History Mercury 60s survivor Anyone see this one before?

It's probably an optical illusion, but the front end sheet metal looks a bit stubby to me. Could this be built on something other (shorter) than the stock Mercury wheelbase?

 

Umm , yeah.

 

Oh I understand, to me skill and improvement are two separate things. That’s what makes life interesting is different outlooks on the same thing.

 

Will this help?

Ray

 

I think thats the overbite

 

To each his own but it makes you wonder what they were thinking on this one

 

I think Johnny Cash owned it at one time.

 

It looks to be well done, but not well thought out.
Like what @57 Fargo said. I can appreciate the skill and craftsmanship. But not the end result.

customs seem to end up like this when there is no clear plan in the beginning.

the two threads that come to mind off the hop are “ Watch me section my Desoto” that guy threw everything but the kitchen sink at that car and it looks fantastic !
The other one is “ the Telstar “
There was another from a guy outta France that was killer.

Anyways, my pint is a radical or extreme custom can and should look good, not just shock value.

it’s the same with hot rods. How many Traditional rat pro custom street resto rods have I seen at shows where there was no clear thought or direction and what someone ended up with is a pile of money and time that looks foolish.

anywho , yeah

 

Major altitude adjustment makes it much better. The grille doesnt really work, but I dont hate it

 

on a positive note selling the Chevy parts will help pay for new fenders and front end parts.

 

I’m not big on most customs.I have seen a few that I liked, but a lot seem to just be thrown together with what ever happens to be behind the shop! Seems like this is what happened with this Merc!








Bones

 

Awful! they put a Chevy front clip on this Merc So very awful!

 

Potential there and with a Hemi. However you can't explain good taste to someone who doesn't have it.

 

A stock Merc front clip would be a big styling improvement! Just take the stock replacement sheet metal along with the car to the next show with a few tools and ask passers by to help out your cause. Guarantee you won't have to lift a finger. Volunteers will be climbing over each other to get in on the facelift. Kind of like when Winfield chops a car at a show.
Put out a tip jar asking spectators to help pay for the parts.

Can only hope the gifted metal man was hired to do this to someone else's car and the Merc wasn't his.

 

Jeez, thats like trying to make a hudson look like a merc. Lippy

 

Yeah, no.

 

YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I'm the one who posted the pics of that mercury on Facebook from the Essen Haus car show in Middlebury Indiana. Ernie Harris is the owners name. I have more pics of this car in my album on my profile page. Ernie used to own it back in the 60's and was able to track it down years later. He is rebuilding it to like it was when he first owned it. He recently added the Buick port holes to it as they were not originally on it back then. Everything else is pretty much as it was. It has a DeSoto 276 in it now, but originally had a 331 Chrysler hemi with 4 chromed stromberg 97s on a chromed Weiand intake. It runs a truck transmission case with the mercury gears. He actually had a local guy ,Jim Mann ( of sprint car and vintage indy car restoration fame) weld together the stainless trim on the car as it originally had trim from a very rare Mopar product. Ernie spent 10 years trying to find it. incidentally I heard that famous racer, " Airplane Freddy" Fred Sibley along with another local legend, Gene Pierce did the original custom body work. I agree that the car is "unique" to say the leaset, but he is enjoying it and drives it out to Arkansas all the time. He told me that he is going to be removing the hemi and replacing it with a 302 or 351 windsor in the near future to help with drivability. I hope this helps clear up any more questions you have.

 

I really enjoy all the hatred and talk of bad taste on this thread. I can stand all this I've never seen it I don't like like it there for it's wrong and needs to be changed or destroyed!

Presonaly I don't like the rear window or tailtails on the Hirohata Merc! With that said the the car is a piece of history and it deserves my respect, and it is not my place to bash and belittle it.
Particularly since it was built almost thirty year before I was born!




The front Chevy front sheet metal it is well done, nothing I would do but I can respest the skill of the builder.

 

I'm thinking a grille and bumper from a '56 Chrysler might make the front end a bit more cohesive

 

I love the look and I would drive the hell out of it if I owned it! Wait that may be the Seagrams talking……….. No, not the Seagrams. I like all but the grille/ hood area. I would keep the Hemi too.

 

All you guys bashing this car. SMH. Consider the era it was built. I think it was well done and I like it even though I'm not a custom guy per se.
Andy

 

Thank You 46 fat Ford for filling in the details . Amazing metal work and fab skills grafting Chevy onto the Merc . Glad Your Friend found his car and has it back on the road . Enjoying it as He should. I like way the louvers make a v shape flowing with the hood and that the Merc hood peak was kept and not flattened by using the 55 Chevy hood .

 

That car is a prime of example of making mods that don't work together as one package and don't really fit in with the style of the car you are working on for the sake of making change and because you have said parts available.

The good news is as others said, pretty much a one day fix with getting a decent nose and swapping th nose out and cleaning up a few other details like the out of place side trim.
I'd have to agree that at today's prices selling off the Chevy pieces would go a long way towards putting a proper front end clip on it.

Sticking stuff on your car for the sake of sticking it on seems to be a Trait that even decedents of folks from Arkansas or parts there of tend to have though. I've seen that around here since the 50's as there are a lot of people from there who came out here as migrant fruit pickers in the 50's and 60's and stayed when they got year round jobs here.

 

looks like half a tab of orange sunshine too much

 

Double drop?

 

If nothing good can be said about it then it at least spurs the viewer's mind on how they would have the body differently.