Terry Hegman
Fountain Valley, California
1951 Mercury
Drivetrain
Terry's whole intent when building his Mercury was that he would drive the wheels off of it when it was finished. For that to happen, a nice reliable drivetrain would be the only option. A stone stock 1998 Chevy 350ci/300hp small-block keeps the maintenance to a minimum, and he mated that to a '69 Camaro three-speed manual gearbox with overdrive. Dressing up the engine is a set of chrome-plated 1953 Oldsmobile valve covers and matching air cleaner. Finishing off the power package is a 9-inch Ford rearend fitted with 3.50:1 gears.
Chassis
The chassis was one of the major components to receive the least customizing. Up front the mods were limited to a pair of dropped spindles and clipped coils while the rear uses de-arched leaf springs and 3-inch blocks with a C-notch to allow full travel of the rearend.
Wheels & Tires
Dayton 215/75R15 wide white radial tires wrap around a set of steel wheels wearing a set of perfect, yet unrestored, '53 Oldsmobile flipper hubcaps.
Body & Paint
What Terry looked to achieve with his car was to combine all the best elements of his favorite early customs into one car. Starting at the front of his '51 is a pair of frenched '54 Mercury headlight rings flanking the shaved hood with rounded corners over a molded '49-50 Mercury grille surround housing a '54 Pontiac grille. Moving back on the front fenders is a pair of '57 Plymouth front fender lips Terry elected to use because he felt the more commonly used '52-54 Merc/Ford lips are too large and stick out too far. The doors were shaved and above them the top was chopped-3 inches in front and 4 inches in the rear. More meticulous than some, Terry kept all the original components like driprails, wind wings, and stainless window trim intact during the chop process. At the rear of the roof, Terry swapped out the '51 rear window for a '50 unit, which makes it flow much better with the chopped roof. The trunk was shaved and a pair of '54 Mercury taillights was fitted as an homage to the early work of the Barris brothers. Once the owner handled all the bodywork, the car was taken to Arizona so Doug Jerger at Squeege's could spray the multiple coats of rich metallic blue paint, a color borrowed from late-model GM pickups. After the paint was dry, all the brightwork, such as the massaged N.O.S. side trim and bumpers with the shortened and massaged bumper guards, was reattached one last time. The finished product is simplified automotive beauty at its best.
Interior
Terry worked hard to keep the integrity of the period car inside the Mercury by only modifying what was necessary and maintaining the look and feel of the early customs. A Lincoln steering column with a restored '51 Lincoln steering mated to it (with a custom skull horn button) sits under a fully restored original dash. The original front seat has been lowered just slightly to match the chopped top, and custom wood panels and the rear seat make up the rest of the interior by Terry. Covering the interior is custom stitching by Tom Sewell in Cambria, California, that perfectly evokes the style and simplicity of the early jobs by the Carson Top Shop seen in all the golden era customs. Final elements are more of Terry's handiwork, with the highly massaged and chrome-plated window frames and the one-off rear speaker grille in the package tray.