1946 - 1948 Mercury Station Wagon
Provided by Hemmings

Though our depicted example is a 1947 model Mercury, because their annual changes in the immediate postwar years were so subtle as to be virtually nonexistent, this discussion will cover 1946-48 Mercury "woodie" wagons instead of a single year.

The Lincoln-Mercury Division of Ford Motor Company was formed in 1945 and their first cars, like most U.S. postwar offerings, were little more than warmed-over 1942 designs. There was no real need for anything totally new to emerge from Detroit at that time as a car-starved public was eager just for a chance to get in line and order a new car, wait many months, and finally take delivery.

The accusation that the relatively new marque of Mercury (it was introduced as a new line of cars in 1939) was little more than a gussied-up Ford held particularly true until 1949. At that time, the radical new design—which was originally conceived to be the 1949 Ford—was introduced to set Mercury apart from those rather accurate observations of sameness with its Dearborn cousins. After all, even the brake horsepower of the Ford and Mercury engines were the same! However, one of the features that set the Mercury wagons apart from the Fords is the use of genuine leather upholstery as standard equipment.

For collectors, the big difference in 1946-48 Fords and Mercs is in the relative scarcity of the Mercurys compared to the Fords. In station wagons alone Ford delivered five cars to every one Mercury wagon sold. Consequently, Mercury wagons of 1946-48 were a rather rare sight when new and certainly are a very rare car nowadays. For 1946, Mercury station wagon production totaled 2,797. In 1947 it climbed to 3,558, and for 1948 took a big plunge to 1,889. That gives collectors a total pool of 8,244 cars to start with. Factor in all the chances for faster and more severe deterioration on woodie wagons compared to all-steel cars and there are probably not more than 250 examples left—and that's a generous "guesstimate."

As you might expect, these cars drive much like their Ford counterparts and perform much the same although the ride is a bit softer thanks to a 4-inch longer wheelbase. You'll get the same characteristic clutch chatter that seems to come with every flathead V-8 chassis. Cornering will be quite good thanks to Ford's primitive but effective transverse leaf springs, and the V-8 will give these cars reasonably gutsy performance for sailing along with modern traffic.

The most important thing on these cars in terms of condition is, of course, the body. Woodies are expensive and labor-intensive to restore and require special talents more suited to cabinet making or boat building than auto restoration. Our advice on basket case woodies of any make is: run the other way, unless you have the talent and time to do it yourself. Most collectors would be much better off saving their dollars for a good, solid example—ideally an older restoration needing some cosmetic freshening—than tackling what will probably turn into a money pit that will never be finished.

Despite being much the rarer woodie, the Mercurys don't bring a premium on the market compared to Ford wagons. However, you'll be driving something a little different while enjoying the rugged simplicity of the proven FoMoCo drivetrain.

1946-48 Mercury station wagon

Base price:	$ 1,729
Base weight:	3,571 lbs.
Body:	Hardwoods on steel floor. Four doors.
Frame:	Ladder type with X bracing
Wheelbase:	118 inches
Length:	201.8 inches
Track (f/r):	58/60
Suspension:	Transverse leaf springs front and rear
Brakes:	Four-wheel hydraulically actuated drums
Engine:	L-head V-8, cast iron, 239.4-cu.in.; 100 bhp @ 3800 rpm. Bore and stroke: 3.19 X 3.75 inches, 6.75:1 compression ratio
Transmission:	Three-speed selective sliding; gearshift on column

*Base price for a 1946 was $1,729; 1947 and 1948: $2,207;