48' mercury convertible

[55 dude]

hey guys i have been wanting to purchase a 1948 mercury convertible that has been tucked away for 35+ years in a airplane hanger and would really like to talk with any mercury folks with knowledge of these cars! looks like a stock vehicle but as a old mopar dude my knowledge falls short on these vehicles and this is far from a $500 purchase! it will be the new aviator since the 38' truck is gone.all info would be great thanks.

[55 dude]

no mercury guys?

[swoopNZ]

The frontal area is better looking than the 46-48 Fords.
Nicer stainless trim much like the 46 Fords.
I would grab it.

[Walt Dupont--Me.]

Originally Posted by 55 dude

hey guys i have been wanting to purchase a 48' mercury convertible that has been tucked away for 35+ years in a airplane hanger and would really like to talk with any mercury folks with knowledge of these cars! looks like a stock vehicle but as a old mopar dude my knowledge falls short on these vehicles and this is far from a $500 purchase! it will be the new aviator since the 38' truck is gone.all info would be great thanks.

What's a 48' foot Merc look like? Walt

[G.M.]

The Mercury is just about the same as the Fords of those years. One thing that always puzzled me was the small pockets on the front of the inner fender panels just above the shocks. These were for tubular shocks. I never saw a Mercury with tubular shocks. About 30 years ago I did a lot of research and looked at maybe 100 Mercury's at every car show I went to that had a Mercury on the field. Looking in the parts books the parts were listed for Fords but if I recall never listed for Mercury's. The parts listed were both side frame rails, axles and the inner fender panels. There may be a few others but I don't remember. I don't remember if the wheel base was longer like the pre war Mercury's or not. G.M.

[Vic Piano]

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As I recall, the Merc's were 4 inches longer, all forward of the cowl. Almost any Convertible is worth saving... You know what they say... "if the top goes down... the price goes up!"

[Shadetree]

When I was a kid, a lady worked at a local eatery drove a `46-`48 Mercury Coupe. Almost all cars of that day speedometers read 100 MPH as tops, not the Mercury! They read 110 MPH! My buddies and I surmised this had to be the fastest car in town!


If I were you and could afford it, I would jump all over that Merc Convertible. They don't make'em anymore.

[Rich Overton]

I just sold mine. The fella I sold it to is a '46-'48 Merc. Guru. He's got em. He is located in Ok. If you want info. feel free to email me at [email protected]. I can also give you his name and phone #.
Rich O.

[47Merc]

"would really like to talk with any mercury folks with knowledge of these cars! "

I guess I could tell you most things about them but I think we might be too far apart to talk.

Straight up I can tell you they are one of the best looking cars on the planet ( maybe I'm biased) and that they made 7,586 convertibles in 1948 and they cost $2002.00.

They are 4" longer than a Ford and therefore have a better ride.

The body shell is the same as a Ford but they have different front fenders, hood, grill etc.
The frame is also different and they have 15 inch wheels instead of 16's on the Ford

If you can tell us what sort of information you are looking for we would be more that happy to supply it.

I would also add that the 5 wheels alone would probably get you your $500.00 on Epay.

A Merc. convertable in very good condition is worth very big $

[55 dude]

1948! i have new computer but if you go over to the HAMB and look in my albums their is pictures of the car! thanks for all the responses so far.

[55 dude]

Originally Posted by Rich Overton

I just sold mine. The fella I sold it to is a '46-'48 Merc. Guru. He's got em. He is located in Ok. If you want info. feel free to email me at [email protected]. I can also give you his name and phone #.
Rich O.

just sent u email thanks.

[trainguy]

My 46Merc conv has what appears to be factory tube shocks,is 4in longer(all firewall forward),15in rims.Compared to my 46 ford.conv.the merc.rides and handles much better.In my oppinion it is a much classier ride than the ford.

[55 dude]

Originally Posted by trainguy

My 46Merc conv has what appears to be factory tube shocks,is 4in longer(all firewall forward),15in rims.Compared to my 46 ford.conv.the merc.rides and handles much better.In my oppinion it is a much classier ride than the ford.

does yours have columbia rear end or are those standard in the mercury's?

[trainguy]

Yes it has a Columbia.From what I have been told ,the columbias were dealer installed. Phil

[TJ]

A Columbia was a dealer installed extra. Just saw two 47 Merc converts for sale at the Portland swap meet. Both had late running gear , but were stock looking on the outside. Both priced at $39,500. Don't know if they sold or not.

[Rich Overton]

My '48 that I just sold was black and looked like the one that '47 Merc. posted except the interior was maroon and gray and had every option available. Including Columbia rear it also had dual everything, spots, mirrors, exhaust, heaters, fogs, etc. It was completely stock except for California Mirrors. It was listed as a #2 and "old car values " at $43,600. I had mine at $38,900 for over a year and had, as usual, ridiculous offers from sight unseen bottom feeders. I finally let mine go for considerably less than the asking price. When the buyer received it, he called to say how beautiful it was and how surprised he was. They are beautiful cars, never failing to receive animated thumbs up when out cruising. They are quick, nice riding, very pretty, fun to work on and very dependable. However they are also unappreciated by the younger hobbyists who are into "muscle" cars. I found the market price is very hard to come by unless the car is modified and/or "ruined' with Chevy engines or other such ruinations. ( only my opinion!) Those listed on Hot Rod on line seem to bring big bucks when they are no longer a true stock Ford or Mercury. However I think those of us who have owned one or presently own one would be sorry to let it go. I know that I was and still am. BTW, I have a pair of new Offy heads for it that I could not bring myself to put on. I will be selling these along with some hub caps and other spare parts when I get around to it.
If you're into Ford products in general, I would say, "go for it." The Mercury had always been Henry's precursor to the following year's Lincoln.
Good Luck!
Rich O.

[55 dude]

here are some pictures i took a few years back.

[jimTN]

Excellent car,looks solid and most of the things that need replacing would need replacing if they were half wore out. It appears to have or have had a Columbia because of the speedometer gear changer on the dash. Rust looks surface from what can be seen. Under hood looks unmolested other than missing the air deflecter in front of the radiator. Most any idiot butcher would pay big bucks for it to cut it up.

[55 dude]

the rust is surface as it is being stored inside building that's in high desert region.

[Rich Overton]

Looks real good from where I sit! Sure worth saving. Jim TM is correct too. To the left of the Voltage Reg. is one of the Columbia controls that the Speedo cables go through. I don't see the vac/elec control that is usually mounted on the rear of the drivers side head. Not unusual as they usually get ripped off. Sure hope you can go for it. Lots of Luck.

Rich O.