Vehicle Description
1946 Mercury Convertible
A lead sled is a standard production automobile with a body heavily
modified in a particular way. Especially, though not exclusively, a
1949, 1950, or 1951 model year Ford or Mercury. In the name, lead
refers to the heavy weight of the body, and sled refers to the
lowering of the vehicle, giving these vehicles the appearance that
they were slip sliding down the highway.
For consignment, in all out Kustom Kemp form, we have a Canadian
1946 Mercury convertible. Canadian Mercurys were simply rebadged
Ford bodies sold in the Great White North. It is believed that this
Kustom before your eyes is one of 40 '46 Merc convertibles that
were built. Almost every possible body modification has been done
to the rust-free car and it just oozes 50's styling. During its
tenure with our consignor, it has been featured in not one, not two
but 3, count them three calendars. Read on to be amazed and left in
awe.
Exterior
A slammed, nosed, shaved, decked, chopped, frenched, and Lake
piped, this Mercury that has seen many an hour of customization, is
dripping in a metallic mauve paint job. A custom white convertible
top was added on to a chopped pillar line and includes a small
glass rear window. 1959 Cadillac taillights that have been frenched
in along with simplified headlights with cat's eye covers. A new
grille courtesy of a 1946-1948 Oldsmobile is up front and appears
to be giving a disapproving frown. Dummy spotlights are seen on
each side in front of the doors and dummy Lake pipes are seen down
below. Kustom roll pans have been added to the front and rear of
the car while full sized fender skirts cover up the rear tires.
Bullet style hubcaps are on all four wheels and are wrapped in thin
radial white wall rubber.
Interior
A quick flip of the interior door handle and we are met with a seat
of white vinyl. White tuck and roll vinyl door panels and blinding
and have a walnut burl insert that holds the armrest. A brushed
aluminum door release and window crank also float in this sea of
white. Down low is an aftermarket speaker and trimming out the
bottom of the panel is mauve carpeting. Sliding into the well
padded white vinyl tuck and roll split front bench seat we are in
comfort heaven. A rear bench emulates the front and is equally as
comfy. A woodgrain LeCarra steering wheel is mounted on a mauve
metallic tilt column. This fronts a custom walnut burl faced
dashboard complete with a litany of Classic Instruments gauges with
gold bezels to monitor all engine functions. Deep pile mauve
carpeting covers the floors and is perfectly soft enough to soothe
my toes on a long drive.
Drivetrain
A mauve metallic 350ci V8 Chevrolet mill replaces the original
engine and is topped by a 3-2bbl manifold and Rochester 2 jet carb
setup that only runs on the center carburetor. A nice addition are
the Corvette ribbed aluminum valve covers with mauve paint added
between the ribs. This is backed up by a bolted-on TH350 3-speed
automatic tranny, as well as a 10-bolt rear from a Camaro. A
mirrored firewall gives extra bling to the engine bay and provides
a great addition to all the mauve and aluminum parts.
Undercarriage
A factory issued frame and floor pan set run from the rear of the
car to the firewall and display in black with no rust in sight.
From the firewall forward we see a grafted in Camaro subframe. This
subframe gives not only better suspension geometry but it provides
the added benefits of power disc brakes, power steering and an
independent coil spring front suspension. On the rear we have
traditional leaf springs providing the ride. Block hugger heads
send spent fossils to the rear of the car by way of a pair of
glasspack style mufflers. Well thought out and tidy down here.
Drivability
I donned my white T-shirt, leather jacket, and my pack of Luckys
then slid behind the wheel of this lead sled. It roared to life
with a turn of the key, and I was off to the Classic Auto Mall test
track. Here the car performed quite well with ample acceleration,
good handling and bias free panic stopping. I did notice the car
was devoid of any form of heat or air conditioning, but hey, it's a
convertible! All was well as I rolled low and slow off the track
and back to meet my partner in crime for a quick lunch.
If you're in the market for a well-executed lead sled with all the
makings of Kemp then this is the ride for you. Massive amounts of
body customization, a reliable simplistic drivetrain, and a
comfortable Kustom interior all meld well together to form a
splendid Kustom that is ripe for the picking. Even Edd "Kookie"
Byrnes would be blown away by the amount of Kemp!
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 600 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia
on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is
www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914.
Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the
vehicle in person.
