But it's good to have goals, and maybe this year you ** get a little further with the help of these spring cleaning tips. This type of decking is available with traditional or **temporary looks and offers a number of railing designs that ** harmonize with a variety of house styles. Photograph 3: Test House in Houston, TX-Back in the day some of us were worried about inward vapor drive through shingles into the roof **posite metal deck in hot-humid climates. Horsepower rose a nominal two for '51, when a signifi**t new option arrived in Mer**atic Drive. Though little larger than Mercury's previous L-head at 256 cid, the ohv had modern short-stroke dimensions, a five-main-bearing crankshaft, and much more horsepower -- 61 with the standard four-barrel carburetor. Resuming its power lead over Ford, Mercury got a stroked V-8 with 255.4 cid, dual downdraft Holley carburetors and 110 bhp to be**e a genuine 100-mph performer for the first time. The Y-block was enlarged again, this time to 312 cid, good for 210 bhp that could be tuned to 235; the latter was standard for Monterey and Montclair.

The latter was a spiffy limited edition with upgraded interior and a top covered in **vas or vinyl. Standard and Deluxe Windsors and New Yorkers then carried on until 1955's "Hundred Million Dollar Look," when only Deluxes were offered sans remaining long sedans and Imperials; the latter were newly marketed as a separate make. Meteors carried a standard 223-cid Ford six with 135 bhp; the optional V-8, included on Montereys, was a 175-bhp 292. Across-the-board options **prised a 220-bhp 352 and new big-block 390s with 300 or 330 bhp. Ominously, Lark volume also fell by more than half for 1961 despite revised outer sheetmetal imparting a slightly squarer look, quad headlamps on V-8 models, a new overhead-valve head that turned the old six into a new 112-bhp "Skybolt Six," and the addition of a V-8 Lark Cruiser. Swoopier sheetmetal set it clearly apart from run-of-the-mill Montego linemates and Ford's corresponding Torino GT and Cobra, particularly the protruding nose and "gunsight" grille that appeared with the midsize line's 1970-71 facelift. That year's Mercurys used more of the raw materials that had been scarce during wartime: mainly aluminum (for pistons and hood ornament) and chrome (interior hardware and grille frame).

It simply had more space, produced a better ride, and was improved all around. Joining previous models was a new top-line hardtop, the Monterey Sun Valley (a name that must have amused Californians), which is more famous now than it was then. An outgrowth of Dearborn's experiments with plastic-topped cars (as was Ford's similar '54 Skyliner), the Sun Valley was nice in theory: the airiness of a co**ible **bined with closed-car **fort and practicality. The Ford Division side came from Joe Oros, who'd been Ford's styling director in those days. Monterey's purpose, as with the Ford Crestliner and Lincoln Lido/Capri of those years, was to stand **r the pillarless "hardtop-co**ibles" being offered by GM and Chrysler rivals. As before, a single series offered four body styles: coupe, four-door Sport Sedan (with "suicide" rear-hinged back doors), co**ible, and a new two-door wagon with less structural wood than the superseded four-door style. Prices ranged from $2000 for the Custom two-door to nearly $2600 for the Monterey wagon. Mercury also offered a se**d co**ible for the first time, a Custom.

Mercury bowed its first formal two-series line for 1953: the Custom series offered a hardtop and two- and four-door sedans, while the Monterey line listed a co**ible, hardtop, wagon, or four-door sedan. Dealers pushed hard with two-door sedans, but Medalist sales came to only 45,812 in all. Except for serial numbers and deletion of the two-door sedan, the '48s were unchanged. Mercury's new look stemmed from sporadic wartime work by Dearborn designers. Check out How GPS Receivers Work to learn more. The troublesome GPS dot keeps causing problems as the story moves along. In essence, a**ender moves the hitch receiver forward an additional 6 to 12 inches (15 **timeters to 31 **timeters). With colorful new styling on the basic 1952-54 shell, Mercury's first wheelbase increase since 1941 -- to 119 inches except on wagons, which remained at 118 -- and a more-potent V-8, the '55s couldn't miss. Saratogas, New Yorkers, co**ible T&C, and an Imperial sedan got a 131.5-inch chassis; Crowns remained at 145.5. Engines were largely unchanged. Mercury got a pair of hardtops: a Sport Coupe and a more-deluxe Monterey version (sans covered roof). Sales were unimpressive: just 9761 of the '54s and a mere 1787 for the follow-up 1955 Montclair version.