49 Mercury: how did the doors work?

I believe this is called "shaving" the door handles. Its a popular modification in which the exterior door handles are removed, thus making the car a little more pleasing to the eye. I'm not sure if this was done during the time period your car represents (I believe it was but don't quote me) or not, but its certainly something car enthusiasts do today. What is therefore required to get into your car is some sort of remote entry or just climb through the window like them Duke boys...

O.k., I was hoping to model the car in a junk yard, all rusted and falling appart, accually. If it was done later than the late 1950's then I could probably drill-out there location to represent "salvaged" handles

Or, if they are not too complex, I could scratch-build, or I could check with the hobby shop. They have a lot of stuff there that's photo-etched related.

The factory '49 Merc had forward hinged doors. Shaved handles were common for the time period in hot rods, and is still popular today. I will be shaving the handles on my 1947 Ford Pickup this summer.

Without knowing the car it was based on, I have no idea what mechanism the builder used for the door catches, but the can be placed just about anywhere. Usually it is hidden in an easily accessible spot near the door.

Alright, I have found out just about all I needed for now.

I do not really like the idea of shaving the handles, accually (I'm afraid that, if I do, I'll lock myself out of the vehicle, and Pop-a-Lock would never be able to help me) It is interesting to see what contraption people come up with to do it.

With the clasp, I should be able to fabricate something, and for the hinges, who needs em? Just place some bumps of scrap styreme where the hinges should be, and say the doors rusted off. (It's falling into place for a good junkyard diorama)

Yes, this Mercury will be plane-jane stock (with the exception of missing pieces and rust all over)

I think you have the car on the pics... Shaved and chopped, look the roof it is lower than the stock version, wheels, bumper grille also are custom...

You can do it all rusty, and in a junk yard kind on the 70's... But a 49 custom Mercury... I'll doubt it... :)

That's basically what I have, just the box art is different (it was plain white and had both the car on that box as well as another Mercury with hot-rod flames)

Mabe I could model it as being abandoned in aome garage back-lot somewhere, starting to decay, with a lot of parts missing, like as if it was a custom car in the 50's, just to be stripped for a parts source after it couldn't be rebuilt. Mabe that'll work, but I will have to build some hinges for the door...

Sounds like a great idea. In actuality there were many full customs and some un-finished customs that fell by the wayside and forgotten and left to rust in peace so to speak. Case in point,research the magnificent custom named El Matador, I believe. A truly unique custom that changed hands several times and fell by the wayside. Also the ressurection of the Hirohata Merc. Have fun with your idea.

Thanks for the info on custom cars accually being in contest with what I was planning, detailfreak

I couldn't find any photos of El Matador (Bing brought up Matadors fighting bulls and cars, not El Matador) but I'll take your word on it. The diorama is slowly comming together, because I'm drooling over some more classic car kits (like a 56 Cadillac, which may be the closest I ever come to owning a real or fake 59 Cadillac) and I'm starting to think about a junkyard lost in time in the deep South ( so I can include Kudzu, to have an excuse to model a car completely lost in vines)

However, I may have to put plans on hold for a while, and settle on just the 49 Mercury and some odd kit pieces for a diorama, because I have found myself a truck I want to get.

Under the "Trucks" section of the website on the link, there's a 49 Chevy 1 1/2 ton flatbed/stakebed for $800.00 (I'll need to save up for roughly 1 year) or I could get a 1956 Chevy 3/4 ton wrecker for $1200.00 (roughly 1.5 years of saving my money) I think I'll go with the wrecker, because I'm a fan of stuff that normally has flashing lights (like emergency vehicles)

http://dansgarage.net/

On some of those customized Mercuries with the shaved door handles the latch was electric.  A tiny pushbutton worked an electrical latch.  That button could be located anywhere on body.  It would be a small button about a quarter inch in diameter plus a small bezel around it.  I have seen them placed on windshield pillar near spotlight (popular accessory) and streamlined rear view mirror.  Same thing was often done on trunk (no trunk latch or lock).  Just a button down below bottom edge of trunk.

In both cases the button and electrics merely unlatched door or lid.  Hopefully the weather molding was strong enough that the panel would open maybe quarter or three sixteenths of inch and you had to get a finger on edge and start pulling door open from there.

Don;as a fellow minnesotan I can say that you are in the ultimate street rod/custom venue. Do you attend the Back to the Fifties show? I attended the 25th anniversary,I believe thats what it was.Great time and a great place. And for the electric doors,the muscle behind the scenes was almost always the power door lock servos from american cars and trucks.Very powerful motors!

detailfreak

Don;as a fellow minnesotan I can say that you are in the ultimate street rod/custom venue. Do you attend the Back to the Fifties show? I attended the 25th anniversary,I believe thats what it was.Great time and a great place. And for the electric doors,the muscle behind the scenes was almost always the power door lock servos from american cars and trucks.Very powerful motors!

Nope- was too busy Saturday and on Sunday we went to the Stone Arch art festival.

I was talking about an earlier era.  The customs were the only cars with electric locks- Detroit had not got around to offering anything like that yet, so there were no servo motors. Instead solenoids were used.  Just plain locks didn't require much oomph, so standard solenoids from an electronics catalog were used.  This was in mid-50s.