Frame Off Built Sedan 454 V8 500 HP 700R4 4 Speed Ford 9" PS A/C Art Morrison

Description

SUMMARY

454 cubic inch Chevrolet V8
700R4 4-speed automatic transmission / 2,500 RPM stall converter
Antique & Collectible Autos fiberglass body / Porsche Basalt Metallic paint
Custom ultraleather interior / Vintage Air conditioning
Art Morrison chassis / RideTech Shockwave suspension
20-inch DUB wheels
Sale includes build photos, the car's magazine shout out and three trophies
Ford 9-inch rear end / 3.55 gears
Power rack-and-pinion steering / 4-wheel disc brakes
Modern Pioneer audio

There's nothing like assuming the helm of a lights-out lead sled. Whether it's the fault of James Dean, Sam Barris or just stellar design, 49-51 Mercurys seem gifted with universal appeal that few classics possess. This first class Mercury Kustom is the recipient of a complete, frame-off restoration that combines epic paint with excellent design, a potent Chevy big block and a clean custom interior. With fully sorted mechanicals, the car easily navigates the line between awesome weekend warrior and show-stopping crowd pleaser. And if you're the kind of buyer who's searching for a stunning, old school masterpiece that features a roster of top-notch equipment, no hot rod offers more style for less money!

BODYWORK/TRIM

Officially baptized in to the Kustom world just a few years back, this slick sled has been carefully finessed and expertly finished to the absolute highest standards. The smooth surfaces that make up the car's sinister profile are entirely comprised of clean Antique & Collectible Autos fiberglass that's been chopped, channeled and laboriously block-sanded. That lightweight shell is dressed in 10 coats of Porsche Basalt Metallic base that's been splashed with a hint of pearl, sealed in thick clear and lovingly buffed to a trophy-winning shine. And today, this Merc rolls as one excellent-looking custom that's completely devoid of filler, questionable seams, strange bulges or anything else that might demerit its otherwise superior construction.

The styling of Mercury's second generation Eight was successful in both ending the monotony of warmed-over pre-war designs and differentiating the brand from its comparable Ford cousin: a trick that spelled BIG sales success. Those newfound sales made the car immensely popular with customizers, and in 1949 the first lead sled, built by Sam Barris, pioneered what would become hot rodding's definitive '50s custom. At the front of this clean sedan, a color-keyed DeSoto grille rides between a nosed hood, frenched tri-bar headlights and small LED parking lamps. Behind that hood, tinted and creased glass rides inside a smoothed, wiperless cowl, a small mirror and shaved, electronically actuated doors. Beneath that glass, a simple, monochromatic profile showcases the car's classic Mercury lines. And at the back of that profile, a decked, electronically actuated trunk rides between small LED taillights.

ENGINE

Like it or not, sometimes it's good to break tradition. And breaking tradition is one thing that makes this Merc so impressive. Lift the car's domed hood and you'll find 454 cubic inches of big block muscle that, thanks to a sweet set of polished valve covers, does a great impression of Chevy's 502 cubic inch monster motor. At the top of the fully detailed mill, a polished, open-element air cleaner feeds a coated, 750cfm Edelbrock that's plumbed with braided fluid lines and a polished, canister-style filter. The resulting energy mixture makes its way from an Edelbrock Performer 2.0 intake to cast iron Chevrolet heads. When those heads flood the cylinders, a familiar points distributor sequences fire between a chrome-capped coil and loomed Taylor Thundervolt wires. Resultant gases are jettisoned through powder-coated, long-tube headers. The orange block's cooling is provided by a custom aluminum radiator that's fitted with chrome flex tubes, two SPAL puller fans and a sleek, fiberglass shroud. Charge comes courtesy of a polished Powermaster alternator that, along with a polished AC compressor and aluminum water pump, spins on an aesthetically pleasing March pulley system. And overall, the smooth, body-matched engine compartment is exceptionally clean, featuring details such as polished breathers, polished fluid tanks, polished dipsticks and a proven Wilwood master cylinder.

DRIVETRAIN/SUSPENSION

Take a look under this incredible custom and you'll find a bent-tube Art Morrison skeleton that's been augmented with a series of excellent upgrades. Opposite the car's channeled and tubbed floors, a RideTech Shockwave suspension utilizes modern power rack-and-pinion steering to combine pleasant road manners with a killer stance. At the center of that suspension, a 2,500 RPM stall converter jerks a beefy 700R4 4-speed, which spins a familiar Ford 9-inch around 3.55 gears. At the sides of that awesome driveline, the aforementioned headers roll spent gases through large stainless pipes and throaty Magnaflow mufflers. At the corners of that exhaust, bright red calipers and 11-inch discs provide solid, predictable stops. And, on the outside of those discs, 20-inch DUBs spin 255/35 Mickey Thompson Street Comps in front of 275/40 Mickey Thompson Street Comps.

INTERIOR

Like its drivetrain and body, the car's supple interior is a completely custom creation that highlights technology while honoring heritage. 2-tone ultraleather seats, which are both soft and supportive, ride on clean gray carpet that's stretched between handsome aluminum sills. In front of those seats, a '49 Merc dash anchors Classic Instruments All American telemetry beside custom lettering. At the base of that dash, a custom console centers remote-controlled Pioneer audio and lighted Vintage Air twist knobs above small accessory switches and a classy Lokar shifter. Opposite that console, flamed side panels hang hidden courtesy lamps and modernist armrests in front of power-operated windows. Above those panels, a billet mirror leads a stitched headliner. In front of the driver, a polished and half-wrapped steering wheel laps a tilting column, a billet accelerator pedal and a cool, Mercury-branded brake pedal. And behind the blue-lit cockpit, a fully finished trunk reflects cool Mercury branding in a small, polished fuel filler.

OUR SALE INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTATION AND ACCESSORIES

A small book of build photos
A copy of the car's shout out in the June, 2014 edition of Street Scene Magazine
Three trophies

This razor-sharp sled is one of the coolest cruisers on the planet! And at only $109,900, it isn't just a scratch-built kustom that's attainable for a fraction of its build cost; it's a unique hot rod that sets itself apart from a virtual sea of chopped, diced, smothered and covered street rods. If you're ready to own the very definition of American cool, don't miss out on this incredible Mercury!