Event Coverage 49 no reserve Mercury built by Dick Dean to sell saturday at Mecum Kissimee

See all the lil details that stand out make me wonder how much of the original build is left and how much is Bondo. And how much of the stuff used is cheap hardware bits like the crooked generic tractor supply gauges and the horn ****on I pointed out. Guarantee nothing underneath is from the original build. And if I'm right 70% at the minimum of the front sheet metal isn't either....if it is original it's caked in Bondo. By the time you subtract the less than par stuff all you really have is a body tub and vin with history....rest is a sloppy restomod. One where even if you wanted to replace them with stock parts to unhardware store/unrestomod it would still be serious $ to make look decent. I too love the interior scheme but it'd probably be close to $10k to match it up with decent parts. And yeah it'll probably pull higher than my number. But it likely won't be for the history. It'll be someone planning to put wheels on it to match the steering wheel

 

The least they could have done is sprung for the Crestliner wheel.

 

https://rmsothebys.com/auctions/az15/lots/r104-1949-mercury-convertible-custom-by-****-dean/

Oh that explains a lot. It's not a vintage dean build. It's a Boyd era build built by dean.

 

I was wondering why some of you guys were acting like this thing was built in the 50’s? It is an accurate representation of the customs built in the 90’s, and the Olds frame/floor was a rather innovative way to get a custom on the road economically. I also think the raised front wheel wells and crooked grille are from Dean’s build. Any “Bondo” on there is at least the same as the last time it auctioned.

 

Generally when someone mentions a big name from back in the day without mentioning that it's a late in life build that other than builder name is the opposite of a traditional build you ***ume it's a vintage build.....like the Barris olds foose recently cleaned up. Had this same car been built by some random person it would have only been allowed on the off topic forum. Way it's listed makes sound like an updated vintage build....not a merc body slapped on a 77 Oldsmobile

 

**** Dean is probably as well known for "slapping" Mercs on Olds ch***is as he is for anything he did early in his career.

 

And how do people here react to people wanting to frame swap an old car?

 

$41,650

 

What has that have anything to do with a car going to auction in Folrida?

 

Well we're here talking about a car that will likely be advertised as traditional despite having little but the sheet metal older than the smog era.

 

It seems like towards the end of his career **** was kind of cranking out Mercurys on GM ch***is. I remember a story in Street Rodder magazine about how he could do the swap in one day, I'd think some corners were being cut on those cars.

 

$49 447.83

 

$1.298 before fees. After...$48,425. It has 'the look' aslong as one does not 'look' too hard. If I saw it cruising down the road? Hell yeah I'd 'look'.

 

Hammer, 44,000. It does less than nothing for me. The car is the epitome of confused, and I'd bet the seller and Me*** set their chips on the name. My estimate may be generous. Small community, not many left that "get it" any more. Eew...

 

Turns out it’s a 90s build on an ‘77 Oldsmobile ch***is. revise my estimate down to $20,000 tops. I actually don’t think it’s wise to pay that. These ch***is swaps ruin the value in my opinion.

 

Anybody that knows anything about **** Dean should know that if a Merc has a GM column in it and was supposedly built by Dean it will 99% of the time be on a Olds ch***is. He was doing them all the time. It was pretty much his calling card in the 80's and 90's. If you are buying a car based on the name of the builder you should probably have some knowledge of what that builder was about.

 

$1.00

 

I'll have to comment about the sound "system" since that doesn't seem to bother anyone else.......


Ripping it out of the dash and leaving the hole with the wires hanging would be an upgrade. Words fail me to describe my feelings about seeing it filling the trunk.
I really like the car as a whole. The pluses far outweigh the minuses. Don't for a minute think that I'm trashing the car.
I'm not sure if there are any off-center issues with the grille teeth. Maybe because the sun is shining from the side, the reflection on the chrome appears a little wonky.
***North of 50K by a little***

 

I've not got a good eye for customs. But $43,200 before fees.

 

Some cars, the more you look the more you like. Unfortunately, this car is the opposite of that...

Pretty sloppy build or possible rebuild of a faux 'traditional' car. They're hoping for a buyer with too much money and superficial knowledge.

 

I'm in agreement with a lot of what you're saying on the car....those are not billet door handles, however. Them be stock Mercury units. Got the same thing in my '49.

 

Uh-oh billet police party foul.

 

I'm leaning towards sloppy work after it left Dean's shop. He was known for those quick and nasty ch***is and floor pan swaps on Mercs though. Not quite in by 8 out by 5 but they were done in a short period of time.

The steering wheel is the least of the issues as all you have to do is find a correct looking wheel that fits that column and done or swap columns to one that will work with the wheel of choice.

A big issue to me from personal experince is no panel above the radiator to block air from going over the radiator and my experience says that is all too often the cause of overheating in a Merc of that body style. The builder leaves that above the radiator panel off and more air goes over than through the radiator. That is at road speed rather than slow traffic.

Other than that, The nose looks slapped together by someone who was not paying attention because that is probably the most offcenter grill I have seen in a custom.

The upholstery looks right me for a custom of that style although the seat is a bit modern having had a car with that same seat in it you can do serious cross country runs on that seat and rack up a lot of miles in a day and not feel beat up. It looks like the same one that was in my 75 Delta 88 that I got from my dad and swapped transmissons at a little gas station /rent the hoist by the hour place on Benson Highway Between Renton and Kent Wa.

It will probably go high to somone with serous wants even with it's flaws.

 

18k

 

I'm thinking closer to 60K simply because a lot of guys who might buy one aren't as involved in period correct as many of us are and someone will get in a bidding war just to beat someone else out.

Their live auctions are on You Tube by the way just put Me*** in the search and it should be findable.

 

Well.....I suppose it could have sold for more, but I would drive it at that price.

 

The problem with putting a '49-'51 "Merc" body on a '77 Oldsmobile frame and floor pan is the Olds wheelbase is 2" short, that and the Olds front and rear axle track width is 61"wide when you need 58" wide.

 

Less than I would have guessed, a bargain for the buyer in my opinion. A few things I'd change, but less than most customs I see for sale.