Customs chopnweld's '51 Merc wins GG 2013 Custom of the Year!

"I just wanna' touch It, I promise....that's all !"

Congrats to ALL involved in the build.

the ante' is......... 30 Grand !

Soooo Kool.

 

perfect Merc, looks like they got the right car for the award.

 

Nick, CONGRATS on the award and the completion of your fine custom. It's a rolling work of art. All that time and talent invested by all involved made it all worth while.

 

Congrats Chopweld & Slixauto! Crip looking Merc! A rolling piece of art for sure! Beautiful work as always Matt! You killed it!

 

Beautiful car.

Anybody have any pictures of it where its not 'aired out'?
Cars look best at 'ride height' in my opinion.

 

It's up to the owner to give the info he wants, and if the owner doesn't tell the writer, the writer doesn't know. That's a short press release based on a couple minutes of conversation, not a feature story, so you might want to mellow out. The feature will be out in a couple months in print. If the owner includes the info you are so desperate to have included, then it will be in there. I don't know why he wouldn't. Is Matt crying about the mention or just you?

Why are you trying to turn a great positive thread into a shitfest?

 

This car just oozes!

 

Love the detail without being a pile of chrome and looking like a squashed bug. The care to the details really impresses me. Congratulations on a well done Merc.
Freakin' Awesome Guys

 

A mention in a very short press release is not misleading. So when the star who wins an Oscar forgets to thank someone it's misleading?

 

great build photos...and it does appear he did far more than a chop...

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.498446906837433.132745.272301512785308&type=1

 

Thank you, everybody, for all of your positive comments. This car was not built with any intention of winning awards, it was simply built for Nick to have fun in and drive. The awards and positive response it has received from everyone else is just incredible and humbling. Thank you!

As for Matt's involvement with the build, I already apologized to him for not putting his shop name on the build sign that goes with the car at the shows. I barely had time to make that sign before Pomona and I thought I was being just in including his name. I didn't know the name of his shop and I wish I could go back and put it on the sign in retrospect. If you've ever been in a rush to finish a car for a show, you know how hard it is to get everything done and right. I have told more people than I can count about the work Matt did on the car, and how well it was done. That chop is perfect, and I've said it over and over. I don't post much here or elsewhere, so I'm sorry if you haven't personally heard me say it Bad Bob.

As for how much of Matt's work is in the finished product, Nick changed his mind on many aspects of the build over the course of the project. Matt's work was very well executed and would have been left in the build, but we ended up changing quite a bit of it just because Nick went with different aesthetics by the time all was said and done. That's not to knock any of Matt's work, it's just the way it ended up. Matt repaired 90 percent of the rust on the car, and he chopped the top. He also found the car for Nick and started the project.

I was really thrown for a loop when Matt told me he was upset about the show sign recognition, and I made a point of getting his name AND shop name included in the Goodguys write-up. I'm a little embarrassed that a few things in the write-up are misleading, but John interviewed me for literally 5 minutes before writing all of this and obviously a few things got lost in translation. I didn't say that I put in the rear window, that was part of Matt's chop. And I didn't say I did the grill, which is exactly the kind of thing that makes it hard to determine who gets credit; Matt installed the grill, and I cut it out and moved it slightly. So I purposely don't mention those kinds of things.

Bottom line is, I have never and will never take credit for something I didn't do. I have tried to be as good to all the people who were involved in the build as I can, but clearly I haven't made everyone happy, and I really am sorry for that. That has never been my intention. Building these cars is supposed to be fun and promote comradery. I don't have bad feelings about anyone and I certainly don't want anyone to think I'm a bad guy.

If/When this car gets written up in a magazine article, I will make sure the whole story gets told. That's a promise. Thank you to everyone who was involved. The important thing is, Nick ended up with one badass Merc, and a LOT of people were responsible for making it happen.

Bill Ganahl

 

Well said.

 

You have much talent Bill,and have my respect for clearing this up. Don't take my comments as being directed toward your work or the quality that this car shows. It's AMAZING! Looking forward to seeing your next build. Do not feel like I was attacking your integrity. More like standing for my buddy,Matt. I won't bring this up again.

 

Man, I feel like I just watched a soap opera with the weepiest ending ever. Anyone with half a brain knows that when high end cars like this are finished, many hands have touched them, and that those who did a fair share of the work don't always get the kind of cudos they deserve. Just think of all the people who worked for Barris whose names are still not known, or any of the shops where massive amounts of work is turned out. Boyd being another with all his 'wet-back' Swedes, (no offense intended). And, 'Birdman' Stewart, wherever he is, now. So, when I see people start pissing contests, on here, and see it resolved by one of the major parties involved I feel like things have moved in a better direction, even if I kinda wonder what dog the pisser actually had in the fight, seeing as his hands don't have any blood on them. We called those folks on the school yard trouble makers when I was coming up. Not that there isn't a need to have one or two on a leash, if you know how to handle them. Apparently Mister Ganahl sees his way through the rubble to the future in this one. By the way, nice car, and I like people who give as good as they get. We need more spine and less rust in our world. And cars that can be driven, not put on show and dusted off for Sundays and such.

 

Another legend begins! WOW!

 

@surfcaliforniasurf - Yep ... That's why I posted that exact same link in post #27.

 

Thanks Bad Bob. No hard feelings.

 

None here either...

 

bump...

 

Is he related to Pat Ganahl the writer?of many hot rod articles?

 

@mikhett - Yep ... Bill is Pat (@pgan) Ganahl's son!

 

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NOTE: At the 1:16 mark in the video, @John D'Agostino congratulates Bill (@slixauto) Ganahl and then Nick (@chopnweld) Rogers on winning the award ... D'Agostino's '40 Caddy ("Sophia") was also a contender for the award!

 

Awesome! Congratulations to all persons involved. ALL BEAUTIFUL CONTENDERS, bummer to have to pick one out of them all. Nick (chopweld) Rogers, you have a killer Mercury, man!!!!

 

Great car, great recognition in here, tons of work done by everyone.

I have to say I'm always a little jealous when a build becomes of the cars I aspire mine to be at some point. I just need to finish the tunnel into the bank next door and then I'm good.

 

Beautiful car and work! Please excuse my ignorance, the valve covers say Cadillac but I'm seeing SBC?

The only award my heap may ever win will be at the local burger night but the build board will only have one name on it...me!

 

Nice Merc!Congrats Nick,Matt &Bill.

 

Thanks 51 mercules for positive input; and yes, slddnmatt did much more than chop the top. When I have a minute, I will give thanks to all of those on the HAMB that helped me on this build (some with their hands and some with their eyes). Matt Townsend is not gonna get dissed; he's too good of a friend of mine. Thanks again fellow HAMB posse, Nick "Ruggiero" Rogers

BTW: A couple of weeks ago, I referred fellow HAMBer IrishPipes to Townend's Rod and Custom. He's now in there gettin a chop by slddnmatt. Deeds not words; nuff said.

 

Your car exceeded all my expections. I was parked about ten feet away from your Merc at the GNRS, and I got to look at it several times without any interference. I got to know Bill a little bit on move-in day, and didn't even realize it was your car until after the show. It was cool watching you play around with your kids while we were moving out on Sunday night, too ...

 

The car rules w/out being any 'of the year' award. These Young pups are loaded with talent.