Is this a kit or something?

[Matt Harwood]

Obviously it's a Monte Carlo, but is that a body kit like those late-model Corvettes that look like early Corvettes, or, say, a Beetle with a 1940 Ford front end? There's a HUGE amount of work there, but it always begs the question of why?

 

I guess I'm just wondering how they pulled "Mercury" out of the hat on this, um, whatever it is.

 

http://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/dealer/ford/unspecified/1736934.html?refer=blog

[Guest newbymachineworks]

Fugly is what it is in my book.

[keiser31]

Boy....the face only a mother could love....

[Guest Roj]

Um, not sure what it is or was suppose to be, but at $47,000 they might want to try again, don't think they hit the right mark.

[JFranklin]

I wonder what the title says it is?

[joe_padavano]

Fugly is what it is in my book.

 

 

Beat me to it.  That's much worse than the shoebox Ford kit on the T-birds.

 

[Hudsy Wudsy]

I don't recall the story of why the distinctive Hayes coupe bodies were used by Ford and Chrysler Corp in '39. Maybe a fire at Briggs, like the later Hydramatic shortage, but I'm sure that someone here will recall. Ford used them for Mercurys, while Chrysler used them for Dodge and DeSotos, if I recall right. None of that is very important. I only mention it because this abomination doesn't have much to remind you of a '39 Ford because it isn't. The wipers mounted under the short-in-height windshield, rather than above, are the first indicators that I saw of it's origin as a Hayes body Merc.

Edited March 14, 2016 by Hudsy Wudsy (see edit history)

[danleblanc]

Drop a zero off the price and they may find a buyer.

 

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, just because you can doesn't mean you should.

[TerryB]

A lot of talent went to waste in making up that thing. Makes a Pontiac Aztec look beautiful in comparison!

Terry

[Hudsy Wudsy]

Perhaps he should have started with a '42 Olds?

[oily rag]

Looks more PT Cruiser than a 39 whatever. For me to consider this thing two of the  zeros would have on the other side of a decimal point.

[Amphicar BUYER]

Proportions are all wrong. Looks like a melted purple people eater turd

[Hudsy Wudsy]

Google Images-- '39 Merc coupes:

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1280&bih=609&q=1939+mercury+coupe&oq=1939+mercury&gs_l=img.1.1.0l10.1513.5874.0.10085.12.9.0.3.3.0.186.947.7j2.9.0....0...1ac.1.64.img..0.12.977.UqasyVMSKAw

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Wish it into the cornfield, son....

[joe_padavano]

Google Images-- '39 Merc coupes:

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1280&bih=609&q=1939+mercury+coupe&oq=1939+mercury&gs_l=img.1.1.0l10.1513.5874.0.10085.12.9.0.3.3.0.186.947.7j2.9.0....0...1ac.1.64.img..0.12.977.UqasyVMSKAw

 

They look exactly the same to me... 

 

 

[keiser31]

In case you want to see it run and go....

[60FlatTop]

That's the movie car from "I Saw What You Did And I Know Who You Are".

 

I think those are Lincoln Continental parts in the mix. The Merc would have had a split windshield and a taller cowl.

 

More like this in the beginning,

 

Bernie

[Hudsy Wudsy]

They look exactly the same to me... 

 

 

If you're being sarcastic, you are embarrassing yourself. Look  at the unique deep recess of the belt line beneath the drivers window and look at the return of the front fender at the rear, where it meets the cowl. The red coupe above has had the moldings and name plate removed at the front of the hood. Compare it to the car in question. I don't think that the rear fenders on the car in question are '39 Merc because they are flatter on the top. They sort of look to me like '42 to '48 ford, but I may be wrong. Different pictures from different angles can sometimes confuse the eyes, but I'm guessing the car has had a 3" to 4" section job fairly well down from the belt line, perhaps as far as half way down the side. By sectioning a car that low down, the builder gets to avoid sectioning the hood, or in the case of post war cars, "pancaking" the hood.  The obvious trouble with that approach is the hood remains disproportionately high, as in this case. My very first thought upon seeing it for the first time was that it was a Hudson because the hood looked so high. The mating of the late model plastic bumper to the stock height hood has given it an unfortunate bottle-nosed dolphin look.

Edited March 14, 2016 by Hudsy Wudsy (see edit history)

[Hudsy Wudsy]

That's the movie car from "I Saw What You Did And I Know Who You Are".

 

I think those are Lincoln Continental parts in the mix. The Merc would have had a split windshield and a taller cowl.

 

More like this in the beginning,

011.JPG

 

Bernie

Bernie, I was going to say something about the flat one-piece windshield, but I forgot. As far as cowl height goes, you may be right there, however, the hood line matches the cowl so much like the original Hayes bodied Merc that I just assumed the cowl, as well as the rest of the body, had been sectioned well down from the belt line.

[joe_padavano]

If you're being sarcastic, you are embarrassing yourself.

I assume that's intended to be humorous.

If not, it would appear that Sheldon Cooper has a better grasp of sarcasm...

Edited March 15, 2016 by joe_padavano (see edit history)

[Hudsy Wudsy]

it's humorous

[60FlatTop]

Over the years (and more recently, with the advent of reality TV shows, I have found that people whom modify cars have quite a bit of inaccuracy in what they see and believe. Many tend not to be the historian type a restorer might be. They make general and misinformed statements. My Daughter sent me an email about her Mother's new ride and wrote "a brown SUV is a brown SUV". Identifying the Lincoln parts that went into that car may have been equally GAS.

 

The Lincoln I showed was listed on Craigslist as a 1948 Packard. I bought it and drove away with the seller still adamantly calling it a Packard. It could have easily been called a Merc by someone who didn't know.

 

The big question is - how smart do you have to be to have $50K of discretionary money to buy the fleet footed Monte? (Fleet footed? Why did he write that?)

Bernie

[46 woodie]

Looks like a couple of 55 gallon drums of Bondo to me! There are several Ford cars that have iconic designs. The '33 and '34 models and the '40 model are some of the finest. To chop one up and make it look like this is, well I just don't know. I'm sure there is someone out there (other than the person that built it) that likes it.

[JACK M]

All of the experts here love to pick a modified car like this apart.

When I leave my bathroom it smells like roses.

[CarlLaFong]

It may not be a kit, but it rhymes with it

[smithbrother]

Well, it's not my choice of custom of the year, but ONLY the owner needs to like it.

I'm sure there are some that do like it, and that's their option. Without seeing it in real life, I can't comment on construction quality, but wouldn't surprise me it if was constructed well.

Who knows, it may have been a High School shop/student joint project.

Dale in Indy

[60FlatTop]

Aside from a humorous thought about a movie title I was reminded of, my picking had nothing to do with taste or style. The builder was ignorant that he used Lincoln parts instead of Mercury. And I have seen a lot of that when modified cars are described. Not so much on restored cars. If I go to an AACA meet with my Park Avenue convertible and the guy at the gate says "Hey! The roof got cut off your car." I won't call him picky.

 

I've never looked for roses OR peppermint in a bathroom. I just haven't lived as blissful a life as many.

 

Liking it yourself is fine. When you hang a For Sale sign on it you just doubled the number who need to like it.

 

It's a humorous car.

Bernie

[joe_padavano]

Who knows, it may have been a High School shop/student joint project.

Dale in Indy

The builder is a self-proclaimed "professional" customizer...

[Hudsy Wudsy]

All of the experts here love to pick a modified car like this apart.

When I leave my bathroom it smells like roses.

When the builder puts it on the market and declares to the world that his creation is worth $47,000, he has to accept that others (many others, really) can and will express their opinions about his "art". Personally, I think that the builder should have to keep this car and never drive another car for the rest of his life. I think he should have to drive this car to church, to class reunions, his daughters wedding, and on and on.  Perhaps he should eventually be buried in it.

Edited March 16, 2016 by Hudsy Wudsy (see edit history)

[61polara]

The rear fenders look very much like MoPar of the '40's.  How can any state title this as a 1939?

[Bleach]

It looks like Lucy and Ethel took apart a 39 Mercury and then tried to put it back together.

[Hudsy Wudsy]

The rear fenders look very much like MoPar of the '40's.  How can any state title this as a 1939?

I suppose that he simply used the original title.

[28 Chrysler]

May be the title and some of the parts came from a "39 ( think inner tube valve cores ) and built the car round them.

[joe_padavano]

I suppose that he simply used the original title.

 

Being, the title from the FWD Monte Carlo.  If you have time to kill, go to Sleeman's Classic Cars and watch the slideshow on this, ah, ...car.  The engine compartment, trunk, and underside are Monte Carlo.  No actual Fords were harmed in the making of this car, apparently.  Of course, as an aerospace engineer, I wonder how the car keeps from folding up with the roof cut off the unibody Monte.  There don't appear to be any large reinforcements to the floor pan.  That may be why the video only shows the car running around on grass at a couple of MPH. 

[Hudsy Wudsy]

Perhaps the Monte Carlo had a salvage title? It's clear that this "artist" wanted to end up with something that he could claim was a vintage auto. I'm sorry to persist with this, but this body is not Monte Carlo. At the bottom of this post I will include a link to a Google search for Monte Carlos. You guys can look for yourselves, but I can't find any beltline shape on any year Monte that resembles this car. On the other hand, the beltline sculpting is, in my opinion, exactly like the Hayes bodied '39 Merc coupes that I already have shown. Look at the width of the cowl. Can any of you imagine what it would look like if you grafted pre war front fenders onto a Monte Carlo cowl? They wouldn't overhang the front tires, they would overhang the next lane. Look at the door jams and door latches. The Monte Carlo latch assembly would be within the door, right? The latch would simply strike upon a pin or a "finger" sticking out from the jam. Instead this has latches which are external to the door. (Perhaps Bear Claws?) The body is that of a '39 Merc coupe which has had the rear end bobbed off, perhaps, where the rear deck rises to meet the roof, or there abouts. The body was then slid under the deck of a Monte Carlo, or whatever the donor car was, and grafted together. I don't know about the rear fenders. Someone suggested post war Chrysler product. They may be right, although I still think post war Ford, which are a little flatter on the top. The back of the front fenders meet the cowl just as I would expect to see on a stock Merc body, but Merc fenders (front and rear) had full radius wheel openings. These front fenders have a flatted radius at the top, just like the rear ones. I suppose that they could have been modified to resemble the rear fenders. Lastly, look at where the steering column meets the improvised dashboard in the interior photos. Notice the point where the stock Chev steering column meets the bottom of the dash. I think that it's clear that it enters the firewall so very far below the top of the cowl that there was room for the equivalent of two dashes. All of that space between the bottom of the windshield and the steering column had to be made up somehow, I guess. I won't defend my thoughts here any further because I, for one, am tired of looking at this POS. I rather be horribly wrong about the whole matter than revisit this again.

Google search, Monte Carlos (various years):https://www.google.com/search?q=1947+plymouth&biw=1280&bih=609&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjzueXF6sbLAhVCFj4KHY1uB2QQsAQIGw#tbm=isch&q=monte+carlo+car+

Edited March 18, 2016 by Hudsy Wudsy (see edit history)

[ricosan]

Just because you can doesn't mean that you should!  

 

ricosan

[8E45E]

If its a Monte Carlo, someone is trying to 'one-up' the ugliness of a 1970's 'Custom Cloud' conversion.

 

Craig

[joe_padavano]

 You guys can look for yourselves, but I can't find any beltline shape on any year Monte that resembles this car. On the other hand, the beltline sculpting is, in my opinion, exactly like the Hayes bodied '39 Merc coupes that I already shown.

 

My apologies.  I was going from the use of "Monte Carlo" in the first post, but you are correct.  This wasn't based on a Monte, it was based on a Lumina. Same car, mechanically.  Note that the front and rear bumpers and headlights and taillights are the same.  Note that the gas filler door is even in the same place.

 

 

 

 

Edited March 17, 2016 by joe_padavano (see edit history)

[joe_padavano]

I'll also reiterate that the slideshow posted on Tim Sleeman's website clearly shows that the engine is a transversely-mounted Buick 3800 V6, as installed in millions of FWD GM cars like the Lumina.  The other slides in that slideshow also clearly show the Lumina's unibody underside.  The YouTube slideshow doesn't apparently let me extract individual photos to post here, so you have to watch it yourself.  The engine and underbody shots start about 2 min into the show.  Enjoy.

 

[Hudsy Wudsy]

Joe, I apologize for being so very inarticulate. Of course the platform is late model FWD Chev. I never meant to argue with that. In fact, I thought that it was so very self evident. It's sort of laughable, but we' ve been looking at the same car from very different perspectives. This work of "art" isn't worth any more of our time. So, if there is a prize to be awarded, It's yours for your gentlemanly patience!

Edited March 17, 2016 by Hudsy Wudsy (see edit history)