One of One?
The "Bigfoot" of Marmon-Herrington AWD Conversion's
Long before Jeep arrived on the scene with their first four-wheel-drive utility vehicle, Marmon-Herrington Incorporated was formed in 1931 in Indianapolis, Indiana, by Walter C. Marmon and Colonel Arthur W. Herrington. Taking over the old Duesenberg assembly plant, the pair started building 4X4 and 6X6 trucks for the army.
In 1937, they began converting light-duty Ford passenger cars and trucks to all-wheel-drive before halting production when World War II arrived to focus again on military trucks and tanks.
Marmon-Herrington then resumed all-wheel-drive production for Ford and Mercury customers in 1946, ending Mercury passenger car production with read more...
1948 Mercury Marmon-Herrington AWD Sedan Sightings
Thar She Be!
In our effort to not only update our '48 Mercury Marmon-Herrington AWD Sedan to its original(or close to it) driving standards we're also hoping to "see" another such specimen along the way. Not that we need any confirmation as to what it is we're dealing with. We've already done tons of research in that area and we're more than convinced of what it is we're working with. It's just that it would be nice to know there's another one out there somewhere, perhaps still in hiding or even better yet, one that is undergoing the same "refreshing" treatment ours is here. Somewhat of a "Brother from another Mother" type of scenario if you will.
By no means are we saying this was the only 1948 Mercury Sedan to have originally been ordered from the Dealer with the Marmon-Herrington AWD conversion. That we have no way of knowing. Yet, based on our most current research, there hasn't been read more...
Then & Now
Based on our research this is what we've learned up until now about our 1948 Mercury Marmon-Herrington AWD Sedan
So far we've only been able to obtain information going back approx. 25-30 years. And when we say "only", it's not that we take all that we've learned so far lightly. Not at all. It's just that that's only one third of its 77 year long existence. That was the first "known" sighting. There has to be more info out there. We're still searching as the history of the car, the stories it could tell, are a huge motivating factor in why we're on a mission to bring this very special car back to its former self.
As the story goes the Mercury was at that time owned by two brothers in Kansas. The two photos with the pickup bed installed demonstrate the condition it was in at the time of the listing. The third photo in the gallery shows the Ebay listing read more...
Chassis Choices
Where To Repair
Every "project" of any sort has to start somewhere. And in the case of this '48 Mercury Marmon-Herrington AWD Sedan pictured here, that starting point is indeed focused on the chassis as that is the heart of the beast. More specifically, the rear section of the frame, behind the crossmember that holds the rear suspension. Apparently at some point in its life it suffered a small bit of damage to the rear of the frame rail (where the bumper brackets mount) and while a repair has been initiated read more...
Options Going Forward
There are a number of ways to move forward with this project. We will attempt to list five four overall possibilities and then branch out from there.
Option #1
This was our original plan from the start. We had planned on purchasing a "donor" 47-48 Mercury Sedan, one such as this one pictured, with gobs of well aged patine oozing out of every crevice and using that car as the "new" body for the Marmon-Herrington AWD chassis. Unfortunately that might not be as easy as first thought. The location where we'd originally planned on performing the body swap read more...
Swap Shop Shoppin'
More than likely we will need to source a Shop not only capable, but willing and eager to take on the body swap side of this Carventure.
With the recent loss of availability of our much preferred "work area" we've been forced to do a bit more digging and the deeper we dive into this Carventure one thing has become abundantly clear. While we have a few ideas on ways we'd like to move forward, with each decision we think we've made, we're immediately faced with yet another last minute obstacle(in this case a "swapsacle") positioning itself smack dab in the middle of our path. Never fails. A Shop we once had in mind either no longer exists, is far too busy, doesn't do that type of "thing", or a combination of all of the above. The list of excuses is seemingly endless.
We knew right from the start that this would be anything but easy. Without a doubt this isn't a "cookie cutter" refresh in any sense of the word. No Siree. This is anything but that and constantly proves itself to be that "one of one" endeavor in every read more...
The Competition
While they(whomever they may be) suggest that you should surround yourself with five of your peers, or people you aspire to emulate, in our case we're still unsure if that is or isn't an option.
Reason being it's unclear as to whether there are four or possibly five other Mercury Marmon-Herrington AWD Conversion's known to exist. Therefore, we are either No.5 or No.6 in the mix. Or No. 1 of One, depending on one's viewpoint..
Now, I will say that as far as "competition" goes, in no way are we thinking we're is the same ballpark with these other four examples. Not only are they of the Woodie Station Wagon variety, but each of them have been "over the top" restored. That combination alone sets them in a world of their own.
However that's not to say we're unable to hold a seat of our own at the Grownup's table. No Sir. We do just fine on our own. Well, let's just say at some point in the future we will anyway. We're destined for greatness, it's simply a matter of time.
Our first example is one that many in the Woodie World consider to be THE BEST Woodie on the planet. Be it Mercury or otherwise, nothing else read more...
By The Numbers
Let's do a bit of numbers crunching, shall we.
While there are a number of factors involved in choosing a path forward, they all revolve around a similar theme. That being our 1948 Mercury Sedan must be rebodied in some form or fashion in order to reach the next level. Whatever that level may end up being. So at this stage perhaps it's numbers crunching time. Leaving all emotion out of the equation, if that's possible, we know that Math doesn't lie. So let's read more...
Our Ultimate Destination
This is what we view as our end goal.
Once rebodied, to bring this truly unique one of a kind specimen to the high end market, where it will surely receive the attention it deserves.
If you're even the least bit interested in cars of any sort then there's no doubt you're heard the name Barrett Jackson passed around at one time or another.
Heck, even if you're not a Car Guy there's still a 99% chance you've heard of it. While it's not the only big name game in town auction wise, it's more than likely high up on the list of big name auctions. There are certainly a number of others, Mecum, Gooding Christie's, Worldwide, just to name a few of the many. While Hershey and Amelia Island are big time as well, since we're on the West coast we'll be wanting to read more...
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