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History Found 52 Mercury Kustom Convertible

Discussion in 'Traditional Customs' started by Busted Knuckles, Oct 29, 2022.

  1. Busted Knuckles
    Joined: Dec 1, 2004
    Posts: 1,778

    Busted Knuckles
    Member

    Weekend bump for fresh eyes!
     
  2. gtokid70
    Joined: Jul 30, 2015
    Posts: 212

    gtokid70
    Member

    As a Edsel owner I totally agree. That car is one of a kind and not for everyone's taste. Cool car just the way it is. Nice score
     
    41 coupe, Spooky, drdave and 5 others like this.
  3. Piewagn
    Joined: Mar 25, 2009
    Posts: 1,524

    Piewagn
    Member

    This one....all day! upload_2022-11-13_18-7-44.png upload_2022-11-13_18-7-44.png
     
  4. Squablow
    Joined: Apr 26, 2005
    Posts: 17,758

    Squablow
    Member

    I don't hate the current grille but I'd love to see what it looks like with the squared-off hood scoop of the first photoshop. The V shaped pink hood piece with the clown nose on the end just doesn't go with the very boxy grille/front bumper treatment.

    I do like the '58 Ford front bumper as well, but I'm curious to know what the current setup would look like polished up and with a revised hood. I certainly don't hate it, and I think it would clean up surprisingly nice with a full day of careful cleaning and polishing. Won't cost much other than time to try.
     
  5. Woogeroo
    Joined: Dec 29, 2005
    Posts: 1,263

    Woogeroo
    Member
    from USA

    Interesting ride... it will be fun to see what ya'll do with it.
     
  6. Stan Back
    Joined: Mar 9, 2007
    Posts: 2,430

    Stan Back
    Member
    from California

    Right behind the doors -- three styling ideas in a crash mode. What's going on here and what's supporting it?
     
  7. Busted Knuckles
    Joined: Dec 1, 2004
    Posts: 1,778

    Busted Knuckles
    Member

    It's 55 Royal Lancer trim with a second rear piece turned upside-down to create the cover effect.
     

    Attached Files:

    Okie Pete likes this.
  8. trevorsworth
    Joined: Aug 3, 2020
    Posts: 1,504

    trevorsworth
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    I wouldn't do a damn thing except shine it up and drive it. "Needs to look more like this other car..." words that should never be said of kustoms. If your buddy makes any changes they should be to his taste & only his.
     
  9. Busted Knuckles
    Joined: Dec 1, 2004
    Posts: 1,778

    Busted Knuckles
    Member

    We are East Coast through and through, don't give a hoot how or what they do in California.
     

    Attached Files:

  10. Busted Knuckles
    Joined: Dec 1, 2004
    Posts: 1,778

    Busted Knuckles
    Member

    Says it all...
     

    Attached Files:

  11. i.rant
    Joined: Nov 23, 2009
    Posts: 4,570

    i.rant
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    1. 1940 Ford

    The Merc in post 28 is a definition of “ good taste,” beautiful custom.
     
  12. thewishartkid
    Joined: Jun 23, 2006
    Posts: 898

    thewishartkid
    Member

    I would not change a thing.This is my 54 Mercury 40235649_268926077275493_346291337491906560_n.jpg
     
  13. Spooky
    Joined: Mar 3, 2001
    Posts: 2,342

    Spooky
    Member

    As an experiment, maybe lose the grille teeth and that strange hood "pimple'. I bet that will clean it up a bunch.
     
  14. Bob Lowry
    Joined: Jan 19, 2020
    Posts: 1,573

    Bob Lowry

    Maybe an early Mary Kay rep. car?
     
    Hamtown Al likes this.
  15. rudestude
    Joined: Mar 23, 2016
    Posts: 3,048

    rudestude
    Member

    The shot of the 57 Chev the "California Gold Nugget" is perfect example of a car that spent its life on the show circuit and the changes that were made to keep the car competitive and winning .
    This is from a article in Customs Illustrated September 1963 20221125_000300~2.jpg
     
    Besty34, Sancho and LOST ANGEL like this.
  16. rudestude
    Joined: Mar 23, 2016
    Posts: 3,048

    rudestude
    Member

    Interesting car...drive and enjoy it.
    I have been looking through my collection of "Little Pages" found this car that I posted , it's got some of the features your car, or who ever it belongs to, but after looking at the car you posted I would guess it was built in the 80's to the style of a late 50's early 60's build...thats when the customs were becoming popular again ,late 70's 80's , it's a cool car and someone has done alot of work , check to see if bondo or lead was used in the body work, but just the way its put together and the side mirrors ,70's after market ...I know you can put mirrors on any time but them and the way they are fitted with the chrome strip ,I would say that they were installed at the same time..I will switch over to my 80's/early 90's custom car magazines and see what I find. 20221125_015901~2.jpg 20221125_020001~2.jpg 20221125_020011~2.jpg
     
  17. Nothing built in the 90’s needs to be considered sacred it would seem. The grille is an opportunity to make the car your own. I think the dagmars fight with the headlights for attention, and I would lose them. The turn signals look like an afterthought. Possibly a recessed dark background with some mid century modern drawer pulls in a sort of twinkling light motive would work and be cost effective. Some sort of period appropriate turn signals, or something muted/disappearing. Are you keeping the survivor paint? If so your chrome doesn’t need to be perfect, maybe what you have will shine up. I wasn’t around in the custom heyday, but they are starting to grow on me.
     
    Movinman likes this.
  18. Movinman
    Joined: Feb 20, 2005
    Posts: 1,109

    Movinman
    Member

    Since my last post, I have found much more information about the car. Interestingly enough, with all the drama comments from a certain few concerning how much better kustoms from California were, this car was originally customized out there. It didn’t come east until the mid 70’s when it was purchased by a much younger Ted Vernon, the guy from the now defunct TV show, South Beach Classics. Ted sold it, along with an Edsel, to a department store chain called Burdines. Basically a high end version of Macy’s. The car sat in the young men’s section of the store in the Sarasota Square Mall for several years until it was purchased, along with the same Edsel, by a gentleman named Ron Puleo in 1988. Ron sold it to Ken Endicott, who drove it to the KKOA show in Salina, Kansas and the World Of Wheels show in Atlanta in 1990. He then parked it in his garage for 32 years before I got it a few months ago. According to Ron, who I had the pleasure to speak with, the car had receipts from the Barris Shop in the glove box. Ron believes the Merc was built there, but anything in the glove box is unfortunately long gone. He did provide me with a few earlier pictures, which I am including here.

    C0599E5D-33E5-4C54-BD77-9B2702A4249D.jpeg F466649E-0133-4E76-8054-77A66F542E1C.jpeg 46678F4E-6E20-4478-90A1-D6D35BED4FE7.jpeg
     
    Woogeroo, Okie Pete, jaracer and 10 others like this.
  19. Gangrene
    Joined: May 22, 2019
    Posts: 64

    Gangrene
    Member

    I dig it! Polish that shit up and rock it!
     
  20. stanlow69
    Joined: Feb 21, 2010
    Posts: 7,346

    stanlow69
    Member Emeritus

    The 1990 KKOA show was not held in Salina Kansas.
     
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  21. Moriarity
    Joined: Apr 11, 2001
    Posts: 33,566

    Moriarity
    SUPER MODERATOR
    Staff Member

    Yup, first year there was 2005, 1990 was Holland Michigan
     
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  22. stanlow69
    Joined: Feb 21, 2010
    Posts: 7,346

    stanlow69
    Member Emeritus

    I wonder why I didn`t take a picture of it. Darn it.
     
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  23. Moriarity
    Joined: Apr 11, 2001
    Posts: 33,566

    Moriarity
    SUPER MODERATOR
    Staff Member

    I was there also and do not remember seeing it....
     
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  24. stanlow69
    Joined: Feb 21, 2010
    Posts: 7,346

    stanlow69
    Member Emeritus

    Endicott was from down south. Maybe it was at the Florida KKOA show.
     
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  25. Movinman
    Joined: Feb 20, 2005
    Posts: 1,109

    Movinman
    Member

    The location was my assumption. These all came in the car. Can you pinpoint the location based on these?

    B49325FA-3271-4235-A989-1F5A48BF0CD1.jpeg E05E1506-7787-454C-ACD1-DFDF6DE8D11F.jpeg 5CDA203F-2478-49A7-B296-8E715605CE15.jpeg
     
  26. Moriarity
    Joined: Apr 11, 2001
    Posts: 33,566

    Moriarity
    SUPER MODERATOR
    Staff Member

    well the button is from the Bailon Candy cruise in Auburn Calif. so that must have been the show he was talking about, hard to believe he would drive from Georgia to Calif though....
     
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  27. Movinman
    Joined: Feb 20, 2005
    Posts: 1,109

    Movinman
    Member

    According to his wife, the two of them traveled all over the country in their cars for years. She enjoyed telling me stories of their breakdowns and what it took for the em to get rolling again.
     
  28. Kustom Faction
    Joined: Dec 16, 2022
    Posts: 3

    Kustom Faction

    Wow, this is absolutely awesome.
     
    stanlow69 likes this.
  29. Squablow
    Joined: Apr 26, 2005
    Posts: 17,758

    Squablow
    Member

    The new pictures showing the car with Winfield fade style quarter panel paint and lacking the ball on the hood, I must say I like that version.

    And you just know, someone had pictures of this car when it was in that department store. Not sure how you'd ever find them aside from asking some Facebook groups from that area of the country if anyone ever shopped there and remembered the car, but I'd be shocked if no pictures existed of it at that point. That'd be cool to find.
     

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