“Where were you in ’62?” as the tagline for 1973’s film American Grafitti asked. Well, I was hardly a Pharoah or in a car club, and not nearly old enough to drive. But I do remember slammed Mercury’s from my teenage years and am proud to present this really spectacular ’50 Mercury six-passenger coupe that has every Kool Kar Kustom thing going on. It is located in Los Angeles, California and is available here on craigslist for $37,000.
Known as “Switchblade” due to its streetfighting weapon motif, this ’50 Merc was actually built in Kansas, as opposed to on the west coast where so many customs originated under the guidance of George Barris, Gene Winfield, and Dean Jefferies. This was a wild auto world that introduced us to a whole host of terms including slammed, chopped, channeled, frenched, and many more. Completed in 2005, this Merc would be right at home on the set of American Grafitti.
The “lead sled” designation comes from using lead as a body filler when custom panel work is performed. Before the days of modern unibody construction, lead was used as a seam filer on ordinary production cars, primarily to fill the seams where the roof panel joined the C-pillar. Customs of this nature were usually painted in any color the owner desired s long as it was gray primer. That’s not really the case but it was de rigueur. As for what’s been done to this Merc specifically, the seller doesn’t elaborate but the visuals show a chopped roof, C1 Corvette grille, louvered hood, Buick headlights, Lake pipes, wide whites, and pinstriping – and that’s just the outside.
The interior leaves me speechless! It’s a feast for those with powers of observation like the hand grenade topped gear shift lever, a top chopped steering wheel, and what looks like chrome-plated brass knuckles for a heater control. And that’s before you even spy the furry white door panels, package shelf, and headliner. Toss in white rolled vinyl upholstery, replete with red piping, and now you’re stylin’ in an early ’50s vibe.
The seller claims that the original 110 HP, 255 CI flathead V8 is still ensconced in the engine room but it hardly resembles its original self. The seller adds, “car has the original flathead V8 with Edelbrock intake and dual carbs, airbags on all 4 corners, electric fuel pump, 12-volt system, high output alternator, new wiring…” And those Lake pipes? They’re real and connected. Unfortunately, no mention is made as to how this lead sled motivates. The transmission is listed as a manual so we’ll go with the assumption that it is a three-speed. Careful going for second, you wouldn’t want to dislodge that pin…
The old school customizers, some who have moved on beyond this world, have signed this Mercury’s front bumper apron – it’s a nice tribute to those that had the creativity and ability to create a car culture that is still strong today, and ever-evolving. This particular era of car customization has passed, but a Mercury custom like this is a great reminder to those that lived through that era and those who have only read about it – it’s a unifier, wouldn’t you agree?
Cool, Daddi-o. Always enjoy Jim’s write-ups, however, his time period is a bit off on this one. While American Grafitti is every gearheads “Holy Grail” of movies, cars like this predated all that by at least 10 years. I’m also dismayed, that the person most likely associated with lead sleds, isn’t mentioned,,James Dean. Before the health effects of lead were known, they laid this stuff on with a patching trowel. It’s one reason, these guys didn’t live long. Signatures alone are probably worth a fortune. This one is jazzed up to modern vintage doo-dads, love the hand grenade shift knob, but I don’t remember lead sleds being all this fancy, but they were meant to turn heads and still do. Not many older customs retain their novelty, but a lead sled, I hope, always will. Very cool!
Howard:
Recall the Pharaohs car club from the movie? The group that
RogerRichard Dreyfuss was almost forced to join? That’s where my reference originated.
https://kipsamericangraffiti.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-cars-pharaohs-51-merc.html
As for James Dean – only three movies and I don’t remember a sled in Rebel Without A Cause, and certainly not in East of Eden or Giant. But I do associate him with a Porsche 550.
JO
I am about 10 years too young to have been of driving age during the lard sled hay days but have a connection to the artthem anyway. I helped an older neighbor customize his van during the mid 70’s. As payment for helping him on his van he gave his hot rod magazine collection. I don’t remember what years they were actually printed but they introduced me to the art of lead sleds. I began to learn about many of the elements that are found on the featured car. Channeling and chopping. Masterfully blending parts from other vehicles into another as if they rolled off the assembly line wearing the C1 grill. I wish I still had those old car magazines still. Thanks for featuring this vehicle and explaining its place in the history of custom automobile games.
The ‘49 Merc in “Rebel Without a Cause” was mildly customized. It became one of THE cars to modify.
OK, a picture is worth a thousand words. Here’s James Dean’s movie car, it’s cool but hardly in the Kustom Klass of this over the top ’50.
JO
Richard Dreyfuss…
Sheeesh… I should have just wrote “The Jaws guy”. (I’m gettin’ it from everywhere)
JO
“Richard” Dreyfuss. I’ll bet you know that Dreyfuss was in a 1968 AMC Javelin TV ad with Vic Tayback. “Hey Punks, Get Away From The Car!”
I did not know that but here it is for all that are interested:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8PPMJCGNUU
Thx,
JO
Dean was driving a ’49 two door Merc tail drager in Rebel Without a Cause wearing a red jacket that every little kid who ever saw the movie went out and bought.
True enough but it wasn’t a sled like this example.
JO
Red Jacket? What red jacket? Now ask me about Natalie Wood’s sweater…
True, Jim. lowering blocks and skirts in the rear was it… and the red jacket.
Funny, I hadn’t even thought about the red jacket, but yes it was prominent (unless like me, the first few times that you saw the movie was on a black & white TV).
JO
Stallone was in a movie with these cars with Bridget Neilson. Cool cars but movie which I forgot about must have been terrible
Cobra….
Does the existing lead in the body work pose any significant health risk?
Only is California Dan
Only in New Hampshire.
A little too much going on for my liking. Bring in back down to the basics.
OK Faros was the actual club, changed in the movie to Pharaohs, not the current “THING” Pharoahs sneaky spelling changes now out there. Gene Winfield who signed the car is alive and well, saw him last month in his 90’s a legend! The car seems to have an identity crisis, Lead Sled, Kustom Kemp, Low Rider or Rat Rod. took me a while to figure out the Buick Side trim everyone used like on this one. Myabe I missed it, but is the engine bleeding, looks like running oozing blood all over the place, another style choice?
CARHUNTER… I’ve seen that bleeding look before on a T-Bucket show car. It’s done with adding a “rubberizer” to paint. It’s an additive we used on soft bumper covers so the paint doesn’t break and fall off if it pushes up against something. To get the blood look I’d say it’s a whole bunch of rubberizer and just enough paint to get the color. Jim… Great job finding the picture of the Dean car!
Applied not with a patching trowel, but with maple (hardwood) paddles, pressed against a tray of beeswax as the paddles began to get very hot, while keeping the lead in a moldable state. As I recall there were at least three different shapes of paddles to allow for forming the lead to conform to a curve or body line.
When I was a kid, I would go to the body shop with my Uncle. He brazed the patch or fender cap, rocker or what have you, and I would hand him items he needed to maintain a steady effort at repairing the body section being repaired.
He is still alive, but I think the lead dust and paint fumes did him some harm.
Unless the custom shop did the quarter panels as well, this is a ’51 Merc, not a ’50 as mentioned in the opening. My dad had a body shop in San Diego from 191-1955 and n=my brother and I ‘helped’ around the shop after school and on weekends. Dad did many light custom jobs on local cars (frenched headlights, shaved hood & decks – all worked with lead filler, and lots of lacquer paint jobs (’53 Buick Titian Red, and a custom color we knew as “burple” (a mix of blue and red to make a rich purple tone. Most shops stopped using lead in late 1955 with the advent of Bondo, a much cheaper product than lead and nowhere near the level of craftsmanship required to use lead. One last comment on the car, I wonder why they didn’t round the hood corners – that would have tied in the b0dy curves given with the Buick headlight plates…
for what it’s worth the Leadslinger Bill Hines (who was never without a cigar in his mouth) lived to 94, George Barris made it to 90, Dean Jeffries made it to 80 and Gene Winfield is still alive and doing car shows at 94……maybe lead is not the only issue in longevity? But I’m not keen on melting any of that stuff to fix a car
Porsche used lead to cover lousy seam fit on their early to late ’50s 356s. The red ’60 race car we restored had 3/4″ rear door gaps after the lead was taken out. Filled those areas with two side by side 1/8″ welding rod pieces. Tried doing lead once in the ’70s and was sooo glad they invented plastic body filler.
Bob, yes, we learned to use lead in high school auto body class. While a little more sensitive (for durability/ longevity) to application technique, the modern polyester fillers are WAY easier to use.