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HomePick of the DayMuscled-up ’54 Merc convertible

Muscled-up ’54 Merc convertible

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With snow still swirling and so many outdoor events canceled due to cold weather, friends in the Midwest and Back East contend it’s not really late April, but something like the 115th of January. But warm weather will be coming and one way to enjoy it would be the Pick of the Day, a 1954 Mercury Monterey convertible.

The car is being offered on ClassicCars.com by a private seller who may be only the second private owner of the car, which spent part of its life in the Ramshead Collection Museum in Sacramento, California.

According to the seller, the car retains its California “black plate,” and the car “came to us in beautiful condition with not a trace of rust or previous damage… A true Museum Piece of automobile history.”

Except that since acquiring the car, the seller has removed the original 256cid V8 and replaced it with a “brand new” 312 V8 from a 1957 Ford Thunderbird. Why? Lots more horsepower.

The seller adds that both the engine and Mercomatic transmission have been recently reworked by a machine and restoration specialist shop. The engine also has a new chromed Edelbrock 4-barrel carburetor and John Mummert intake manifold. 

“This Mercury Monterey Convertible is a very rare American Classic; only 7,293 were produced and this is the 2,880th car built in Los Angeles,” the seller notes. 

“This car has an in-dash clock (resists keeping time in spite of two new quartz replacements), a working original push button radio, a working heater and defroster/ventilator controlled by air craft style levers. The fuel, amps, temperature and oil pressure gauges and 110 mph speedometers all work well. The in-dash instruments are nicely illuminated by a rheostat knob. Turn signals are operative.”

The advertisement includes a long list of the vehicle’s features, such as power brakes, new rear shocks, power steering, power seats (with new motors), power convertible top (with new motor), new exhaust system, etc.

“Delightful highway driving as well as in-town street driving; the car seems like it’s on rails. It drives straight and smooth. It is a genuine pleasure to drive.”

The car is located in Minnetonka, Minnesota. The asking price is $69,850 OBO.

To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.

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Larry Edsall
Larry Edsall
A former daily newspaper sports editor, Larry Edsall spent a dozen years as an editor at AutoWeek magazine before making the transition to writing for the web and becoming the author of more than 15 automotive books. In addition to being founding editor at ClassicCars.com, Larry has written for The New York Times and The Detroit News and was an adjunct honors professor at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.

3 COMMENTS

  1. Hello Larry….

    I have a good body of a 1954 Mercury Monterey without motor, transmission drivetrain. I am new at rebuilding a car, I have acquired a complete 1989 Ford LTD Crown Victoria that I wish you use as a donor for the car. This LTD has a 302 V8 and I need advice on how this motor will work?

    Thanks for any help you can give…

    James.

    • James, I’ve restored two cars; a 41 Merc Convertible and a 1954 Merc convertible. Both were restostored to near 100 point cars. It made a large fortune into a small fortune and I could not recover even close to 50% of my invested price. Both of these cars were advertised on classiccars.com and I’m sure you could still see them there. My advice to you is to take your components and drop them in the closet deep body of water and go out and buy a car already restored. However, if you need some heart-ache and misery in your life, go ahead and do it your self. The nice man that bought my 1941 Merc Convertible loves the car and raves about how much he loves the car and how it changed his life. He should be happy: I invested > $150,000 and got back $63.000. The 1954 Mercury Convertible is still advertised on Classiccars.com and it’s about the same kind of deal as the 41 Merc…maybe you should buy my 1954 Mercury Convertible! You would have a wonderful car for about half the price I have invested in the restoration. It’s listed in classiccars.com under number CC-1019845 or go to my web site on Hemmings http://www.hmn.com/2249611. Good luck James, have lots of fun. Jack Zimmer

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