Mercury a lucky penny
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
We need your support!
Local journalism needs your support!
As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed.
Now, more than ever, we need your support.
Starting at $15.99 plus taxes every four weeks you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website.
Subscribe Nowor call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527.
Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community!
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Brandon Sun access to your Winnipeg Free Press subscription for only
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
*$1 will be added to your next bill. After your 4 weeks access is complete your rate will increase by $4.99 a X percent off the regular rate.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 18/10/2019 (2153 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Like a lucky penny, Brad Patterson’s 1951 Mercury pickup turned up at just right the time.
The stars aligned to bring the Mercury into Patterson’s garage seven years ago.
His wife had a friend looking to sell her truck to make room in her garage.
At first, Patterson said he thought: “I’m not interested in an old truck. I like hotrods.”
He had always wanted to get his hands on a hotrod, Patterson said, and was not even looking for a truck at the time.
“It had a motor in it already and a (Chevrolet) Camaro front end, but it wasn’t wired or anything,” Patterson said. “There was just a rat’s nest of wire there.”
He had some knowledge on how to restore and modify vehicles, so he bought the truck for $500, with brand new bucket seats thrown in.
The Mercury had been somewhat “hot-rodded” before Patterson began restoring and modifying it.
It was in rough shape when he first got it. He had to replace the bottom 25 centimetres of the fenders, and the running boards had holes.
“Except for the tailgate, it was all there,” Patterson said. “It was a well-used truck.”
Patterson spent the first few weeks he owned the truck tapping and working to take the dents out of the body, he said, adding that he replaced rotting on the bottom half of the body with help from a friend.
“He did such a good job you can’t tell,” Patterson said.
While it does not look like a typical hotrod, it has power under the hood.
He replaced the original engine after it blew out with a crate V8 350 Chevy engine from GM.
The engine fits like a glove, he said, because it sits in a Camaro front end that boasts 1979 suspension underneath.
The front-end is complemented with a Camaro rear-end with Camaro brakes.
The running gear is essentially the same as a 1979 Camaro, he said.
It has the perfect sound for a hotrod, Patterson said, describing how the Mercury has the perfect growling beat when it is running.
While it is typically nice and quiet, if he gives the engine a rev the beast is unleashed.
“It’s fun, it’s rattly and it’s bangy,” Patterson said.
Patterson added new tires with baby moon hubcaps to finish the look of the Mercury, he said, adding that he did the interior details himself that feature red stitching to complement the Morano colour of the exterior of the truck.
“Once you get the sun at your back, you can see the metallic on it,” Patterson said.
The finishing touch was the hand-painted “Bad Penny Delivery” on the driver’s side door.
“I was always referred to as a ‘bad penny,’” Patterson said with a laugh, describing how he always turns up.
He takes the truck for a drive as much as possible in the summer, whether it’s for an evening cruise or to take branches to the dump, Patterson said.
He has travelled to Minneapolis for the last two years to participate in the Back to the ’50s Car show alongside 12,000 other vehicles.
“It’s rolling art,” Patterson said.
» ckemp@brandonsun.com
» Twitter: @The_ChelseaKemp