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Customs Hirohata Mercury

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Speed Gems, Aug 19, 2020.

  1. stanlow69
    Joined: Feb 21, 2010
    Posts: 7,348

    stanlow69
    Member Emeritus

    IMG_20200821_0001.jpg
     
  2. mark latham
    Joined: Oct 24, 2018
    Posts: 105

    mark latham
    Member

    Thanks for that, what a great story.
     
    loudbang likes this.
  3. Driver50x
    Joined: May 5, 2014
    Posts: 421

    Driver50x
    Member

    loudbang and stanlow69 like this.
  4. Speed Gems
    Joined: Jul 17, 2012
    Posts: 6,433

    Speed Gems
    Member

    I just looked up the movie Running Wild (1955) that the car was in. It's in the lot of the gas station in the beginning of the movie. Enjoy!
     
  5. mgtstumpy
    Joined: Jul 20, 2006
    Posts: 9,214

    mgtstumpy
    Member

    Wow, inspiration stuff! Loved it.
     
    bowie and loudbang like this.
  6. 392
    Joined: Feb 27, 2007
    Posts: 1,206

    392
    Member

    One of the best ever. Interesting back story and overall history.
     
    loudbang likes this.
  7. slowmotion
    Joined: Nov 21, 2011
    Posts: 3,330

    slowmotion
    Member

    That's as much a 'real car guy' piece, as it is a story of the iconic custom involved. Strong stuff. As a casual custom admirer, I reluctantly gave it a peek. You can read in every character's eyes their commitment & dedication to the car, as well as the car culture as a whole. Worth a look, great story, and excellent presentation.
     
    Driver50x and loudbang like this.
  8. David Gersic
    Joined: Feb 15, 2015
    Posts: 2,730

    David Gersic
    Member
    from DeKalb, IL

    Thanks for the link. That was good.

    Does anybody have a list of the R&C issues on the restore? I’d like to get those.



    Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
     
    Speed Gems likes this.
  9. Moriarity
    Joined: Apr 11, 2001
    Posts: 30,777

    Moriarity
    SUPER MODERATOR
    Staff Member

    I remember those ads that Kurt used to put in Hot rod magazine too.... he never did find it but ya gotta give him credit for trying
     
    kidcampbell71 likes this.
  10. Watched it again........all I can say is WOW.
     
  11. mopar57
    Joined: Apr 24, 2012
    Posts: 93

    mopar57
    Member

    Thats was cool to watch.
     
  12. ChuckleHead_Al
    Joined: Mar 29, 2004
    Posts: 2,001

    ChuckleHead_Al
    Member

    Thanks for posting the video, it was so great to see the old and new story behind the Hirohata Merc
     
    Speed Gems likes this.
  13. I remember as a 18 year old while working at the local hot rod shop, the Bossman taping his finger at some old black and white photos. He told me this is the most beautiful custom car ever built. You could tell by his voice and look on his face that he was serious.
    He had asked me what my favorite car was like some sort of test. I guess he was shocked when a smart mouthed teenager said a Merc.
    He had to dig out the pictures he had of the Hirohata car. He knew which magazines to grab to show me without any hesitation.
    It’s says something about the car when 30 years after it was built that an old guy in central Bama was ready to fight anyone in the shop that didn’t agree with his statements about it.
    When the features on its resurrection hit the shelves, an older version of me was keeping up with it. By this time I was in a shop full of Porsches, Ferraris ....... and the Hirohata was the topic of many discussions.
    When something really cool came in the shop, some of the guys would mess with saying “We know, it’s not THE Merc”
    At work, I turned into the ‘straightener’. Not the bondo jockey but the panel beater. Every bump, every file stroke each shrink was me getting closer to where I thought I needed to be before I attempted to build one
    I still haven’t built one but that’s Ok. It says a lot about the how the skills used to build the Hirohata was still inspiring folks decades later.
     
    David Gersic and bowie like this.

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