When it comes to popular customs and lead sleds, one car stands above the rest as far as the most iconic in the industry, at least for most. After all, the 1949 Merc is no stranger to the hobby and finds itself accompanied by many of its same kind at virtually any show you attend.Β But just because the late 40s Mercury is one of the more notable lead sled designs amped up by today’s popularity doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have some stiff competition out there for the most gorgeous low-slung design.
For example, we’d certainly take this 1949 Baby Lincoln, owned by Jacobo Herrera, over even some of the most gorgeous Mercs we’ve come across in our days.
Low-slung, boat-like in length and decked to the nines in American steel, Herrera’s ’49 Lincoln, nicknamed βThe Missing Link,β is well deserving of the iconic lead sled reference. But unlike many of the old-school, matte painted and pinstripped designs we tend to see in Kustom Kulture, this Lincoln takes what the factory intended, as far as prestige and class, and amplifies it tenfold.
This, in addition to Herrera’s dreams for the car, was made possible thanks to the amazing work of Keith Vander Meulen of IMAGE Street Rods & Customs. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves a bit, let’s rewind back and start from the beginning.
Β Photos By: Mike Alexander
The Beginning Of An Obsession
Even at a young age, Herrera dreamed of owning a heavily modified lead sled that he could call his own.Β βWhen I was younger, I had a 1957 oval window, ragtop bug, and always dreamed of being able to afford a lead sled,β Herrera shared with us during our interview.
This, added to Herrera’s love for vintage steel which developed during cruise nights when he was just 16, prompted him to purchase the car of his dreams, this 1949 Lincoln seen below. Obviously a ton of work was ahead, and this Β began the long 4-year build to get “The Missing Link” to where she is today.

Beat up window glass was only one of the many problems Herrera’s Lincoln was discovered with. Luckily, Herrera was able to look past all the bad and see the car for its true potential. Early Lincoln pictures provided by Herrera.
A Rough Start
Picked up for just $2,000, the Lincoln was in all different states of despair when Herrera purchased it. And by different states of despair, we mean she was really pretty rough.
But with his mind set on creating the ultimate lead sled, Herrera saw potential in the beat up Lincoln and initially sent it to Bo Huff in Utah for the building to begin.Β Unfortuately, half way through the build, Huff was diagnosed with cancer and the build took a back seat to his health.
The car was then moved to a shop in California, where another tragic event, this time a divorce by the shop owner, caused the build to once again be put on hold. Having had enough, Herrera had his car picked up and repainted due to the car having sat outside uncared for at the shop. But once again, Herrera was faced with a bad situation when the painter didn’t finish the job.
A rough roller when Herrera first purchased it, the '49 Lincoln has come a long way in the last four years thanks to Herrera's vision and IMAGE Street Rods & Customs determination to finish it right.
Needless to say, Herrera learned to keep builds local, check on them often and not get infatuated by a name when choosing a place to send your build, he told us. βIn the end, remember it’s your car and your responsibility,β Herrera said. βIf you’re in doubt where to take your build, you can’t go wrong with a shop like IMAGE Street Rods where they do what they say and say what they do.β

The Lincoln’s windshield is a custom V-butted piece of glass with no trim down the center seam, opening up the view from the car’s interior immensely.
You Can’t Rush Perfection
In all, the build took about four years to complete and Herrera is just finishing up the process. In fact, we have the exclusive honor of showcasing Herrera’s car before anyone else, right here on Rod Authority. And for that, we can’t thank him and the Image crew enough for giving us the first crack at sharing “The Missing Link” with the rest of the world.
βI love watching the car develop from a rusted relic into a piece of art that people can enjoy just by looking at it,β Herrera explained. And with his Lincoln’s transformation, we can’t blame him one bit.
Let’s Talk Aesthetics
Looking at the Lincoln, it’s impossible not to note its gorgeous aesthetics and lines.
Originally chopped 4 inches by Bo Huff, the Lincoln sits atop a stock front suspension while the stock rear suspension is supplemented by air shocks, giving the car its glorious stance. Adding to the sleek look of the exterior are shaved door handles and rounded door corners. Giving the Lincoln even more interesting highlights are a one-piece rear window and a V-butt front windshield without any seal trim.

Low-slung as she sits now, if Herrera had to build her over again, he’d equip his Lincoln with airbags all the way around.
The IMAGE crew played a major role in taking “The Missing Link” under their wing and finishing her off properly. Smooth and sleek, the gorgeous body work is expertly covered in House of Kolors Cobalt Blue paint with a Silver Blue Mist base, giving the whole car the deepest blue color we’ve ever seen in person. This is topped off with fresh brightwork, right down to the taillight bezels and refinished front grille.
Inside the car, the interior is just as amazing, featuring a full white-out effect with 1964 Impala front bucket seats and a 1958 Thunderbird rear seat, both upholstered by Silviano Interiors. The beautiful seats are complimented by a custom white center console (Herrera’s favorite component on the car), fitted with the Lincoln’s classic gauges, and a custom rear deck plate, both expertly pinstriped by Fast Stripe. In complete white-out style, we can't help but notice how much the interior pops against the House of Kolor Cobalt Blue and Silver Blue Mist paint scheme of the exterior and the dash.
Demanding attention front and center in the Lincoln’s interior is a custom Oldsmobile steering wheel with built-in analog clock. Also prominently displayed is the pinstriped 1951 dash fitted with a vintage-style Atlas stereo. Of course, we can’t forget to mention the Gennie shifter with a unique shifter ball on top, which encases a real scorpion, matching the image in the center of the custom steering wheel.
The Lincoln even has a Flaming River Keyless Ignition System capable of giving Herrera keyless entry to his car as well as a touch button start with color-cordinated blue LED lighting. Back in April, we followed the install of this particular modern upgrade on Herrera’s Lincoln. A modern creature comfort with nothing taken away from the Lincoln’s gorgeous interior – exactly how we like to see modern technology mashing with classic styling.
The Performance She’s Packing
While Herrera’s Lincoln is truly a work of art, it also has a bit of oomph under the hood. This is due to the car being equipped with an early 350 ci block that has been stroked out to present the car with a 383 ci stroker motor. Helping the engine get even more bang for its buck is a polished Edelbrock intake manifold and a 500 cfm carburetor, also from Edelbrock.

Stroked out and chromed out, the classic Lincoln’s engine even sports vintage pinstriping and a prominently displayed Lincoln emblem custom cut by IMAGE. Who says an engine can’t be a work of art?
Although Herrera doesn’t have exact dyno numbers for the car, we’re guessing that with a bit of pressure on the throttle, this 383-equipped Lincoln has quite the bite.
Pushing the 383 stroker’s power to the pavement is a Chevy Turbo 350 transmission controlled by the aforementioned Gennie shifter.
A sleek sidepipe exhaust and 15×7-inch chromed steely dog dish wheels wrapped in wide-white rubber are just a few of the other additions to the car that add both style and performance to the Lincoln.
Feeling The Love
Yet another true testament to the dedication and perseverance it takes to complete a full custom build of this magnitude. Now that the car is finally done, well at least for the moment, as they’re never really done, Herrera has some people to thank. Of course, Keith and the rest of the guys at IMAGE Street Rods & Customs are at the top of that list for helping him finally make his dream come true with all of their hardwork and dedication going into this build. Herrera also wanted to thank his partner in crime, Shawna Berdeja βfor putting up with all those promises that it would be done in two weeks,β Herrera told us. βIt sure has been a long two weeks, but it’s finally complete; love you babe!β
Herrera’s vintage lead sled is absolutely gorgeous and we had a blast shooting it. Thanks goes out to Herrera for sharing his amazing car with us and allowing us to help him debut it to the hot rod community. Β
For more on Herrera’s Lincoln, be sure to check out the exclusive photo GALLERY below: