Rod & Custom Feature Car.
Dave Dolman
Verdon, Nebraska
1949 Mercury station wagon
Chassis
A '79 Monte Carlo front frame clip was grafted to the '49 Mercury frame and fitted with dropped spindles and airbags. The frame was C'd in the rear and the springs de-arched to drop the rear 9 inches over the '58 Ford wagon 9-inch rearend with drum brakes and Monroe shocks. The frame was notched in the right front for a low alternator mounting.
Drivetrain
Technostalgia Olds valve covers, a fake oil filler tube, and repro dual intake air cleaner disguise the engine as an Olds Rocket V-8. It is actually a GM crate engine from Year One bored .030 over to 355ci and rated at 402 hp and backed by a 700-R4 trans. It's fitted with a Year One cam kit, Vortec heads, 770 Holley 4-barrel on a Weiand air gap manifold, and MSD ignition. The Jet-Hot coated custom 21/2-inch exhaust system flows from cast iron ram manifolds through 30-inch steel mufflers to tips set into notched rear quarter panels.
Wheels & Tires
Diamondback wide whitewall radials are 225/75-14 in the rear and 205/70-14 in front on 14x6-inch chrome reverse wheels. Hubcaps are '50 Mercury with MERCURY lettering added.
Body & Paint
Starting with a '49 Merc coupe, Dolman chopped the windshield and doors 3 1/2 inches, then grafted on '56 Ford Ranch Wagon side windows chopped 41/2 inches and slanted the B-pillars forward to match rear corner posts. The '56 Ford wagon liftgate was chopped 4 inches and the tailgate was narrowed at the bottom and fitted with a '56 Merc emblem. A '57 Ford wagon roof was modified to remove about 4 inches of the crown and pie cut front and rear to mate with the other roof components. Dave built new inner quarter panel structures and floor panels to accommodate the '56 Ford wagon floor pieces and seats. From about 18 inches behind the doors, the upper quarter panels were hand-formed to blend into the wagon roof and mount 1952-'53 Mercury taillight assemblies. 1955 Pontiac rear bumpers were shortened and fitted with bolt holes filled. The '50 Merc front bumper was narrowed and tucked closer to the body, with a '51 Kaiser overrider reworked to fit. Both front and rear pans are rolled below the bumpers. The grille is a '49 Merc with the center piece removed and bars added to fill. Headlights are frenched Lucas units. Side molding is '50 Merc with reworked Ford wagon stainless beltline moldings. The gas filler door is custom built, and the hood is filled and peaked. All glass was made by Hill's Glass, Falls City, Nebraska, including curved liftgate glass from Dolman-made templates. Yellow and vanilla two-tone paint was mixed by Auto Tool and Paint, St. Joseph, Missouri. All body and paint work is by Dave Dolman and wife, Shirley. Pinstriping is by Roger Nunn, Lincoln, Nebraska.
Interior
Dolman fabricated many interior trim panels, floor panel inserts, and door scuff plates. He reworked '56 Ford wagon metal rub strips on the floor and rear seat back, garnish moldings, and headliner bows. A 1965 Buick donated the power front seat and door armrests containing power window and seat controls.
Larry Cummings of Countryside Upholstery is responsible for the neutral-tone Kalfskin tuck 'n' roll upholstery, headliner, and beige nylon carpet.
A '74 GM van tilt column is used in conjunction with Bob Drake-supplied original style pedals. Stewart-Warner gauges were reworked to fit the stock '49 dash, and an extended panel was added to hold the stereo, air gauges, and controls.