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PLEASE NOTE: This is NOT a Mercury – it’s a Meteor!!!

1967 Meteor Montcalm Convertible with the S-33 Sports Package

“428 Super Marauder V-8” & 4-Speed Manual

Former Ford Motor Company of Canada, Ltd. “Introductory Show Unit”

Available for purchase for the first time in almost 11 years is this 1967 Meteor Montcalm convertible with the S-33 Sports Package, a former Ford Motor Company of Canada, Ltd. “Introductory Show Unit”. This car was factory-built with the Q-code “428 Super Marauder V-8” (428-4V) engine (345 hp @ 4600 rpm, 462 lb-ft @ 2800 rpm, and a 10.5:1 compression ratio) and a Toploader 4-speed manual console-shift transmission.

The 1967 Meteor was a line of vehicles produced by Ford Motor Company of Canada, Ltd for sale only in Canada (a very small number were also sold in other Commonwealth countries). The 1967 Meteor was priced above the 1967 Ford full-size cars and below the 1967 Mercury full-size cars. As a matter of fact, the 1967 Mercury Monterey models were not built or offered for sale in Canada because they would have been price competition for the Meteors. The 1967 Meteor consisted of a 1967 Mercury full-size car body with some Meteor-exclusive exterior trim, and a 1967 Ford full-size car interior. The 1967 Meteor lineup saw only a minuscule total of 29,319 units built in the Rideau, Rideau 500, Montcalm, Montcalm S-33, and Montego models.

Pictures & Video

I have posted over 135 pictures of the car (exterior, interior, engine, transmission, trunk, frame, floor pans, documentation, etc.) with full picture descriptions on Photobucket; please click here to see them all:

http://s350.photobucket.com/user/adrianclements/library/1967MeteorMontcalmS-33convertible_VIN_7B33Q500055

Additionally, you can watch a 7 minute video tour of the car on YouTube that I recorded on Sunday, June 12, 2016:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zg_JR2F8Y3g

About The Car

This 1967 Meteor Montcalm S-33 convertible is Registry Number 34 in the 1967 Meteor Registry (the seller, Adrian Clements, is the Founder and Manager of the Registry). This car has the following VIN and production data:

VIN 7B33Q500055, BODY 76L, COLOR V, TRIM 89, DATE 04G, DSO A1, AXLE 4, TRANS 5

The VIN of 7B33Q500055 decodes as follows:

7 = model year: 1967

B = build plant: Oakville Assembly Plant in Oakville, Ontario, Canada

33 = Body Serial Code: MeteorMontcalm & Montcalm S-33 convertible, bench or bucket seats (992 produced during the 1967 model year)

Q = engine: "428 Super Marauder V-8", 428-4V, 345 hp @ 4800 rpm, 462 lb-ft @ 2800 rpm, 10.5:1 compression ratio

500055 = Consecutive Unit Number (CUN): 55th Meteor or Mercury car scheduled to be built at the Oakville Assembly Plant during the 1967 model year (Job 1 was CUN 500001)

The production data of 76L V 89 04G A1 4 5 decode as follows:

BODY 76L = Body Style Code: MeteorMontcalm S-33 convertible, bucket seats (277 produced during the 1967 model year)

COLOR V = exterior paint color: Cinnamon Frost (bronze metallic)

TRIM 89 = interior trim color, material and front seat style: pastel parchment “Crinkle” grain vinyl cushions and bolsters, black appointments, bucket seats

DATE 04G = scheduled build date: Monday, July 4, 1966

DSO A1 = District Sales Office: the car was originally ordered through the Canadian Central Region (Meteor & Mercury) ordering district, which covered southern Ontario (west of Gananoque), northern Ontario (east of Geraldton), and northwestern Québec, Canada.

AXLE 4 = rear axle ratio, type and ring gear diameter: 3.25:1 non-locking, 9-3/8"

TRANS 5 = transmission type and shift location: Toploader 4-speed manual, console shift

According to Ford’s production records, this car was produced with the following optional equipment:

- “428 Super Marauder V-8” 345 hp engine

- Toploader 4-speed manual console-shift transmission

- Black power convertible top with glass backlite

- S-33 Sports Package (includes “289 Cyclone V-8” [289-2V] 200 hp engine, 3-speed automatic console-shift transmission, bucket seats, console, stainless steel pedal trim, mid-level bodyside triple tape stripe, and “S-33” quarter panel emblems)

- Convenience Control Panel (includes speed-actuated power door locks, door ajar warning light, low fuel warning light, parking brake warning light, and seat belt warning light)

- Electric clock

- (5) 8.15x15” 4-ply rated white sidewall Rayon tires

- Rocker panel moldings

- Power driver seat

- Power drum brakes

- Power steering

- Comfort Stream Ventilation

- Push-button AM/FM radio

- Tinted windshield

- Deluxe seat belts

- Left-hand remote control outside mirror

- Heavy duty battery (standard with 428 engine)

- Full wheel covers (standard on Meteor Montcalm S-33 models)

According to Ford’s production records, of the 992 Meteor Montcalm and Montcalm S-33 convertibles built during the 1967 model year, this car is:

- 1 of 62 with COLOR V, an installation rate of 6.25%

- 1 of 14 with COLOR V and TRIM 89, an installation rate of 1.41%

- 1 of 5 with Engine Q and TRANS 5, an installation rate of 0.50%

- 1 of 372 with DSO A1, an installation rate of 37.50%

- 1 of 277 with the S-33 Sports Package, an installation rate of 27.92%

- 1 of 4 with Engine Q, TRANS 5, and the S-33 Sports Package, an installation rate of 0.40%

Additionally, this 1967 Meteor Montcalm S-33 convertible and the other 3 with Engine Q, TRANS 5, and the S-33 Sports Package, were all Ford Motor Company of Canada, Ltd. “Introductory Show Units”. They were ordered and built specifically for use on the Canadian car show circuit and at press events in late 1966 and early 1967.

According to Ford’s production records, the important dates associated with this car are:

- The car’s VIN was created on Friday, August 26, 1966

- The car was scheduled to be built on Monday, July 4, 1966 *

- The car was actually built on Friday, August 26, 1966

- The car was released from the assembly plant on Thursday, September 8, 1966

- The car was sold on Friday, July 14, 1967

* For the 1967 model year, Ford Motor Company in the USA and Canada used the DATE code “04G” (a scheduled build date of July 4th, the ever-sacred American Independence Day on which it was guaranteed that NO vehicle would ever actually be built!) as an easy identifier in their rudimentary computer systems for very early production vehicles.

Known History

As mentioned above, this 1967 Meteor Montcalm S-33 convertible was 1 of 4 similarly-equipped units ordered by Ford Motor Company of Canada, Ltd. as “Introductory Show Units”. They were ordered and built specifically for use at press events and on the Canadian car show circuit in late 1966 and early 1967.

There are two buck tags screwed to the firewall. The first buck tag is stamped:

"EARLY PROD VEH

SHOW TREATMENT REQD"

which means:

"EARLY PRODUCTION VEHICLE

SHOW TREATMENT REQUIRED"

As an Introductory Show Unit, this car received special massaging at the Oakville Assembly Plant so that it appeared as perfect as possible for the Canadian car show circuit and press events. The seams where the front of the left-hand and right-hand quarter panels wrap around the door striker body panels are leaded for a smooth appearance, hiding the overlapping body panels and spot welds.

The second buck tag is stamped:

"A1

Q5 Q4 C R BP 89

9V R S

7B33Q500055 Y76L".

"A1" is the DSO code from the door data plate, "Q5" is the Engine code "Q" combined with the TRANS code "5" from the door data plate, "Q4" is the two-digit axle code for the 3.25:1 non-locking rear axle with the 9-3/8" diameter ring gear (the "4" from the "Q4" is the AXLE code from the door data plate), the meaning of "C R BP" are unknown, "89" is the TRIM code from the door data plate, the meaning of "9V R S" are unknown, "7B33Q500055" is the VIN, and "Y76L" is the Meteor Vehicle Line code "Y" combined with the BODY code "76L" from the door data plate.

This car was released from the Oakville Assembly Plant on Thursday, September 8, 1966, and used at Canadian car shows and at press events until it was sold to its first private owner more than 10 months later on Friday, July 14, 1967. Of the 4 show cars built, this car is the ONLY ONE still known to exist. This car was sold at:

Consolidated Mercury

750 Pembina Highway

Winnipeg Manitoba R3M 2M7

Canada

The original owner of this car, Joseph M. Larue, drove it regularly and apparently year-round from the summer of 1967 until he purchased a new 1978 Ford Thunderbird 2-door hardtop. At that point the car was parked in his yard, and left to rot. The convertible top decayed to tatters. A stack of newspapers left on the floor behind the right-hand bucket seat rusted its way through the floorpan. A tree grew up between the right-hand fender and the front bumper, and it became large enough that it had to be cut with a chainsaw above and below the bumper in order for the car to be extricated from the yard in 2005! At that point, the original owner asked his nephew to sell the car, and it was listed for sale on eBay in early August of 2005. My wife won the eBay auction, buying the car for me as a wedding present – thanks, honey!

Arranging reasonable transport for the car from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada to Detroit, Michigan took a number of months, so the car wasn’t delivered to my house until Sunday, January 8, 2006. My plan was to get the car running, and to mechanically and cosmetically refurbish the car. I succeeded in bringing the engine back to life, and also replaced the fuel tank, rebuilt the brakes at all 4 corners, installed new tires, got the power convertible top working, had the windshield replaced with a correct tinted unit, and thoroughly cleaned the car’s exterior, interior, and engine compartment.

Other than that, I haven’t done anything to the car, and have driven it less than 200 miles in the almost 11 years that I’ve owned it. The car has always been stored indoors since I’ve owned it, and has been moved from garage to storage unit to garage, etc., over the years. I have spent a small fortune to store this car over the years, but the good news is that I saved it from being parted out and/or crushed. She is now available for a new owner to restore the poor old girl.

Condition

When it arrived, the car was filthy both inside and out, with lots of dried leaves in the interior and under the hood, all a result of being stored outdoors for many years.

The engine runs, but there is blow-by that comes out of the oil filler cap in the left-hand valve cover when it’s running. The car moves under its own power, and the brakes function well. All lights and gauges work, except for the fuel gauge which is pegged at "F" for full when the car is running.

As you can see from the many pictures on Photobucket, this car is rusty (rear quarter panels, trunk, and floorpan), and has many dents and scrapes on the body. There is accident damage evident along the mid-body line of the right-hand side. While the car was painted Cinnamon Frost (bronze metallic) at the factory, it was repainted “Resale Red” at some point in its life. The frame is solid, and rings when tapped with a hammer. There is no vinyl remaining on the convertible top frame other than the header and a few scraps, but the convertible top frame does move up and down smoothly.

The mileage showing on the odometer is “16,415.4”, but is unknown if this is 16,415.4 miles, or 116,415.4 miles.

The following major mechanical components are original to the car:

- Engine block with “C6ME-A” casting code and “6G15” (Friday, July 15, 1966) casting date code

- Right-hand cylinder head with “C6AE-Y” casting code

- Left-hand cylinder head with “C7AE-A” casting code

- Right-hand exhaust manifold with “C6AE-9430-A” casting code and “6H1” (Monday, August 1, 1966) casting date code

- Left-hand exhaust manifold with “C3SE-9431-B” casting code and “6H5” (Friday, August 5, 1966) casting date code

- Intake manifold with “C6AE-9425-G” casting code and “6G29” (Friday, July 29, 1966) casting date code

- Autolite 4300 “Air Valve” 4-barrel carburetor with “C7AF-AE” engineering number and “6GA” (1st week of July 1966) assembly date code

- Engine tag showing “428” cubic inch engine displacement, “67” (1967) model year, “2” (2nd) engine design variation number, “6 H” (August 1966) engine assembly date, and “402 A” (“428 Super Marauder V-8” with Autolite 4300 “Air Valve” 4-barrel carburetor and Toploader 4-speed manual transmission for a 1967 Meteor or Mercury car) engine application number

- Toploader 4-speed manual console-shift transmission with “HEH-CG” engineering number and “016036” unit number

- 3.25:1 non-locking 9-3/8” diameter ring gear rear end with “WDT-R1” engineering number, “3.25” (3.25:1) non-locking ratio, and “6HB” (2nd week of August 1966) assembly date code

Ownership

I have a Manitoba Registration from the original owner, Joseph M. Larue, signed over to me, along with a bill of sale for the car; both documents are dated September 12, 2005. I never titled the car in my name, so the Manitoba Registration and bill of sale will serve as ownership documentation for the car.

Payment

A non-refundable deposit of $500 is due from the winning bidder via PayPal within 24 hours of the auction’s end. The remaining balance is due via bank transfer before picking up the car, or via cash or cashier’s check at the time of picking up the car.

Pickup or Shipment

The car is located an hour northwest of Detroit, Michigan. Pickup of the car is preferred, but shipment may be possible. Please note that pickup or shipment can only take place between Sunday, July 10th and Saturday, July 16th. If you absolutely cannot work within these dates, please contact me before the auction ends (see below for how to reach me).

Questions

Please don't hesitate to contact me via the "Ask a question" link in the top right section of the auction, or via cell phone (call or text) at 917-426-nineteen sixty seven, with any questions. Thank you very much for looking at, and hopefully bidding on, this 1967 Meteor Montcalm S-33 convertible!

Yours in old Ford iron,

Adrian Clements