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This body-on restoration was a 3 year project completed in early 2010 and started with probably the most pristine rust-free stock body you could find. No rust anywhere, body-off not required. The car hadn' t been re-painted or re-upholstered since 1964. Originally a California car, the second owner in Tacoma, WA bought it in 1965, gave it to his son in 1975, who sold it to me in 2000 with 99, 900 original miles on it. Always garage stored, very little driving in rain. Most of the interior stainless trim had been removed during re-upholstery in 1964 and I spent years acquiring it again. Body is still stock with 1951 Mercury fender skirts added; engine & running gear mostly stock with re-builds and a few changes for safety & convenience as well as a few "WOWS". Options available from factory but not on car were found and added. BODY & INTERIOR: Stock 1950 Mercury 8 Coupe with 1951 fender skirts. Re-painted in 1966 Corvette "Trophy Blue" with some Pearl added. Detailed pin striping by Jr. Nelson both inside & outside. Upholstery done in similar styling to original including all stainless trim, and is leather w/naughahyde trim matching exterior color w/Pearl White accent colors. Hand assist straps added to side posts and rope assists on back of front seats. 4 lap seat belts added matching as close as possible. Carpet is a slightly darker blue. Headliner is Pearl White as accent trim but shows darker in photos. A custom console was added for me and is short enough for seat to be pulled up all the way. Glove box is shallow to allow room for the Vintage Air heat/AC ductwork and is wired to plug in an I-Pod to run off radio as well as charge it. Alpine iDAX100 is AM/FM & iPod, displays playlists & content playing. 6 speakers & amplifier make a terrific sound. Original radio & clock remain but are not working (radio face only). Original dash/gauges but only speedometer & fuel gauge wired to work. Vintage style Autometer gauges added for oil pressure, voltage, tach, and water temp gauges for both left & right pumps. OEM steering wheel reconditioned and colored to match accent trim & dash. Front & side window frames are chromed and has opening rear quarter windows. All new seals during restoration (makes quarter windows difficult to close). Trunk interior finished same as interior and upholstered panel added to hide amplifier and battery. Custom Mercury head emblem added to panel. Spare wheel/tire match the rest. Original grill & bumpers, chrome & stainless is original, OEM or NOS and restored as necessary. ENGINE & RUNNING GEAR: This is a numbers matching car. Original V8 Flathead was re-built by H& H Flatheads in California. Originally 255CI bored to .125 over for 276CI. Holly 39 CFM 4 barrel carb with chrome air cleaner; Edelbrock polished aluminum heads & intake manifold; Fenton polished duel exhausts; 100 AMP chrome alternator; power steering using the stock column; chrome pulleys & AC pump. Chrome radiator support-pretty much all chrome or polished under the hood! New custom Walker 3 core radiator keeps it cool and looks like original. Electric fan with manual override; new Ron Francis wiring throughout for 12V (reducer for 6V used for fuel gauge) with a master fuse that cuts all power when removed, built in connector for a trickle charger. JAMCO front end suspension & power front disc brakes, stock rear drum brakes. MSD Billet Ready Distributor & Blaster II Coil. Original 3 speed transmission on the column without overdrive has been gone through and new driveline installed that is "beefier" than original. Dana 44 rear end with 3.91:1 gear ratio. This car runs great and sounds great!! It' s the only classic car I' ve owned that doesn' t leak anything. OTHER: Chrome wheels & baby moons with Coker wide white radial tires (matching spare); stainless door handle guards, Halibrand stainless tail pipe deflectors w/Mercury head, curb buffers & chrome gas door trim. Blue Dot tail lights. At the time of this posting the mileage is under 1000 miles since restoration, stored in a heated garage, and trailered any long distances. It was featured in a 1998 story in 1949-1950-1951 Ford Mercury Owners Magazine prior to my restoration; this will be included for it' s history plus an Owner' s Manual and other literature I have accumulated. Also comes with 2 car covers-1 for indoor, 1 for outdoor. I doubt you can find another 1950 Mercury in this condition that is un-chopped, not shaved and essentially stock. It has won many awards for Best of Show and Best Engine; including a Best Engine at Reno' s Hot August Nights (pretty good for a flathead)! Appraised in 2010 for $70, 000
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