Wood is one of nature's most versatile materials. You can burn it for heat and energy, whittle it to make utensils, or carve it into boards from which all kinds of things can be built. Manmade steel has similar versatility. It can be cast, forged, rolled, or stamped to form a countless array of tools, building materials, and complex parts. Combine wood and steel and the possibilities are endless.
John Dusckett can recall exploring wood's inherent potential in high school shop classes decades ago. At the same time, he was learning to float on balsawood while surfing off the Southern California coast. Naturally, he and his buddies discovered that the best way to haul their 'boards to the beach was in the rear of that special blend of wood and steel: the woodie wagon.
Memories of those years came rushing back to John when he first stumbled across this '51 Mercury woodie for sale at the L.A. Roadsters' Father's Day show back in the mid-1990s. The car had spent four decades on an Arizona Indian reservation and was amazingly well preserved. The guy who dragged it out of the desert had done little more than chop the top, but that's all it needed to capture John's imagination.
"One thing I didn't like about mid-century woodies was the big 'forehead' they had," John says. The Merc was chopped just enough--about 2 inches through the pillars, and a little more in the crown--to eliminate the top-heaviness. It had the right profile, even if it was a bit rough. "It just had a certain neat look to it," John says.
John didn't buy the Merc then, but he daydreamed about it for months afterward. A couple years later, a chopped Merc woodie turned up at the Long Beach Swap Meet--same car, same condition, different owner. This time, John was ready to seize the opportunity and part with some cash.
John's goal from the start was to build a clean, roadworthy custom, something stylish but not flashy. He enlisted Richard Graves at Richard's Wheel & Chassis in Long Beach to oversee the transformation. Richard began by building a chassis using tried-and-true street rod components--a disc brake-equipped Lincoln 9-inch rearend on monoleaf springs, and a Street Rod Engineering frame stub supporting a Mustang II-style IFS. To this he added a 275-horse Chevy 350 crate engine with Edelbrock induction, Pertronix ignition, and a 700-R4 from Bowtie Overdrives. Eventually, 15x7- and 15x8-inch rims from Early Wheel Company were wrapped in 215/75R15 and 235/75R15 radials from the Whitewall Candy Store.
John joined the National Woodie Club before starting the project, and learned from several experts that the doorskins, with their curved character lines fading in from the front fenders, were the most difficult wood panels to make for the Mercury. Getting those skins was key to completing the project. Fortunately, wood expert Rick Mack (Lakewood, Washington) has a vacuum-forming process to shape such pieces. The mahogany skins he made were installed by Doug Carr at Wood'N Carr (Signal Hill, California), who also made, installed, and varnished the remaining mahogany panels and maple framework.
Incorporating one-piece rear and liftgate windows, eliminating the vent wings, and installing a V-butted windshield further streamlined the Merc's chopped top. A wood tailgate was substituted for the standard steel '51 unit (which had a cumbersome spare tire mount), and a '49 Merc grille, bumper, and parking lights helped create a cleaner frontend. Both bumpers were narrowed, filled, and fitted to the body with custom gravel pans.
Finishing touches on the body included '46 Ford taillights, a Hagan fuel filler door, and '55 Chevy mirrors. Richard's shop did the bodywork and applied the two-stage PPG Adriatic Blue paint. Afterward, pinstriper Dennis Rickleffs painted red accents on the side trim, '48 Merc hubcaps, and valve covers, all of which match the red Mercury man horn button.
About the only thing the Merc was missing was a rear seat, but Doug Carr solved that shortcoming when he got in the shipment of wood for the car. "He had so much nice wood--ribbon mahogany--that we thought, 'What can we do to use all this beautiful wood?'" John says. "I figured, 'Hey, I don't need a back seat--I want this wood!'" So Doug crafted a pickup-like cargo deck, complete with stainless rub strips.
To complete the cabin, Whitey Morgan wrapped Java-colored leather around a '65 Cadillac seat, built matching side panels, and covered the floor with Mercedes carpet. The original gauges were converted to 12-volt operation and the dash outfitted with an Olde Air A/C system (vented through the speaker grille), Flaming River tilt column, and LeCarra wheel. The Sony stereo is stashed behind the seat.
John likens his role in the Merc's revival to running a business. "If you're in management, you hire good people and let them do their job," he says. "A lot of it came together by working with experienced people, people I judged to have good taste." John seems proudest of being invited to Blackie Gejeian's exclusive Fresno Autorama this year, where the woodie got favorable feedback from luminaries like Gene Winfield, Chip Foose, and George Barris. The car's appeal seems obvious to us, but John sums it up well: "There's just something about wood."