Topic: 1946 Mercury Sportsman Convertible - Info Request


rdouglas    -- 03-11-2019 @ 4:29 PM
  I am interested in learning more about the '46 Mercury Sportsman Convertible. I understand it was a 1-year only production, with a total of just over 200 being produced in 1946 prior to its discontinuance. (Whereas I have read the Ford version was made from '46 to '48).

So a couple of questions come to mind:

1. Did the Mercury Sportsman have a longer wheelbase than the Ford version, similar to the 1942-1948 station wagons?

2. If the answer to #1 is yes, where was the additional length most noticeable, and did the Mercury Sportsmans then have their own sheet metal, different than the Ford Sportsmans in 1946?

3. Anyone know how many Ford or Mercury Sportsmans were sold/delivered new into the Canadian market, if any?

4. Would any Sportsman production have been done by Ford of Canada in its plants (Windsor or Oakville perhaps)?

5. Does the Early Ford V8 Club maintain an owner's registry of all Sportsmans, and how many Mercury Sportsmans are still believed to be in existence?

6.Where would the body/production number be stamped on a Sportsman, and did both the Ford and Mercury versions share sequential production numbers, or were there separate runs and production numbers for each version?

7. Given the extreme rarity of the Mercury Sportsmans (and potentially their values), versus the already rare and valuable Ford Sportsmans, how would you go about confirming a true Mercury versus Ford Sportsman, as I imagine the possibility would exist for a few Mercury "recreations" to have been constructed by enthusiasts?

I am looking forward to further information from those with the knowledge! Thanks.


TomO    -- 03-12-2019 @ 6:33 AM
  Maybe Bill Large will chime in about the Mercury Sportsman, as he restored one a few years ago.

Here are my answers to your questions.

The Mercury Sportsman was built on the 118" wheel base of the Mercury, the extra length was from the cowl forward.

Front clip sheet metal was different. I doubt that any were made in Canada, and I don't know if any were sold new in Canada.

The Roster has a classification for the Mercury Sportsman, but not all owners belong to the V-8 Club.

I will defer to someone more knowledgeable than me for questions 6 and 7

Tom


Kens 36    -- 03-15-2019 @ 8:31 AM
  An article in the September/October 1996 V-8 Times showed factory photos of the '46 Mercury Sportsman. It stated that there were 205 built between April and November. Also stated that there was only ONE known to exist at that time.

Ron Love of Portland, Oregon, was attempting to put together a roster of Sportsman owners in 1993. I don't know if he has any information.

An article in the May/June 2000 V-8 Times had much information about the first and last Sportsman models and referred to the one known Mercury. That article is a good read and has information about the "71 Club" (71 is the Sportsman model designation) that existed for several years in the early '70s. All Sportsman bodies were assembled at the Iron Mountain plant.

Ken



efv8CofAAdmin    -- 03-15-2019 @ 9:25 AM
  And........
In the last several issues of the V-8 TIMES there has been a revival of Sportsman information by Mercury Ed. Both he and Don Passardi are writing articles for the TIMES.


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rdouglas    -- 03-16-2019 @ 7:45 PM
  Thanks All for the additional information.


Darrell    -- 03-17-2019 @ 8:43 PM
  The46 merc has a different frame. From the firewall back it is the same. It is 41\2" longer from the firewall forward ., The floor pan is the same as the ford


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