Nosed Decked Louvered Frenched/Modern 350ci V8/TH350 3-Speed/Camaro Subframe

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!