The Mercury Meteor Page: Conversions

Using non-stock parts and adding optional parts on the Meteor.

Replacing the Generator with a GM internally regulated Alternator: I should start out by mentioning that I'm the type that wouldn't just replace something that was working fine just for the sake of doing so, otherwise I wouldn't drive a 1962 Mercury :) The generator is serving me well (yes, I have more than one Mercury, only one with an alternator) and really does the same job the alternator would, unless you need more current than the generator puts out, which I believe is 30 amps max. I used mine to run a moderate stereo, until I moved the amp to another car while the Mercury was being worked on, and had no problems (well, not related to over-current anyway). On the other hand, if you need more current or you can't find or afford a replacement generator, then a GM alternator is a good choice (Delco actually, AMC used them as well). It's also nice in that it is basicly a bolt on mod. should you decide to use one for daily driving, to save the old generator for future use. I should also mention that I *hate* splices in factory wiring...I guess because I've spent too many hours trying to figure out what a previous owner was trying to do (many times I don't think they knew). It's very nice to have a manual that shows a wiring diagram, and to have a car that matchs it. I don't know how many times the manual has saved me on electrical problems! I like to keep any mods as minimal as possible...that way I can reverse things if I make a mistake, want the car stock again, or if I find a better way to do the mod. It's also easier to figure out what's going on from a wiring diagram when things are still perty much unchanged. Of course, you're free to do whatever you see fit, but the electronics of this mod are simple enough that I see no reason to modify more than a connector or two in the whole process. From what I have been told (I haven't tried first hand yet) the stock brackets work fine too, with a long bolt and a spacer in place of the generator's front and rear bolts. From my internet hunting, I find that GM/Delco made an "SI series" alternator that was in use from '73-'85. I think this is probably the best choise, the wiring is easy and it bolts right on to the car. There are three terminals, a large stud which is the output. I've talked to people who have connected this right to the selenoid/battery terminal. This should work fine, but I would recomend running an extension to the "battery" terminal of the stock regulator (which isn't needed any more). *I haven't confirmed this yet* but my reasoning for this is because that the battery lead runs though the amp-meter, this one doesn't. With the alternator tied to the battery, the gauge will show a discharge, as it looks like the battery is supplying all the power! On the other hand, if you run a wire directly to the battery/selenoid, then you can just tape off the stock wires, and there are no modifications needed at all! The small wire labeled "1" is connected in series with both a 10 ohm resistor, and an indicator light, the other end of both hook to a key switched lead elsewhere in the car. Some have suggested not connecting these, which may sorta work, but my understanding is that this circuit is needed to excite the alternator initally, otherwise it may not function until high rpms are reached. For the time being I have the coil positive supplying this resistor and the light, but after some thought I'm not sure if this is the smartest idea. I say that because the coil is run through a ballast resistor. It's only a couple ohms and shouldn't be a problem, but maybe isn't the best. I think the only other option is to connect to the back of the igition switch, between the key and the resistor (which I believe is under the dash somewhere). Another option is to use an accessory switched line. This would mean that there's no power applied when starting the car, but that probably isn't an issue. I'm planning to install an electronic ignition module which needs an ignition switched wire anyway, so I'll probably connect both together at some point. Finally, there is a small wire labeled "2", it is a sense wire and goes to a 12V constant power connection. This could be as easy as just jumpering it to the output of the alternator if you like. It's purpose is to adjust the output of the alternator under varying loads, so it might be wise to connected it elsewhere on the "battery" line, maybe near the old regulator's connection point. It probably makes little difference, but the closer you get it to the load, the less the voltage drop in the main power wire will be a factor. I unfortunatly have not be able to check my car to find the most logical way to make these connections, when I do, I'll be sure to update this information. I'm also wondering if the stock regulator can be used as a junction box of sorts, without any adverse reaction from the circuitry inside. This would retain stock apearance and would be a really easy way to tie in additional wires if needed. In the mean time please feal free to e-mail any questions on the subject.

Front disc brakes: Granada spindle/brake swaps are poplular, but the steering isn't quite the same as stock (but close). '65-'66 Mustang disc brakes are supposed to bolt on the stock spindles, and even work with stock wheels, but of course cost more (This info is all from The Fairlane Club of America, btw). Another option that I learned about somewhat recently is a kit sold by Scarebird. It is a bracket that is used to mount a Chevy Celeberty caliper (of all things) to the stock spindle. The nice thing about this kit, it uses the origional spindle and hub, so no changes are needed to the steering or alignment. I plan to try this kit on my S33 when I get a chance.

Electronic Ignition and 12V coil conversion (no ballast resistor): There are a few things to address when making this modification. First, there are a couple electronics ignition options, the Motorcraft module from newer Fords, a Pertronix module, and probably others as well (but they should be similar to one or the other). Also, a hotter spark can be had by using a coil without a ballast resistor. DON'T REMOVE THE BALLAST RESISTOR IF YOU STILL HAVE POINTS! The reason the ballast resistor is used in the first place is because the points are mechanical, if the motor is not running, there is a chance that the points may be closed, providing constant power to the coil. In order to keep the coil from burning up in this case, the ballast resistor is added in series. This protects the coil, but also limits the amount of power provided to it. With a transistorized ignition, this is never an issue, the coil will never be left with constant power when the engine isn't turning. Also, there is no arcing as there are with point, so a larger current coil can be used. An electronic ignition can be used with a stock coil and ballast resistor with no problem. I suggest replacing the coil if the ballast resistor is bypassed, as applying a full 12V to it may cause damage.

Electronic ignition options: One option is to get an earily '70s Ford module and wiring from a car in the junkyard, and a distributor to match. I did this initally, I almost got a Pertronix (goes right in place of the stock points) but was talked into the Ford module by a friend because they're easy to pick up should I break down away from home or something. Then it dawned on me (thanks to Northwest Classic Falcon actually) that it didn't matter if the Pertronics wasn't a common autoparts store part, I could use points in a pinch...and on my next car ended up doing just that, I put in a Pertronics module (which has run great since '04 I or so) and the stock points are in the trunk, just incase! If you're getting a new distributor anyway (ie getting a different carb and vacuum advance setup or something) and don't mind the box bolted to the inner fender, then it's a good choice. Either will do the same job electrically.

So how do we do away with the ballast resistor? I was going to origonally run a new wire from under the dash to the coil. Remember my thought on hacking up origional wiring, I believe there is a junction under the dash were the ballast plugs into the wire coming from the key. Well, quite a bit of time has come and gone, and I'm still using the ballast resistor. Why wants to crawl under the dash trying to find the right wire anyway? Now I'm thinking of trying a different method, using a relay to feed power direcly from the alternator/generator/battery to the coil. This is handy if you're doing an alternator conversion as you can use the same relay to power the field on the alternator too. To give credit where it's do, I believe that Stella62 on the forum at www.crazyformercurys.com came up with the idea, I just "borrowed" it. The brown wire connected to the starter solenoid is connected directly to the coil wire, this is done to allow full power to the coil while the starter is turning. Both are connected to the ballast under the dash. This means that we can use the brown wire to feed a relay coil, and use the power from the relay to run the coil. By either using a small bullet type connector, or by connecting a second wire to the solenoid where the brown connects. This provides the power to the relay coil, connect the other side to ground. The Normally Open contacts on the relay should connect to either the battery (or voltage regulator, so the ammeter works more accuratly) on one side, the other side goes to the ignition coil. A heaver wire can be used to run a "hot" ignition.

Radiator swap If you have a larger engine than stock, or just a stock car, you may have noticed that the radiator is bairly enough to do the job. I have an origional 221 and have noticed the temp gauge rising a little bit while sitting in traffic on a warm day. The simple solution is to get a 3 row radiator core, this can be done to a stock radiator with a new lower tank, and new radiators with three row cores are available new too. *But*, for those who are interested in what can be interchanged, or just plain cheap, I was very pleased to find another option. I found a '64 Galaxie at the local wrecking yard, with the radiator sitting loose in the back seat, and it looked to be in good shape.....I stared at it for a while, it looked kinda big, but I figured I'd give it a try. Well, when I got it home I found that the mounting holes look to be in the same place, it's just a wider radiator and fills more of opening at the front of the car. The inlet and outlet are on the same side (for me,the one I got, don't know what motor was in the Galaxie, I have a V8) and things look good so far. I haven't actually mounted the radiator in the car yet, but hope to soon. Will update when I do! This is a two row radiator and I know that getting a Galaxie radiator is easier said than done, but if one turns up, or if you're looking on eBay for something a little wider that fits with no modification, this looks to be a good way to go (so far).

Engine/transmission swaps (AOD, T-5, C4): I do mostly highway driving and I want economy for daily driving (I suspect gas won't get any cheaper), so I looked into different gearing options. It looks like a 3.00:1 rearend is the highest gearing optional for the Meteor, though a few higher ratios are out there for a Ford 8", choosing higher than 3.00:1 might make it tough to take off, and there aren't factory speedometer gears available. Plus, the slight reduction in highway RPMs wouldn't be much. Because of this, I decided that overdrive is the way to go. I'm in the process of installing an AOD in an S33, I'm told they'll fit the '64 Fairlane...hopefully I won't have issues! It looks a T-5 manual will work with an S-10 tailshaft and special speedometer cable, but because the transmission is a combo of Ford and Chevy pieces, either some know-how or money is needed to go this route. Modern Drivelines has kits if you want to know more. I thought about a C4 3 speed auto, to mate to a '62 or '63 V8, a '64 converter housing is needed, but they're out there. The C4 has no overdrive so I didn't go this route. (high gear would be the same as the 2 speed anyway)

The AOD is only available for 6 bolt engines, those made from '65 on, ruling out the 221 and 260. Strange as it may sound to some people, I actually prefer to keep the small V8 over a 289/302. Why? They use less gas for normal driving, and when you want to go, the small motor can do quite a few RPMs! There are a couple options if I want to mate a small motor to the AOD though, I'm still exploring them, but here's what I've found so far: The 250 I6 has the V8 bolt pattern, I don't really want a larger displacement 6 but it is an option. There were a few small V6s that might be an options, I'm not sure at this point if they will bolt up to stock motor mounts or the AOD though. Finally, my favorite so far, in the earily 80s a 255 V8 was produced for many Ford cars, and the F100, but it was only available a couple years. It is basicly a 302 with a smaller bore. I understand they have a bad reputation, but mainly due to low compression and small valves. I'm thinking that, because the displacement is basicly that of a 260, I'll just use my old heads giving me a 255 that I can bolt to any newer transmission such as the AOD. I do plan to test fit my AOD (currently mated to a 302) and keep my eyes open for a 255 block before I explore the 255 option, but I wanted to include that here just incase someone else might want to give it a try.

Just an update, my plans have changed after writing the text above. I no longer plan to install the 302 or AOD, yet both seem like reasonable options. In one car I am planning to use taller 2.79 gears, and to help with drivability I plan to replace the 2 speed Merc-o-matic with a 3 speed C4. A 1964 C4 was the first year of the transmission, and the lst year of the 5-bolt bellhousing pattern, so this is what to look for if you're doing this swap. Even with 2.79 gears, my first will be lower than it was with teh stock combo.

Adding stock-style window washers: Aparently the washer wiring (they turn the wipers on when depressed) is just a pigtail that plugs in between the switch and motor. Note the 2 speed and 1 speed have different wiring. In the future I'll try to give some deals on where the wires go and how to make your own pigtail.

Converting a V8 to a HO (High Output) V8 (even the 221 and 260?): I think the only difference between a HO and a non-HO, at least for carberated motors, is the cam and firing order. I plan on trying to put a HO cam in my 221 but am still looking into it. Update: My 221 is in the machine shop, and the machinest says that most new cams use the HO firing order. When I said I was thinking of an HO cam, he corrected me, there are many better cams that use the same firing order, so I won't really be using a HO cam at all.

Avoiding clearance issuse with aftermarket wheels: My first set of aftermarket wheels rubs on the insides of the quarter panels. I plan to measure the offset from the drum to the outside of the rim on both stock wheels as well as various aftermarket ones...with hopes of providing an idea of what will work and what is cutting it close! Unfortunatly it seems like every car is a little different, and everyone has a little different idea of what they like. Because it was my tire that rubbed with the first set of aftermarket wheels, I decided that it was the centerline of the tire (ie wheel offset) that was my concern more that backspace. I wanted to stay with a 6" rim as well, as that would let me keep the sidewall of the tire from bulging any more than it had to, and 6" is the smallest common width. What I found (and this will change as I learn more) is that a 0 offset is the most I wanted, that being where the center of the tire is aligned with the rim/drum mating surface. Stock rims are offset about 3/4" in towards the center of the car. I chose wheels that are about the same offset and they seem to work great.

Sorry, I'd like to fill in more details above, but it seems like time never allows. Please send me e-mail if anything catchs your eye and you want to know more! Hopefully I can fill in the blanks as I actually get around to doing these things!!

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Last updated: 07/23/12