Phil Hernandez' 1951 Mercury

Photo by Bob Hardee.

Photo by Bob Hardee.

Photo by Bob Hardee.

Photo by Bob Hardee.

Photo by Bob Hardee.

Photo by Bob Hardee.

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1951 Mercury four-door restyled by Toigo's of San Diego, California for Phil Hernandez. The deck lid, hood and doors were shaved to remove the chrome trim. Push buttons were used to operate the doors and deck lid. The headlights were shaded in order to simulate 1955 Chevrolet units. A 1955 Ford grill was put inside the molded shell and fit with two 1955 Chevrolet parking lights. 1954 Mercury bumper bullets were molded to the stock front bumper. Scoops were made on both side skirts and on the hood. The custom side trim pieces were made by combining stock trim with 1956 Chevrolet trim spears, separating the white and purple two-tone paint job. The rear fenders were reshaped to accept 1954 Mercury lenses which were frenched into the body. Pinstriping, dual spotlights and 1956 Oldsmobile Fiesta hubcaps wrapped up the re-styling.

The interior was upholstered in three-tone blue, black and white Naugahyde. The seats were tucked and rolled and the dashboard was pinstriped to add an appealing touch.

Magazine Features

Custom Cars August 1958
Trend Book 189 Custom Cars 1960 Annual