Projects The Mexicali Merc, another 40 Custom in the works

wow, the roof flows so nicely. Great work!!

 

Looks very,very good.Great job you're doing there Kevan.I'm jealous.

I vote for small bullet-taillights for the early look.I would keep the car as traditional as traditional can be.I love bumperguard-taillights but there are already so many '40 Mercs with them around.

Flathead...definitely,what else.

16 inchers with tall whitewalls,just get him some 6.00" Lesters like you did get for your '40.Single bar Hollywood Flipper caps.

Wow.

sled = Kustom King.

Need a shower.

 

Just love it.

 

Thanks for posting all the pictures!!!!

 

Great work

 

Perfect!

 

I agree with old bullet lights , 30's 40's era knuclklehead & panhead bullet lights have a great shape and the lenses are really cool shapes .

 

you absolutely nailed the chop! incredible work

 

Beautifull job !!!! But i expect no less seeing your other work !!!!! Congrats!

 

Kevan, you are one energy pack! GREAT WORK!!!

Sorry to bump in again, but here is my car when buying it and how it is today (still not finished... )

Just wanted you to see the rear window and the difference.
You can also see that driprails don't belong on a traditional kustom...

Stock


Chopped

 

Aha! Could never imagine that 3/8" extra would do such a big difference...

 

Damn that looks awesome! I love the flow you have goin on nice work!!

 

Wow.

Thanks FrenZ! Yeah already got the 6:00 16 lesters ready to mount. Im dropping off the wheels at the powdercoater tomorrow morning!

Reno really wants the bumper guard taillights so that's what we're doing. I don't think he's decided on hubcaps yet but you cant go wrong with flippers!

 

J.B. ..i was meaning how the size of the rear window changes on your chopped pics,depending the angle..yeah,stock the roof is plain awful..plus the rear window is gigantic...i really hate it such cars in stock form..but then again,its incredible when with the right roof treatment will became sexi and a timeless custom...thanks again for posting yours,very much appreciated

 

If you go 16", flippers is a fantastic choice. You can also have the plain (no text) and ribbed 1940 cap with ribbed inner and outer trim rings. But flippers is more kustom.

 

Frenz..glad you like the way the Merc is coming out ...about the details ,well..its personal and i keep thinkin on them of course..i simply like the clean look of the tailights in the bumperettes leaving the rear body completely clean...seen many times,yep...hard to improve.But since it will be the only custom Merc in Mexico (traditional way) its enuff for me to have it done that way...trying to imagine the bullet tailights but they have to be mounted somewhere in the bumpers,so protruding off a bit..even if they are small ones i feel they dont fully integrate ...i might be wrong ,of course....Flipper hubcaps are timeless for sure...open to more ideas to get some details different along the way too...all credit goes to Kevan here,im just payin the bills..ot trying to,ah,ah,ah

 

As far as hubcaps, you can go with flippers (what I'm going for), Lyon (I have 16" and 15" sets--->see Kevan's or Jimmy Summers' Mercury), Cadillac, or smoth style full wheel cover (I have a 16" set from the 40's), they have ribs on the outer edge, think Ayala.

Kenny

 

What can be said that hasn't already been...? Your work is top shelf.


Hollywood Flippers for the 1940 Ford 16" factory type rim.

 

Yesterday I spent my entire "work day" reading this thread and studying the photos and I just want to say THANK YOU for taking the time of explaining all of the cuts and taking all of the detailed photos. You answered one of the mysterys for me that I could never figure out. That "forehead" cut and raising the windshield makes a huge diffrence in the finished look of the car. Looking forward to seeing this car in SM next year, I hope.
Thanks again,
60'

 

J.B...Yep,i will run 16" and Kev already bought the WW Lester tires ...started to look heavily on hubcaps and i realized that a huge amount of historycal customs (and less famous too) run the Flippers...i never paid much attention til now that i need to make a choice...interesting.

Also i looked at the Calvenar smooth wide rings,interesting and a good alternative to use with different center caps,ribbed possibly to make a contrast...it will be fun trace down some of these ,i suppose....devil is the details,eh?

 

60 coupe,you can always ask Kevan and J.B on here if you need more tricky pics and infos on such cuts...that's what i love from this site,lot of knowledge and always learning...
Sure there is time for Santa Maria,should be no problem to be there ..even in bare metal,i dont mind...

 

Can't wait to see them on the car ! Love it.

I totally understand your point sled.The rear body definitely should be left completely clean."My idea" was to move the bumperguards close to the license-plate and the bullet-lights to the guards.Maybe even a small overrider.No matter how you decide,the car is going to be killer anyway ! One thing I know for sure though is your car needs Flippers ! I love Sombreros,have some on my car too but yours needs Flippers baaad.Please !

I look forward to the next update !

 

Man, this is one of the better threads on here, I am totally in love with the late 40's style custom. Thanks to you guys for sharing, but dammit, I sure didn't need another dream project lurking in the back of my brain.

 

Is that a wheel under the rear of Kevan's car?

 

Looks like a little wagon wheel

 

Yep,its a cart wheel,not sure if he has another one in the opposite side..to avoid damaging the bottom end in certain cases...Kev's tricky idea,never tought before ...i will probably mount em on my car too...Speed bumps (topes) in Mexico are just ridicoulous..

 

Frenz,thanks for your toughts..very much appreciate em...i started to look around for the correct details already...since Kev is moving quite fast i dont want to be stuck for the difficult parts to find..hubcaps,112 Appletons (a must have),and tricky period correct details...not much available as we know so im lookin for certain parts,like many others on here

Also i want to think a bit outside the box and coming up with different ideas on bumperettes and tailights...not sure yet the way i want to go...

After some good reasearch i realized Flippers were the rage back then...i like em,no doubt..not many choices on those i suppose...i will be lookin for some 40s cars and see what was available just to know the styles..but history is made for customs,and Flippers have theier place right there

 

Yeah I have a few metal caster wheels under the car at the rear of the frame to help with going in and out of driveways. It's an old trick from the 50's. They do help but would be much better placed under the bumper. Eventually I will weld an extension off the frame then place the casters under the bumper. Plus that extension will help to get a jack under the car which is no easy task at the moment!

 

Love the rear body to bumper pan. Any plans on doing the same to this one ?

 

Yep! It's gettin the same treatment!