Elite Dealer

1946 Mercury Eight

Michigan

$45,495

Vehicle Details

Make

Mercury

Model

Eight

Year

1946

Mileage

7,504 miles

Body Type

Other

Transmission

Automatic

Engine

350

Description

1946 Mercury Convertible Rare All Steel Canadian. Real Convertible Custom 1 Of 40 1946 Mercury Convertibles Built In Canada. Car Features A Mild Chop With Cars on Style Folding Non-Power Convertible Roof.

Owned This Car Since 1984. It Is Registered And Insured. This Custom Mercury Has Appeared In 3 Calendars. American Dream Cars 1998, Hallmark American Dream Cars 1999, and Street Rod 2003. The Car Features A 350 V8 With 3 2s With Only One Carburetor Hooked Up. 350 Auto Transmission, Dual Exhaust, 1978-80 Camaro Sub-Frame With Power Steering, Power Brakes, Discs Up Front, With Dual Master Cylinder.

Car Is Nosed, Decked, Shaved, Louvered, Lowered, Rolled Front And Rear Pans. 1947 Oldsmobile Grille, Frenched Headlights, Frenched Dual 1959 Cadillac Tail Lights With Blue Dots, Recessed Dual Antennas, Recessed License Plate, Fender Skirts, Triple Lakes Pipes ( not hooked up), Dummy Spots, Etched Glass, Remote Doors, Custom Wood Dash With Classic Gauges, Tilt Steering Column With Wooden LeCarra Steering Wheel. White Rolled And Pleated Interior. Car Was Completely Rewired With Ron Francis Kit.

Body Is Straight With A Few Cracks, Paint Has A Good Shine. Can Use Some Freshening. True Mileage Unknown.Purchased The Vehicle With 758 Miles Showing On The Odometer.This Was The Mileage Since Modified.

The Odometer Now Shows 7504 Miles. -Vehicle is on consignment and at our clients home -Please Call First and talk to a rep at 231-468-2809 EXT 1 -Showroom is by appointment only Please Call -If you would like a FREE Listing please visit our consignment page or Call

Mercury Eight Buyer's Guide

Full guide

Jim Vasquez

Hot Rods

1939–1951

~3 min read

Updated Apr 2026

The Mercury Eight was born to be hot-rodded — a factory hot rod from the moment it left Dearborn. With a flathead V8 that out-displaced and out-styled everything Ford offered, the Mercury became the foundation of California custom culture.

This guide covers

✓ 9-point inspection checklist

✓ Common issues & what to avoid

✓ In-person inspection guide

✓ Market pricing by year & condition

✓ 5 FAQs answered

✓ History & fun facts

Read the Full Eight Buyer's Guide

Mercury Eight Market Overview

Based on 24 Mercury Eight listings currently on ClassicCarsArena.com

Listed Now

$46,416

Avg. Asking Price

1940–1951

Year Range

Price Position on Our Site — Average Range

This car: $45,495

Low: $9,095 High: $134,900

Transmission Distribution

Automatic 38% ◄

Manual 50%

Condition Distribution

Excellent 8%

Good 13%

Data from ClassicCarsArena.com listings Browse all 24 listings →

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Mercury Eight Buyer's Guide

Jim Vasquez here, and I want to be honest about my bias: the Mercury Eight is my people's car. When guys like Harry Westergard and the Ayala brothers were shaping what custom culture would become, they kept coming back to the same starting point — the Mercury Eight. The proportions were right, the mechanicals were willing, and that flathead V8 just begged to be modified.

The Mercury Eight ran from 1939 through 1951, and every single year produced something special. The pre-war cars (1939–1942) established the template. The postwar cars (1946–1951) refined it, culminating in the 1949–1951 fastback body styles that James Dean made immortal. If you want to understand where hot rodding and custom culture came from, you need to start here.

What to Check Before Buying

✓

Lower Quarter Rust — Inspect lower rear quarter panels and trunk floor area — probe with a pick tool, not just visual inspection.

✓

Floor Pan Condition — Check floor pans from underneath for rust perforation, especially at the sill welds.

✓

Flathead Cooling System — Warm the engine to operating temperature and monitor for overheating — note coolant color and condition.

✓

Head Gasket Condition — Look for white exhaust smoke on warm startup and check oil for coolant contamination (milky appearance).

✓

Body Alignment — Check door gaps and hood alignment — uneven gaps indicate prior collision damage or poor restoration.

✓

Glass & Trim — Inspect all glass for cracks or delamination, and trim pieces for completeness — reproduction quality varies widely.

✓

Brakes — Test hydraulic brakes thoroughly — original systems are cable or early hydraulic, both require careful inspection.

✓

Numbers Matching — Record and verify the engine number against the title — important for concours or insurance valuation.

✓

Drivetrain — Test the 3-speed manual or available overdrive transmission for smooth shifting and no grinding.

Common Issues

Lower rear quarter and trunk floor rust, often severe on unrestored examples. Flathead V8 cooling system failures from corroded water passages in the block. Head gasket failures (modern replacement gaskets are superior to originals). Babbitt main bearing wear on high-mileage engines. Cracked or warped cylinder heads from overheating. Body panel availability issues for pre-1946 models. Correct trim and glass reproduction quality varies by year.

What to Look For

Inspect the lower rear quarters and trunk floor for rust — these are the most expensive areas to repair on a Mercury Eight. Check floor pans and rocker panels from underneath. Verify the flathead V8 runs without overheating — cooling system issues are common and the fix involves pulling the engine in severe cases. Look for cracked cylinder heads from overheating events (look at the top of the block between cylinders). Check body alignment and panel gaps, which reveal previous accident damage or poor restoration work. Confirm authenticity of any claimed numbers-matching drivetrain.

Price Guide

1939–1942 coupes in driver condition: $18,000–$35,000. Concours 1939–1942 cars: $45,000–$75,000+. 1946–1948 cars: $12,000–$28,000 for drivers, $35,000–$55,000 restored. 1949–1951 fastback coupes (the classic custom body): $20,000–$45,000 unmodified drivers, $50,000–$100,000+ for show-quality restorations. Custom-built show cars can exceed $200,000. Convertibles command a 25–40% premium across all years.

Did You Know?

The 1940 Mercury was so well-styled that it reportedly influenced European designers including those at Ferrari. The flathead V8 in Mercury trim was used extensively in early Indianapolis 500 racing — several midget and sprint car racers were flathead-based. James Dean's association with the Mercury Eight through "Rebel Without a Cause" was so powerful that Mercury dealers reportedly saw a sales spike after the film's release, even though Dean drives a Merc in only a few scenes. The 1949 Mercury is one of the most-chopped cars in American custom history — literally hundreds of examples exist with their rooflines lowered 3–5 inches.

Elite Dealer

$45,495

1946 Mercury Eight

Michigan

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