Wanna daydream with me? 1954 Mercury

I picked this car up a couple of months ago - barely. When I went to look at it I almost walked away. Rust. Rusted out rear quarters, rust in the floors (at least what I could see of the floors), and probably rust I couldn't see but felt sure I'd find later. The p***enger side trim had hail damage. All of it. I almost walked away. Almost. You know what happened next, don't you? I started dreaming. How cool would this car be with.........yah, that. So I overpaid and brought it home. That's what you're supposed to do, right?

I generally like to crank stuff out pretty quick but I think this one could be here awhile. I wanna do a mild custom with it and keep it around for one of my sons to cruise someday. I paid my oldest to gut it for me so we could see exactly what we're on for. The good news is the floors aren't as bad as I expected. The bad news is I'm already buying parts! I've secured most of the stainless I'll need thanks to koolmercuryman. I keep surfing the web and looking at photos of other custom 54s and I keep thinking of all kinds of stuff to do this cream puff.

- Chop the top is a no brainer
- Change dash. Hate that 54 dash. 55 Merc speedo would look cool.....
- Shave, trim, yadda, yadda
- Lincoln 341 engine? Wonder if there is a cool looking flathead that would give me good perfromance?
- Grill. Hmmmm. 51/52 plymouth floating grill in there?
- Rear bumper lowered
- manual trans with floor shift?

I'll stop there for now so you can start.

 

Had a 54 Mercury one time, never could get used to the dash or figure out why it was done like that. Cool car, good luck!

 

I was told it was to emulate an airplane ****pit with psudo throttle levers, etc. The early 50's were big on airplane hood ornaments, side trim, etc., remember this design was Korean war era.

 

I can see this is the look Hudson was going for when they updated the Stepdowns for 54.

 

Why would you go backward to a flathead. Less power, more expensive and just doesn't fit the bill. I would try to swap for a later 292 Y-block.
Leave the grill bar it already looks clean and customized from the factory. Chopping and retaining the rear window might not be so trivial. Good luck, those are nice cars.

 

Nice score. That Merc that Jeffrey James had, maybe it was a '54, sure looked nice chopped.

 

I have a thing for '52-'54 mercs.... This one is my favorite, next to my own. Personally I'd swap to a '53 nose myself, and put a '53 dash in it. I'd keep the Y-Block, not a flathead. Mild chop, nothing crazy. Keep it clean and simple, its already a beautiful design from the factory.

 

My father had one back in the early 80's we put a 472 Caddy in it, also put in a hone overdrive.

 

I love all 52 53 54 fords and mercs. The 53 ford and 54 merc are my favorites. I like the 54 merc dash so much i am putting one in my 53 ford.

 

Mark Morton's Merc is definitely ****ah! As for chopping the roof - I didn't mean that it's trivial - just that it really needs to be done. The flathead - well I just like the looks of it. If I couldn't get the horses out of it- then forget it. The ford 292 thing just feels too obvious and overdone. 472 Caddy sounds like a LOT of beef for that little car!

Hey green53ford - let me know if you need a dash.

 

great car. i would go with a later Y-block, one of the best sounding engines. And i vote no on the chop, its already a cool car from the factory, just needs to be cleaned up a bit and slammed. good luck

 

How similar is a 55 merc body to a 54? Thinking mostly about dash size. 55 lincoln front bumper looks pretty snazzy....

 

My 53 Merc (same body as 54 )with 55 Pontiac grille and side trim.
Enjoy---TwoChops
54 taillights added WITHOUT backup lights.

 

Two questions/observations.

One you said mild custom. As much as I like the idea of a chopped top by definition once you lower the lid it is no longer a mild custom.

Two and this is probably more of a personal taste thing, why would you pull a Y block in favor of a flatty? Tell you what though a 12 cylinder flatty would be cool as hell in there.

OK now that I have spread a little doubt in your plans, I like all your ideas and love custom '54 mercs. Even though I think the bigger Lincoln motor add up to vcubic dollars it is a damned good idea. Chromed Lincoln rocker covers when you peal the hood open is a real eye catcher.

maybe round all the corners hood doors and deck lid.

 

NOT every car needs to be chopped...when doing so, you've gone from "mild kustom" to "radical kustom"...and maybe those words don't mean anything to you but chopping a hardtop is not the easiest thing to do...

A flathead...??? Why...??? Just because it "looks good." Personally, I think a small blok Chevy with tons of chrome accessories looks good in a Merc, any Merc...but if you want horsepower and stay in the "family," then find a 460" Lincoln.

A simple emblem removal, door handles tossed, hood scoop opened up, quarter scoops opened up, lowered, fender skirts and maybe a grille/bumper changes will get you a mild kustom...and a nice looking one at that.

Care to see a "full kustom" build...go here:
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=329070&highlight=the+best+55+caddy+build

R-

 

Got a 390 Caddy in mine.----325 hp

 

My dream? No chop. Section out 2" right where the side trim is, and then remount the trim where it would go....above the fenders' profiles. Keep the light blue/green color, add white walls and white wheels, caps, and white interior... maybe white roof. Keep the '54 dash. Keep the Y block, but find a 292 or even 312.

Hey, we can dream, can't we?

 

Ok Ok - looks like we're fired up! 40stude - I love your caddy - I've slobbered over it many times. I guess my definitions were wrong - I want a full custom. When I see how the top on Mortons Merc is, I see perfection. Lotsa' work to be sure but I'm willing to work. A Lincoln V12 would be awesome in there - at least the looks of it! (yes - I care about how it looks) A Chevy in a Merc? Man I just can't get there. TwoChops -that plymouth grill looks like a great fit in there!

 

Eversince i saw my cousin's 54 Hardtop in his garage back in 1964 I always wanted one...but never came close except for the SunValley in Sugar Land TX for $850 which I p***ed in 1975. STill love them though. Doesn't take much to make a stunner out of a stunner.

 

Pardon my typo. Must have been thinking bout that 52 plymouth grill while I was typing!

 

double post

 

O kids -
Car Craft Dec 1957

 

Rod & Custom August 1953

 

Rod & Custom July 1956

 

My old 53. I still have another 53 dash. Shoot me a PM if you are interested.

 

1951 Merc. This is a Merc of another breed compared to your 54.

 

For sure. I was noticing how the rear quarters and tail lights looked similar.

 

None of those grill treatments looks anywhere as good as the stock grille...

 

Totally agree, in my opinion the '53 was the cleanest of the 3 years. Im a little biased though....