The vintage vehicle hobby can be a very creative world with few checks and balances in the “What-if?” department.
David Watters is one of those creative forces because he took his father’s 1958 Mercedes sedan and combined it with a 1983 Ford F-150 4×4 pickup.
Jim Sutherland
It would be fair to say David built one of the most unusual resto mods on the planet and understandably draws plenty of attention whenever he takes his unique ‘58 Mercedes/Ford F-150 to a car show-or anywhere for that matter.
The Mercedes part of the resto mod equation has been in the Watters family for many decades and was used by David’s father during his college years. The car even wears a windshield nick from an incident when a 10-year-old David threw a rock at the car and put the first chip in its windshield glass.
Many more cracks were put in the windshield after the first one, but David is still able to point toward his first one. David recalled that his dad was not impressed with his antics at the time.
Eventually the car suffered from long outdoor storage and developed massive rust issues. The deterioration was severe enough to rule out a very costly restoration on a German-built car from the Skinny Elvis era, so David decided to freewheel and consider his options.
He decided to use a highly unlikely donor vehicle as his base platform when David chose the 1983 Ford pickup truck as a new foundation for his aging Mercedes. The donor truck offered an opportunity to build a resto mod, as well as a conversation piece, because David applied his own creative flair to the project.
The car inspired a few nicknames, including “Fordcedes” and “Benzilla”, along with one young onlooker who named it “Dirty Gertie”, according to David. One can understand why his Mercedes inspires a variety of names because, as mentioned earlier, it is one of the most unusual resto mods we at MyStarCollectorCar have ever seen.
The Mercedes now sits high in the saddle on the Ford chassis, so David put stirrups below each door to allow easier entry into the car.
He also added an antique motorized bike to the rear of the car because “I gotta have something to ride home just in case it (the Mercedes) breaks down”, in David’s words.
The driving experience is surprisingly good and “not bouncy”, according to David. In fact, it is easily capable of 75 mph on the highway and allows plenty of air circulation with its factory-installed retractable sunroof. The comfort factor is also likely enhanced by the Chevy Tahoe seats used by David during the transformation.
The best way to describe David’s radical Mercedes resto mod is simple: the car now looks like it belongs in a ‘Mad Max’ movie because he has attached so many unusual features to his 1958 Mercedes four-wheel drive road warrior.
The net result is a very unique build that allowed its owner to unleash his sizable creative talents and save a family legacy car in the bargain.
Jim Sutherland
BY: Jim Sutherland
Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section.
- CLICK HERE to Sign Up for the Newsletter
- CLICK HERE to Like us on Facebook
- CLICK HERE to Follow us on Twitter
- CLICK HERE to Follow us on Pinterest