That is different!! I kinda really like it but only with that grille though. Any other grille maybe not.
For the most part, the rest of the car looks like you know what you are doing. The headlights, well, they look like you haven't a clue. Don't listen to the "looks neat and different" guys. French the stock lamps. Done deal, move on. D.
Those are similar to 40 ford headlights in shape but I believe they are something else. I've seen them used successfully on DeRosa's 40 Merc. For this car I don't know. What do you think about them?
Sometimes you have to go by one's hunch, if it seems questionable right off the bat. Well, it's probably not something one could live with very long.
Those NOT 40 Ford headlamps. 40 Fords have sealed beam headlamp bulbs surrounder by either a painted(Std. Passenger and Pickups) or chrome-plated diecast door/bezel. The door/lens combo you have in the picture is likely a 37 or 38-39Std. Ford setop which should be mounted on a slight rearward tilt at the top to shine correctly down the road. In fact, though most custom buffs would hate them, the 40 setup would look better but require a little more finesse to "make it right". A very recent poster, from South Chicago now known as O-ville, here has done it pretty well on a 49-51 Ford in a post about color and flames.
looks like 37 to me don't look right on your car go with some Frenched head lights you don't need to reinvent the wheel the rest of the car looks killer dont mess it up with some nasty head lights just my 2cents
I don't think it works. Here's a similar treatment done recently by Kenny Lotz on a customer car; Ken does terrific work, but I don't care for the lights:
By my old eyes that is just wrong. Not attractive in the least and when you change the angle of the lens from it's original angle on the car it came on I have a feeling that you would loose a lot of the lens's ability to project light in the right direction. The setup isn't much good if the guy driving the car can't see down the road at night.
I altered it slightly just to give it better balance IMO... Everything just seemed a bit cramped together..
Those headlights could be 39 merc they are larger in size than 37 to 39 standard ford which could be a choice . They are not the same as Derosa merc which is off an import I beleive. The 39 deluxe ford may be the same as the 39 merc.
My opinion is the lights are excellently incorporated into this Merc. reason being the front of the fenders look like "40" Ford fenders. The larger problem is this car's visual impression fits the "street rod" style and not the traditional style of this board. Another example is the raised top of the windshield opening and overall slimming (pancaking) of the roof. It is now a perfectly proportioned, graceful chop by "street rod" standards. We here like our roofs a little too thick and our windows a little too small. That is our "look".
There used to be a satin gold 51Merc running around So.Cal. that had 40 Ford head lamps. Used to see it at Paso alot back arround 96-98 then it vanished. Thought it looked pretty cool. Someone have a pic of it or know the car I'm thinking of?
It's black magic isn't it? '53 Buick headlight bezels look great on Mercs, they are about the same shape. But these are questionable.
I agree that they're well integrated, although I still don't like the style; I agree that this isn't a HAMBish car. My purpose in putting up the picture was merely to show this headlight treatment carried out to completion. As for "we here like...our look": who are you to speak for everyone on the board? Nuts to that.
Point taken. Let me restate that and put it this way. The radical, chopped, traditional customs that were built in the '50's seem to be very popular on this board.
once again its not my car! just one that i ran across and the lights left me scratching my head.i also have one where they used mercedes headlights.
The Jalopy Journal
