The BUSS 429 wagon has a 429 2v and C6 transmission. It has about 121,000 miles now.

I bought it in 2002 from a guy in Pennsylvania who made a hobby of saving old Fords, Mercs, Lincolns and Edsels. The car sat under cover at the Lemon Grove for about a dozen years before I bought it.
Hibernating
As you can see, it was pretty dirty when I first saw the car. But with a set of points and a charged battery, the seller got it to fire right up!

When we opened the driver's door, the interior was in very good shape. The car has the split bench seat with dual fold down armrests, and not a single tear or stain on the black vinyl seats. One of the first things I did was replace the carpet, and underneath the floors are very solid.

I had the worn exterior woodgrain removed and have not been able to piece together NOS vinyl in the correct pattern, so I decided to go without the woodgrain for the present. I can always add woodgrain later if I find a good way to reproduce the grain correctly. I've managed to find some NOS aluminum trim moldings on ebay and at Carlisle.

The wagon gets used occasionally for hauling parts and local cruising, although I do take it out to shows some. It got 3rd among the 69-present full size Mercurys at All Ford Carlisle in 2005.

I replaced the stock wheels and hubcaps with a set of vintage Kelsey Hayes Magstars originally used on the 1969 Mercury Marauders. I love the look of these wheels and they really dress up the wagon's appearance.

Here are shots from underneath. When I replaced the carpet and had the seats out I was surprised how rust free the floors were. There's some rust in the inside corner of the drop off area of the rear quarter on the driver's side. The rear storage area under the third seats is solid.

The driver's side rear fender well has some slight rot along the bottom edge.

Other than that, there's some light bubbling spots in the rear quarters, and a little on the passenger front fender bottom in front of the door.

Larger versions of these photos are available
here