Mark it was a common practice, of the Ford products any way, to drop the front fenders over the wheels to make the car more aerodynamic. If you look closely at pictures of the big Galaxies you will notice the lower head lights below the front bumper area. From your pic it looks like that carried over to the Mercurys, so called half chassis cars, built in 66. It is really noticeable in the Ford Galaxies from 66 and I'm sure if it worked why not try it on the new Mercurys too. Your undertaking with the Mercury would be a very hard task for my skills and patience. Keep up the good work and post all the pieces you can. Again great start.