1953 Mercury Monterey for sale $69,900

What do you get when you combine the aesthetic traits of a show-worthy street rod with the drivability of a modern hot rod? This incredible Mercury kustom! With the universal appeal of high dollar eye candy and the road going prowess of a fully sorted cruiser this slick Monterey is a unique well built classic that provides its owner the best of both worlds. And whats better: you can have your show stopper and drive it too for a fraction of the money and time it takes to complete a ground-up build. If youre an anxious buyer whos tired of the garage furniture culture that seems to pervade the classic car hobby this stunning Merc is one of the coolest road-ready customs your money can buy!

BODYWORK/TRIM

Purchased in 2008 as a fully restored driver this slick hardtop has been carefully finessed into a one-of-a-kind piece of art. Of course every work of art needs a solid canvas and under the cars many modifications youll find solid steel that based on appearance has never been botched or wrinkled in any significant way. That smooth surfacing makes for a super clean profile thats been laboriously block-sanded and covered in a stunning combination of Ford Red Candy Metallic and Jet Black 2-stage. And ultimately the car debuted as an excellent looking classic that walks a fine line between traditional street rod swing and outrageous SoCal flair.

A kustom in the truest sense of the term this Merc gets cues from a variety sources both literal and figurative. At the front of the car a lightly massaged grille frames frenched headlights a factory-spec bumper and a 50 Ford hood thats been nosed and louvered. Behind that hood factory-tint glass founds mirrored wipers and straight stainless frames beneath small vent visors and a modified NOS windshield visor. Beneath that glass 55 Pontiac profile trim perfectly complements factory rocker guards and factory fender skirts. At the edges of that trim Buick-style portholes and correct Monterey badging add a little form while traditional door handles and classy mirrors instill a little function. And at the back of the car dualed 95 Cadillac taillights frame a decked trunk and an Impala-branded fuel filler above a snazzy 55 Pontiac bumper.

ENGINE

Many Dearborn kustoms get by on traditional flathead power. And I do mean get by in the most literal sense of the phrase. While extremely cool and chock full of character flatheads arent particularly known for earth-shaking performance when strapped to heavy 50s metal. Sourced directly from GM Performance Parts this Mercs sprier personality comes courtesy of a 350 cubic inch ZZ4 crate engine that twists stout 10 to 1 compression into 355 horsepower and 405 lb./ft. of torque. The mean motors energy mixture is supplied by a coated Holley carburetor which is sandwiched between an Edelbrock Performer intake and polished transverse air cleaner. That mixture travels in to aluminum L98 cylinder heads which hang polished valve covers and polished breathers over stamped rocker arms and hypereutectic pistons. That valvetrain combusts thanks to a forged internally-balanced crank powdered connecting rods and a billet cam. Fire for that combustion comes courtesy of a modern HEI distributor and Autolite Professional Series plug wires. That fire is kept in check by a beefy radiator which is mated to chrome flex hoses and a polished expansion tank. Traditional V-belts spin a rebuilt alternator opposite a modern AC compressor while spent gases are cycled through iron GM manifolds. And first-rate details include: an Optima battery a small pressure gauge a Wilwood proportioning valve and a Holley fuel