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History Colorized, Staged, and Mysterious

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Ryan, Mar 11, 2009.

  1. Ryan
    Joined: Jan 2, 1995
    Posts: 21,633

    Ryan
    ADMINISTRATOR
    Staff Member

  2. harpo1313
    Joined: Jan 4, 2008
    Posts: 2,584

    harpo1313
    Member
    from wareham,ma

  3. RodP
    Joined: Mar 24, 2007
    Posts: 331

    RodP
    Member

    Ayala Bros.? Fifties Motor Trend Cover?
    RodP
     
  4. Bass
    Joined: Jul 9, 2001
    Posts: 3,354

    Bass
    Member
    from Dallas, TX

    Pretty sure that is the Ayala brothers and their shop. Check out issue #39 of The Rodders Journal that has the Ayala Brothers story in it.

    The original photo was on the cover of Motor Trend Oct. '51.
     

  5. JeffreyJames
    Joined: Jun 13, 2007
    Posts: 16,628

    JeffreyJames
    Member
    from SUGAR CITY

    Yeah I think Bass is right about TRJ issue and Motor Trend issue. I also think that the Burbank Choppers recreated this scene on and issue of Hop Up.
     
  6. JeffreyJames
    Joined: Jun 13, 2007
    Posts: 16,628

    JeffreyJames
    Member
    from SUGAR CITY

    It's definitely true what The Rodder's Journal said about the Ayala Bros. They certainly to not get the recognition that they deserved. Those guys were as good as anybody.
     
  7. SuperFleye
    Joined: Jul 17, 2005
    Posts: 2,053

    SuperFleye
    Alliance Vendor

    It is the cover of Motor Trend October 1951. Strangely enought the cars are on the cover, but I believe they are not featured inside! Awesome picture btw
     
  8. Very historical Ayala shot.
     
  9. PeteFromTexas
    Joined: Apr 4, 2007
    Posts: 3,837

    PeteFromTexas
    Member

  10. Well now we know what it would look like if Norman Rockwell had painted hotrods,hell he did paint a harley
     
  11. blacufo
    Joined: Sep 13, 2006
    Posts: 401

    blacufo
    Member

    Old business card,

    [​IMG]
     
  12. Kilroy
    Joined: Aug 2, 2001
    Posts: 3,227

    Kilroy
    Member
    from Orange, Ca

    Bass has it...
    It's in The American Custom Car along with either the Southard Custom cars of the 50's or the Barris Customs books...
     
  13. An he's cutting on a 40 Merc. I'd love to have a chop job like that on mine.
    Beautiful. Great picture.
     
  14. 00 MACK
    Joined: May 10, 2004
    Posts: 3,680

    00 MACK
    Member

    The Ayalas.Thats the 40 merc alright and ya can see Wally Welchs 41 in the background.
     
  15. Eldorado Rodder
    Joined: Feb 11, 2009
    Posts: 20

    Eldorado Rodder
    Member

    Great Pic, it was deffinatly the inspiration for the HOP UP cover with the Choppers.
     
  16. LB+1
    Joined: Sep 28, 2006
    Posts: 581

    LB+1
    Member
    from 71291

    Gee, how bout that no wire wilder, body filler was just coming around.
    Paint - 2 kinds enamel or lacquerer.
    And wait - no English wheel!
    I could go on but somebody else fill in.
     
  17. Yep they definitely, the Ayalas, were under publicized but their work was as good as anybody's...great old shot
     
  18. Elrod
    Joined: Aug 7, 2002
    Posts: 3,566

    Elrod
    Member

    I was going to add that part myself.... Volume 5 of Hop Up

    [​IMG]
     
  19. LANCE-SPEED
    Joined: Aug 10, 2006
    Posts: 2,259

    LANCE-SPEED
    Member

    Thats a photo??? It looks like a painting to me???
     
  20. Elrod
    Joined: Aug 7, 2002
    Posts: 3,566

    Elrod
    Member

    It's actually both!! :D Someone painted in the color on a black and white photo!
     
  21. That is a great pic, suitable for framing - matter of fact, I think I will :)
     
  22. Gotgas
    Joined: Jul 22, 2004
    Posts: 7,175

    Gotgas
    Member
    from DFW USA

    Whose '40 Mercury is that?

    Gil's car with the Cadillac rear fenders had fadeaways and was in primer, but it wasn't a hardtop (see business card above).
     
  23. 60'shotrod
    Joined: Nov 18, 2007
    Posts: 2,914

    60'shotrod
    Member

    I know nothing about the picture, others than its' Damn COOL!

    Nick.
     
  24. chop&drop
    Joined: Oct 11, 2006
    Posts: 668

    chop&drop
    Member

    Note the "correct" attire and paraphernalia for the job - t-shirt and oxy-acetylene torch. Not shown, but also correct - hacksaw.

    No sawzall, no mig, no tig.
     
  25. SinisterCustom
    Joined: Feb 18, 2004
    Posts: 8,277

    SinisterCustom
    Member

    I prefer the cars built by Ayala's over most of the other guys (Barris, Starbird, etc.)..... Westergard excluded of course...
    Very under rated......
     
  26. Rikster
    Joined: Dec 10, 2004
    Posts: 5,795

    Rikster
    Member

    Yes it is Gil's 40 Merc.
    The business card as mentioned by "blacufo" is not a business card but an ad in one of the 50's magazines.

    In this fantastic cover photo the chop was not done yet. And every chopped 1939-40 Merc coupe will look like a HT at a certain stage in chopping. Look at Kent Vikmo's (JB) 40 Merc chopped by TinWolf. Looks like HT when you would view it from a front angle.

    [​IMG]


    Gil's 40 Mercury was on one more cover.. then it was finished. This is a rather rare cover since The Mercury appeared only on the California edition of this month Motor Trend magazine. Other states had a different cover

    [​IMG]

    Inside...

    [​IMG]


    The Strange thing is that the colorized photo of the unfinished car appeared in October 1951, and the finished car on the November 1950 Issue of Motor Trend magazine.

    [​IMG]


    And according the Pat Ganahl article in TRJ the photo color photo - that was later colorized to add more flair - was taken at the Ayala shop by Felix Zelenka and the colorizing was done by Don Fell and it was then called "flexichrome"

    The car in the lower right corner is Hank Griffith's 1942 Ford.

    [​IMG]


    The lime green car is most likely John Geraghty's 1940 Ford

    [​IMG]


    The top right car is like 00MACK already mentioned the Wally Welch 1942 Ford

    [​IMG]


    And the car in the lower left corner is Gil's 1942 Ford

    [​IMG]



    There is however one strange thing.
    In Pat's Ayala article he showed the photo below and mentioned it was Gil's Mercury with a chopped top and with the fade away fender line chalked on the body sides.
    The top looks to be all done and in primer.
    So that makes the colorized photo with the fade away fenders and the none finished top kind of strange.
    My guess is that Gil took a photo of a chopped unfinished 1940 Mercury - and probably the Ayala's chopped that car - and he chalked the fade away fender line on the car, or possebly direct on the photo. .... another Custom Car Mystery!!!

    TRJ photo

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Mar 11, 2009
  27. Ryan
    Joined: Jan 2, 1995
    Posts: 21,633

    Ryan
    ADMINISTRATOR
    Staff Member

    Well shit... that wasn't very mysterious for very long.
     
  28. Gotgas
    Joined: Jul 22, 2004
    Posts: 7,175

    Gotgas
    Member
    from DFW USA

    Rik - you're certain that's his car? That colorized image shows the top rear edge of the door meeting the quarter panel... and it looks finished-out as a hardtop. Do those Mercury window/door frames unbolt from the door?

    (demonstrating my complete lack of knowledge on these beautiful cars :D)

    [​IMG]
     
  29. phukinartie
    Joined: Oct 8, 2008
    Posts: 965

    phukinartie
    Member


    You can't be all that suprised :D
     
  30. Dale Fairfax
    Joined: Jan 10, 2006
    Posts: 2,585

    Dale Fairfax
    Member Emeritus

    Take a good look at that oxy/acetylene rig--it looks like an acetylene generator instead of a pressurized bottle. (Carbide + water = acetylene)



     

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