Projects Shyboy's Positive Energy Custom Sled Quest, 1950 Merc

So I have been wrenching on this Merc for a little over a year and have been meaning to start a build thread. Here goes...



My plan:
-Body off restoration, blast, repair and pain the body
-Blast, repair, and paint chassis
-replace rear suspension (4-link?)
-Add Air suspension system ( Ride Tech , Air Lift?) Or if someone has better ideas let me know.
-Convert to disc brakes
-Rebuild drive train, (flat head V8 and tranny) add EFI to existing throttle body
-Convert from 6V to 12V
-Add an absolutely phenomenal Sound system
-Redo Interior, obviously
-back up camera
-shorten steering column
-Floor shift
-Chop the Top (2-3in???) not interested in hammering it down. I want to use the vehicle as a daily driver as much as possible and need to be able to see out.

I plan to do all the work myself with the exception possibly of the interior. I want that to be really nice so that my wife will ride with me, lol.

I have never done anything like this before but I'm at least as smart as the average bear and very good with my hands.

 

This is 4 inches on the B pillar

 

Interior

 

I will not use that oil bath air filter. Does anybody want it?



Not sure I want to try and resurrect this heater. Interested in ideas...

 

Here is where I am now

 

Looks like you have a nice solid body to start with. I can't imagine what you hope to gain with adding EFI to the original intake, but that's on you.

 

Thanks for including with your build

 

I've never had good luck with carburetors and I live in a mountainous area. Also, I have a buddy who is an electrical engineer and confident we can turn my current throttle body into an EFI delivery system.

 

The way you have the Tape laid out for the Cut tells us that have your new to this. Just so you have been let in on it, You Do NOT cut into the rear glass opening on these cars. There's a lot of different ways to cut most of it but never through the back glass. Carry on.

 

Listen to Pist-n-Broke.
Put your doors back on, and align perfectly before you cut anything.
Lots of ideas on here for cutting a 4 door Merc, do a search, and study. I don't think any were cut like your lines suggest.

 

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/49-merc-chop-4-door.1019321/
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/49-mercury-4-door-converison.1116092/
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...9-51-build-up-chop-etc.1030047/#post-11660935

 

Holy cow. Sure is a good thing you stopped by before you started cutting.
Stop. Don't cut! Pull the tape off the car. Cool your jets. Realize what a nice solid Mercury you have. Proceed with utmost caution. Listen to these guys here. Good luck.

 

My car building rule #1; No fair doing fun shit like chopping tops and ordering all sorts of expensive shiny parts before you do any ugly/dirty work! I've seen builds where people are chopping tops on cars before they even replace missing floors and rockers.

That's a solid Merc. Finish the car mechanically to the point it's a primered driver for a season of driving. Then go back and paint it (and chop it if you choose to at that time), and send out the upholstery over the Winter.

If you dive into a chop yourself, you'll have as much time in that as you will building the rest of the car-and may never get it back together.

 

You are Blessed to have such a kool project.

I like driving them so I believe Kustoms should be safe to drive and keeping the mechanics simple with parts available to purchase locally. You have our attention, I cant wait to watch the thread for future updates. Please keep us posted.

 

If you plan to keep the heater it can be "modernized" and work great. There is Jeep heater motor that bolts right in place of the stock one that is about 1.5" shorter and 12v. Comes from 1980's Grand Cherokee's, the square ones.

 

Damn bro, chopping it??? Start with the simple stuff like the 6 yo 12 volt conversion, then get rid of the points and put an electronic ignition in it, and lastly KEEP THE FLATHEAD!!!!!!!!

 

Got it.

 

You're doing a good job, but I have to agree with some of the other sentiments about not chopping it now. Finish it, get it on the road, enjoy it. Then look at some chopped Mercs in person. There's quite an art to making it look right. It's pretty easy to make it look like it was done wrong. My favorite chopped four door Mercs have a rear door window area reshaped to be more like the two door quarter window.

 

I appreciate all the input and everybody can relax I have no intention of cutting on those lines! Sorry for the miscommunication. The "chop" will be the last part of the build, just before painting. I have purchased several books on chopping and have been watching Youtube videos including Tommy Steadman's video.

 

Thanks for that post. I like the idea of driving it for a while before the chop. Here's some dirty work...

 

Not to beat a dead horse, but...
Get it sorted out and on the road. Then, if you're still thinking of a chop, get some butcher paper and cover the top of the windows down as far as you are thinking of chopping. Drive it that way for a while and see it you are happy with the reduced visibility. Once you chop it, there's no going back!

 

This is always a good plan. Having had the saw and welder out many times there has been several vehicles get Hair Cuts in my Shop. Over the years and projects, I've learned it's more about the final look than the numbers. We all have a little different idea of the perfect Chop. When doing Customer work and trying to match what's in their minds eye to the final job can be tough, but I've seemed to have done it many times. I tend to do things different. I listen, I listen a lot. I hear them talking the numbers and sometimes actually agree but never walk around with a Tape Measure in my hand. My game is to make them happy, to do that I start with Ground profile of the rig. Get the chassis finished at driving stance with the exact tires front and back that will live on the rig. Do the wheel wells if you're going to change them. Get the wheels or hubcaps that look right to them. These change your minds eye even if they are all the same size and offset. At my place these things are a must do before I start marking lines. If possible, and I try to make it so, we go drive it. If they can say "Man, I like the way it sits" from 20 feet away your halfway there. Now I start getting ready to do a little snip snip. I tell them, "yah I remember those numbers" but I also have a pretty good idea what they actually want. Once the lid is back on and ready for them to have a look see I push it outside. I stand 30 feet from the rig and stop them there. I can tell by their response if I did my job and so far, I'm 100%. (pure luck!) To date I have never cut a customer's 4" request 4". It's about the look and flow, not the number. I only use a tape measure to make sure I get the left and right sides the same.
Some of the worst jobs I've seen are done in a 2 car garage with bad lights or a Warehouse full of crap and just enough room to work, but not able to step back and see your work. 20 feet seems to be a Majic number.
Enjoy your build and good luck.

 

I think it was sometime back in about 1980. I was hanging out with the leadsled guys at a rod run. When I returned home, I cut the roof off my '47 Plymouth. Ruined a summers worth of driving that car. Took out about 4" at the windshield and layed the back end down to where it looked right.

 

You didn't actually intend on cutting at the tape lines?
Then why...
Ok...

 

Here's a link to another video. Jim Knudson chopping a four door Merc.

 

Because your visual line of thought needs to start somewhere. That's as good a place as any.

 

I'm thinking those were laser level lines, am I correct? Unless you taped the wall too!

Dave

 

Yes, Laser level.

 

It took a while to chip this undercoating away...