Before there was the Ford retractable hardtop, there were the Ford Crestliner and Mercury Sun Valley hardtops with a see-through roof. It was a 2-year experiment in 1954-55 that was not continued because of the heat the passengers might get exposed to on a really sunny day. From the Mercury camp and part of the Monterrey series, this ’54 Sun Valley is somewhat original having had some work done over its 68 years. Located in Coopersburg, Pennsylvania, this classic is available here on eBay where the bidding stands at $7,100. The seller has set a reserve that you’ll have to reach to drive it home.
Plymouth tried a similar approach to the see-thru roof in the 1930s and didn’t find much success, so Ford decided to give it a go. So, these bubble-top automobiles went into production in 1954 and both the Ford and Mercury versions of the car only saw 23,000 combined units produced in two years. At least they realized going into it that heat could be a problem, so the plexiglass section of the roof was tinted sunglass green. But that gave off a strange hue in the passenger cabin. They say testing was done out in the desert and only a five-degree difference was found between these cars and regular 1954 hardtops. As an option, Mercury offered a snap-on interior shade. You could spring for air conditioning, a novelty in cars at that time, but it was expensive, and few Sun Valleys had it.
1954 Sun Valleys only came in two colors, yellow and Parklane Green, like on the seller’s Mercury. We’re told this car has had floor and body repair work done previously that resulted in a repaint that seems to look just fine now. (Note to would-be sellers: take landscape photos, not portrait; they will do a better job at promoting your whole product). The fancy plexiglass roof is not broken, nor does it leak but there are some blemishes and cracking and we don’t know how much you’d go into hock replacing it.
The interior is original and the presence of a throw cover on the front seat suggests it needs to be recovered. The seller says the Mercury has a 272 Y-block V8 engine, but records indicate it should be a 256. That’s either a misprint or the engine has been replaced at some point. Either way, it’s paired with a column-shifted 3-speed manual transmission with overdrive. We’re told the Merc runs and drives, so you could take it out on weekends before undertaking a restoration project. These are neat cars, but I’d stay out of Death Valley in July.
Quote: “Before there was the Ford retractable hardtop, there were the Ford Crestliner…”
No, not the Crestliner, it was the ’54 Crestline Skyliner. The Crestliner was 1950-51, did not have the plexi roof and was part of the Custom series.
” It was a 2-year experiment in 1954-55 …” The Mercury version was produced for two years but the Ford lasted three years, 1954-56.
the glass roof in ford cars was offered from 53 to 56. i have a 56 turqoise and white skyliner and we love it. the heat in michigan does not bother us and we do have the optional sun screen but have never used it. i passed up an absolutely beautiful 54 merc sun valley years ago at hershey that i could have bought for 18k. big mistake on my part. i am retired from ford and have 3 glass roof tops for the 53/54 ford/merc. i don’t need them and would sell them. Don Olson, Oakland mi. USA
Could very well be a replacement 272. The 256 would clearly read MERCURY on the valve covers.
Agree it’s likely a replacement engine. A Mercury engine would not say Ford on the valve covers and the eBay listing clearly states it’s a 272 Ford Y block, not just a 272 Y block as the BF writeup has it. Mercury never used the 272 in U.S. models anyway.
All can be found online. Good “ old” Google
Lincoln/Mercury Old Parts Store, LLC
Product Search
SIGN IN
CART 0
Global Account Log In
Email Adress
Password
HOME BODY PARTS 50000: TOP AND ROOF GLASS, PLEXIGLASS ROOF
Glass, Plexiglass Roof
Glass, Plexiglass Roof
Purchase Glass, Plexiglass Roof
SKU: BM-6050054-B
Glass, Plexiglass Roof
$1,235.00
Replacement Plexiglass Roof Glass in Blue / Green
**SPECIAL ORDER ITEM**
Fits 1954 Mercury Monterey
**Item requires special shipping charges and crating service.
1 available for immediate delivery
Quantity in Basket: None
Drop Ship:
Drop Shipping Fee for delivery to the customer directly from our vendor. We do NOT have any control of this rate, it is set by the supplier. + $135.00
Last year Death Valley topped out at 135°.
All cars were breaking down due to the extreme heat.
The Sun Valley was introduced in March of `54. Originally, it came in either two-tone green, or the yellow-green two tone but was expanded to other colors after June of that year. Replacement plexiglass panels are available for these and they are not cheap, but necessary. These are definite collector’s items and I wish I could swing one right now. Maybe some day.
My aunt and uncle are about 80 now, but they took one of these on their honeymoon in 1961. They loved the car but almost died in an accident on the trip. It turns out that the car had previously been in a wreck and some fool welded one of the front control arms together. It failed at highway speeds. They still miss the car
Curious to learn about the source of replacement plexiglass panels. Where, please? Thanks!
Paul R gave it
Yup.
April 6, one day after I posted my question, according to the time stamp.
Both the Ford and Mercury versions of the “glass top” were produced in ‘54, ‘55, and ‘56. Sotheby’s recently listed a ‘56 Mercury Sun Valley for auction.
Lots of people don’t realize that Mercury didn’t “badge engineer” cars in this era. The engines were similar, but not only were of different displacements, but internal rotating assemblies, bearings, etc. were different. Guess how I know…
Think the Mercury looked better than the Ford version, looking like a real hardtop.
My older cousin Robert had a green one with a converted floor shifter that was unusual for the time. He regularly drove that car from Palo Alto to Alberta to see the family. He was the coolest human I ever knew. Fled Idi Amin on a motorcycle when all Englishmen had a bounty on their heads. Built houses and factories all over the world. Cool cars were his weakness – even in the 1960’s.
Lincoln had the plexiglass roof in 1976 on the 4 door towncar. It was hard to sell.
My friend Leo Doyle had one of these cars. In Canada they were called Sunliners. The body style was the Customline body style. The motor was a flathead, not the 252. OHV engines did not appear in Canadian Fords until 1955.
Leo’s Sunliner was originally purple. It had what looked like an Ivory steering wheel, though probably plastic. By the time we started trying to restore it in 1967 in the driveway, it was in pretty bad shape.
The engine was filled with sludge right to the underside of the intake. It was so solid the engine could no longer spin. It had probably never had an oil change.
The interior was white vinyl and it was original. Someone rich had owned this car.
We riveted a new floor into the car. There was no such thing as a welder in our neighbourhood (Toronto).
Eventually, Leo sold the Sunliner to Bob Fowler, another friend of mine. He was well-known for buying old, beautiful cars then storing them in his parents’ backyard with the intention of restoring them some day. He never restored any of them. What he did was to cut the rust out of the cars wherever it was, but never replaced the missing pieces with patch panels.
Eventually, his mother got drunk one Saturday night and went out in the backyard in the dark with a hammer and smashed them all to bits as only an irate Scots woman can do. Her back yard was soon clear of the wreckage but that was just the beginning of the story…
Was a/c or an interior roof cover offered on this car?
I remember even with a smaller tinted aftermkt sunroof & no a/c, it could get hot inside a car with the sun beating down on your head on a hot day.
Go back and re-read the text.
Russ, when did Plymouth build a see thru roof? I never heard of one to be honest.
I once had 54 Ford Victoria 2 d00r hardtop. Same color scheme as this. It was not a glass roof model. But for it’s time it was loaded. electric windows and seat and a/c. Power was a 239 0verhead valve with automatic. Dawgone thing through a rod on my way home from work one night. I bought a 312 from a bone yard and put in it. Power steering pump and a/c compressor were a night mare to get the belts lined up right, but I kept after it until I finally got it all together. Great little car after that.
God Bless America
The text says it is equipped with a 3-speed manual transmission, but there is a, “Merc O Matic,” badge on the trunk lid. What’s the story??