Assement Day

As the excitement of the day freshly pumped through my veins we drove the 1/2 mile home from the retirement center where grandpa lives and backed into the driveway,  I placed it in park I could feel my heart beating.With a deep breath I began to assess what I actually had on my hands (a real gem), afterall it is a 1963 vehicle. I know my great grand mother Bertha was a clean freak and so was my grandmother Pearl. That being said I don't think preserving a hunk of steel for posterity was foremost on there mind, it appears as though mechanics was not my great-grandpa or grandpa George's forte, so all work on the vehicle was done by local mechanics,most recently  my parent's retired mechanic next door neighbor Leon. He was saddled with the honor of keeping the Merc on the road (with a budget), I mean that in the nicest way possible ( for instance when  the heater was leaking he just disconnected it).I am still not sure if it was a cost saving measure or an availability issue either way no functioning heater.
Opening the trunk was probably the most interesting part, it was like a little step back in time, here is the list:
4 cans of liquid ice pack, 2 whisk brooms (gramps was a grocer) 2 cans of transmission oil, 1 can of 30wt engine oil, a 1997 SF 49er yearbook ( GO NINERS!!!) and the original jack and tools scattered about along with the spare tire.I continued with the process opening all the doors looking under the seat checking the glove box and finding all sorts of little nuggets along the way, lenses from eye glasses once worn by one of my grandparents, cigarette butts once smoked by my grandparents and that was pretty much it except for lint and dirt and dust, oh by the way no seat belts (safety first, how did we survive!!!)
On Sunday I decided to clean and continue a thorough engine degreasing and wipe down.
I would say all things considered it is in spectacular condition. (If I do say so myself)

Opening Credits

Ever since I was a little tike my Great Grandparents owned this cool and very large 4 door Mercury sedan, as a child I never really paid much attention to this cool old car but as I grew older I began to appreicate classic autos. Then as my great grandparents aged and could not drive they gave this vehicle to my grandparents,long story short the time has come to pass along a family airloom. Now that my Grandfather has decided not to drive anymore at 89 years old "DUH". He has passed along this beautiful Mercury Montery to his grandson ME(what an honor.) I will be working on this calssic car in order to restore it all the way back to its pristine condition, not that the "Merc" is run down in anyway, it just need a bit of "TLC" and some "new" 1963 parts.  My plan here is to continue to log all the work as I proceed through the restoration process.  Stay tuned......