Some of the most sought after and memorable cars of all time are 1949-50 Mercury Montereys. Customizers spent thousands of hours sculpting the unusually clean flowing lines of these cars to produce automotive masterpieces commonly referred to as "lead sleds."
Ray Kryeski of Scranton owned a 1949 Mercury as his very first car - for purely sentimental reasons, he wanted to own another. He searched until he located a perfect project car. Once he found one, he then hired automotive artisan Bob Costanzi to help him create the lead sled of his dreams!
Bob obviously knew his way around a body shop! Smooth is what this classy Merc is all about.
The car has been stripped of all its original chrome moldings, the headlights are fronted, the door handles are shaved and the hood and trunk are decked. The original tail lights were removed, and classic 59 Cadillac bullet units were installed, also enhancing the rear view of the Merc.
Check out the stylish air scoops which are molded into the corners of the hood! Bob also blew the paint onto the Merc. The color is called Wineberry, and it is an elegant, eye-catching color to say the least. Obviously an incredible amount of time and effort have been invested, since all the most popular customizing techniques were employed by Bob to create this phenomenal show stopper which has perfect paint.
The interior is worthy of mention in its own right. Ray is the owner of Rays Upholstery and obviously spent some time stitching this glorious interior. The rear seat is originally from a 1969 Chevrolet Impala. The timeless rear seat speaker grille is the only indication that the rear seat has been changed. This speaker grille is a subtle hint to the amount of work and forethought invested in the planning and execution of this magnificent lead sled. Of course, the Merc has been outfitted with a GM tilt column, custom wheels, custom gauges, a butt-kicking stereo system and power everything. The phenomenally clean white interior provides a stunning and striking contrast to the Wineberry paint.
The drivetrain has not been overlooked. The factory original flathead engine has been discarded in favor of something more modern and powerful. This Merc is now equipped with a 350 cubic inch Chevrolet V8 engine and a 700R4 automatic transmission. Anything bolted to the engine which was worth chrome plating has been chrome plated.
Stainless steel hoses, polished aluminum and a Jet Hot coated exhaust insure that you must squint your eyes from the glare to view the engine in direct sunlight! Air conditioning has also been installed should Ray be caught out on a hot day with the convertible top up. How could you not be cool driving a machine like this?
Ray is a member of the Villa Capri Cruisers and will be looking forward to cruising this fashionable lead sled to shows and events throughout the summer and fall.
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-
This was written in The Weekender by Greg Janeczek. Go visit their site by clicking the link below.
Or go the their Motorhead - Ride of the Week by clicking on this link.
