Customs Kustom Mercs / How did you get hooked?

love those merc

 

for me it all started with this hot wheel hooked ever since

 

There wasn't one in particular but I really started to appreciate them in the early 80's when my dad and I would hit the shows. There was one that has stuck in my mind. We went to the WOW show in the early 90's and there was a 49 with that new dupont paint chameleon paint I know, I know.... I stared at that car four hours both days we were there. It was a very mild car. I don't think the top was even chopped, but it was nice.

 

wow!! thanks, mick.... i knew you'd have a pic... haha.... his merc will always be one of my favorites...

 

My dad said "Let's go look at a 51 Merc." We looked at it, brought it home and got it running. That was almost 20 years ago. We had to sell my way too rusty 50 to get the 51 though.

 

My dad had one as his first car. I have some pics of it here in my album. When I was a kid I saw those old photos and was entranced. I wanted one since then and finally did it four years ago.

 

My dad had one, got it when he was a junior in high school, 1951, from his dad who bought it new in April 1950. My dad used it in his wedding in 1957, I pulled it out of the grove in 1980, rebuilt the drive train, had a friend do body work and paint then drove it in my wedding in 1981. Still have it in my garage today along with my own chopped 50 coupe. The custom merc thing started when I saw the bettencourt Merc in the April 1953 Popular Mechanics magazine when I was a kid, about 1976 or so. wanted one ever since. Both my sons like custom mercs too.

 

Looking through some Mag. and I saw a small picture of the Hirohata, I had to ask my dad what kind of car it was and he told me a Mercury. I aint been right since. Now its tattooed on my arm.

 

I was wondering how you found your Merc. Time flys, I didn't realize that you had "Poison
Ivy" for that long... I was looking for my Hang dice pictures of the Merc and Hadn't been
able to find them.

Love the pictures of your Dad's Merc. He must have been a kool kat, Kruzin around in '57
driving a '51 Merc with Zebra skin interior. Kan't get much kooler.

That is very kool that you 've kept the Merc in the family......Love the eyebrows on the chopped Merc. Your Keeping Kusoms alive.

Happy Trails,

Mick

 

For me it was the Pharoah merc and the Grease merc. later on the hirohatas

 

Not worthy but bought a vinyl'd T shirt as a kid @ mid 70's Royal Adelaide show which had a googie drive- in scene with star car a primer lavender chopped '50. I'd Like to see it today- wouldn't fit me now though.
Anyone else remember that shirt or know the illustrator ?

 

Im suprised there are not more oldtimers saying James Dean got them hooked.I always hear a lot older cats saying Rebel got them going on mercs. I still wish they would of used a Barris or a Ayala custom merc for Jim to drive in the movie. Except he would have had to go a lot slower up that driveway at the observatory.

 

I get to drive this one now and then. It's in my garage till after New Years.

 

I dont have a pic to post, but it was Curleys Merc that was featured in a how to chop article in the 70's , and the finished car was featured in the same issue, I musta read that article 100 times before I was a teenager ! I also had the Robert Williams customs poster "Devil with a hammer"

 

Well from an old mans mind...I got interested in Mercs long before James Dean or American Grafitti....1953 to be exact.Class mate of mine comes to school one day drivin this beautiful 49 chopped Merc....Dark Green.....Bought it off a used car lot in Lancaster,Ohio where it was traded in on a new car,,At the time it had no real reason to be what will always be the "Sam Barris Merc" in the flesh.....Robert Orr,who bought Sams car,was on a job in Ohio when his young son got sick in the car so Robert traded it in on a new Olds 88..My school mate bought it at the dealership.and drove it to school.....Loved Mercs ever since.....
PS my school mate still carrys a photo of it in his wallet.....

 

WOW!!!! That is something.

 

Awesome story.Thanks for sharing.

 

Dad's first car in '57 was a '51 Merc sedan. When I was about 7, he found his AMT Merc model that he built in the 60's and gave it to me. It still sits on my desk. Started reading Classic and Custom when it came out in the '70's and was able to collect the special Merc issues of Street Rodder and bought the issue of Custom Rodder with the Cool 50 Merc off the stand. Saw my first chopped Merc at a local show about '82 and was suitably impressed, followed shortly after with the Mid Century Mercury Club shows in Kenosha, WI. Moved to Arkansas in '84 and hit up the KKOA Hangin' Dice show in Ft. Smith only to be floored by the Hirohata Clone. Finally was able to end up with a Merc last year after 35 years of drooling.

 

One day me and my high shcool friends decided to go to a local car show in garden gove ca. Well as we walked the show I was dreaming someday I will have a car like these. I spotted a Purple flamed mercury setting on the ground. It just froze me in my tracks totally dumfounded. I had to look at evey inch of this amazing car. The Owner and his wife were very nice people and even let me sit in the car. I took this pic in 1996. That purple Mercury is still the one I have dreams about. Anyone know how ownes it or where it is today ?

 

I think that's Rick at Extreme Kustoms Merc.

 

Thans Ace-K, Is he exk here ?

 

Yep,that's him. That Merc has seen better days though. I liked it once too. Just seems too "busy" to me now.

 

The Lee Lucero Merc built by Dick Dean got me in to the Mercs.







Actually,I've seen many of the Dean Mercs at local car shows in the mid 90's around Riverside and that area,and his work got me hooked even though I may never have or build a Merc.

 

A perfect chopped 51..... I dont see how so many guys think a 1950 rear window looks better then a 51,just look at this it is perfect.It aint easy to get that 51 window to lay in there like that so I think thats a big reason why most 51's have a 50's in them. To me this just looks top notch. This is a clone of the merc that got me hooked on mercs...... the one from the the movie "Book of Love". Dick Dean built both of those mercs.

 

Ditto on the '51 rear window. This is a side view (out of magazine) of the Mohoff Merc. used in the movie.

 

Always loved the chopped mercs but never able to afford one.

 

Keep the faith, I drove my 55 Chevy 4dr (pretending it was a Merc) for years and one
day I happened to be blessed to luck on to a Merc. It took me years after that to get
the Merc where I wanted it but it all takes time.

Happy Trails,

Mick

 

Times 3 on the rear window.

 

Hey Sledlord, Than's for picking my wifes merc as your insperation into KUSTOM Merc's. I believe you live close so if you want to see it in person with it's new paint PM me.

Bob, My wife has driven that merc almost every day as her daily driver for about 11 years. Yes it has acquired some road scars plus the sun has been hard on the 15 year old lacquer paint. As for it being to busy to you now. I guess you are just getting old as it still has a tendoncey to make peoples jaws drop.

 

It's definately an eye catcher! I have a poster of it above my toolbox in my garage. Mines getting some road rash too...but then,that happens when you drive 'em.