So anyone out there know how many 48 Mercs there were that came off the press in the new body style of the 49 Merc? I didnt know there was such a cat until I seen one today.
You have lost me. A 49 that looks like a 48 or a 48 that looks like a 49??.Pictures? Since I play with 42-8 merc's it interests me now.
Sorry guys, that was as screwed up as it was for me. A friend told me he found a 50 Merc 4 door parked in front of a motorhome. Its been sitting for 25 years. I went out to have a look at it and it's a 49 Merc 4 door. Its got the 49 taillights. The rear gl*** has not been split in three so it really got me interested. When the owner and I started talking, I had mentioned that it was in better shape than the last 49 I was looking at and he stopped me right there and said, " It's not a 49, its a 48." I didn't want to call him a twit because he isnt. I told him I was confused, that I knew the style of 48's and I'd never seen a 48 that p***ed as a 49. He pulled out the papers adn they matched the vin tags. Its a 1948 Merc built in the fashion of the 49 body style. I'm going back today to give him the cash and try to get some pictures. I have a business appointment right after and need to keep clean so no crawling around it today. I'm trying to find any information on how many of the new body style 48 Mercs were made 'cause I've never seen one before.
What month was it built in? Many of my cars over the years were built the year prior to their 'official' factory designation...
I'll get back to you on that once i've got the paperwork and car in my grubby little hands ( early next week I'm thinking)
I have seen a late 49 with 50 window and 50 dash etc with a 49 ***le. I think Ford/Merc fudged a little on start and ending years.
The 1949 Mercury was introduced in April of 1948. It's quite possible that when it was registered the first time it was ***led as a 1948. An early 1949 should have a 3 piece back window. It's probably been replaced somewhere along the way. The one piece back window ***ociated with the 1950 model was used on 1949's beginning June '49 or so...
The '49 had the split 3-piece rear window; 1-piece was 1950. Firewall tags were changed from 1949 to 1950 here in the states at least. The following thread may help identify it. The dash was different in the 49's as well. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=423962 Jim
I was with a hot rodder who presently has 2 49 merc 2 doors and a 4 door 1950. I asked him about the 1 piece rear window in one of his 49's. It's in his chopped car and the 3 piece is in the original. He's owned both car's since the 1960's. I asked him why he didnt keep the 3 piece rear window. He explained that in 1949 ford had a problem with the rear windows popping out of some cars. To resolve this problem Ford sent tech's to dealers who removed the rear window, cut them and replaced the gl*** back in the car along with the Chrome dividers as a means to stop the gl*** from popping out of the rubber. I dont know if this was an issue only in Canada do to cold or what have you. Kind of interesting little bump in fords production I guess and like I say, it added to my confusion looking at this old girl.
Early 49's also had a larger shift tube in the steering column (about 1/2 dollar size). Pot metal shifting lever housing kept breaking. They redisgned the inner tube and housing to around the size of a quarter and solved the problem. Jim
Well here it is... a 1948 Merc. Paid in full.. coming home in March. I need to do a little cleaning up in the new shop before I can bring her home. It last ran 12 years ago, the brakes were pooched when parked and the overdrive cable was popped. It also comes with a running 55 Fairlane motor/ ****** ( a 400 sumthin) for back up. There's the usual mouse chewings inside but the floor/ trunk is excellent and so is the body. I'm trying to get more info on how many of these pre '49 Merc's were made.
Well, thats not a 49 (or 48) for that matter...Its a 50...the grille, parking lights, dash and trunk trim say so...
This is starting to get to me. After looking at the pictures above, I see that the parking light bezels are part of the grille and not separate. I always thorught that was a '50 feature, and that the '49's had separate parking lights. I checked out a few more sites and found a '49 Mercury brochure that seems to back up what I thought. I tried to link to a site that has an original '49 Merc brochure showing this, but I can't get the link to work. The website is : http://www.oldcarbrochures.com if you want to look for yourself. Looks like your '48 is really a '50. Things are getting even more confusing.
I'm thinking it's a regi flim flam thing.... But I'll take it whatever year it is. Not a lot of "barn finds " like this around this neck of the woods.
Yeah.....I would double check the numbers on the ***le with the tag on the p*** side of the firewall. ....Thats for sure a 50 Mercury.
X2... Even has 50 door handles & locks, rear bumper over rider and what looks like a 51 front bumper but can not till for sure.
Looks like a nice Merc. Definitely a 1950, though. I see some 1951 pieces as well (front bumper, steering wheel and shift lever). As others have suggested here, I would definitely make sure the VIN on the car matches your ***le. Sounds like you may have a ***le for another car...
Like I said, its a regi/ vin tag thing for sure. And like you say, theres a mix of different years parts on it but ya know, I aint going to complain. I'm dragging her home next week. With a little luck and time between projects, I can have her up and back on the road by June. The motor turns over just fine so she aint stuck, the master is gone, the overdrive cable aint there and the mouse condo's gotta go.
It's a 50. The ID plates are located on the p***enger door hinge upright on the inside of the engine compartment. Open the hood. Stand at the p***enger side fender. Look to the left under the hood hinge mounts. The first two numbers of the VIN are the model year.
A -50 Merc, a very nice find. Open the hood and read the VIN, it will say something like: *50DA12345M* (DA if it was built in Dearborn, LA if Los Angeles, ME if Metuchen, SL if Saint Louis. 12345 will be an serial number. The last M stands for Mercury line)
I found that's not always the case. As I mentioned in an earlier post regarding 49's and rear window repairs.
Lono, it does look like you got yourself a 50 Merc, but one that appears in great shape. A real find! You know how it goes though, if you keep adding to the projects by buying more cars, your just having a lot of fun!
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