I would like to tell you about our friend Joe D.'s 1949 Mercury, or as the car guys like to call it the "lead sled," which got its name from the body lines after the roof gets chopped. Why would one chop apart a perfectly good roof you ask? Well, its all about those sexy body lines, and yes, cars can be sexy. The transformation and finish work to follow is what catches your eye.
So heres the story, Joe a good friend of ours had his heart set on buying an old car he knew he wanted something classy and knew he wanted it to be a head turner, well all good searches do pay off and we didnt even have to travel to find it. As it would turn out searching ebay the next town over was a project to be finished.
It was a rough 1949 Mercury the hard part was done. It had its four inch chop, remember its all about the body lines. After Joe purchased it the fun started- get it running, update the brakes, needed an interior, paint, radio- you know the little things. Like any artist, the car is your canvas with each detail bringing the car back to life and making it one of a kind.
Since we were lucky to have a good solid body everything else was easy, and custom to Joe's taste. Like I said it needed finishing. First was getting it running; next, was a lot of chrome under the hood, which, if that's something you like, dont forget the polish, otherwise the dust will drive you crazy.
Now, how many cars have you seen with a custom stainless dash, hand built by our friend Andy, add updated gages and a very cool radio that flips out and you have a very sleek dashboard. Then, there is the tuck and roll interior to match the color of the car with its own special touches. Now, lets talk about the paint-silver and purple and in the sunlight has some bling going on. Of course no led sled is complete unless you can raise and lower the car off the ground, in car lingo they call them air bags.
The best part about this resto is Joe told us what he wanted and we built it. He took it with his wife on its first long trip this past September to the annual Lake George Event. She loved the ride as much as he did. The only thing to top the event was all of the people who asked questions about the car, and the pictures people took in front of it. For all you car lovers, there's nothing like a person taking an interest in your car.
Brian was really happy to build this car for Joe the way he wanted it, and now Joe is thinking about another custom car. But he has one problem, if he has two his wife will have to give up her spot in the garage. So that dream might be put on hold for a little while. The only thing this Merc is missing is James Dean.
Thanks for reading , check out our other projects on our facebook page in Peekskill , and if you have any question send Brian and email at bdee@verizon.net . We are truly blessed with great customers and friends and enjoy sharing their stories.
