I had been meaning to do a build thread on this Merc as I went, but the spare time wasn't around so I figured I would just do it when it was all finished... THE VICTIM... 1950 Mercury, pretty solid stocker, looked to have been revamped in the 80's or so, owner scored it from Ebay, and lucky for me it was only a few miles away so I went and picked it up for him.. Rare trunk mounted flathead model I guess...
When we arrived to pick it up, we had noticed the roof was a bit wavy, ( guessing some kids at one time took a walking to it) but being the pale yellow, it was pretty hard to see in the Ebay pics unfortunately for the owner. Once back to the shop we got it tore apart and looked it over. Overall it was a pretty solid Merc as far as rust with only a small 3" circle of rust in the corner of the trunk.
Once back from the sand blaster, the signs of the excellent previous body work started to show its face..You can now see the dents in the roof alot better, with a quick block across the Dykem. I worked on the roof for hours getting it all smooth and pretty again, before I could take the ax to it!
Why go through all that, just put a vinyl top on it. Lol... We here in the Midwest could only dream of finding a car in that type of condition to begin our projects with. I'll be following this build for sure. If you see Bad Bob tell him I've joined his Merc club. And thanks for getting me in touch with Pro Stock John.
I sure hope your going to do a real Hardtop job and not what you always have seen in the past where the stock vent window is left. That just looks like Crap from my point of view. Also real roll down rear quarter windows would be nice for a change. Pocket or fixed ones are just half ass. Let's see a real quality job for once. The Wizzard
Sorry to let you down Pist-n-broke, but yes it has reworked vents to go with the original roofline shape of the Merc, and as much as I would of loved to do roll down windows in the rear, It's not my car or money and all those custom touches aren't free.. After discussing cut heights with the owner we ended up going with 4" in front & 4.5" in the rear. I love sending pics of the roof lobbed off to the owners. My buddy about had an anxiety attack when hes saw his Merc in this state..Gets that heart rate going!
Now for the fun part of getting the rear window positioned and square. Then on to forming the deck and getting it tacked in place and checking everything out.
I understand the Customer rules and $$$ often dictate. I know you'll do as good as there is for a Hard Top job. My Vicky (avatir) is what gave me the idea. My 57 Fairlane hardtop adds fuel to the idea. Then there is the Solar Scene with the curved windshield. Makes me think being I have my 50 Merc in pieces I just may do it. The Wizzard
Hey- I would like you to chop my top,but not mess up the paint,glass,stainless,etc..... you in? Looks great Bud!
Is the roof repair all hammer and dollie or was a shrinking disc/torch used as well? either way..simply amazing!
A lot of bumping with the hammer and dolly and shrinking disc..think I used some cuss words on a couple of the spots also
I'm looking forward to watching this. I'd like to hardtop mine and gather all I can on how to make it happen. We all know the Matt-way will be hard to beat. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Question. Is it possible to do a 51 rear window the same way you did the rear on this one and retain the 51 glass? Ie; with minimal cutting of the roof itself and only making patch panels for the sides and the cat walk area?
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