One of the largest obstacles to overcome in our hobby is inertia. It takes a lot for someone interested in classic cars to purchase a vehicle to fix up, restore, or hot rod. While many buy with their heart and end up over their head, picking the right car from the onset is the key to success. What attributes should the right car have? First and foremost, a lack of rust damage. The second should be that the vehicle is complete without missing any parts. Third, and sometimes most important, it should be a vehicle that your whole family can ride in and enjoy. Our faithful reader T.J. has located a great starter car for those on the cusp of ownership. This 1947 Mercury sedan for sale on Craigslist in Wickenburg, Arizona, has all of the above attributes, and it runs to boot. This Southwestern Mercury is also complete and can be yours for $6,500.
The first attribute about rust is essential for the simple fact that rust is expensive to repair. If you farm the work out to a professional, expect to pay big money for their talent. If you send the car to someone who will Bondo over the damage, that expense will return with interest. If you decide to do the work yourself, it is possible with the proper tools. However, it takes a special touch to cut out the rot, form a patch panel, and then weld it without distorting the metal around it. You will also need a body hammer, a dolly set, a few different sanders, and the air compressor and accouterments to run these sanders. As you can see from the pictures, only surface rust is evident on this Mercury. Being a car from the generally dry Southwest has its attributes. A bonus is that the chrome and stainless trim all seem to be in restorable and/or respectable condition.
Perusing the pictures of this Mercury proves that it meets all the requirements for the second attribute. Everything seems to be there on this car, from the hubcaps to the factory radio and clock. Under the hood, there is no reason to suspect the Flathead V-8 nestled in there is not the original one from the factory. The only question mark is the interior. We don’t get a clear picture of the seats in the front and are given no clues as to the condition of the rear of the cabin. The front seat is barely visible in the picture below. It is covered with a moving blanket, which is a good clue regarding its condition. The hot Arizona sun would have severely weakened the material. Let’s hope there is enough of it under the moving blankets for an upholsterer to use as a pattern.
Unless you are a loner like Pee Wee Herman, the third attribute of family involvement is most important. Fixing up an old car is not a quick process, and there is a great opportunity for family bonding during that time. Everyone can pitch in and help, no matter what skills they have. Working on the car gives them a vested interest in seeing it through to completion. A bonus on this car is that it currently runs and has benefitted from a new voltage regulator and a fuel pump. A close look at the original cloth wiring may suggest bringing along a fire extinguisher or two for those Saturday night ice cream trips with the crew until you can either fabricate another one or get one shipped to you. A big four-door like this can haul half the neighborhood to an ice cream shop or a Cars and Coffee and nobody will care what stage you are in the process of renewal.
Perhaps a fourth attribute should be added. It is much easier if there is club support and a healthy aftermarket for your chosen vehicle. With the possible exception of the two national Model A clubs, the Early Ford V-8 Club of America is one of the finest sources out there for information about 1932-1953 Ford products. There is a network of local chapters, and the amount of information available in both the back issues of the V-8 Times and many club-published books can get you through any problem encountered in these cars. The V-8 Times is also an excellent resource for helping you locate aftermarket suppliers and independent rebuilders of specific parts and pieces.
There is nothing on or in this car that someone with reasonable skills and a basic set of tools can’t repair. Once you figure out what you want the finished product to look like, you have to work on one component at a time. Patiently chipping away, seeing how nice this car could be would amaze you if you were focused on finishing it. Mercurys like this one were good cars in their day, and there is no reason why this wouldn’t make a great project car. Hopefully, one of you who has been on the fence and lives in the area will go take a look at it. Don’t be afraid to make an offer. Would this Mercury be a good car for someone to start their automotive journey with? What type of car did you start with? Did you regret this decision, or did it change your life for the better? Please share your thoughts and memories in the comments.
What may also create a bunch of interest is that Checker wagon in the drive behind the Merc, if it came up for sale.
This is a learn how to paint car. I would go with a Maroon color. Probably 2 gallons of color. Then the wheels have to get something. Then it is a driver. That of course assumes the brakes work. I just hope it has turn signals. I remember driving old cars like that and having to roll the windows down and sticking my arm out in the rain.
It has turn signals.
Doesn’t look too sunbaked for an old AZ car – although we don’t get any good pics of the interior. You can tell that this one has been sitting a long time by looking at the style of tires on it. Those look like old bias plies from the 50s or the 60s. Would be fun to take a trip out to Wickenburg to look at this one.
Great write up Jeff. You asked…My first full body off frame restoration was at the ripe old age of 13 with a ’49 Crosley. Great car to learn on. Second one right after that one was a ’32 Ford 5 window with a ’48 Merc engine and a ’39 transmission. Saw one of these at a weekend car show as a mild street rod and they do make nice looking cars.
My first project as a 15-year-old was a fenderless 27 roadster pickup with a 53 Oldsmobile driveline. It didn’t last long with the 6” driveshaft.
Then a 38 Chevy 2-door with a 56 Chevy V8 driveline. (Would have been smarter with a 292 six, but in those days, sixes were for sissies.). My daily driver for the next two years.
Hard to believe we all survived 80 mph on bias tires with no ABS, no seat belts, no air bags, and 1930s suspension & brakes.
But as Jeff says, this 46 Ford has good bones, good club support, and would make a good family project if you can get them away from their cell phones. Just stay off the interstate.
There’s just something about a Mercury. What a great find!
I have a very warm and soft spot for this car. My first car was a 1946 Ford Super Deluxe flat-head V-8 Tudor, which essentially was this same vehicle, only about three inches shorter. This one (THANKFULLY!!!) has had turn signals added (hand-signals in inclement weather are a thing NOT to be desired!). I have acute memories of the time before I found and installed an original Ford turn-signal kit. I had a Columbisa Overdrive — and I highly recommend that for freeway driving! The radios in these cars were a bit clunky to operate — but, WHAT DISTANT RECEPTION! On a crisp winter day, you could clearly listen to stations 1,000 miles away! And stations barely heard under scratchy noise with a modern car radio, would come in as though they were “next door” on this radio! I repair watches and clocks, and so servicing the clock was no problem. The Ford and NMercury clocks were the same units ceith different faces. But tgdhe Mercury units had fibre spacer-washers to dampen the sound of the ticking. The Ford lacked thosezrefining spacers, and so a passenger getting in would nervously look around forcthectime-bomb (smile). I BY y carefully following the instructions in the owner’s manual (including the drop of oil in the fittings on the generator and the fan), I was able to keep mine in fully roadworthy condition for 27 years and 410,000 miles — until I was hit, head-on, by a speeding 1979 Ford Crown Victoria. Despite no seat belts , I was able to walk away unharmed. But tgat was the end of my ’46 Ford. My point is (though I never converted to 12 volts and never found that to be either necessary or needed(), if you can live with such “quaint” features as anemic vacuum windshield wipers, you can drive one of these in top running condition for years and years, miles upon miles — and they are COMFORTABLE, too boot! This is NOT a car you need to keep in the garage and run only in holiday parades, friends — it makes an excellent daily driver. But WATCH for a leaky gasket around that rear window! If you carefully keep it clean, you can run it all winter, too, and not have v it rust-out. But that hot water heater will sort-of warm or thaw your toes only: bring a jacket or a coat! .
I hold a very warm and soft spot for this motorcar. My first car was a 1946 Ford Super Deluxe flat-head V-8 Tudor, which essentially was this same vehicle, only about three inches shorter. This one (THANKFULLY!!!) has had turn signals added (hand-signals in inclement weather are a thing NOT to be desired!). I have acute memories of the time before I found and installed an original Ford turn-signal kit. I had a Columbia Overdrive — and I highly recommend that for freeway driving (particularly if you want to avoid over-heating)! The radios in these cars were a bit clunky to operate — but, WHAT FABULOUS DISTANT RECEPTION! On a crisp winter day, you could clearly listen to stations 1,000 miles away! And stations barely heard under scratchy noise with a modern car radio, would come in as though they were “next door” on this set! I repair watches and clocks, and so servicing the clock was no problem. The Ford and Mercury clocks were the same units with different faces. But the Mercury ones had fibre spacer-washers to dampen the sound of the ticking. The Ford lacked those refining spacers, and so an uninitiated passenger getting in would nervously look around for the time-bomb (smile). By carefully following the instructions in the owner’s manual (including the drop of oil in the fittings on the generator and the fan), I was able to keep mine in fully roadworthy condition for 27 years and 410,000 miles — until I was hit, head-on, by a speeding 1979 Ford Crown Victoria. Despite this car having no seat belts, I walked away unharmed. But that was the tragic end of my ’46 Ford. My point is (though I never converted to 12 volts and never found that to be either necessary or needed), if you can live with such “quaint” features as anemic vacuum windshield wipers, you can drive one of these in top running condition for years and years, miles upon miles — and they are COMFORTABLE, to boot! This is NOT a car you must keep in the garage and run only in holiday parades, Friends — it makes an excellent daily driver. But WATCH for a leaky gasket around that rear window! If you carefully keep one of these vehicles clean, you can run it all winter, too, and not have it rust-out. But that hot water heater will sort-of thaw your toes only: bring a jacket or a coat! If you want to enjoy 1940s motoring on to-day’s roads, I could hardly imagine a better automobile within which to do it! And you sit pleasantly upright, not hunched-down on the end of your spine! These many years later, I still miss my 1946 Ford. Oh — and by the way — nobody will steal this car. When you shut it down and turn off the key, a dead-bolt locks-up both your ignition-switch and your steering wheel. And, even if they could defeat that tight security, what thief would know to flip-on a switch to the right of the steering wheel, then reach under the left side of the dash to push a button to start your car? DON’T “rod” this one, please! Make it roadworthy and drive it just as Henry built it! Among other features, it has transverse leaf-springs, “elbow”-style shock-absorbers, and king pins! LOVE it!
This was the exact car that started my hot rod trip In 1976 fresh out of high school I traded a Honda 100 trail bike for one of these. Absolutely loved it. I now have a 70 cyclone spoiler
I wish I had found a vehicle in this condition when I decided that I wanted to restore an old car! What I found was a British,1959 Ford Zephyr Six convertible in a scrap yard! I wanted it back on the road asap but that asap took me NINE years! During that time I learned how to panel beat, strip a gearbox and repair and re build it and did the same with the differential and overdrive unit before stripping and rebuilding the straight six engine. I discovered how to strip and repair brake and clutch master and slave cylinders etc. for which I am very glad that I did. I baulked at spraying the final coat on the bodywork and the upholstery was done by a professional but otherwise I can claim to have learned one helluva lot about rebuilding old cars from restoring this old Ford. Next up for a restoration was a 1925 Harley JE that was more trouble than it was worth!