My 1968 Mercury Colony Park

Hi. As the tiltle states, my car is a 1968 Mercury Colony Park. After introducing myself in the Welcome Wagon forum, I decided to start this new thread detailing the work being done to the car. I have had many different cars and mostly devote my spare time to type I VWs (bugs). However, I've always wanted one of these big old wagons and finally got my chance about two months ago. The car has 72,000 original miles and is nearly all original. The car runs well and is in good shape, but it does need some attention. I've done lots of small things to the car since I got it and right now I'm working on replacing the headliner. I had tried to save the original one by re-stitching it. But after having been split for so long, the material shrunk and wouldn't stretch without breaking, so I had no choice but to order a new one. While waiting for the headliner to arrive, I have been refinishing all of the metal trim the runs along the edge of the headliner. I will also be refinishing the cargo area floor and the rear cargo area panels. I really appreciate originality, so I'm trying to limit the amount of refinishing, but some things are just too far gone.

I'll try my best to show progress as it happens for the benefit of others who might need it.

 

I always loved the '68s. Looks like a nice solid wagon. Good luck and looking forward to progress photos.

 

Nice, I've also allways liked those Colonys

 

Did this Colony Park come out of Vero Beach? I remember seeing one just like this on Craigslist a couple months ago. I thought about it but it was sold pretty quickly. Definately a cool car, good luck with it and enjoy!

 

Yes, Estate, this is the same one.

 

Very nice, I'm a big fan of Colony Parks and that's a fine example you have!

 

beautiful ride T

a million years ago...i had a 68 Meteor Lemoynes ragtop....Canadian only
....and only a handful ever made.....kinda wish id kept it

 

Well I finished painting all of the metal trim that goes around the headliner and am just waiting for the headliner to arrive. I had time over the weekend to install new shocks all around which made a huge improvement in the ride quality. I also found time to visit a local yard with a '65 wagon in the hopes that I could find the third row seat. Unfortunatley the seat is gone, but there are still a lot of good parts on the car. Although I don't really need any parts, I'm planning on going back and picking up whatever small parts will fit my car.

 

Nice lookin' wagon

 

Hello again. Well I finally got the headliner that I ordered and it looks exactly like the original, so I'm very happy with it. I had some free time yesterday and was able to get it all in, but it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. There are some areas that need tweeking, but I'm going to let it settle in the sun for a few weeks before I do any final adjusting. I did take plenty of photographs during the process and will post some up in the near future. The interior cargo area panels should be done this week and I will hopefully have the interior back together soon. After that, it's off to the paint booth.

 

That's a beautiful car you have there T.

I have an affinity for big Merc's. Growing up, we had a 72 Marquis Brougham sedan for 19 years. I miss that car...

 

Thanks TopherS. I finished installing the new headliner and refinishing the cargo area. I'm still allowing the heat of the day to "settle" the headliner before I make final adjustments and install the visors and lights. I'm also still working on the panel that covers the spare tire. It's missing the handle, so I'm going to have to get creative. Next on the list are the window weatherstrips. I can't find exact replacements, so I may have to refurbish the original ones using stock rubber. After that, it's off to the paint booth. I can hardly wait!

 

Nice work and welcome to the forum. Nice wagon!

I was wondering.... is the headliner made with any cotton blend? The reason I ask is... if the weather is warm, a squirt bottle might be all you need to take out wrinkles. Just a thought....

 

The headliner is made of vinyl, but it doesn't stretch as much as other vinyls I've seen in the past. I've done VW Bug headliners which can be challenging due to the curves, but this one, despite being straight is much more finicky. The vinyl just doesn't "give" as much as I would like. Tighten one section and a wrinkle pops up in another. I plan on adjusting it in a week or two.

 

Vinal huh? Try a heat gun or hair dryer then.