dollars ), several hundred dollars more than the 1937 Ford V-8 , several hundred less than the Lincoln-Zephyr and about the same as the upper-range Oldsmobile and Dodges , Hudsons , and the lower-range Buicks and DeSotos , sales from all of which, it was hoped that customers would trade in their cars for the new Mercury. Its engine was a 95 hp version of

2162-412: Was placed on the side of the hood. Different hubcaps were used. The border around the grille was chrome plated. The "Eight" script still ran down its center. There was also new trunk trim. More chrome was used on the interior and the dash dial faces were redesigned. The convertible and station wagon came with leather upholstery. The other body styles used fabric. The wood paneled Sportsman convertible

2209-426: Was specifically selected by Jim Henson for use in the 1979 film The Muppet Movie . The 1947 Ford line was similar to the short 1946. Visual differences included the removal of the red accents from the grill and the two small lights located just above it. Ford began titling 1947s in February 1947. For the first few weeks, the 1947 model was identical to the 1946. Ford then restyled the body slightly first by moving

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