History Found: Original 1950 Mercury Custom

I recently acquired this original 1950 Mercury Custom from my father's long time car friend. I have been wanting this car since I was a kid in the early 1980s... I am trying to find more information about the history of the car (pre-mid-1960s): who built it, who owned it, and so on....

Further specifications can be found here:
https://www.customcarchronicle.com/featured-cars/featured-custom-cars/porterville-1950-mercury/

It has also been posted here: https://www.instagram.com/p/BdMSAO2n82N/?taken-by=46to64

Any help will be much appreciated.

 

I love it however I don't know the history but it looks to be solid and well executed. It would be interesting to see the inside of the roof and how whoever went about carrying out the chop. Being that old I assume it would be lead wiped and filed up.

 

No help here. But looks sweet.

 

It’s a treasure for sure.


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Neat car. I always thought rounded hood corners (and door corners) were always cool. Love the side trim treatment.

 

Wow ! - What a treasure, I'm no help for it's history, but I am jealous ! I guess that doesn't help much

 

You lucky DOG! Looks great. My pops has a friend that has an Anglia that has sat in a shed since I was a teenager. I hope one day I can buy it.

 

nice.wouldve loved my dads friends to have cars like that,all they had were honda civics and ford cortinas....


i love the buick sweep trim.trying to source some 53 trim tho myself .hint hint

 

How about you find the location of the Porterville High Class of '58's 60th reunion and park the car out front? Maybe somebody will remember it?

 

There is contact information here for a guy from the Class of 1958 working on their Reunion: https://www.facebook.com/jim.thorne.906

 

I'd agree on going the Porterville High School alumni route. I searched the '58 yearbook for a Ron or Gary and only came up with Gary Forshee. He passed in 2015 in Hemet, Ca @ age 73 so that would fit. The obituary
( https://obittree.com/obituary/us/california/hemet/miller-jones-mortuary-hemet/gary-forshee/2110992/)
said he did time in the USN which would match the hypothesis on the Custom car chronicle where someone said the owner may have moved the car South to San Diego as an enlisted man and consequently had the interior done in TJ.
I'd guess that Gary and Ron are the High Schooler's pictured on the left, and they probably worked at the station. I'd guess the older Gentlemen on the right are the station proprietor(s) (relatives of Ron and Gary?) and 1st wrench and owner of the Vette and Merc.
Unless his family was wealthy, it's not likely a HS owned that Merc. Perhaps the Merc was purchased a few years later in his early 20's that coincided with a relocate to SD?
Maybe research of Del Simpson/station is in order. The owner of the Merc clearly had some connection with the station, either as an owner, employee or preferred customer.
Porterville is a fairly small town. Perhaps an old are Rodder from the area (Visalia, Tulare) may recall the car?

One things for sure, the Merc is absolutely killer. It's even channeled. Would love to know more about the history. Especially, who did all the metal work.

 

Just, WOW!!

 

What a car!.. good luck with your search.

 

Original image enlarged and sharpened a bit:

Here's Gary; he was in the class of 1959:

 

Channeling a fullsize car like this '50 is 'No Day at the Beach'. Noting the detail on the chop job alone it's obvious this Merc wasn't attacked by high schoolers, to be finished in a year or two!
In 1954, my friend Bobby Westcott moved with his family to Porterville. Bobby was a rod & custom nut, born in '42. He'd be 75 now, if still in Porterville, another good name to try.

 

Too cool! Nice find..My survivor was also found in San Diego.

 

There is a name written over the guy closest to the Merc, something Barry. Probably his car.

 

Google search found a "Barry Del Simpson" in Bishop.Ca. Shows he previously lived in Porterville. Might be Del's son.

 

wow bump....

 

You are a very fortunate Hamber @pierpontbeach...Congratulations and please share the resurrection...that is a beautifully done Merc and it looks just fantastic in its dusty tomb...I would figure you had to pick up your heart and put it back in your chest when you laid your eyes on that when the door opened...just a great end to a dream you had as a young kid.

I gotta feel the former owner must have felt a piece of himself was leaving and it has to hit one a little. There would however be comfort in knowing it would be loved back to 1959 again...So any plans going forward to share?

 

Wow wow wow!!!

 

Subscribed!

 

very kool, very lucky!

 

Very cool. What's your plan for it?

 

Iconic.

 

From that, I did some digging; Barry Del Simpson age 48, and Barry Dean Simpson age 80, both of Bishop, CA and previously of Porterville, CA.. That may be "Barry" (along with "dave") written on the photo.

The service station signage is "C. Del Simpson Thrifty Service".
It took some time, however, I was able to find Cledus Del Simpson of S. Lake Tahoe, previously of Porterville, CA, born 1907-deceased. So i'd bet that would be "C. Del Simpson" as that is listed as an AKA.

I'd guess this is the Father, Son, Grandson, all of Porterville, CA.
I'd also guess that the Merc may have been owned and/or built by Cledus and/or Barry. At a minimum, they were associated with the Merc owner. In 1958, Cledus would have been about age 51 and Son Barry about age 20.


Cledus D Simpson deceased
Porterville, CA
Bridgeport, CA
South Lake Tahoe, CA

AKAs
Cledus Simpson
C Del Simpson
C Delsimpson

Relatives/Associates
Barry Del Simpson
Barry Simpson
C Delsimpson
C Delsimpson

 

It’s a small world sometimes. I read this post last night and when I read the name Gary Forshee I immediately thought of a girl I went to high school with named Stephanie Forshee. I thought that’s not a common name and mumbled to myself that would be weird if he was her father. I was shocked as I scrolled up and read Hot Rods Ta Hell’s post that he was from Hemet. I looked at the obituary and he is her father!!!! I have lived in Hemet my whole life as well as being a Hotrodder since birth. My family is well known for our involvement with old cars. I ran around in some of the same groups as Stephanie and it was never mentioned to me her father was involved in Hot Rods or Customs.


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Barry Dean Simpson is C. Del's son for sure.
Del's obit:
Cledus Delbert Simpson, a resident of Big Pine, died in Bishop Tuesday, March 5, 2002. He was 94. ................................ Mr. Simpson was born in Cairo, Ill., and was a resident of Big Pine for two years. He was a real estate broker and developer from the late 1940s to 1970.
Survivors include a daughter, Dixie Lee Simpson of Yerington, Nev.; a son, Barry Simpson of Porterville; 19 grandchildren; and 32 great-grandchildren.

 

congrats ! that's a great looking car... keep us posted to getting it back on the road.