1953 Mercury Monterey

Vehicle Description 1953 Mercury Monterey $24,995 "$24,995 Cruisin Classics is pleased to present this 1953 Mercury Monterey. This Mercury comes to us with a two-tone paint job – yellow body and a black roof. The yellow paint looks like a recent respray in original color and it's in good driver-quality condition. Up front on the hood is a very large chrome jet-style ornament with faux vent, a colorful Mercury crest, and ""MERCURY"" lettering across the forward lip. A toothy chrome grill and a bright wrap-around bumper with bullets and integrated turn signal lights rests beneath. As you come around to the side, many more bright elements come into view – windshield surround, drip rail molding, window trim, body side molding, rear quarter trim, door handles, and dual swan-neck side mirrors. The brightwork is eye-catching, but there is some pitting and fading in selected areas. The fender and rear quarter badging is correct and in good condition. Both rear wheels are partly obscured by fender skirts that add to the classy look. The wheel and tire choice is just perfect for this ride – body-color steel wheels with Mercury hubcaps all wrapped in BF Goodrich Silvertown bias-ply wide white wall tires. Around back, stylish design and bright elements continue with cool vertical taillight towers, a chrome decklid ornament with Mercury head logo, a ""Merc-O-Matic"" badge, another chrome bumper with guards, and a single chrome exhaust tip. The gas fill is hidden behind the license plate holder and the gas tank below is new. Overall, it's a very presentable exterior with a lot of style and '50's flair. Under the large bulbous hood is a tidy stock-looking engine bay with a green 255ci Flathead V-8 at the center. The engine is topped off with a two-barrel carburetor and a correct oil-bath air cleaner. This Monterey is equipped with power steering, but the main pulley is only a 1-belt style that does not allow for power steering. In the trunk is a correct 2-belt pulley that will need to be installed to revive the power steering. This '53 still retains its original 6-volt electrical system, but it appears to have a newer distributor and coil. Also original is the glass washer fluid jar mounted on the firewall. The V-8 is mated up to what we believe is the original 3-speed Merc-O-Matic automatic transmission. The single exhaust flows through a muffler before exiting the rear chrome tip and stopping power is provided by manual drum brakes with a single reservoir. The car starts easily, runs well, stops well, and is still pretty easy to steer even without the power steering hooked up. When you open the driver's door, the underdash courtesy lights pop on to illuminate an original-looking black and yellow interior. The door panels are a mix of black and yellow vinyl with swooping bright trim and correct handles and window cranks. The comfortable front and rear bench seats are also dressed in black and yellow vinyl and they offer seatbelts all around. The seats and the door panels both show some age and patina, with some mild stains, loose stitching, and other small imperfections that are to be expected considering their age. Overhead is a tight yellow vinyl headliner with some staining and underfoot is non-original black hook & loop carpeting. An aftermarket cupholder/caddy sits on the transmission tunnel ahead of the front seat. Ahead of the driver is the original two-spoke steering wheel with a working horn ring. The wheel frames an arching 110 mph speedometer with gauges for temp, oil, fuel, and battery – all of which seem to work. The odometer reads 47,566 miles. The speedometer is flanked by heater and vent control levers set on a plane perpendicular to the dash, giving them an aircraft-inspired look. Below those controls are knobs for the lights and working wipers as well as the ignition and push-button start. In the center of the dash is a non-working clock and what appears to be the original AM radio. The radio fires up and you can hear a buzz in the dash speaker, but it doesn't seem to pick up any stations. Ahead of the passenger is a glovebox with working courtesy light and a Mercury-head badge above it. Around back in the trunk you'll find a car cover, a full non-matching spare tire, a jack, a fire extinguisher, some new replacement gaskets still in their packaging, and the aforementioned 2-belt pulley. If you're looking for a cool '50's classic that won't break the bank – you're going to want to take a hard look at this Monterey. It looks great, runs and drives well, and is ready to cruise to a car show today! Give our friendly staff a call before someone else beats you to it! ENGINE 255ci Flathead V-8 2-Barrel Carburetor Oil-Bath Air Cleaner Power Steering (needs Pulley and Belt installed) 6-Volt Electrical System Glass Washer Fluid Jar Single Exhaust New Gas Tank TRANSMISSION 3-Speed Merc-O-Matic Automatic BRAKES Manual Drum Brakes Single Reservoir EXTERIOR Yellow Body and Black Top – Respray in Original Colors Abundant Chrome and Brightwork in Good Overall Condition Fender Skirts Correct Badging Dual Swan-Neck Side Mirrors Body-Color Steel Wheels with Mercury Hubcaps BF Goodrich Silvertown Bias-Ply Wide White Wall Tires Chrome Exhaust Tip INTERIOR Largely Original Black and Yellow Interior Lightly Patina'd Black and Yellow Vinyl Bench Seats with Seatbelts Tight Yellow Vinyl Headliner Black Hook and Loop Carpet Working Underdash Courtesy Lights Original Steering Wheel with Working Horn Ring Original Speedometer with Integrated Gauges Aircraft-Inspired Lever Controls for Heat and Fan Push-Button Start Working Wipers Original AM Radio and Clock – Both Inop. Glovebox with Courtesy Light Full Spare with Jack Car Cover Fire Extinguisher 2-Belt Pulley for Power Steering If you have any additional questions, please call one of our friendly sales staff. We will be glad to help in any way with questions on financing, shipping the vehicle, or perhaps an interest in our sell-your-car brokerage program. We'v