Projects The Mexicali Merc, another 40 Custom in the works

Ram-Rod...at this point we are collecting parts for my Merc ..Kevan is working on Tim's 39 currently as far i know...he has a deadline ,i can wait a bit more on mine..
You've got a 40 de luxe Merc then ???You should PM directly Kevan about it for detailed infos..

 

Thats one cool intake, gonna use that engine for something?

Great work on the car btw!

 

Very good job on your car and there are a lot of good edear for my car thank's

 

Need more pics.............i'm having withdrawals and the doctor won't prescribe lol

 

Kevvvvv!!!!Please help Itsmee ...he need some custom pics help!!!ah,ah,ah

 

Here ya go! I dont think I posted this one yet.

 

Sledge, what is the tire size on your green Merc in that last pic?

 

It's a 600 16" Lester.

 

So you better be used to be Busy! Love that. Looking good Shifter!

 

Thanks Kev..nice to see the almost twins close to each other...i havent seen this one either!!
Swissmike,i got the same Lester 6.00/16 in my Mexicali too..Kev's suggestion,good lookin tire with a friendly price...

 

Thanks guys!
Sledge, how did you get the Cad Sombrero in your avatar on a standard 40 Ford wheel? I am pondering wheel and tire choice for my 39 Merc and tried to test fit a original cad hubcap (with the center removed) on a 40 wheel and the wheel center interfered with the hubcap edge coming close to the rim with maybe a 1" gap all around. Also the valve stem hole is not going to line up.

My buddy used 640-15s on his 46 custom and it was a pretty good looking combo. He used 15" trim rings welded to the back of the sombreros to mount the caps. I am afraid a bigger tire will be hard to change on a lowered car in the rear.

The 600-16s are great looking tires, but I am stumped on how to mount the sombreros. Right now I am planning to go with the BF Goodrich 640-15s on 15x5" wheels. Am I out of line for an early 50s look?

 

Mike, the Cad Sombreros pictured in my avatar are 1947 16". They are super rare and only came on series 75 Caddy Limos and ambulances. I looked for 4 years before I found a good pair! The 16's are deeper and stick out slightly more so the 40 merc spindle isn't a problem. I got a 40 ford beauty rings and used a resin to attach the two which didn't work great so I need to find a better adhesive. Welding the beauty ring is the best way but mine have good chrome so I didn't want to mess that up.


Im sure there is a way you can run the 15"s on a 16" rim with some work but I've never done it so I dont know what to suggest.

Yeah tire changes can definitely be a problem with larger tires, especially on a 39. The opening on the rear fenders are much smaller than a 40 as Im sure you know. Your going to have problems even with stock 600 16's when you lower it. If you can find 40 rear fenders it will save you a big headache every time you change a tire. 40's are not much better and still a big hassle!

Running 15's is definitely not out of line for the early 50's. in fact, that's exactly what would have been popular then. I would suggest running Goodyear 670/15 super cushions if you want to be period correct. I think JB runs a 710/15 Super cushion on his merc and it looks great!

 

A truly epic thread, the best I've read in a long time!

 

Damn, what a thread!!!

I think your skill is amazing, and the fact that you share your tips and document it so well just blows my mind!

 

Damn, what a thread!!!

I think your skill is amazing, and the fact that you share your tips and document it so well just blows my mind!

 

That's what is all about..sharing building experiences for the guys out there who want to build a classy custom in style...

btw,we are still collecting hard to find parts for my Mexicali...these things takes time,there is no repro stuff available on such matter...exept maybe for the Flipper hubcaps,not sure thou

 

That solves the mystery of the cad hubcaps. I had read about them, but did not make the connection. The good thing with customs is that you only need two hubcaps ;-)
My cad hubcaps are stainless so welding a trim ring on the back is not going to be a big issue.

I think I might step up to the 670-15 as you suggested and radius the rear wheel opening more to a 40 Ford size, which should allow me to mount the repro Ford teardrop skirts without modification and make wheel removal easier. The 39-40 rear wheel opening is not my favorite styling element on those cars anyway.

 

Another way you can do this is pick up a couple of Caddy wheels and have the front hubs re-drilled to a 5 on 5 bolt pattern. The Caddy Caps clip right on as designed, and your good to go. I did this on my 51 Merc. The only draw back is if you plan on carringing a spare tire, you will need a dual pattern rim.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j279/snkbte/Merc/51mrecsoldandreadyfortriptoCo.jpg

 

Your killing it on this build bro... Looking nice great work...

 

Any news lately

Hennie

 

Hey Hennie..not really because Kevan is pushin hard Tim's 39 Merc in time for the GNRS show,wich is a deadline for him..we agreed on this plan and im more than happy to see Tim fullfilling his dream having his Merc at the show...i can wait,no problem..

We're lookin for parts currently ...happy holidays everybody

 

Damn Kevan , I know grass valley is fertile land, but god knows what fertilizer you used, you've got 39 and 40 mercs comming out your assssssss!

 

amazing progress, car looks amazing, perfect profile

 

And it will stayin in bare metal to show the fantastic metalwork Kevin is performing for a while...no excuses

 

Probably the best thread in Hamb history.....

Awesome job Kev.

 

That's a good one Miguel...

 

Now that the GNRS is over Kev will be slowly be back to his normal cool stuff..working on some cool cars...including the Mexicali Merc!
We're collecting parts too...so,this project will move on hopefully soon

 

Get back to work Kev!!!!!! You got alot of chopping to do.Great job on Tims it was the best of the show.

 

We're trying t get half of a grill in very good conds,to proceed on cast I later on...these parts same a the center emblem ar quite hard to find in good conds

 

waiter, I'll have what he's havin'.