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

SUMMARY

454 cubic inch Chevrolet V8
700R4 4-speed automatic transmission / 2,500 RPM stall converter
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, he 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, am Barris or just stellar design, 9-51 Mercurys seem gifted with universal appeal that few classics possess. This first class Mercury Kustom is the recipient of a complete, rame-off restoration that combines epic paint with excellent design, potent Chevy big block and a clean custom interior. With fully sorted mechanicals, he 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, ld school masterpiece that features a roster of top-notch equipment, o hot rod offers more style for less money!

BODYWORK/TRIM

Officially baptized in to the Kustom world just a few years back, his 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 fiberglass that's been chopped, hanneled 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, ealed in thick clear and lovingly buffed to a trophy-winning shine. And today, his Merc rolls as one excellent-looking custom that's completely devoid of filler, uestionable seams, trange 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, nd in 1949 the first lead sled, uilt by Sam Barris, ioneered what would become hot rodding's definitive '50s custom. At the front of this clean sedan, color-keyed DeSoto grille rides between a nosed hood, renched tri-bar headlights and small LED parking lamps. Behind that hood, inted and creased glass rides inside a smoothed cowl, small mirror and shaved, lectronically actuated doors. Beneath that glass, simple, onochromatic profile showcases the car's classic Mercury lines. And at the back of that profile, decked, lectronically actuated trunk rides between small LED taillights.

ENGINE

Like it or not, ometimes 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, hanks to a sweet set of polished valve covers, oes a great impression of Chevy's 502 cubic inch monster motor. At the top of the fully detailed mill, polished, pen-element air cleaner feeds a coated, 50cfm Edelbrock that's plumbed with braided fluid lines and a polished, anister-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, familiar points distributor sequences fire between a chrome-capped coil and loomed Taylor Thundervolt wires. Resultant gases are jettisoned through powder-coated, ong-tube headers. The orange block's cooling is provided by a custom aluminum radiator that's fitted with chrome flex tubes, wo SPAL puller fans and a sleek, iberglass shroud. Charge comes courtesy of a polished Powermaster alternator that, long with a polished AC compressor and aluminum water pump, pins on an aesthetically pleasing March pulley system. And overall, he smooth, ody-matched engine compartment is exceptionally clean, eaturing details such as polished breathers, olished fluid tanks, olished 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, 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, 2,500 RPM stall converter jerks a beefy 700R4 4-speed, hich spins a familiar Ford 9-inch around 3.55 gears. At the sides of that awesome driveline, he aforementioned headers roll spent gases through large stainless pipes and throaty Magnaflow mufflers. At the corners of that exhaust, right red calipers and 11-inch discs provide solid, redictable stops. And, n the outside of those discs, 0-inch DUBs spin 255/35 Mickey Thompson Street Comps in front of 275/40 Mickey Thompson Street Comps.

INTERIOR

Like its drivetrain and body, he car's supple interior is a completely custom creation that highlights technology while honoring heritage. 2-tone ultraleather seats, hich are both soft and supportive, ide on clean gray carpet that's stretched between handsome aluminum sills. In front of those seats, '49 Merc dash anchors Classic Instruments All American telemetry beside custom lettering. At the base of that dash, 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, lamed side panels hang hidden courtesy lamps and modernist armrests in front of power-operated windows. Above those panels, billet mirror leads a stitched headliner. In front of the driver, polished and half-wrapped steering wheel laps a tilting column, billet accelerator pedal and a cool, ercury-branded brake pedal. And behind the blue-lit cockpit, fully finished trunk reflects cool Mercury branding in a small, olished 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, 014 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, t 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, iced, mothered and covered street rods. If you're ready to own the very definition of American cool, on't miss out on this incredible Mercury!