Sams Kustom Kars 1951 Mercury Convertible

The 1949-‘51 Mercs are often referred to as the “Kings of Customs,” and most of us have known someone in our lives that has built one. Witnessing someone building a Merc will quickly reveal the fact that they do not come together in a weekend. One of the main reasons that most Mercs of this era tend to take so long to build is that they seem destined to be chopped, and chopping a Merc is no easy task. If you were to ask most hot rodders how long it took them to build their rod, a common answer would be between 2-4 years. Most of us would tend to risk burnout if we took much longer than that.

When Sam Schoenberg wanted to build a Merc he went to the extreme in just about every aspect imaginable, resulting in a build of no less than 10 years to create the beauty you see gracing these pages. His dedication and ability not to stray from his vision are rare, but so are guys like Sam.

To make things complicated right from the start Sam wanted his Merc chopped, a pretty standard choice, except that Sam had chosen to build a ‘51 convertible. Considering the rarity and value of convertible Mercs, as well as the massive undertaking of chopping a soft top, Sam knew he had a large task in front of him. Four inches were painstakingly removed from the roof while keeping the power top fully functional. The process of altering the top actually resulted in it being chopped twice as each top bow was removed and cut down countless times until the roofline was perfect.

The other major obstacle was the fact that the Merc is radically lowered and when the rear tires sink up into the body, there is no longer room for the top to drop down. The roof’s lowered profile flows into the trunk, which has been made smaller due to the catwalk being stretched 4” in order to accommodate the 6” stretch to the taillights. The rear taillights are ‘52 Lincoln housings with ‘59 Cadillac lenses encased inside.

This radical, yet subtle feature of Sam’s Merc is just one of many that reveal themselves after several minutes of studying the car’s detail. The taillights are joined to lower quarters sourced from a ‘54 Merc. Handmade, flush mount fender skirts with frenched spears blend into the seamless rocker panels and frenched lake pipes. The rear of the Merc is finished off with a ‘53 Cadillac bumper that has been shortened, filled, peaked, and frenched into the body.

Moving to the front of the massaged Merc you find a ‘50 Merc grille shell holding a dozen ‘53 Desoto teeth that have each been frenched and peaked to match the peak in the reworked hood. Below the grille sits a shortened ‘54 Chrysler bumper that is also frenched into the body. Finishing off the front end are frenched and peaked ‘55 Olds headlights and frenched ‘57 Buick turn signals. Flowing down each side of the Merc is ‘55 Pontiac side trim that has been recessed into the body panels. This truly amazing feature took a full year to accomplish with endless patience. Sam was told dozens of times that it could never be accomplished.

A beautiful bodyline stolen from a ‘55 Pontiac’s rear quarter was added just below the quarter glass and accented with plated, hand-built trim. Beyond all the radical mods to the Merc’s body there are also subtle touches such as every seam being filled and the door corners being rounded. The famous “S” curve has been removed from the doors due to a rear sectioning of the body from the top of the doors on back. Once the body was molded to perfection it was sprayed and frosted with a custom blended pink pearl.

Moving inside the Merc, there is a narrowed, sectioned, and chromed ‘59 Chevy dash with a host of era goodies. The seats are a mix of Impala and T-bird that are covered in ultra soft, two-toned Naugahyde tuck-n-roll with lots of chrome buttons. Flowing between the seats is a custom made console that conceals the electric window switches and various other controls.

An early 3 deuce fed Chevy small block keeps the radical Merc reliable and cruising to shows like the Grand National Roadster Show, where it took home Best Custom Convertible. The ‘51 was also handpicked by Blackie Gejeian for the Fresno Autorama and became a poster car for both that event and Trace Edward’s Long Beach Motorama.

Sam’s dedication has earned him one of the most gorgeous and radically modified Mercs around, and one that he is not afraid to drive. It was quite a sight seeing Sam rolling through the busy streets of Compton making his way to the photo shoot. Keep an eye open for this era-perfect masterpiece making its way to shows all over the West Coast.

Read the rest of this article in ISSUE 25: Hot Rod Revolution