Projects 1950 4 Door Merc Build...Sort Of.....

This is what I mean....

 

Its done all the time, Ah the power of Bondo slap on a few gallons then send it down the road.

 

One thing you gotta admit, as bad as it was, the guy who did the bodywork before did a pretty good job of hiding the nasty surprises.

You know the car is done right now & have nothing to make apologies or excuses for. I am really looking forward to seeing this one back on the road & racking up the miles.

 

Thor is looking better all the time, but I bet he can't wait to stretch his legs. That is an incredible job you are doing. Two thumbs up!!

 

Is this one of those infamous California cars? or was it infact manufactured elsewhere? (looks more like what we may see on the East coast)

 

it may not have been done rite, but the guy was one hell of a mudslinger!!! it looked straight as an arrow!! go figure..

 

^^ word! laying bondo aint easy lemme tell ya! and being not a good sheetmetal worker i have to use it.
of course, im not as bad as the guy that put thios toghter originally.....
i found my good share of crap undr paint, the worse was the right rear wheel arch on my current proj., it was rusted through all the way from point A to B, there were patch panels tack welded on top of the rust holes, then fiberglass, bondo and paint, and best of all all the inside was filled w/ polyhuretanic foam, y'kno, that stuff in a can that once "sprayed" becomes 10 times in volume.....got the picture???

Great job anyway!

 

I don't know what you mean, but when I spoke to the guy who I purchased it from, he said it was an original 'California' car. Then when I received the title it was out of Wisconsin.Uh Oh.. So i know I should expect some rust just not to this degree... then by being on the HAMB I found out the guy who sold the car to the guy I bought it from, is a HAMB-er and he had the nerve to tell me ( not knowing I owned the car now ) that he "gave the car away for 21K"... I never told him I owned the car, but I'm sure he knows by now... F-ing Tool!

 

To me that is just crooked. Anything that guy ever says now is questionable. You know now that when his lips are moving, question everything coming out. Have you thought of exposing this guy? You'd be doing others a service.

Doug.

 

You're suspecting, of course, that he KNEW he had a total bondo bucket. I don't know the previous owner, and I'm not defending him, just thinking he may have thought he was giving it away.

He MAY have bought the car for $30,000.
He MAY have put another $5000 in it.
If he sold it for $21,000 he probably DOES think he gave it away, whether he knew about the shitty work or not.

No matter what he didn't screw you, the guy you bought it from did by not giving full disclosure about the condition. That said, you didn't really know how bad it was until Rik started digging in either, so you're ALSO at fault for not knowing what you were buying.

I'm not trying to start a debate here or steer this thread off course, just making sure all things are considered before the blame game starts.

 

Doug,
I've really thought about it, and I guess if enough guys said I should expose him, I would. I partly blame myself for not doing the due diligence of investigiating the car better before I purchased it, but then I struggle with not letting others know that this guy can be dishonest.. I think it's our responsibility as purchasers of 'as is' purchases to make the best choice, but, oh sh*t man, I don't know.. youre ruining my day.

daddio you are right, which is what I struggle with, BUT you are just seeing the metal work to the body, what really started this whole build out was that the body mounts were completely rusted through, look at the first few posted pictures, which meant the car was completely unsafe, and the guy I purchased it from owns a shop and raced cars, so he knew that at least. Which I would have apreciated knowing...

 

Yeah, he certainly should have known. He can't play stupid on that one!

 

Within the serial number for the car is a two letter code for the assy. plant. If it is a California car it would most likely have a 'LA' (Los Angeles)
,I believe in the serial number.
If it came from Wisconsin most likely it would have a 'DA' (Dearborn) in the ser. no.
A couple others as I recall are 'SL' (St Louis)
and 'ME' (Metuchen New Jersey)

 

Isn't it the buyers responsibility to put the car on a lift and really check it out before buying?
I think it's fair to say that just about any 60+ year old car will have some "issues" unless "build" photos show otherwise.

 

Totally. I was thinking the same thing.

 

50DA- Dearborn it is... Thanks for the 411.. Nice to know my car is an original, Michigan car, I don't know why I like knowing that, but I do...

 

Amazing journey.....excited to see this thing finished already....Extreme team is rock solid.

 

Thanks, but Finished???

 

Yup, I said finished....time will pass very quickly and we'll be back at this thread or possibly a new one saying, remember when that looked like this....better yet, you probably will not even post much any more because you'll be driving that thing on your world tour road trip.... =0)

 

Keep the faith Hugo!!

I don't do body work and paint and I had a lot of setbacks, but you'll be behind the wheel and smiling at some point.

 

I don't mean to beat a dead horse, but I respectfully submit. Remember that the OP was a self proclaimed inexperienced unsuspecting buyer, lets just say he was able to insure it and drive it, before finding out it was what it was. He gathers the young'uns and says lets go for a ride, and heads out on the highway. Heaven forbid he has to take a sharp turn or swerve to miss something or someone and the shoddy workmanship makes a sudden anouncement in a horrific way. Who is the responsible person? I've seen pro-shops closed down for misrepresenting a salvage vehicle when sold. How is this any different? There is danger in that there "craftsmanship".

(Edit) Not to mention the regulatory backlash that such a disaster would produce from some self appointed watchdog questioning wether all such cars wrenched upon in the backyard in a non-proffesional manner would be just as unsafe. The public reaction and outcry could be such that all customised hot rods and custom cars, yea even restored cars be painted with the same brush, forcing all of us to go underground. We must police ourselves. If we are not accountable for what we do we can only be to blame if such an occasion arises. Maybe this is over reactionary, but it is always better to be able to say what if this happens than, if only it didn't.(end edit) I'll shut up now.

Keep up the good work. It is better to be a poor intact family than a rich man with deceased family.

Doug.

 

Here is an update.. The car is coming along great...

I was in Asia the last few weeks vacationing. Took the Extreme KUstoms shirt with me for those hot days.. Angkor Wat. Siem Reap, Cambodia..


Thor is making an Honorable come back!

 

What a great feeling to see these pics and know that the car will be absolutely 100% when it's done.

 

Just waded through all 21 pages. Impressive commitment.

 

To cool. Keep it up guys!

 

Any updates Hugo? Anxious to see Thor in his final state. As far as the condition of the car, all I can say is shame on everyone who knew anything about the condition of Thor and did not disclose it to each subsequent owner. Huge kudos to you Hugo for not only resurrecting Thor from a certain demise, but putting a halt to passing on the poor judgement and workmanship of the others involved prior to your ownership. Is Thor finished yet???????

 

truckcrazy, thanks for the kind words, but she's not done yet...

Here's an update. I went and visited Thor today. He's staying strong and slowly getting there... ( Sorry if the ppics look messy. I tried to mix some old pics with new pics from today..

Check out the rounded corners. ..

 

You are most welcome. He's getting there and should last another 60 years easily. Thanks for the update and pictures. Without going back and searching, what is Thor going to look like when he is done? Solid color, multi color, flames, no flames, etc.

 

Hot Rod it is coming along nicely. I feel you pain and I also feel your excitement too. I finally get to see the progress on mine in a few weeks, other than in pictures. You have a very good shop doing it and I know it wil be spectatular when done.

 

Truk, solid color Maroon/burgundyish Merc. I put pic up of a 4door Merc Barris Bros did and I want it similar to that, but my and EXK's personal touches. Should be a nice one. .