This 1956 Mercury Custom Sedan sat in North Dakota “for many years”, according to the owner. It’s now listed on eBay with a price of $1,800 and is found in Hightstown, New Jersey.
The body looks great on this car. I guess “great” is a strong word, but it looks solid and relatively rust-free, other than surface rust. The seller does mention that all of the door handles are missing, which seems odd. And, there are some other trim pieces missing, too. Just think how good this car could look!
Of course, the 800-pound gorilla in the room is that this car has two doors more than most people want in a collector car. If this Mercury were a two-door I’m guessing that the $1,800 price would seem pretty reasonable. Maybe the fact that it’s a four-door sedan (not even a hardtop) will hold it back a bit on the price. Or, maybe it won’t sell at all because it has four doors and it needs work. Lots of buyers wouldn’t consider putting money into restoring a four-door car.
There has to be some mouse damage here since it was in NoDak for so many years. I guess mice are everywhere but it seems like farm country vehicles get hit particularly hard by those dastardly critters. The floors are going to need some welding work but the interior doesn’t look horrible, other than needing to have the seats fixed, new windlace, maybe having the steering wheel restored, welding new floor pans in… How’s that for a sales pitch!
The seller thinks that this is either a 272 or 292 Y-Block V8 and it isn’t stuck, but of course will need a total rebuild, as will everything else on the car. It also has a 3-speed manual with a shifter on the column which is nice for those of us who prefer to shift for ourselves whenever possible. The big question here is if this car is worth the price due to it having four doors? This car will need a lot of work and a fair amount of money spent on getting it either in drivable condition or totally restored. Is it worth the time and money or would you hold out for a two-door version?
Source: barnfinds.com
