Heres a thing i made of my 56 Mercury. The recent shows and cars i have filmed got me inspired. I want to cut it up and make something cool. Some of the ideas i talk about in the video. And yes, theres talk about Seaweed Flames here also. Let me know what you guys think about the project.
The ‘55/‘56 Mercurys are great looking cars! I think “less is more” when enhancing them. An example is the Calvin Wiekamp ‘55 Mercury painted by Larry Watson: Simple trim, rear bumper guard and grille teeth removal cleaned up the body and lets the paint scheme be the center point of the car. I’m not really wild about the color choice, but this is a good example of Watson’s talent in changing the look of a car without doing heavy modifications. About the only thing I would have added is a simple flat panel behind the upper front bumper where the “tooth” section was. It would have helped in hiding the horns and smoothed the flow of the bumper into the grille opening. Just my thoughts!
I'm with the above, it doesn't take much to make a 56 Merc great. About the only heavily customized 56 I ever really cared for is Ray Kress' well known 56. Mick
When I was a kid, my father had a new 56 Merc. Nice looking cars. I would lean towards a very mild custom and not do any cutting or chopping.
unless that are some problems with your ride that we can not see leave it alone. if bored with it sell and find another ride to make changes to.
Right on Lars, what a cool car. Looks good the way it is, but it's your car, lay your vision across it! I like your ideas. I can't wait to see that Lincoln/Edsel/Mercury front end!!!
A Mercury sedan turned into a nomad style station wagon. With a little work and patience, a one of a kind hot rod cruiser could be made… Hello, As long as you are thinking different ideas, I have always liked the old Mercedes roadster with a removal top. One of our neighbors had one and he would/could drive right into his garage and park his car. Then with a few latches moved, he hooked up a pulley system that was attached to the ceiling joists and with a flick of a switch, lifted the top off of his now, convertible. It took several steps, but he was now looking at an open convertible. Just in time for his wife to come downstairs and take off in the convertible. Ha! Jnaki If you are into projects, this would certainly make a different concept and a one of a kind. The stock windows are still in place, the rear facing window is part of the roof that is removable. You will have to see how the rear window seals on those small Mercedes convertibles with a removable hard top. I have always thought of a similar concept for open roadsters of any model or year. I do not like the bulbous Carson Tops that made all cars look like the Marshmallow Man. When I took some photos of a new top for open roadsters and this one was for a Phaeton, that, to me was the best top for open concept roadsters/phaetons. It still kept the original look there, but the top was in one piece. A few bolts and clips on the front and the one piece top could be lifted off of the Phaeton. 1934 Ford Phaeton with a "California Top..." Here is a 1956 Mercury I saw in a parking lot. It is nice, like yours, if you want to make it one of a kind, the lift off roof/Convertible project certainly fits the bill. I had started an art drawing project from this photo and worked on it when I saw it in my files. I had plans to lower it, put flames on it and color it a bright red with yellow flames and blue outlines. It remained a hardtop sedan. But, it was one of those art projects that gets pushed by the wayside and a different one got started. So, this drawing stayed in a rough shape. Then I got the bright idea to make a one of a kind Nomad style top and call it a station wagon. I got as far as the front door and body. It was going to have under the door Lakes pipes, get totally lowered with different rims, perhaps a set of Moon Discs. The next step was to add a supercharger and some surfboards, inside the rear window or on top for the sunny days road trips down the coast. Can’t leave out the hot rod ideas for a summer cruise to go surfing. So, it remained in the unfinished file folder until a rainy day. Storms come and go and it still remained in that folder as other ideas took precedence in the drawing mode. Note: Here is the story I wrote in an older HAMB post: It gives you an idea to make it into a removable top convertible from a sedan that is lightweight. without all of the mechanical convertible stuff and noise from flopping convertible cloth top on road trips. A long time ago, I wrote and took photos of the process and creation of the “California Top.” It was a replacement for the folding top normally seen on a Phaeton. Big Hearted Ken from Goleta was responsible for the idea and build. With the bulky mess no longer sitting in the back when open air cruising is needed, it looks like it is/was a factory option. A smaller measurement to fit any roadster or RPU would be done to match the smaller space. The California Top is a different look at the bulky Carson Custom Car Top. It looked great on a 1934 Phaeton and did the similar job as a Phaeton top, but with some rigidity, lightweight enough to take off for some open air cruising. In the full size Phaeton, there was no buffering or air battering the canvas material, normally associated with a canvas folding top while moving, so there is that. If you decide to make a smaller version for an Roadster/RPU, it would probably be light enough for a single person to move it off of the installation. We picked up the larger Phaeton unit and it was amazingly light weight, but of course, a lot longer. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/friday-art-show-5-6-22.1263314/#post-14473448 When the idea of a hand-made custom top was created for a 1934 Ford Phaeton, the design suddenly took front and center. It was light enough for two people to clip it on and install/remove the California Top. So, it was not that much different than a manual fold top that just sat on the rear area. It was a lot cleaner in design and function. These are some older original color slides from a mystery box left at the bottom of a file box we cleaned out of an office collection box. (Not Kodak Ektachrome slides... those went to the owner and editors.) I was looking at some old films still on metal reels and actually trying to find the missing films of our 1940 Willys Coupe 671 SBC version I took in 1960. My brother’s sons have no idea that their dad used to be a top drag racer and innovative hot rod builder. They knew of him as a fast 1000cc modified street bike guy in full leathers and a guy who could fix any family car in need. These were from an original photo shoot back a long time ago in Goleta, Ca. From the back of an El Camino with my wife driving and me shooting was an experimental way to get some clear action shots with the background slightly blurry, but the Phaeton in focus. In looking at the style of the solid top, it provides better coverage, no noise in cruising, no flapping of canvas and light enough to take it off for the So Cal sunshine days. The chopped top cars are a personal choice. But, a design to make it look as if it is a lower top height added to a cool style of hot rod just adds to the mystique and overall stance. If one cannot stand the lowered top as if it is a “jolly green giant” is stepping on top while you sit or drive, then a lowered top is not for you. The solid top is lightweight enough for two to add or remove. There is no noise as with a convertible top up flapping in the wind while driving. The solid top allows for custom side curtains or solid clear panels to be added later if necessary. Those, also will not flap around at speed. So, this custom design created in Goleta, CA was a first and only… So, now, you have a new project... YRMV
On my 56 my plan is mild. Nosed, Decked, lowered and maybe a frenched in antennae in the back. Not sure on shaving the door handles or not. Want it to look similar to the way it did when my dad drove it just a little "Cooler"
Something I cooked up. '56 Olds headlights (I'm not a fan of the stock items) fitted lower on the fenders and a'51 Merc style grille to keep it in the family.
It is 57 De Soto. If it where mine i would consider standing quads like the 57 Lincoln. Then use the stock headlight trim and extend and molding them to fit the quads. You cant go wrong with Chrysler 57/58 taillights.
I'd have to go with the concept that Paul B presented in post 2 in that they don't need a bunch of changes to look great, just a bit of dechroming and lowering and a decent paint job but not a wild over the top paint job that will age out in a couple of years. The best early customs are always the ones with the simpler timeless paint jobs without a lot of fad of the day things that date them or out of date them.
Theres one like mine around the interwebs with the trim under the window removed. With Lancer hubcaps or similar. Thats so kool. Same color as mine. Just nosed and decked with that trim removed. Looks awesome. So Yeah, Im thinkin that also. And now i probably have a new project coming in that i can do the crazy things with so the merc can be milder.
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