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79 Mercury Zephyr

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    79 Mercury Zephyr

    I know this isn’t a Panther, but I hope that’s OK.

    When the frame rot on my Aero MGM became too severe, I had to face reality. Was a tough decision but ultimately I think I made the right choice. Finding a mint Aero chassis that wasn’t rusted/rotted was an impossible task. I didn’t want to use a newer chassis. The best course of action was to say goodbye to my MGM, and swap the engine and trans into a different vehicle.

    I sat on the project until a proper chassis donor turned up- a 79 Mercury Zephyr rolling chassis. It was cheap and basically complete and unmodified except for having no engine or transmission, no drive shaft and parking brake cables cut. Someone removed the carpet at some point, which saved the floor pans.
    The Zephyr has the advantage of actually being able to fit in my garage, as the MGM was too long to fit. So I had to rent a bigger garage, and work on the MGM remotely which was a pain in the ass.

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    I knew that I wanted to use tubular k member and control arms and coil overs, the car was a 6 cylinder auto so the stock k member is not easily converted for v8 use. Car also had a 7.5” rear which would not hold up to the 300rwhp that the engine makes. I knew I wanted disc brakes all around and a 5 lug swap.
    Parts installed are from team z racing, I have used their suspension parts on my mustang and had very good results.

    Tubular K member, tubular control arms(1” shorter control arms to keep fox track width) 1/4” k member spacers
    Strange 10-way adjustable coil overs, offset rack bushings, bump steer kit, 95 mustang spindles, caster/camber plates.
    Brakes are aluminum 2 piston 99-04 calipers and 99-04 GT rotors. The cobra brakes are too big to fit under the wheels I want to use, and these cars are light enough that I’m not concerned about stopping power.

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    Rear suspension consists of double adjustable upper and lower team z rear control arms, 10-way strange shocks and team z drag springs. Also swapped in a 91 mustang 8.8” rear end, cut off the quad shock brackets and had it rebuilt with an auburn diff and 4.10 gears. I used a kit from north race cars to mount 99-04 rear brakes and 5 lug axles. Pic is from a test fit, before the new rear suspension parts were installed.

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    Here is how the car looked after the new suspension and brakes were installed with the new wheels

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    ..

    #2
    Next step was removing the drivetrain from the MGM and installing it in the fox.

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    Clears stock hood
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    The car is put away for the winter, looking forward to springtime to get back at it!

    Couple more pics

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    I had to remove the windshield and cowl to repair some rust/rot. Was rotted through and leaking. Also had to replace part of the pass side frame rail, as the battery leaked. Was a lot of work but I am happy with it.

    Gas tank is brand new, it’s an ‘86 LTD wagon tank with 255lph pump installed for return style EFI. The old tank was not useable as it was set up for carb.

    Parking brake cables are all new, used a Lokar kit to fit the rear discs as they attach differently than the drum style. Again this was a test fit with the original rear end and parts still installed

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    Here is pic of how rear suspension turned out

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      #3
      This is awesome!

      Comment


        #4
        Some pics of the cowl repair

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          #5
          Frame rail repair

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            #6
            Originally posted by packman View Post
            This is awesome!
            Thank you very much!
            ..

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              #7
              Very nice! I'm with you on using the GT brakes. I'm considering using a front suspension kit on my '66 Mustang that would allow me to use SN-95 brakes. I'd stick with GT/V6 hardware since I wouldn't need much stopping power for a car that weighed 2600 fully equipped from the factory.
              —John

              1985 Ford F-150 XLT Lariat
              1990 Mercury Grand Marquis LS (POTM March 2017 & May 2019 - gone, but not forgotten)
              1995 Mustang SVT Cobra coupe (cream puff)
              1966 Mustang coupe (restoration in-progress)

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by Giraffe View Post
                Very nice! I'm with you on using the GT brakes. I'm considering using a front suspension kit on my '66 Mustang that would allow me to use SN-95 brakes. I'd stick with GT/V6 hardware since I wouldn't need much stopping power for a car that weighed 2600 fully equipped from the factory.
                Exactly what I was thinking. My car doesn’t need 13” rotors, plus the GT stuff is cheaper and easier to find.
                Thanks for the compliments as well
                ..

                Comment


                  #9
                  I like the mark VII wheels.

                  Engine fits nicely in there.

                  What are you planning on doing with the body?

                  Id suggest leaving it as is. As a guy who got a complete repaint done on his car I dont ever want to take it anyplace......really picky where I go with it..No fun in that.

                  I think your existing paint can come back around with some detail work.
                  ~David~

                  My 1987 Crown Victoria Coupe: The Brown Blob
                  My 2004 Mercedes Benz E320:The Benz

                  Originally posted by ootdega
                  My life is a long series of "nevermind" and "I guess not."

                  Originally posted by DerekTheGreat
                  But, that's just coming from me, this site's biggest pessimist. Best of luck

                  Originally posted by gadget73
                  my car starts and it has AC. Yours doesn't start and it has no AC. Seems obvious to me.




                  Comment


                    #10
                    Very nice project.

                    Didn’t know these cars suffered from the cowl rust. Looks like a spot weld drilling good time. Very thorough of you to fix that.
                    1990 Country Squire - weekend cruiser, next project
                    1988 Crown Vic LTD Wagon - waiting in the wings

                    GMN Box Panther History
                    Box Panther Horsepower and Torque Ratings
                    Box Panther Production Numbers

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by 87gtVIC View Post
                      I like the mark VII wheels.

                      Engine fits nicely in there.

                      What are you planning on doing with the body?

                      Id suggest leaving it as is. As a guy who got a complete repaint done on his car I dont ever want to take it anyplace......really picky where I go with it..No fun in that.

                      I think your existing paint can come back around with some detail work.
                      Thanks for the compliments!
                      Have always liked the Mark7 wheels.
                      Everyone either goes for drag wheels (which look awesome), or steel wheels with hub caps (which look awesome).
                      Decided to go a different way.
                      IMHO the mark7 wheels are more modern than the stock wheels, but not too modern.
                      Engine was not as tight as I had anticipated which is nice.
                      Paint and body is going to stay as is. I have no plans to paint it.
                      ..

                      Comment


                        #12
                        The Zephyr is turning out very well. Nice mods. Good job.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Originally posted by Tiggie View Post
                          Very nice project.

                          Didn’t know these cars suffered from the cowl rust. Looks like a spot weld drilling good time. Very thorough of you to fix that.
                          Thank you very much for the compliment!
                          Well it looks like the drivers cowl drain got clogged up at some point before I owned it and allowed water to pool in that location.
                          There is a ton of wiring right underneath there, plus the steering column mounts there too.
                          For safety, replacing it was the right thing to do.

                          I did watch some videos of 60s Mustang cowl replacements because it is essentially the same.
                          They even make 60s Mustang cowl patch panels.
                          Problem is no one makes cowl patch panels for fox so had to just dive in and do it.
                          It’s not perfect but I think it is acceptable. Made sure to keep the body straight and level the entire time, tested it with garden hose, she doesn’t leak any more and new windshield went in without a hitch.
                          ..

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by Mainemantom View Post
                            The Zephyr is turning out very well. Nice mods. Good job.
                            Thank you very much for the kind words
                            ..

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Oh Oh oh The MTS on the old plates...is there a meaning behind that?
                              ~David~

                              My 1987 Crown Victoria Coupe: The Brown Blob
                              My 2004 Mercedes Benz E320:The Benz

                              Originally posted by ootdega
                              My life is a long series of "nevermind" and "I guess not."

                              Originally posted by DerekTheGreat
                              But, that's just coming from me, this site's biggest pessimist. Best of luck

                              Originally posted by gadget73
                              my car starts and it has AC. Yours doesn't start and it has no AC. Seems obvious to me.




                              Comment

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