Symco '12: My fiancée at the time, now my wife. by 1pickup posted Oct 21, 2012 at 11:43 PM That's my second favorite pic of my '49 Merc. My favorite is of both of us, standing in front of it at our wedding reception. Backstory: I wanted a chopped '49-'51 Merc since I was a kid. Too many car shows /swap meets with my old man, I guess. I had the chance at a couple when I was younger but didn't have the money. Even a chopped one for $2200 in the early '80s. I should have scrounged up the cash. Sometime in 2010-2011, I went to an estate auction that had a '49 & a '50. I was hoping to come home with one of them. The '50 looked better. Better paint, better interior, etc. But upon further inspection, they really both needed the same work, except a shattered back glass in the '49. The '49 came up first, and I bought it. The '50 went for something like $1500 more than mine. After the auction, the PO's daughter told me the '49 was his baby. He drove it all the time. A new back window & a new battery, and I was on the road. I immediately got and installed a Butch's Rod Shop lowering kit. The front seat was out of a sedan, so no using the back seat, until I got some '66 T-bird seats. Might as well use the back seat too. '66 T-Bird seats installed. by 1pickup posted Oct 21, 2012 at 11:43 PM I shaved the hood and rounded the corners. Threw some maroon paint on that. The only other thing I did, was to convert to a floor shift. The column shifter fell apart. I would have left it, if it worked. And a stock split back front seat, if I had one. Well, it's gonna get customized anyway...
After driving it for a few years, it went on the back burner while I did a bunch of work to my '39 Standard, My old '63 Wagon, 63wagon28 by 1pickup posted Jul 5, 2016 at 4:23 PM My Triumph bobber, '67 triumph bobber by 1pickup posted Jun 5, 2013 at 6:08 PM and even spent some time on my '36/'37 pickup project. PXL_20221024_145830030 by 1pickup posted Aug 31, 2023 at 11:54 PM And the big Caddy powered Buick. But, after taking the chop class with @Pinstriper40, I knew it was time to get busy. And so, it begins... 10/19/25 Day 1. Removed the front bumper, hood, and the rest of the front clip in one piece. A little lifting help from my son made that easier. All it needed was fresh gas and a new battery, and I could be driving it. Except I stole the tires on it for the Buick project. Maybe this was a mistake. Hmm... found this on tear down. Didn't know that was possible.
10/20/25 Day 2. I pulled the driveshaft, trans cover, shifter, engine/trans. I've got new front floor pans. The rest looks pretty good. But I'm concentrating on the chassis first.
The Jalopy Journal
