Hi All, I wish I would have seen side-by side pics like these before I plopped down $80 bucks for the infamous crappy "Michigan" rocker replacements a few years ago. I didn't know any better at the time. It was cheap, and I could drive to the guys house to pick them up... Had I known then what I know now, I would have put that money towards a more quality product. I am wracked with guilt for supporting offshore operations as it is. I present to you a side-by side comparison of replacement rocker panels for my '51 Merc. I think you can see which is the the cheapie. After bending the crap out of the cheap ones to "fit", I honestly don't know what exactly it was made for, but it certainly wasn't for the '49-51 Mercs. I could have made it work, I suppose, but it wasn't even the right gauge sheet metal, and I was tired of dicking around with it. I finally broke down and contacted someone who was auctioning off a nice Green-Mountain-style set on Ebay. I watched in horror as these rockers went for $400+ on my failed Ebay auction I was waiting on that he was running. So, I sent him an email. What could it hurt? I explained to him I wanted the parts and "didn't want to wait for an Ebay auction, so...how much?" Mike sold me a pair over the phone, which after talking to him I found out these were, in fact, the famous "Green Mountain" rockers. Mike told me he still makes them, but doesn't go under that name anymore. $350 shipped, took about 5 business days to get from the time I sent him a personal check to Vermont. He also makes them for the 4-door models. They came well boxed, and the sheet metal was oiled down to protect against surface rust. Stand up guy. Here is the comparison between cheapie and expensive, passenger side shown here:
MercMan-- Thanks for taking the time to post these pics; there's no comparison between the two rocker panels that you show. You're right, the cheapie ones don't even look like they go on the same car! I'll need to replace the rockers on my '49 this summer and thanks to the "Stimulus Package" I'll be able to step up for the quality parts. I'm glad to see that you're back to work on your Merc. I've got to wait 'til the summer to get started on mine and I'm really looking forward to the chance to do something besides gather parts!
No problem. I was anxious to get them, and after seeing them in person, there is no comparison as you saw. I wanted to get the word out there for others that might be tempted to buy the cheap ones. Don't waste your money on something that will take hours to re-work. If I had the tools I would have just made them myself and been done with it, but for the cost+time, I think it's money well spent.
Exactly! Would have been cheaper to just start from scratch if I had a long enough brake, but in the end, it's easier to work with parts that fit like they should. I slipped one of these up to the passenger side tonight, and it won't take much work to get it in place, unlike the other ones.
Thanks MercMan I've been eyeballing those Rockers on E-bay for a while. I E-mailed Mike too but he hasn't got back to me. Good news is there's a "Buy It Now" listing for a 4-door set. at 300 bones. Thanks for posting your opinion and pictures I'm gonna buy them for sure now!! Trout
I've always been a quality, over price, guy. I hate cheap stuff that never fits like it's supposed to,or looks like it should.
I've always been a broke guy that wants quality, that buys what he thinks is a good deal for what he can afford. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't....
Never put down a great deal!!! Sometimes you run across a cheaper way to do something,and just can't pass it up,I agree. Have to way each deal out before shelling out the coin...
Mike is Green Mountain, basically what I know is his father cut panels out of cars in the scrap yard and remade em...unreal quality. Now he has the blueprints and has a local shop remake em and he sells em. He doesnt really want to run the biz so ebay gives him the chance to do what he wants on his own terms type of a timeline. You can see on ebay the pics of the Michigan ones are utter garbage. I can take tinfoil and bend it over a broomstick too haha. Glad ya got the good shit!
After building mine, I can tell you why good Merc rockers cost 350-400 bucks. They are a GIANT pain in the ass to build. They curve long way and short way plus, they have a funny taper. I had to build a sheetmetal brake specificly to make my rockers....Had I known I could write a check and get a set of re-pops I would have done it, no question. I can't find any pics that show the rockers specificly, so you get this one... Good luck on your car and post LOTS of pics. -Abone.
Yep, that's what I gathered. He told me he was still selling them, but kinda being low-key about it. I figured I better get in while I had the chance. I couldn't believe this- I talked to him on Saturday afternoon last week I think, sent him a check via regular mail around Tuesday or so, and today they show up USPS on my door. I wish I could leave him some positive feedback I'm going to send him an email telling him how pleased I am. Hopefully they'll keep making them for a few more years. We need more guys like this in our hobby. I'll gladly pay for the time it takes someone here in the U.S. to make something from scratch, rather than have to re-do something that was farmed out overseas...
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