Some people say history never repeats, but I don’t believe that. The vehicle manufacturing industry proves this. The first quarter of the 20th century saw companies relentlessly develop internal combustion engines and the associated technology while adopting newly developed high-strength steel into bodies and other structural components. Wind the clock forward a century, and we find many of those companies in a race to develop more efficient hybrid and zero-emission technology, with plastics and composite materials replacing steel in many construction areas. Is any of this thinking likely to trickle down into the custom scene? This 1949 Mercury Monarch proves that it will. The owner envisaged this classic as an electric conversion and much of the work is completed to transform the dream into a reality. However, there is scope for the new owner to change any part of this build to adapt it to their needs and tastes. The Monarch needs a buyer with the vision to see the project to completion. This cool and ground-breaking custom classic is listed here at Barn Finds Classifieds.
The seller rescued this Monarch as a stalled project left to fend for itself exposed to the elements. The body features a 2″ chop and a 3″ channel to capture that distinctive “lead sled” look. The panels were returned to a laser-straight state, with the seller leaving the welds for the chop exposed as a tribute to the art. Custom floors were fabricated before fresh paint was applied across the vehicle. The interior features a gloss finish, with the exterior carrying matte clear over a Blue metallic base. The seller has an assortment of outer trim pieces, although the buyer might need to restore some to complete the build. The three-piece rear window is ready for installation, and patterns are included for the flat glass. The detailed work involved in this project is admirable, and it is worth reading the Classified listing to gain an insight into the scope of this owner’s vision.
Lifting this car’s hood would originally have revealed Ford’s 239ci flathead V8 that sent power to the road via a three-speed manual transmission. The changes to the Monarch’s drivetrain configuration are profound and may provide insight into the future of the custom scene in a world where gasoline is in limited supply. The V8 made way for a 9″ electric motor that feeds power to the road via a five-speed T5 manual transmission and the rebuilt original rear end. The car features an electric vacuum pump that provides assistance for the front disc brake conversion, while the rear end features heavier springs. These are to cope with the added weight of the batteries envisaged to power this classic. The specifications called for lead/acid units to be mounted in the custom tray in the trunk. The seller rightfully points out that these changes could be reversed if the buyer wishes to follow a more conventional route. Some readers may question the concept of this build, but it is worth considering the performance potential of this Monarch. Unlike internal combustion powerplants, electric motors provide instant torque. That makes them surprisingly fast off the line and eerily quiet on the move. That latter quality may not appeal to someone raised on a diet of a V8 rumble, but it would make the car relaxing to drive over long distances and exceptionally versatile in heavy traffic.
The Monarch’s interior is a work in progress, but the foundations are there for the buyer to create a genuinely unique trim and equipment combination. The seat frames are intact, and the seller has two rolls of vinyl for a retrim. The wheel is a stainless marine unit with a suicide knob, chosen because the original wheel proved too large and impractical. The dash is complete and awaiting installation, and the buyer will receive two or three of each gauge from which to choose the best for this build. Recapturing the interior’s original appearance is possible, but adding a modern twist might prove irresistible if the buyer continues down the electric path. Some companies manufacture fully integrated LCD dash displays, including a speedometer and the technology to monitor battery voltage and other vital signs. These aren’t cheap, but installing one would be the ideal way to marry tradition with modern technology. It is an option worth investigating and could provide the perfect practical finishing touch to the interior.
As vehicle manufacturers turn towards a hybrid or zero-emission future, the internal combustion engine will inevitably be relegated to museum display status. Some believe it will be many decades before this happens. However, it is worth considering how rapidly the technology has developed during the past twenty years before classing such a scenario as pure fantasy. This 1949 Monarch might be the way of the future in custom car design and construction, but the performance potential it offers makes that future seem somehow less daunting. Buying this project would be the ideal way for someone to get in on the ground floor and make an impact as a visionary builder. Are you willing to rise to that challenge?
I can’t help but wonder how the electric car people think they’re going to get the energy for these electric vehicles. It’s certainly different but when we start to have brown outs and your electric bill is $900 dollars a month,will we see the light if there is any left over power. The current system can’t handle it. Nice car, but a upgraded modern Ford engine seems more rational. Just saying.
$800.00/month to charge an EV is not in the realm of reality. Most owners that I talk to see a negligible increase in their electric bills. I know that if is difficult to get used to a non-gasoline based transportation revolution having grown up with ICE vehicles, but I imagine some people kicked and screamed initially when they had to give up their “daily rider” horse for a new-fangled automobile. The world moves on- change is constant.
Hi John, well, good point on people giving up “Old Dobbin” for those new fangled self propelled jobs, even sabotage, but that was then, this is now. I’m with Craig, this EV foolishness is nothing but a band-aide on a heart attack. While I think $8-900/ mo. is a bit of a stretch, the bigger issue Craig raises, is where all that juice will come from? New power plants, you say? Denver already has the worst air, in part, from the fires, but the current grid simply can’t handle anymore. EVs can work in a limited setting, very local stuff, and on a recent cross country trip, NOBODY was running EVs. Range anxiety, the biggest hurdle, and what about the cold? No sir, this EV thing, and I apologize if you have any vested interest in these, is nothing more than a “jump on the bandwagon before the REAL solution is presented” deal, ( real solution currently in a warehouse in Phoenix)and I feel EVs area stop-gap measure to slow down the inevitable, running out of oil. In rural settings, like where I live, EVs will never replace ICE, not for a while, anyway.
uhhhmmm
i thought this was a no brainer, buuut :
SOLAR :)
Seems like a waste of a perfectly good Mercury.
Lead/Acid batteries? That trunkful would barely get you to the car show and back, unless it was at your next door neighbors. Talk about futuristic visions. Didn’t the Detroit Electric use these?
Most of those old cars used Nickel-Iron batteries, which are still prized today, for their longevity. Not great for moving large quantities of electrons quickly, but incredibly durable, able to cycle for an almost unlimited amount of time.
I love the look of that paint. Matt clear over metallic base, I’ll have to write that down in my list of goodies.
Super cool. Buy this car. Sell the silly electronic parts to someone else. Use the money to install an appropriate v8. Enjoy.
I agree. A nice 5.0 Coyote or 7.3 Godzilla would finish it off real nice. Too nice of a car to mess it up with an off-brand engine or electric motor. I know that electric motors can provide some serious power but I stopped playing with slot cars when I got my driver’s license.
I have assisted in the conversion of several ICE vehicles to EVs. Several things stick out about this vehicle. Weight is the biggest factor to overcome. That’s why modern EVs are light (generally speaking), but made with high strength steel for safety. This car, without any drivetrain (ICE or electric) seems like it would start out at a weight disadvantage. Second- why is there a transmission? Every EV conversion that I have worked on was direct drive. Step on the pedal and go- kind of like a slot car.
Years ago, I worked on a Factory Five Ford roadster with 600 H.P. (IIRC) on tap. It was fun to watch people go, “what’s this thing got in it- a 427?” The look when we opened the hood and showed them the custom-built battery pack was priceless.
Were they deaf? Nice story, though.
Does your ICE vehicle make noise when it is not running?
When I pull in and out of car shows, it does. The priceless look was them rolling their eyes and laughing.
Not to drone on, but check out Whitby Motorcars on the Factory Five Racing website (look up “electric Factory Five Ford roadster). Similar to the one I worked on, but we used computer batteries, so the trunk was empty- all batteries were under the hood. And (gasp) now they are selling EV Cobras!
Thanks John . I appreciate info from ” hands on ” people with some experience in the industry. I wanted to reply to Howard A’s comments about an EV’s performance in the cold but he has no ” reply ” option so I’d like to know if you have had any experience with EV performance in cold weather , and how cold ,if so ? My son in Kingston , ON has owned since new a 2017-18 NISSAN LEAF with a 30KV system . It has always been parked outdoors , only plugged in to charge and range decreases by about 20% in combined city-hwy driving in winter with temps with January daily average of -7.6* C = 18.3 *F and avg LOW daily temp of -12*C = 10*F. The car has covered about 60,000 km = 35,000 miles and has a summer range of 250 km=155 miles and 200 km = 125 miles in a cold winter. It is still a good goer and is waiting to be repaired after a large tree lost a limb which fell and cracked the windshield and bent the body. Alec says he has it booked in but the body shops are so busy there they can’t fix it ’til Oct. Al’s not a car guy but he appreciates his LEAF and reckons it represents good value . HAPPY MOTORING and a big THANK YOU to BARN FINDS for your great service to this great hobby / business / industry .
I kind of chewed John out above, I apologize, he clearly has a monetary interest in EVs, and that’s fine. Neighbor here in the “projects” started his own EV bicycle biz. Doesn’t look like he’s done anything, but the market is clearly there,,,for a while. I feel EV bikes will adorn back rooms, right next to that exercise machine that holds underwear now, once the battery takes a crap, some pretty pricey already.
While I’m a huge “James Dean” lead sled low rider Mercury fan, I practically blew chow( at this hour?) seeing an electric motor, hoping the headline was referring to something else. While I try and limit my remarks to BF advertisers, all I can say, is it’s such an unusual combination, most interested in a vehicle like this, will be disappointed. A “flattie” is probably already waiting. It’s what makes a low rider ’49 Merc,a low rider ’49 Merc. It’s as important, maybe even more so than the car itself,,no wait, ADDS to the car itself. A huge amount of work was done here, looks top notch so far, but an electric motor in a low rider ’49 Merc, doesn’t make a lick of sense. James Dean is spinning in his grave.
Don’t know if anyone saw what R.Downey Jr did to his cars. While being annoyingly smug and elitist, he had a pickup, Riviera, and a beautiful original Vette converted to EVs. With unbelievably ugly paint jobs. While I get looking at alternate fuel options, the ‘I’m a better person than you for my environmental concerns’ attitude, and horrific resulting destruction of clean original vehicles, was hard to watch. Now I see he’s selling the Frankensteins he created—maybe even he can’t stand looking at them.
No financial interest, Howard- I spent my career building all kinds of vehicles, including 3 custom electric vintage looking double decker buses for EPCOT back in the 80s (about $250K/ea). They were amazing to drive but problematic in the Disney crowds, as the only sound they emitted was tire noise on cobblestones. I currently (no pun intended) drive an ICE car and have 3 classic ICE cars. The irony of this whole thing is that I get the impression that many BF commenters are our age (I’m 70) or close to that, and, let’s face it- most of us won’t live to see that EV 55’ Chevy, so why get so upset? Gas will be gone or be sold in small quantities, like racing fuel is today (assuming that you don’t have a personal refinery). When I was in the Air Force in the 70s, I used a targeting computer that was the size of a refrigerator (SAC HQ.- we had state of the (then) art equipment). It probably cost $$$$, and required constant maintenance by Dilbert types. Your phone likely has many times the computing power of that device, for almost nothing. How come people didn’t complain about giving up their rotary dial phones?
Leave the electric drivetrain to the new vehicles only.
All good comments above but I’d be just happy to see a couple decent pictures of the whole car. Also a ’49 Merc fan.
LOL
TM C, ‘the stolen White House’ ?!
YOU are indeed too much
dude
if you still support the previous, and actually believe he won ?!?
its your mind thats been stolen.
Also, the pres DOES NOT dictate the prices, at all. In fact, the petrol industry and the ‘red’ party are one in the same (remember 2001 ?)
So, when the ‘blue’ party takes office, the party that truely reps We The People, and OUR clean air and water and progress, the petro party loses, and hense the price spike. The price is dictated by corperate pigs, not our elected representatives.
Anyway, yes, all yall stuck in the polluted mud peanuts can b*tch and moan all you want, but progress and advances will happen regardless; be part of the solution or get out of the way.
Pesently, the most US made and owned auto is a Tesla, and the fastest.
Perhaps taking talking points from a Merdock owned media outlet, is the problem.
Follow the money, think for yourself AND get over yourself, the world belongs to our children.
You had your time, your chance, and most of them blew it.
This stupidity of gaining a few horse power at the cost of air quality is pathetic. The mentality of the slow to mature/evolve. Theyre the problem, taking power away from the petrolium industry is a critical solution.
With some EV conversions, it can take 2 days.
Its not a big deal, its just out of many folks league and over their head, so they condemn it instead of being honest with themselves that they cant build it nor afford it.
We will see as the Truth comes out, whose mind has been stolen. It has been coming out, more and more. But if MSM is one’s source for information, then they haven’t been made aware of it, on purpose.
Who said the president dictates the prices? I didn’t. But an administration can most certainly manipulate the pricing outcome. It’s been done. The differential of the price at the pump has shown that. Remember 2018-2020 pump prices, versus post 2020?
The Blue party is truly Raping the people. The evidence is everywhere, from burning cities in the B.S. ‘Summer of Love’, to the unprecedented number of criminals walking through what used to be America’s Borders, to lockdowns and masks that don’t work, and caused the U.S. ruin on many fronts. The price of everything has gone up to unprecedented levels, and the economy is trashed.
The ‘World’ that the Rapers are Destroying for ‘our children’ will not be one they will want to belong to, unless the likes of CCP China are your idea of a good inheritance.
I don’t listen to the Murdock boys’ channel, I don’t listen to the MSM, and I don’t listen to people who think They have the answer, when the proof abounds that they clearly do not. Your idea of progress overall is a Dead end.
I couldn’t give a rat’s butt who drives what, as long as some Raper doesn’t force We the People to pony up a Credit to someone for buying an E.V., as has happened up until recently to the tune of $10,000 per.
When there is a decent non-ICE on the market, I’ll consider it. There aren’t any yet that are better than what I currently own. Certainly not the hyped-up electric ones.
And if you think you’re being honest with yourself, you’ve misled yourself. You’ll see as the Truth comes out, if your paying attention.
Concerning ‘gas’ versus ‘electric’:
As has been said innumerable times, ‘The market will dictate success or failure.’
The most popular competitor prevails.
Of course, that is as long as there are P.O.L.s around to power and lubricate ICEs. It seems that will be for long after anyone-alive-today’s lifetime.
Concerning this one-off Mercury, if someone buys it, then the builder was successful.
In the meantime, EPCs will generate serious battery waste to have to contend with, still require Electric Power Plants which are mainly powered with Carbon-based fuel, to supply their energy for the most part, and perhaps most onerous of all, financially enrich the World’s Mortal Enemy, CCP China, who controls most of the elements necessary for storage batteries, as well as many solar panel components, currently.
There has to be a Better overall alternative to ICEs eventually, but it is not there in realistic production numbers yet. Theoretical does not equate to Practical as a given. R and D has generally gotten us there eventually, however.
Considering the unladen original weight of this machine, an electric motor at each rear wheel would be a worthwhile consideration. Add a matching trailer for the batteries. This machine for “long distances” just doesn’t seem practical, though
I doubt that many “lead sleds” are used for long distance commuting…
I agree John, but it’s a mute point. The idea is the the author Adam Clarke’s, not mine. And I didn’t write “commuting”, but rather quoted the author’s “long distances”, at the end of section 3.
Your statement is in agreement with mine, that the machine is not practical for long distance driving, as opposed to what the author wrote.
Our cars include an EV, a plug in EV as well a Ford Model A and a classic Mercedes. For me, converting a classic to electric just does not make sense. From an environmental point of view, one will never put enough miles on a classic converted CV to balance out the detrimental environmental effects of manufacturing the components as well as destroying the elements of a classic car that make are the reason we enjoying driving them. I just watched a video on a very well done Model A conversion but the result was just a big golf cart. If I want the EV experience then my mobile electric appliance is a fine conveyance. (My license plate frame says “I’d rather be driving a real car”)
On Point, right on point.
Adam Clarke should have focused on the machine, and left that broader-subject statement out of the discussion.
He didn’t, and it has become part of the discussion, for better or worse.
Well said John…stupidity and greed.
I would ask the EV owners here, how do they pay road taxes (normally included in the price of a gallon of gas) to support the highway infrastructures they are now using free of charge that the rest of us must now bear? Hope your EV drops into a giant pothole that didn’t get fixed because highway funds were depleted.
Google is your friend when it comes to educating one self before emitting facial flatus. Electric car owners pay road taxes when renewing their registration. AND, in all honesty, you can charge an electric car completely off the grid using solar. But, that’s apparently way too much thinking. And, as oil prices continue to escalate, why not dig even deeper into our earnings to fatten up the oil gluttons????
Google is Google’s own friend, unless of course you don’t care that it is mining every keystroke.
No Thanks.
Oil prices continue to soar because of the Regime in the Stolen White House, more than anything else. Use your Google to search 2019 Fuel prices, and you’ll find that they have doubled on average since then.
And keep your insults to yourself. You have no advantage on information, obviously.
No EV… isn’t wrong. Not all States charge road taxes with the registration. Many are paid through fuel taxes at the pump. Google that while you’re at it.
@ TooManyChris
Enough with the GD politics. Get over it.
I guess my reply to Hardrawker about the REAL cost of owning an EV hit a nerve as it was removed. Wow! I finally got censored on BFs!
I have a plug in Hybrid in Alabama and the state charges a “Road Use Fee” on my tag renewal every year for that very reason. Is it adequate to make up the difference? I commute 198 miles a day from eastern Alabama to Atlanta, GA. My drive includes 50 mikes/ day in Alabama, and the remainder in GA. I purchase my fuel in GA whenever possible simply because it is cheaper there on my daily route. So I do pay road use tax where I drive the most in fuel purchased, and in fees where I drive less. I realize I am the less than 1% that commutes those distances every day, and most EV or Hybrid drivers actually only make short trips and they are excellent for that. my electric bill barely went up charging daily. my next vehicle on order is a full EV with 500 mile range. 1 benefit is my “fueling ” bill doesn’t fluctuate greatly just because a refinery is down, or turmoil in the middle east, or its holiday travel season. Cant say that with Petrol!
As to the “fueling” bill, you actually can’t say that with plug-in-the-wall electricity either. Most Electric Power Generating Stations burn Carbon based fuels, Liquid, Solid, or Gaseous, to generate the electricity that is available at the plug. Additionally, they All, including Solar, Wind, and Water Generation, rely on a significant infrastructure of maintenance equipment, much of which relies on Gas or Diesel to either operate or move around. The power companies don’t ‘Eat’ the costs when those expenses are incurred. They are passed on to the consumer using the plug.
One thing is for sure, ‘Life is a Double Edged Sword’. For every Plus, there is a Minus, somewhere.
Howard A,
I’m here in Phoenix, what is the secret . Where should I look. Thanks
Kenny G
Just as a reality check. Much of the crude pumped from N. America goes overseas. Profit priorities of the refineries here in the states led them all to convert to processing “cheaper” dirty crude from Venezuela, Russia and Canada. Much of our sweet crude is exported. Since 2020, the U.S. has been a net exporter of oil, sending a lot of its light sweet crude to Europe and Asia where refineries are equipped to deal with the kind of oil coming out of West Texas and North Dakota. Current “clown” has nothing to do with it, much less should be mentioned in this poor person’s ad trying to sell a car. My two cents. Be well.
We drive about 50 miles, round trip, to get everything, from groceries to medical care. We drive 300 – 350 miles (on good roads) to get to an airport. We do this year round in temperatures from 0 degrees to 110 degrees F. An electric only car does not cut it, range wise, particularly in hot or cold weather. Our solution is a plug in hybrid, our state has yet to figure out how to tax electrical propulsion, so we are not paying our fair share of highway taxes, but, given the wear and tear big rigs do, they are not paying enough either.
Whether hydrogen or new battery design (Toyota seems on track to do it and sell it) innovation will succeed in displacing the ICE. Yes, the carbon footprint of the generators to make the electricity is a problem, there is a nice photo of a rural charging station powered by a small, smoking, diesel generator, on line somewhere, but like the horse, the ICE is going away. We did not kill all the working horses, we just stopped making as many, and we won’t kill all the ICE’s either. The transition will be gradual. It took from 1900 until the 1930’s to get the horse drawn wagons off the public streets.
Remember- no politics. BF posting rules.
I find it interesting that BP is working towards net zero by 2050. What do they know that we don’t? Hand writing on the wall?
Dodge RAM commercial, circa 2050: “IT’S TIME TO ROLL ELECTRONS!”
The only viable way to convert a vintage car to electric propulsion is to drop the body on a modern EV chassis. There is no way to take this Monarch, add an electric motor and a trunk full of lead-acid batteries, and come up with a useable, fun-to-drive vintage car. You’d be lucky to get a 50 mile range, and with no fast charging, so don’t go much further than 20 miles from home. Oh, and go slowly, because the faster you accelerate and the higher your speed, the lower your range. And don’t take turns too fast – with 2000lb of batteries in the trunk, it’ll be twitchier than a Porsche 930. It’s just a bad idea all around.
I restored a 1949 Monarch sedan (people at the car shows loved the suicide back doors) in the early 1980s. Maintained and drove it for 40 years and never once thought of customizing it. Longest trip we took in it was 475 miles round trip. I guess if it was an EV I would have ventured further but then you have to find a charging station. It hurts to see what has been done to this coupe and so many more like it and hurt even more to have to sell mine. I vote for original or restored.
Fred Flintstone: ICE good. EV bad. 😉
Well a guy on news bought a Ford Lightning a 2 hour charge cost $55 that gave him 10% to 90%. So if you already have a $300 light bill look’s like according to how far you drive and charging your EV my run you $500 to $700 light bill. Just do the math!!
A quick search of several websites (Department of Energy, Kelly Blue Book,etc.) seem to agree- charging your EV overnight (cheapest electric rates) averages about $60.00 per month. Naturally, if you use a private/for profit charging station, then all bets are off. Most people don’t drive very far on a daily basis, so a home charger works well. By the same token, a steak eaten in a restaurant probably costs more than the one you cook at home. The town I used to live in and the one I currently live in provides numerous charging stations for free right downtown to encourage EV adoption by their residents. They are also at our grocery stores and Walmart. Mercedes Benz just announced four new models with a range of 466 miles. I don’t know if either Howard or I could drive that far anymore in one day. How often do most of us drive that far? Yes, I know ($$$$), but that technology will trickle down to the masses. I bought one of the first Motorola car phones (inop) from a doctor just for a collector’s item. He paid $5,500 for it in 1991. We had a Sony VCR in the USAF to review F-4 gun camera film from aerial combat. It was the size of an ice chest and reportedly cost $10K. Now they are almost free. I am not an EV zealot, but ICE vehicles will eventually stop being produced (like Volvo), range anxiety will dissipate, charging networks will expand and gasoline will likely be quite expensive for our “classics”. Really smart people are working on resolving electrical supply issues. But the oil companies will still try to keep their needles in our arms as long as they have products to sell. As they say: “Resistance is futile. “ 😉
Owner needs to be shot .to wreck a car like this
@John Eder,
It’s not the politics. It’s just the Truth of what’s happening.
The truth? 🤮
The Truth is, the prices at the pump in 2018, 2019, and 2020 were half of what they have been, since executive orders signed on the afternoon of January 20, 2021, curtailed extraction of Carbon based fuels by various means in the United States’ purview. Additionally, We had a full Strategic Reserve, for the first time in decades, that has since January 21, 2021, been drawn down to reportedly 25%, or less now.
That’s the Truth, and it is easily verified. If corporate greed was the sole cause of today’s exorbitant fuel prices, why wasn’t it also so in the 2018-2020 period? The True answer is, because it isn’t corporate greed alone that causes high fuel prices. The Saudis released a statement this past week that they will not be lowering the price for a barrel of crude before December, 2023. America was Oil-Independent prior to February 2021. The Saudi’s pricing didn’t effect the United States Market until then. That is one of the reasons the Strategic Reserve finally got filled. Now that America is once again beholden to the World for Crude Oil, We are again effected by them. As 2018-2020 showed, it doesn’t have to be that way. That’s the Truth. With fuel prices up, that makes electric vehicles seem more attractive. This has all been done on purpose, and for various reasons that don’t benefit the United States People as a whole. That, is the Truth. Not politics, just Real Life. Sad, and concerning.
I put the first comment above. After reading the following comments it is very interesting to see the conversations on the whole are more about the viability of electric vehicles and not the car in the ad. My feeling is that unless a car is designed to be electric it should be propelled by the type of engine that came in the car. Changing a car this old,unless your a certified engineer I feel is dangerous, both to the driver,passengers and the public. With the fires and other things happening to cars designed to be an ev, altering this car in my mind is dangerous. Just saying.