FeaturedFord TalladegaMercury SpoilerRestorationWhat are You Working On

What Are You Working On? John McCloud and Tom Wilson

Photo of Richard RichardJune 21, 2016
2 160 1 minute read

 

 

There was no reason for Ford or Mercury to build these trucks but how cool would it have been if they did?
Ford and Mercury never built these trucks but how cool would it have been if they had? One of these would make a great tow truck for a Talladega or Spoiler II!

When two diehard Cyclone guys team up you never know what might pop out of the garage! You have seen some of the excellent work John McCloud has done in the recent past with his pair of one-of-none Talladega and Spoiler II Rancheros. They justifiably draw attention where ever they are. I personally love the Spoiler II version with its red and white Cale Yarborough colors.

I have not yet seen any photos but I understand there is a long nose convertible in the works!

Where does Tom Wilson come in? He is making replacement panels for those impossible cowl vents that always rust out on the Torino/Talladega and Cyclone/Spoiler cars. Here are some photos of the repairs on John’s project.

How many of you have crawled up under your dash, looked up at the underside of your cowl and seen a sight like this?
How many of you have crawled up under your dash, looked up at the underside of your cowl and seen a sight like this?

 

Here is a close up of the rust damage most of us experience.
Here is a close up of the rust damage most of us experience.

 

This is the replacement patch panel that Tom Wilson is stamping out.
This is the replacement patch panel that Tom Wilson is stamping out.

 

Here is a view prior to installation.
Here is a view prior to installation.

 

Clean the hole and tack it in place.
Clean the hole and tack it in place.

 

This looks like some sophisticated tools to temporarily hold it in place.
This looks like some sophisticated tools to temporarily hold it in place.

 

Once it is in place, John chose to use some sheet metal screws to hold it in place.
Once it is in place, John chose to use some sheet metal screws to hold it in place.

 

The project is complete!
The project is complete!

Do you have some restoration tips you would like to pass along? Send them, with photos, to rfleener@comcast.net.

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Photo of Richard RichardJune 21, 2016
2 160 1 minute read
Photo of Richard

Richard

Some of my first and strongest memories from my childhood relate to cars. I still remember when things happened based on what car I was driving at the time. I grew up and lived in Iowa for nearly 40 years before moving to Southern California and now live in Tennessee. I was a Corvette fanatic for years but then re-discovered vintage American Muscle. My wife, Katrina, and I decided we wanted to focus on unique and rare muscle cars. After a lot of research we fell in love with the Ford Blue Oval Aero Cars. These were only built in 1969 and and aerodynamics became an important part of winning races. The only purpose of these limited production cars was to win NASCAR races using the Boss 429 and 427 power plants complimented with a special, wind cheating, aerodynamic body. The Ford Talladega and Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II are terrific and historic cars. This site is devoted to these car and their owners past and present. We provide an Online Registry for recording the long term history and ownership of every remaining Talladega, Spoiler and Spoiler II.

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2 Comments

  2. I now have the material in to make a few more of these panels so maybe in a week or so I will have more of these finished.

    Reply

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