Meticulously restored 1953 Mercury Monterey is a beaut

1953 was a pretty interesting year. Eisenhower became president, Queen Elizabeth II was crowned, Josef Stalin died, and Russia set off its first hydrogen bomb. I was 5 years old.

And in 1953, a few workers at a St. Louis auto factory were building beautiful Mercury vehicles.

In 1964, as a kid growing up in Dargan, my first car was a 1956 Mercury, a cream green and white-colored jalopy with four bald tires and not in great condition — a gift from my dad.

Even though my '56 Mercury was an aspiring piece of rust, gas was cheap back then and the car took me to the Red Byrd for a burger and fries, the Fort Drive-in at Harpers Ferry, W.Va. for some amore, and a race track in Charles Town, W.Va., to make a donation.

That car eventually died of rust and old age.

In another house in nearby Waynesboro, Pa., however, I discovered an interesting story from Glenn Moats of his dad’s 1953 Mercury Monterey, which derived its name from Monterey Bay.

My friend Ken Leasure (the 1957 Chevy man) and I visited Glenn and his wife, Brenda, to get a glimpse of his restored Monterey, painted a new inferno metallic red and white, now sitting in his back yard.

This car has a unique history.

Glenn’s dad had purchased the car new in 1953 and the Moats family had enjoyed the vehicle for a long time.

The car was driven to work at the Landis Tool Co. for years, and on occasion to a military base in Fort Benning, Ga., to visit Glenn's brother. Glenn’s sister Kathleen would soon become the main driver of the vehicle and often take Glenn and Brenda’s daughter, Tammy, to church.

But just like my old '56 Mercury clunker, mechanical things would deteriorate. As years passed, the once beautiful 1953 Mercury would be headed to that same rust pile in a rear yard.

Glenn told me that his dad attempted to best salvage his car by rubbing old motor oil over the entire vehicle to protect it — a strange approach to longevity.

Later when Glenn decided to retrieve the car and considered restoring it, his dad thought him a little strange and said it was a waste of money to return the car to its once beautiful state.

But Glenn had his own ideas for the dilapidated vehicle and his deplorable looking heirloom.

Glenn secured the services of one Chris Gunder who lived nearby in Waynesboro and had an interest and particular skill set for taking old cars apart and resurrecting them to a pristine form.

Chris is a master at refinishing old cars and making them look exquisite, and he remains quite busy in his profession.

This project would keep young Gunder busy, too, for the best part of a year as he began restoring the entire vehicle, from the rusted frame to every minuscule detail within.

Glenn has a collage that he showed me representing the poor condition of the car and each step of the restoration project. It goes from a pile of rust to a resurrected condition not seen since its original sale in that new car display room.

As I closely examined the restored '53 Mercury now sitting in Glenn’s back yard, the red and white beauty was something to behold. The "inferno" metallic red paint and red interior were elements added to this car above its original character.

Each part, down to the smallest screw of the vehicle, was meticulously replaced. The car’s rust filled frame had been sand blasted and painted; the flat V-8 engine of 125 horsepower was spotless and the car shined like some ruby jewel in a Tiffany’s display case.

Every detail, even the little anniversary button above the glove box, was one of precise beauty.

Glenn has entered his prized vehicle into many contests, always scoring high in its evaluation and taking home several first-place awards and other trophies that decorate his home.

He has been a hard-working individual his entire life and always has taken a liking to old cars, a bygone era, and those good things from yesterday.

Glenn and Brenda have lived in a beautiful little part of Waynesboro since 1970 and were most hospitable to a Dargan boy and friend.

In addition to restoring old vehicles, Glenn has a fondness for fishing and hunting, and even has a mounted bear on the prowl in his living room.

And his 1953 Mercury Monterey?

Well, it’s a beaut!

Pete Waters is a Sharpsburg resident who writes for The Herald-Mail.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Restored 1953 Mercury Monterey in Waynesboro, PA worth of awards