Can-Am Know-How Makes for a Unique '47 Merc

In 2006, after selling my 1950 Monarch woodie, I attended the annual Woodies On the Wharf event in Santa Cruz with friends.

During the event, I mentioned to them my desire to find a pre-1948 project car to either build or restore. Coincidentally, I came across a project in Washington State — a collection of parts consisting of two derelict Ford woodie cowls, a floor pan, and a chassis (minus the engine and transmission). The parts were from 1946–48 Ford models, and the package even included a four-door car that I could use for spares. Having previously owned a 1947 Canadian four-door Mercury, I still had the rolling chassis and registration from that car. The plan quickly took shape: I would source the necessary woodie-specific components and set out to build a 1947 Mercury 114X Canadian woodie.