The long black car fixation…I don’t know what it is about big Mercury products from the 1970s, but I love the way they look. Overall, classy without being overdone, as smooth as a monster two-door with railroad tie bumpers could be, with interiors that could keep you from thinking about a Lincoln. I’ll happily claim the “weird” title for this selection over a Cougar or any other Ford out there, but keep your Uncle Buck jokes to yourself. When you can score a Marquis that looks like it’s been garaged since new for just a couple grand, they’re worth the second look. 
The problem is that during the Seventies, Ford had one major flaw in leadership: Lee Iacocca. Not to say that the man couldn’t keep a car company afloat…hell, he kept Chrysler from swirling the drain and managed to turn a profit quickly with cheap budget front-drivers…but the man’s true passion was over-stuffed luxury like none other. Look at cars like the Lincoln Continental Mark IV, the Chrysler New Yorker Turbo, and so on and you’ll see what we mean. His designs are almost a stereotype: waterfall grille, hidden headlights, padded roof, crisp angles when he could make them work, and an air of upper-class that looked remarkably like plastic trying to be crystal. Does the example Mercury have all of those items? Yup. But is that a bad thing? I don’t think so. Not every street machine needs to be bare-bones…there is something to be said for being able to hop in and drive with some luxury. 
So, that brings us to today’s question: what would you do with this tank of years gone by? Here’s my thought: you should be able to hide all the cubic inches under that vast expanse of a hood and the chassis should be robust enough to handle what you’re sending. A Roush 511RFE crate mill hooked to a built C6 with a Gear Vendors unit would make for entertainment and a great highway yacht. I’m thinking a wheel-tire package that compliments the car but puts wider rubber at all four corners and air-ride to balance between performance driving and that floaty barge feeling. How a two-door car this size ever made it to production is beyond me, but to turn this long and low sled into an Interstate touring machine just sounds awesome…maybe not for corner-carving, but for pure comfort, the Marquis could rule all.
eBay Link: 1978 Mercury Grand Marquis
Funny how we once thought those were such barges, that we’d never see again, now look at all the 3-ton SUVs w/ a single driver going down the road…lol. If I needed to travel across the country for some reason right now and had a choice between anything I own and that, I’d be choosing the Merc. Well maybe I mean travel incognito but yeah the Merc.
Mods? IMO there’s nothing to do but leave it stock, turn on the A/C and shovel in the gas.
Please note the sellers’ statement “100% laser straight, accident free sheet metal Very nice dual stage repaint” needs to be changed to say significant prior damage to left front fender and piss-poor cut-and-buff on re-spray. Whoever owned the car when it was damaged did not want to pay for the quality fix and it shows now. Buyer beware.
I almost purchased one of these for $250 but it needed a windshield. I grabbed the Brown LTD wagon instead.
With this particular example I would not do much if anything. A set of Magnum 500’s and black walls, shave and tuck the bumpers (maybe go monochromatic) add a little more cam (RV ish), carb and intake dual exhaust, add a nice sound system and then…drive the mother fookin’ wheels off it.
I also think that the right wheel and tire combo and air bags would make this a killer cruiser. With that low roofline and wide appearance it would look great laid out.
Weight is the enemy of performance, so that makes this car Super Villain heavy, AND, it’s only packing a 351M, not a 460, so it’s not even a good donor car:)
Sorry McT, I’m just not feeling it, but if a guy was homeless………….it’s got more interior space than some of these trendy new “Tiny Homes”
weight is also the friend of traction
In the last few years I have seen some T Birds of this ara done up real cool .It wouldn’t be fast if you dropped out of a plane. But you could drop it just a little .Maybe some 17’s steel wheels not stupid big ugly as sin wheels .Try to move the bumpers in . And pending on the paint that’s on it now. Maybe dechrome it a bit,if it needs some work in that area. And then don’t give a rats ass about how fast it is. Just enjoy the great ride in a cool ass looking car
“Stealth Sled” – replace most of the body with carbon composite panels, put in a lightweight interior in the same colour, fit pro touring brakes and suspension and fit widened steel wheels keeping the original hub caps. Then throw in a very hot Coyote motor and go and cause havoc passing anything in its path.
“Pa – I’m in hospital as this old Mercury passed me like I was standin’ still. So I opened the door and got out – when I was doing 70mph!”
[img]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hOc6V6zwhF0/TqrN8KX6sEI/AAAAAAAAAQA/AwnH_c2zFxs/s1600/PMfrt.jpg[/img]
Tru spoke wheels a little wider white wall and cruise it. Any where I wanted. Nice car. If it was a 98 or Electra 225 it would be triple what they are asking.
Alright maybe not triple but probably hit reserve by now.
real simple ….here is what i did with mine …
I have a 78 4 door that came with the 351m (aka) boat anchor
I replaced it it with a 400 assembled to 1971 specs …9 to 1 compression
with a set of K&B .030 pistons from Tmeyer
https://www.tmeyerinc.com/
added a comp cams 256H along with an Edelbrock Performer 400 intake & a 600 carb
it really improved the (Smiles ) per gallon and its smooth and pulls like freight train
If someone wants to give me $8500 like the Ebay car ( LOL) they can have it