Crazy ‘Bout a Mercury

   Being a true romantic, I made sure we stopped in Reno on our honeymoon.  Harrah’s  Auto Museum, the largest collection in the world housed 1500 vehicles. Beginning in 1948, Harrah’s eventually employed 125 restoration specialists. The entire collection was sold in 1978, never to be seen again in one location.

   The car that really caught eye was James Dean’s 1949 Mercury Coupe.  It’s sleek flowing lines, were shiny and black. Merc’s were one of the most desirable hotrods in 50s and 60s. There was one just like it in the movie, American Graffiti.  I needed one ! Imagine my thrill when I found this four-door 1951 Merc with suicide doors. It really did make me crazy..

 The black paint was flawless, and the engine sounded great, but the interior looked like it had been gutted by a festival of rats and cloth eating moths. I drove it home sitting on a pad over bare seat springs not yet attached to the floor.   After Paul’s Auto Upholstery on Roosevelt Way restored the interior with beautiful gray mohair fabric with ivory pinstripes and the results were stunning.  This was a fine example of automotive art. I named her “Skirts” after installing two huge fender skirts on her sides. But as cool as this three on a tree car was to drive, there was something weird going on at highway speeds, even after pulling the overdrive lever on the dash.  There was a vibration no one could figure out. When the next owner trucked it to Los Angeles, he dropped a new engine in it with a balanced crankshaft and has been cruising the Pacific Coast Highway ever since.  If you see “Skirts” on the road, no need for you to get crazy, just give her a thumbs up!