Customs How far am I over my head (1951 Merc 4dr sedan)

Well folks I am completely new to car restorations. The most I have ever done is simple repairs and oil changes but I know its time that I learn more about one of the most important aspects of my life which is what I drive everyday.

I currently do not own my first project car but I will be making my purchase within the next three months I am just looking for the right one.

I know that I want to restore a 1951 mercury 4 door sedan but i don't know what I need to look for in a good project car.

My intent for this car is to be my everyday driver while I want it to be show quality I want to be able to drive the heck out of it.

what do you guys think are the most important qualities to look for when selecting a good project car.

attached is an example of what i would like to end up with when everything is said and done with.

also for those that have been in my shoes feel free to tell me how much trouble I am about to get myself into.

Thank you to everyone for taking the time to read this and to help me along my way!

 

A lot depends on how much you have to spend, in both time and money. How dedicated to this project you can be- how much of a "project" are you able to deal with- lots of questions to ask yourself before you start-

 

Depends on your skills. Unless you do show quality body work, paint and fabrication, you may be over your head. Then again, if you have deep pockets, maybe not. Show quality paint alone will cost you $15K on up...............

 

My only advice is to buy the nicest car to start with that you can.

 

My feelings have not changed for 30 years. If you can't do most of the work yourself or just want to, go buy the nicest restored or well kept origonal stocker you can find. Just pay the price and be sure to drive it home. You will be way ahead of everyone else and not even know it yet. Starting with a Hulk is not a smart move unless you just want something to be involved with for many years to come, not to mention all that extra $$$$$ you'll get to spend. Also if you really want to use it daily with a family I'd say don't get all caught up in the way it used to be and go vintage under the hood. Fact is the way it used to be we installed newer drive trains in them when they were 5 years old. Olds, Caddy, Buick, Chrysler, those were New car motors at the time. What's wrong with staying with that tradition? Go F.I. and A.O.D. and just leave the hood closed, Customs always look best with the hood down anyway. Another thing you will learn along the way is that 8 out of 10 shops won't do the kind of work you expect or pay for. Take your time do a lot of home work finding those 2 shops that will. Personally I don't like the way M-2 or Fatman work or drive under 49-51 Merc's. Also don't get caught up in a complete frame swap. Think about what your doing and keep it simple. This is from a guy that bought his first 50 Merc in 1965 for $35.oo and drove it home. It's gone through a lot of changes and coming back around again (not soon enough).
The Wizzard

 

As far as time I have an unlimited amount of time. I currently have two cars so I would not have a pressing need to have this up and running in the immediate future. As far as funding I can probably put in about 35,000 my first year and another 10k for each year after for a max of about 65k over 4 years. As far as the amount of a project I have no idea on that one. As i said I am completely knew to this and I know there will be things that are way out of my league such as chopping the roof and many other things of that nature. As far as profit is concerned I will not be looking to sell the vehicle anytime soon unless I am forced to and if I am, i would want to break even or slightly ahead.

My problem is I am so new to this i dont even know what types of questions to ask.

Thanks so much for your reply!

 

Get one with as little rust as you can afford.

 

You might be best of employing someone to help you look at your potential purchase. For the type of money you are talking I would have you in a VERY nice car.

 

Ditto, all the above....Another thing...take a trusted, knowledgeable friend with you, to look over a potential purchase...... And never let a seller see how "bad" you may want their car......

4TTRUK

 

Also ask yourself this. Do you want something to tinker with, use, and make improvements on or do you want to spend the next 3 years or more fixing the ravages of father time?

 

That was one of my big debates was how complete of a car do i want. As a beggining i know I should get as close to complete as possible but at the same time I also want to be able to say at the end of the day that I helped get this car to where it is. I think that if I get a car that is to complete when its all said and done with I feel that I might be robbing myself of the satisfaction of getting there. Its like they say success is in the journey not the destination. So i guess the right question would be what would be the best stage for me to get into this project on that would still give me the satisfaction of doing some of the work but not putting me to far over my head.

 

well gentz I look forward to reading what everyone has to say when I wake up but it is time for me to hit the sack thanks to all those who have posted and to all those who are going to post!

 

If I was in your shoes I would try and buy a older restoration that has sat for say 25 years and needs some minor loving to get back on the road. Something nice enough you could enjoy it for the next year or so after you get it running....But may need paint in the future. But is essentially nice and rust free and would run without rebuilding the entire thing.

 

The smartest and best thing you can do is do your homework and buy one that has already been done. If you are determined to build your own, you must find one where the hard to do and expensive rust and structural repairs have already been done. Otherwise the amount of money you have set aside will never, never be enough. To have one built that will be both "show quality and go quality" will cost you over $100K. Pist-n-Broke gave you the straight scoop. So buy one that is already DONE and that won't turn into a Money Pit Project. Once it's in a shop the costs skyrocket. The labor costs along can easily break the bank and are always more than anticipated. Since you say you have about $65k to spend, you can buy a really nice ride. BUY ONE DONE.

 

I'll say it one more time and then let you do as you please. Buy a complete car. Anything you will take off or just change over is worth $$$$ and comes off the total investment. It's like carrying a Gun. It's better to have it and not need it than the other way around. Trying to find small Merc parts never ends. Just go to the wanted adds here and over at the Ford Barn. I love building cars, have done several Mercs for customers and have been doing it my whole life. Driving them is much better. There was some other good advice given, find a Car Pal to help you shop that knows Mercs and never buy any 49-51 Merc without putting it up on a lift and looking at the bottom. Take your time shopping.
The Wizzard

 

There are a lot of ways to get into a Mercury, but here are my suggestions on price. For the record I bought a custom that was done probably in the 80's.

Buy at the right price.

If you can get a fully done car that you can have professionally inspected with respect to the body, floors, frame, driveline, then go for it. If you get can get said car for < $20-35K already chopped that's great. A chop can cost $8-15K.

Or on the other end of the spectrum, get a fully stock one and have someone like Matt @ Townsend Customs in Riverside, California chop it for you. If you can buy a super clean stock running one for $7-10K that's another way to go.

Everything has a price. If you have to do major rust repair to the floors, rockers, quarter panels you could spend a lot of money just to fix that stuff.

My favorite chopped 4 door is the Pickle, though I've only seen it in pics.

So bone stock, buy it as clean as possible. Customized, make a list of all that's done to it so you can properly value the car.

Chopped, frenched, nosed, decked, all the gl*** and trim done, super nice body work and paint, all of that work could run 30K very easily and get higher.

I'm jumping around but you get my point.

 

Thank you all, I think i will take the advice of the vast majority and get a car that is complete or very near complete.

 

Great advice from everyone. Another thing that you need to consider is the tools and equipment required to fully restore and customize a car to show quality. You said you have only done minor work so I am ***uming that your skill level with sheet metal work is very little. It takes time to learn this skill and get good at it. You also need a lot of space for the tools and equipment and the car in pieces. Working in a driveway or under a carport is not the way to go. You can easily spend more money that you would on a nice car just to equip a shop that doesn't have everything you need.

 

By a completed car.

 

my .02 after seeing alot of projects never see completion....

1- buy a car you can drive ( but may not be pretty)

2- While driving your car, frequent car shows and cruises, and get a feel for mods or upgrades you may like

3- Surround yourself with realistic highly motivated friends

4- Make a list of what you may like or ultimatly want your cruiser to be

The psychology behind buying a driver is, you will have enjoyed the vehicle, created memories, and be looking forward to an end result.... People dont do this, and that is why there are alot of cars apart in the garage and sold after years of dust settling on them.

DO alot of your projects or adjustments to your car in the off cruising season.

Make sure if anyone helps you, your return the favor...Alot of great long lasting friendships are forged this way.

 

For $35K (your stated first year budget) you can get yourself a pretty top-shelf 51 Merc 4 dr that doesn't need any work, and certainly not a "project car". If you said $3500, then it's a project car.

The first thing to learn is how to manage the money by not paying more than you should for cars, parts, and work.

The second thing is that show cars and daily drivers aren't the same thing. A daily driver is going to get dirty, dings, scratches, and wear, and you're gonna freak out when your paintjob gets a big stone chip.

 

my first year budget is 35,000 so that is well beyond the project phase and as you said into the higher-end of the 51 mercs.

you are correct a daily driver is different from a show car but I guess I am wanting my cake and to be able to eat it too. I guess it will be up to me to be able to find the balance between what I want and what is practical.

Lets say that I am willing to put all 35K of my first years budget into purchasing my merc what can I reasonably expect for that money?

Things that I know i will wont done will be

1 lowered
2 chopped
3 frenched
4 solid running
5 rust free
6 straight body

can I expect to get all of these things for 35k or less?

 

Just for the heck of it "Google" the Mercs for sale online and on ebay. That will give you a good idea and tell if $35 K will be enough.

 

You need to get a grip on prices. www.collectorcartraderonline.com and check the HAMB cl***ifieds, as well as ebay (look at completed auctions).


I don't want to offend owners of 4 dr Mercs, but I think the 2 drs tend to command a higher value. If I was planning on spending tens of thousands on a build like you are, I'd probably focus on a coupe.

 

Couldnt have said it better myself!

 

Mike i believe your right that the 2 doors get a better price but I am having a hard time finding high quality 4 doors on the market at current maybe that fact alone just goes to the demand of the 2dr vs the 4dr. thanks for the continued support everyone

 

I am building mine, and man I tell ya, if I had the money......there are several cars out there, alot of them in the cl***ified section of this board that I would buy and drive the hell out of. If you are wanting to build your own car the thing to do in my opinion would be to find and buy a good solid merc body, this can be done with 3500 or so, ( and before anyone jumps me here remember he is wanting a 4-door), stick it in a garage that you can dedicate some time in to just work on your car in, but have the other car that you bought out of the cl***ifieds on here that you can enjoy in the mean time, while it may not be just what you want it will be something you can have fun with and be involved with the car shows, meet car people and get to know them by attending the shows and they will be a great source of both info and help when you get into binds and dont know which way to go with your project. I am also building a chopped 4-door merc, mine is a 49, then a buddy of mine is building a 50 4-door merc. Jim

 

Thanks!

 

I Bought my car in 2002,a 1950 mercury 4 door, the top was chop already,the reason the guy was selling this car his garage got burn down he had a chance to pull the car out in time but al the interior and door panels and other little parts got destroy in the fire, the body was solid, I had been buying parts in ebay swap meets and stole some of it. just kidding?, so is not al complete but this month is going to be in the ground for the first time since i got it. start with $8000,00 right now i have more than $20,000 in it. Just did my door panels from a $1,00 dollar board and $25.00 dollar outdoor carpet, bought a 1962 mercury trim just to make it look better front door have chevy arm rest and the rear doors arm rest i don't know what year are and what type of car but they look nice and i intalled. I was just like you just oil changes tune ups no welding or body work. good luck and if i can help you with some ideas just give me a text.tataz1950@sbcglobal.net

 

I agree with most I have read so far.
Start out with the best car you can. Saves you money in the long run. If you plan on a 65k budget in the end,find one around 30-40k. You can get one really nice Merc for that money. If you want one that has a bunch of custom work,then find that's as close to what you want done then just add the finishing touches.
Custom work is very expensive,so if you want one that's chopped,look for one that's already chopped. If your plan is a stocker. You'll save lots of money and can afford a better car. Don't buy anything without looking at it IN PERSON!!! Try to take someone who knows Mercurys with you. Look in the trunk and under the carpet for rust. Rusty floorpans aren't that hard to repair,but around the windows,BH pilars,windshield posts can be expensive to repair.
Ask questions....I have looked at many cars for fellow HAMBers who wanted another opinion.
If you want a chopped 2dr,slddnmatt is working on a really nice one. He chopped mine,and built the one on the cover of Rod-n-Custom right now.

I have been driving my Merc since the day I got it,back in 2006. Fixing and changing things as money permitted. It's still not done,interior left,but I drive it everyday. I have less than 35k in mine. More money doesn't mean more fun. Show cars cost MUCH more.