Wanna daydream with me? 1954 Mercury

The '54 Grille is fine as it is...just lose the stainless molding/emblem "mustache" above it on the lip of the hood and you're good to go.

The '53-'54's are among my all-time faves. The designer's had this one "right" from the beginning.

Jonnie King www.legend.thewwbc.net

 

BurqueBulli,

Just a sidebar to all of the great ideas already listed here:

What many forget is that when the "roots" of customizing were being laid, most of the custom touches being done to Daily Driver Chevy/Ford/Merc models were done to "upgrade" the cars to a "higher end" look.

Most of the young guys that were involved in it could afford a Ford, Chevy, or, Merc...BUT, when they customized those cars they used bigger ticket parts to emulate the cars that they couldn't afford: Cadillac, Lincoln, Buick, Olds, etc.

Check-out many of the earliest examples like Barris' use of Lincoln taillights on the Hirohata Merc; Packard taillights on the Bugarin Merc. Look at the early Chevs that used Caddy rear quarters/fins. '49-'50 Fords routinely used a simple upgrade of '50-'52 Buick taillights that fit with very little work. '52-'54 Fords easily adapted '53-'56 Olds taillights. AND, don't forget Buick/Cadillac fadeaways on many early rides !

The list goes on and on: The use of Caddy, Buick, Chrysler, Olds, Pontiac grilles & grille bars, etc., in Fords/Chevs/Mercs. And, in those days, many would never use a "lower line" part on an upscale ride when they customized it. Also, they would rarely go backwards in time in the use of parts. (Ex: They wouldn't use '53 Olds taillights on a '55 Ford, but '60 Buick lenses would work.) The objective was to give your "older" ride an "up to date" look, and you could go right to the Dealers parts dept.to pick-up what you wanted...if you didn't want to wait for somebody to crash his new Olds, Buick, or, Caddy. At which time you'd then hit the Wrecking Yard.

Granted, through the years the lines and ideas from those Pioneer days have been blurred, never the less that is the way most of it began. I know because I've been involved in it since 1953...and loved every minute of it ! (See my thread on "The Man Who Changed My Life": DON FERRARA.)

In any event, this is a great thread with cool ideas ! And I've always wanted a '54 Merc myself, so good luck with whatever you decide !!

Jonnie King

 

Well, great....was leaning toward putting my '52 in the classifieds and then this thread pops up ! i better live to be a hundred , LOL

 

Make a '54 Sun Valley out of it.

My favorite glass top of all of them.

 

Those Mercs are just sooo right from the get-go that I would suggest a mild custom treatment. IMHO, sometime less is more.

Here's my old '54 Vicky:

 

How can you even argue with this roof line???


Screw it. Just cut the top off an make it a roadster. Where is that 54 Ford that Foose did........O - here it is:

 

Mortons Merc is absolute perfection in my opinion. Customized to enhance the cars natural beauty! That chop is spot on! I wouldnt chop any more then what that one is. If mine was a hardtop I would be chopping it just like that one!

 

Bill Layman's '54 is another great example and right on par with Morton's Merc.
They are such great looking cars to begin with that they do not need much to make them look better. Less is definitely more with the '54!

 

I have dreams of driving through the mountains inna 54 Merc convertable with my wife. They are so pretty and refined. Just lower a little in the rear and go.

 

daddy_o's_diner - that is one sexy machine!

 

alright then - who has the scoop on doing this kind of chop?

(I'm a virgin - don't tell anybody!)

 

Congrats on the Merc bro! My old man and I have 4 of them, including a 52 hardtop. Looks like you got a good set of hood hinges on there, that's a good thing, they are a pain to find in decent shape..lol

Get you a Mac's catalogue, they have most of your floors, and it looks like you have good glass too, your ahead of the game there!

If you want one, I have a running 256 y-block from another 54 with a Merc-O-Matic attached, needing a new home.

 

Merc o matic over a three on the tree? Survey says: YES!!

 

I’m not as much of a custom guy as I am a hot rodder. I’m seeing square-back buckets from a late-‘50s Thunderbird, 430 MEL V8, and a toploader 4-speed. Hell, leave it crusty. Just powdercoat the wheels white and fit oversized blackwalls and a heavy-duty suspension.

-Dave

 

Cange the color and this is it.



Or this is nice.

 

I'd stick with the Y-Block too. Of course.

 

Sorry to bring up an old thread......but, will the 54 lincoln tail light bezels accept the 54 Mercury lenses???

 

That Bill Layman '54 is about as perfect a '54 Merc as I've seen ....think I'll "screen saver" that one for a while .

T