1949 Mercury Coupe

Description

There's no shortage of chopped Mercury coupes out there, but if you'd like something a little different, perhaps this 1949 Mercury coupe will light your fires. Modified with all the traditional tweaks, it's a shaved, chopped, smoothed, and flamed custom that will have folks doing a double-take when they realize that this isn't the usual Mercury lead sled, but something altogether more impressive.

The traditional look is easy to spot and there's plenty of Mercury DNA here, even when the body has been as extensively modified as this one has. A chopped roof line gives it that unmistakable look of a great '50s lead sled and the radiused rear wheel arches makes it seem like all the other Mercurys are a little overweight and portly. It's beautifully done and the rounded bodywork is a natural for the chopping process. Other body mods include a nosed and decked hood, shaved side trim, and a set of teardrop spotlights that are a nod to the period in which these cars were built. Those round headlights are from a Chrysler Cordoba and combined with the custom grille, they give this big sled a unique look that's still instantly identifiable as Mercury. The taillights are from a Plymouth station wagon, and it's been bathed in a beautiful pearlescent color called Venetian Blue, which comes from the 1996 Ford color palette. It shows some slight wear and age, but if you want to arrive in a big way, this custom Mercury nails it.

The gray tweed interior is another traditional look that suits the big Mercury's new role perfectly. The seats show very little use and the split bench up front is perfect for cruising and the back seat is big enough to bring your friends with you. Custom door panels match the seats and in corporate an OEM-looking arm rest, while gray carpets and a painted dash keep it from being too bright inside. The wood-rimmed steering wheel looks right and frames the original instrument panel and a set of aftermarket gauges neatly flanking the original speedometer. Oh, and there's a tach down on the custom center console, which is a neat touch. The original radio is still in the dash, but since AM isn't all that entertaining anymore, there's a Sony AM/FM/CD stereo underneath, along with an under-dash A/C system that needs a recharge to get back into action. Even the trunk is neatly finished with more gray carpet and a custom spare tire mount with a speaker housing underneath.

This big sled is no slouch, thanks to the 454 cubic inch Chevy V8 under the hood. The old-school looking tri-power setup and finned valve covers sit on top of the big block like a '50s dragster, and looks especially period-correct with the bell-style air cleaners. Beautiful tin work frames the engine in shiny aluminum for a somewhat high-tech look, and there's a big radiator up front to keep things cool. The front clip is from a second-generation Nova and includes power steering and disc brakes, while the transmission is a stout 700R4 4-speed automatic with overdrive. There's a Ford 9-inch rear end with 3.25 gears out back, and the color-matched suspension has been lowered to give it that "in the weeds" look that lead sleds demand. 15-inch chrome wheels wear baby moon hubcaps and gorgeous wide whitewall radials for the perfect '50s touch.

Beautifully built and highly traditional, this dare-to-be-different lead sled delivers all the familiar styling cues with a big attitude that will put all the other lead sleds back on the trailer. Call today!