Williams also applied the House of Kolor Pearlescent Candy Cobalt Blue. From here a handful, OK a large handful, of changes were made that one would expect on a custom of this build. The door handles, door and decklid keyholes, hood, and decklid badges were all removed and holes filled. From here the front hood corners were rounded and body seams were leaded as was the grille shell. Remote keyless entry is now used. Here a second grille shell was trimmed and from here it was flipped and molded into the front bottom pan. You can also see the use of a “floating” ’55 DeSoto grille that was sectioned and mounted with hidden brackets. The front bumper, lowered 1-3/4 inches, had its license plate guard removed. The bumper mounting bolts had their heads ground off and were welded into the bumper. A second bumper was used to graft a smooth section where the license plate was once mounted on the original bumper. Regarding license plates, the rear license plate guard was removed and, in its place, a ’56 Pontiac guard that was sectioned 1-3/4 inches is now positioned.

Adjacent to the grille work the headlights and bezels were removed and then replaced with ’54 Mercury headlight rims and stainless steel trim rings. Note the headlights are Frenched in their installation. The original taillights were lowered while the original bezels were removed.

Other sheetmetal changes include the reworking of the rain gutter to allow it to follow the new rear quarter windows. Regarding glass note that the windshield had the center post removed and new glass V-butted and installed. More glass mods include the removal of the door vent windows with now one-piece custom door glass.

Inside the ’50 Merc custom it is chock full of more custom touches. Let’s begin by stating that the once-installed ’49 Merc dash resides with the speaker grille eliminated. There is also a Vintage Air A/C, ’49 Lincoln Cosmopolitan radio, a hidden ignition switch, and Lokar brake, throttle, and dimmer switch pedals all in service. From here Stewart-Warner gauges are used and all the electrics are tied together with a Painless Performance wiring loom expertly run by Jerry Moon and Jim German. Remember, a Billet Specialties column is used topped with a cut-down ’55-56 Chevy steering wheel, 18 to 15 inches. There is also a complement of one-off aluminum interior door trim, chrome-plated stainless steel dash trim, chrome-plated door latches and strikers, and chrome-plated handmade doorsill plates.

Stitches Upholstery handled the needlework, utilizing aged leather in a Doeskin Cream color for the seating, door panels (with chromed ’46 Ford driving lights used as courtesy lights), and headliner. Rear seating is stock while the front is comprised of an early ’50s Lincoln bench. The carpeting was done in a Mercedes-style Desert Tan over a complete covering of LizardSkin and then Dynamat sound/heat insulation. You can also see resting beneath the dash and on the center trans hump a late-’30s Dodge aftermarket heater that has been converted to additional storage space–an extra “glovebox.”

The chassis underneath this ’50 Merc is based on a stock frame that uses Classic Performance Products control arms, spindles, disc brake conversion, front sway bar, and coilovers. From here a Ford F-150 power steering box is used along with a Billet Specialties steering column and Air Lift rear suspension. The rearend is based on a Ford 9-inch with drum brakes while the entire braking system uses a Speedway Motors dual reservoir master cylinder and a modified pedal assembly. The wheel and tire combos are based on steelies that feature Cadillac sombrero-plated wheel covers wrapped with BFGoodrich/Coker bias rubber, featuring the obligatory 4-inch-wide whitewalls.