The missing fox

[erratic50]

I've looked around for a while and it seems to me that nobody ever talks about the Mercury Monarch. My grandmother on my dad's side of the family had a white one with tan vinal interior, inline 6 and a 3-speed automatic. The car was nearly bomb proof. She drove it daily for many years and never had any major problems with it.

My uncle on my mom's side bought the car and drove it a long time after - not sure but I think he may still have it.

The car was a gutless wonder but got decent mpg and made at least 4 trips that I know of from NE Nebraska to the black hills-- 85 mph speedometer buried most of the way. Grandma had a bit of a lead foot and didn't always put up with letting cruise control get here where she was going eventually.

It never did burn or leak any oil back when I was helping service it.

Having worked on my Mustang along with some Fairmonts and others along the way...... it seems to me that I learned to work on the brakes on Grandma's car. The Mercury Monarch may just be a forgotten fox.

Seems to me hers was an 80. Single rectangular headlight on each side so it wasn't a four eye.... but neither were some of the Tbirds, etc, we include here.

I haven't seen one identical to hers ever. There were a few that are close. Some even 2 door. But it was rare to have AC and cruise and have a metal only roof. I would have to do some serious digging to find pictures of hers. It was similar to this

[FoxChassis]

Monarch was not built on the Fox platform.

[xctasy]

X-shell is what it is internally; it wasn't this was it?









See http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...anada-question


In that reference, is "History of Ford's Falcon Platform from Falcon to Versailles in 18 different wheelbase length and track width variations"....



Last was made in 1999 in Australia and 1996 in Sout America.

I've had the 4.1 liter X shells like this beside my XLT Explorer....



Ford got mileage outta that X shell platform...


1968 J code 230 hp 4v 302 Mercury Maruader MX






1968 Torino 302 4-bbl



Every pressing underneath is similar, with the same hard coil over A arm IFS, recirculating ball steering, Sterling 9, 8.7 or or Sao Paulo 8", and the same 1966 Falcon /Fairmont frame rail width. Wheelbase and tracks and lenghts varied.


The Fox body Mercury Cougar and Granada were the X shell replacements, it died in the USA 1980 Model Year, and the Foxes were a quantum leap in ride, handling, NVH reduction, and vastly reduced door rattling and had much more accurate steering, while still maintaining the legandary "Throw A way car" X shell reliabilty.

[JACook]

One correction, the Blue Mercury convertible above is a Montego, not Marauder. Marauder was always based
on a full-size Ford platform (Panther in the final iteration).

[mcfairmont]

Monarch was Mercurys version of a Ford Granada, more based on a Maverick platform, nothing at all similar to a FOX chassis.

[JTurbo]

My parents had a Mercury Monarch, I think it was a late 70's edition. It had a 302 / auto with round front headlights. Tan on tan.

[Patrick Olsen]

It's soooo forgotten that it's not even a Fox.

[xctasy]

One correction, the Blue Mercury convertible above is a Montego, not Marauder. Marauder was always based
on a full-size Ford platform (Panther in the final iteration).

Yes!!!

[Maindrian Pace]

That reminds me of the infamous KOMO News car, the car that survived the Mt Saint Helens eruption in 1980.

That day:



Still around as a faded tourist attraction in a parking lot.