Recognize this 40 Merc convertible?

Which Barris car is this connected to according to the add? I didnt see no specific name.I always thought it was Zaro.

 

He tried to sell it as Sam Barris his personal 1940 Mercury convertible at first. It was in the text etc, and he showed photos of it in the ad. The text is gone.. but last time I looked (2 days ago) he still had the photos of Sam's car with the ad.

Yes, is is built from the Johnny Zaro remains.

 

I don't understand why Kurt didn't just restore this car ? Yes, in the book it said it was as real pile but it is the real Zaro car right ? I mean Kurt has redone some rough cars that needed a ton of work so I don't know why this one was different.I mean the new owner brought it to the level we are seeing in the ebay add right.We all know Kurt has the resources to restore any car to any level he wants.It just seems odd to just take parts off to put on another 40 merc.

 

Could it have been a title problem?

 

Rik if that was the case,it must have been a big problem.

 

any pics of the merc that kurt has? just curious..

 

"I don't understand why Kurt didn't just restore this car"


Being a good friend to Kurt, I just never understood either.....o well.

 

My head is spinning!!!! I like both cars, but the maroon top looks horrible in the color choice (ebay Merc). I would buy that car and finish it as an early custom and drive the piss out of it. I would mention the ties to Barris but only if asked. Crazy bout a Mercury.....

 

After seeing that feature Rik just posted,I dont really feel that the car we are looking at should be called the Zaro Merc.It just seems that there isnt enough of the real deal on this car to call it "The Zaro Merc".I know my word dont mean shit but thats how I feel now when I see Kurts 40 Merc with Zaros roof and dash.

 

I have all of the window frames, chromed "B" pillar trim. Trunk light and pedals with old maroon paint overspray on them and some other leftovers from Kurts restoration of the Zaro Merc. Can I call mine the Zaro car too??


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While I read this story about a car with great potential and hear all of the whining and moaning, I think I'll maybe call my 56 Dodge, the Zaro Merc too, what the heck. Come on guys, lighten up. I know I'd have done
what Kurt did too if I had the opportunity to start with a good shell! Don't matter if it was the original body or now, if it's full of filler, it's still just a car..

 

Jeff,

Are you referring to Kurt's or the black car ?

 

Im talking about Kurts car.

 

david featherlin was the other fellas name, other than this thread i saw last night i've never heard anything about the car ever being called johnny zaro's merc, although considering george verified work on the doors, quarters and trunk lid, seems like there's more of it here than on the real zaro merc.

if you have questions about the car, posting on a message board he doesn't even know exists or emailing him through ebay that he doesn't deal with will probably get you no where.

give him a call, go look at the car before you hens cackle, he's an amazing guy who's been doing it years

 

I may be a cackling hen here, but I'm actually on your buddy's side. I think he has the real Johnny Zaro Merc and should be proud of it. Kurt, with all due respect, owns a Barris roof.

 

I agree with you Bubba,,that is what I was trying to explain last night.

 

Fact is that this "buddy" tried to sell his 1939-40 Mercury as the Sam Barris Merc. And that was just - lets call it - very misleading info!

Now if he only had tried to sell this car as the Johnny Zaro Merc then it would at least be a bit closer to the truth! And would this thread not have this many responses.

 

Im pretty sure he (the guy selling this convertible) changed the whole coupe cowl and windshield and used a convertible cowl. He probably still has it the coupe cowl, so someone could buy it and start a 3rd Zaro leftovers car! No but it's sad that this historic car got cut up in the first place. I dont care if it was because of bad bodywork or title/ownership issues, whatever the case, it was just a sad thing to do to such a historic and cool car.

 

he didn't change the cowl, he actually didn't even buy the car because it was a barris car

he was building 2 other 40 mercury coupes and was buying it because it was a good deal and came with alot of extra parts, the seller said it was a barris car, after getting it he contacted george and david and had that checked out, he was told sam had owned it at one time. granted that information came at a price

I see your posts Rikster, your very well informed, but your acting like he was trying to pull some kind of scam which couldn't be farther from the truth.

 

you probably thought that Sledge because when Miguel took you there was a extra cowl and a green hood, ironicly Sam's merc was said to have been painted green also

 

I imagine for enough money George would certify that Abraham Lincoln owned it and Ray Charles was his chauffeur, at least from what I've been able to gather reading posts on here.

 

The car was advertised at least three times on ebay with photos of the Sam Barris Merc indicating that that is the car that you are buying... I cannot see that any other way than misleading... Perhaps the seller is not meaning to do it, but then he should just remove the Sam Barris Mercury photos.

And Sam's 1940 Merc was said to be green by some, but was actually blue!

 

Well I'm just glad there isn't 2 pink 40's running around. Nice save on both cars.

 

bubba67 questioned the bidding on this car, as it has a history of getting close to the reserve, but it never sells. Well, it happened again. It was a no sale at $36,950.

 

I do wish the original Zaro Mercury would have stayed intact, back to it's 1947 state, even leaving the front windshield alone. After all it is what this Custom was. Never unstood it and was kinda of confused when I read the story. Oh well, I guess the Zaro Mercury got spread around and is sadly not one complet Custom. Maybe the Andril Mercury Custom is out there.

Kenny

 

I would love to see or hear anything about the Andril Merc !!! That car owned it.

 

Guys...say all you want, Kurt owns more of the original Barris modified Zaro Merc than anyone. Sometimes it's better to go to the source rather than speculate. I've spoken with Kurt numerous times about his 40 Merc.
Pictures can be deceiving. What Kurt SAVED AND KEPT for himself was all the original Sam Barris modified parts including the masterful lead work that Sam did on it. The things that got the car in Hot Rod Magazine in 1949 in the first place.
That car when Kurt got it had so much rust in it that it literally fell apart in his hands. So much of the lower part of the car wasn't even the original stuff anyway...it had been replaced through the years. What was tossed off was swiss-cheese rusty, pop-riveted panels and Bondo. When it was jacked up in the rear the frame rails were so rusted through that the rear axle fell down. The rear section of the frame wasn't even attached to the front rails. The upper shock mounts were rusted off and the shocks were sticking through the trunk floor.
The lower body and floor was seriously full of cheap galvanized tin that was pop-riveted on and Bondo sculpted. This car lived a hard hard life on the east coast most of it's life and was re-modified so many time that hardly any of the original lower panels were left. Can't save it if it doesn't exist.
If you truly think of a custom car's heritage wouldn't it be the masterful custom work that was done by the customizing master in the first place? (Sam in this case), not the stock unmodified rusted away parts. Besides, anyone that knows the story of the Zaro Merc would know that Johnny wrecked the car on the way to Barris' shop and Sam had to replace the whole right side of the car with pieces from another car before customizing could even begin.
I would have to guess that the tossed away parts that were used to build this other convertible would have been mostly replaced anyway considering the horrible condition they were in, in order to use them. Most of the panels weren't even the original steel anyway, THEY WERE FULL OF GALVANIZED TIN PANELS. Same goes with the frame.

The Johnny Zaro Merc was given a new lease on life and the ORIGINAL customizing and lead work saved by Kurt.

Now as far as George Barris "certifying" the doors or whatever was left of them that he was "certifying" I agree with rustynewyorker

 

I'm sorry, but attaching a famous roof and dashboard to a donor car does not make the donor car famous, it makes it a donor car with a famous roof and dashboard attached. If someone cut the roof off of the Sam Barris Merc and attached it to another car, the other car would not " become" the Sam Barris Merc.


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Like I said before...photos are deceiving. That photo of Kurt sitting next to a pile of parts isn't a solid car...nor are any of the front clip parts the original parts from the car back in 49.
Somebody rebuilt the Merc with chicken wire, pop-rivets and gallons and gallons of Bondo. What you are looking at is a sculpture of Bondo that resembles a 40 Mercury.
Looking at the photos of the convertible that was built it seems like an awful lot of "Pink Paint" is showing through which indicates to me that the convertible must be built on the chicken wire and Bondo foundation.
You consider this a pretty decent car?

The Who's Who of the Rod and Custom world know the story of the build and recognize and accept Kurt's car as THE Johnny Zaro Merc.
I'll leave it at that.