So about 2 weeks before Christmas I walked into the room where my wife was wrapping Christmas presents. She was looking out the window leaning on the window sill watching the snow come down. I walked up beside her and slapped her butt (a love tap) and leaned against the sill watching the snow come down. She slowly turned and looked at me and said, "So this is what retirement looks like ,eh? " I knew right then and there that I should go to the shop and start working on a couple of the 49 mercs I had kicking around.
The one with the roof cut off is a 4dr that some turned to a tub using coupe doors.It iis on an olds chassis and floor pans so I won't show that. However I will be doing chrome vent windows , roll up door and 1/4 windows and a whittled down 56 caddy convertible top bows. 52 caddy wheels and sombreros 50 dash modified to take a 62 chrysler speedo, as well as a bunch of other stuff. I hope to use up a lot of stuff that is laying around my shop. This will be a low buck build. The second one is a 49 coupe that has a 56 olds 4drhdtp roof narrowed to fit the merc with a merc back window, it has 54 ft of cuts and welding in the roof . It will be going with a stock frame with a 9 inch rear end and a 401 Buick nailhead.
I also included a couple of pics of the second merc. The chassis and engine for the second merc are done, its sitting on a roller right now.
All I can say is I wish I had your skills and the will power to get 1/2 the work done that you do! I am getting too old and banged up to get 4 hours work done in 4 days anymore!
That working in the shop after retirement thing worked for about 5 years for me. I got my projects all roadworthy, then laziness crept in. Its pretty easy to find excuses not to go out to the shop these days. The increasing cost of everything, the lack of a current project, not having the money to buy a project, nor the desire to work on one, and the aches and pains of years of abuse to my body are not helping. I don't seem to mind leaning on the fender and watching my son work on his projects, but he doesn't seem to be as motivated as I used to be, so that opportunity doesn't happen often. I had 4 or 5 car guy buddies that all hung around together, but I was the last active guy of that bunch as well. It all makes me feel old, but by the HAMB standards, I'm not old yet. I wish the OP better results then I had.
Thanks gene-koning . I have one more merc that I want to do a careful 2 dr conversion and chop. I need to get the heavy work done before I am unable. I would love my kids to be more enthusiastic, but I do have a few friends and the hamb to cheer me on.
Nice Mercatroids.....Even.....Great stash of cars and your shop aint shabby either..keep us posted on the builds...now get out there and leave the misses alone already...lol...
desotot, nice to see you back posting! This will be great to watch. Did you do all the mods on the two MERCs or did you buy then that way?
Fortunateson, I finally started using the bead roller ! I did the complete roof and all the floor and rust repair as well as the complete chassis with the 401 nailhead on the 2drhdtp and floor repair and am currently doing the caddy top bows on the convertible merc as well as a lot of other stuff but that one came in looking pretty much like the top pic.
Well I’m glad the bead roller has worked out for you. Thanks again for all the transport of those things. Do you still do upholstery and do you still get down to the coast from time to time?
I'm like Gene----lasted longer after retirement but once we sold the horse farm and downsized, although I built a new, smaller shop, the time in it gradually went down. Still have the two projects I brought with me (49 Buick build here on HAMB) but less and less time working on finishing the projects. Not really health related. Rather, just incentive is waning. And, seeing the same in most, not all, of the guys I hot rodded with over the years. Some died, others just lost interest. Seeing this in the shows I still go to (less of them too) as more and more late model stuff is showing up. And, more worrisome is the lack of interest in this hobby by my children and grandkids. Not blaming them but they have different interests.
So the floor pans , tranny hump and a bunch of stuff is happening . I also still have small rust repairs as we as deleting unneeded screw holes and bolt holes etc.... I live out in the sticks so everything has to be mouse proof.
The tranny hump is slightly swollen from stock to enable easier trans removal and maintenance. I have the fame set up with a 65 401 sp 400 but I also have a 401 with a 4spd and am considering going that way instead.
Also today I made an adapter plate that will allow me to use a later Ford pickup manual steering box.
So, I have the top mounted on the rear pivots well as narrowed, etc. It looks like I may be able to install the rams as well. It's really a lot of work, once the top is satisfactory I will work on the side glass. At that point I will have a rag top automobile ( Kentucky Headhunters ).
The Jalopy Journal
