What kind of look are you going for Lono? I just went '50 front and '51 rear on mine, mine had Briz bumpers on it when I got it.
Not so much dark as more the rebirth. The dark days were the 60's and early 70's when customs were so far out of favor that Pat Ganahl could only find one chopped merc for Street Rodder's first chopped Merc issue in the early 70's. (the car he found was the just finished Charlie Lopez Merc). The Hirohata Merc on the back row of a used car lot for $500? That's dark.
I'm really just hoping to be inspired by different looks that were period correct. I'm building my Merc based solely on what I can find in Lil Mags from 64 and back. The problem is its often too hared to distinguish what the bumpers are if its not obviouse.
Was cruising through another folder of pictures today and realized I forgot about the front end on Wolf's Merc. '52 Buick and some cad dagmars. I can dig it . Pic courtesy of Rikster.
Yeah, it was MUCH worse in the '70s but I was a kid and didn't notice or care. But boy, I sure remember a LOT of '80s customs with all the chrome painted body color and big ugly graphics on the sides! (And a LOT of Pepto pink, pastel blue, and mauve cars. What the hell was with all the pink??) Just to be clear, though, hats off to anyone who was trying to keep the flame going at that time.
Sorry to sidetrack the whole thread, Lono. The '55 Dodge bumpers really do look good on Mercs, and I bet you can find one cheaper than Merc. (Or could have before everyone saw those photos!)
Yeah, thanks much. I think I've got wind on a 54 dodge bumper.. I'm digging it. It would be nice if there were a few pictures left behind for anyone else in the future posed with the same decision.
Find someone to help you do it! I bet lots of us would love to see them. All I remember from northeast Ohio from that time was tacky, heavily accessorized cars except one show I went to a few times with my dad at a fairgrounds maybe 45 minutes west of Akron?
I've limited my parts to only stuff made in 1955 or older. The Spider caps may go at some point haven't figure those out yet. I don't really like a lot of the other bumpers used on Mercs back then, the '55 Dodge to me is too big.
'55 Dodge front bumper is either the same height as the stock '51 Merc front bumper or a little less...I'd have to check. Pretty hard to find, actually. I think '56 is the same bumper but has a license plate indentation. The ends had to be narrowed about three inches because they go into the wheel opening. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Yeah I just haven't figured out what I'm doing on that. To Lono, personally I don't like Caddy dagmars on a Merc, the dagmars dominate the front end then...
Hey Shoebox. You must know if 51 ford front bumper will fit on a 51 Merc? I haven't looked recently but I seem to remember they look similar but the ford has a smaller license plate area? Is that right? Cheers, Gav.
The Dodge bumper looks great and it's unusual. I'd stay away from DeSoto bumpers, as well as DeSoto grilles. Yes, they are "traditional." They have also been done a million times and if you use those components, your Merc will look like (at least in the front end) a ton of other Mercs out there. Barris, Winfield, and all the other customizers used their imaginations rather than doing the same exact thing over and over and over again.
Not sure I am feeling that big flat license plate indentation on the dodge bumper. Looks like someone ran into it.
I like the bumper, I'm just wondering if the bumperettes are taking away from the grill? I love the floater grill, buy find the bumerettes get in the way. Just my 2 cents.
I really like the bumper. I don't hate the guards but I do agree that they might be too close to the grille ends. Maybe scoot the guards in all the way to the edge of the license indention if you are going to keep them? Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
drdave, That is a very good idea. It will eliminate the "big blank look" space on the bumper and also accentuate the appearance of the Olds grille..
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