Just Bought a 51 Mercury

[Dean Miller]

Picked up this 51 Coupe last weekend. I have wanted a chopped 49-51 ever since I was about 10-11 years old. I turn 48 this year,so persistence does pay of!
It’s a real good sold almost rust free and straight starter for my plans.Plans are,3/5 chop keeping the 51 rear window,frenched headlights 53 Chrysler tail lights slightly frenched haven’t decided on a grill yet I don’t want to do the same thing as everyone else does but want to stay traditional.Same with side moldings.
Anyone have any grill ideas,I want to stay in about a 1956 time frame.

[Rik Hoving]

Looks like a great score Dean.
Glad to read you will keep the ’51 rear window. As you might have read in Rob’s (King Kustom) thread they are not easy to lay down, but in the end it will all be worth it since they look so good.

Grille will not be easy to come up with something you do not see too often.
How about using a 1951 Lincoln unit, with the ends cut of and replaced with something else, perhaps bumper guards ends, or some sort of parking lights.
A 1951 Dodge has a nice bar that I do not recall ever seen used as floating grille bar. This one also will need some work to look right.
There are a lot of cars that have interesting grille section, and even bumper sections that could be used for unique grille bars. But of course those all will need more work than the more common grilles.

Enjoy the beauty of Customizing

[Dean Miller]

thanks Rik.I’m kicking around the idea of using a 54 Ford grill without the center bullet,maybe narrowing it.,

[KingKustoms]

Nice start, Dean! Sounds like you have some cool guidelines. I like the stretch of 1956 because it will open up your options when choosing side trim and grill ideas…perhaps you can approach it like the Bettancourt/Zupan Merc- an early ’50s build with a mid-’50s update?

Robert A. Radcliffe III
King Kustoms

[Renaud Zed Legardez]

Grilles ideas for 49-51 Mercury?!?! you’ll have a hard time finding pics for that obscure car, never used before for kustomizing !lol!

Joke aside, great score! 😉

[Dean Miller]

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The Bettencort/Zupan Merc has one of my favorite front end treatments.I’d like to find 2 49-50 grill surrounds for mine.>

[Dean Miller]

You almost never see them customized,very odd.

[Dean Miller]

Started the chop last night.3 in. Front 4in. In the rear, I will lay the rear glass forward and slant the b pillars.

[Rik Hoving]

The beginning of something good… Great start.

Whats the side trim you have taped to the side?

Enjoy the beauty of Customizing

[Dean Miller]

Thanks Rik,the trim is 53 Dodge. I bought a full set of NOS my plan is to get a set of 55/56 Chevy 150/210 trim also and do the trim like the Blue Danube Buick.

[Rik Hoving]

Dean Miller wrote:

Thanks Rik,the trim is 53 Dodge. I bought a full set of NOS my plan is to get a set of 55/56 Chevy 150/210 trim also and do the trim like the Blue Danube Buick.

NICE!

Enjoy the beauty of Customizing

[Dave Tartaglia]

Whoaa, you didn’t waste any time! Good luck with the chop.
I dig the chrome 7-spoke wheel on the rear; haven’t seen one of those in ages.
May not go with the ’56 time-frame build, though!

[Dave Tartaglia]

Dean,
Finding an OEM grille that looks right and hasn’t been used will be tough. Have you thought of building your own?
Back in 1963, Gene Winfield did a simple grille using chromed exhaust tubing in his Solar Scene. Though the rest of the build was very sixties, something similar would work well for your period. Here’s Winfield’s car and a simpler ’51 I used to show what it would look like.

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[Dave (a.k.a. rodncustomdreams)]

Just cracked a beverage and sitting back to watch this one! Is it as solid as it looks?

Dave

Jus' creepin' along..

[Dean Miller]

It’s got the one rust hole in the right fender one in the left quarter the size of a dime and a couple that are smaller then a dime in the driver door.floors and rockers have zero rust.

[Author]

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