It was good to see this one again. Chopped at Rod Powell's by Butch Hurlhey, it was the subject of a How-to Chop article at a time when few customs were being built, and really helped jump-start the entire custom hobby. Other than needing a repaint, it appears unchanged.
Very Kool! When I first saw the pics on FB, I wasn't for sure if it was the real one or a clone. I didn't notice the license plate unitl your post. One of my all time favorite kustom Mercs. More pics that I stole (borrowed) from Lyle Willits. Thanks Lyle!
As a kid who devoured car magazines,This Merc, and Sam Fooses ford coupe in the same issue really cemented my life long love of customs, thanks for posting the pics.
Curly's Merc is now owned by Frank Morawski here in Bel Air Maryland. Frank treats it the same way he treats The Carrillo Roadster, The Super Bell Coupe, and Roland Leong's 1964 Top Gas dragster. The car is as original as possible to the build. When something is needed for the car, the search becomes a full blown search for NOS parts only. There has been talk of a restoration but it will have to wait it's turn in line. I saw this car the first time I went to his house. I must have looked like an idiot ( no needed comments ) staring at the car because I knew the car..........just didn't think I would find it that day sitting in his garage. It is kind of cool to go to our local Saturday night cruise in at a local walMart and find it sitting in the lot with all the other cars
I wasn't at the RJ show, but this was by far my favorite (it was a Merc) because of the historical factor. It's not the Sam Barris Merc, but when I saw this in the magazine for the first time. It was very inspirational more to me then Sams. Kool to hear its in good hands.
I'm not a custom guy in any way shape or form, but I LOVE that car and always have. Just like KoolKemp said above, it was the Rod&Custom and 1001 Costom and Hot Rod Ideas coverage in the late seventies that did it for me. Coincidentally, If you asked me the same about Foose's coupe you'd get the exact same answer.
It's nice to see that others hold this car in such high regard. The original article can be seen at Rikster's HERE: http://public.fotki.com/Rikster/11_...cars/49-50_mercury_custo/butch_hurlhey_curly/ Here's a look at the molded fender, and beautifully radiused hood.
A great car, one of those that stick in your mind for a long time. From Custom Rodder, February, 1980. Here;s how she looked when new, with bodywork by Butch Hurley, paint by Rod Powell: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/davetartaglia/10060022595/" title="Curly00 by DaveTartaglia, on Flickr"></a>
Been trying to get somewhat caught up on my customs understanding/knowledge lately . . . I'm taking a self-taught "Customs Appreciation 101" at Hokey Ass University (even though I lean toward the need louvers ? philosophy of "Go Fast trumps Pretty in a landslide") . . . let's face it, beautiful customs sure are a pleasure to gaze upon . . . anyway, as I was saying, thanks for bringing this one to my attention. Beautiful. But wheel covers, man, where are the wheel covers?
Frank and I have talked about this many times. He knows it wasn't a von Dutch job. It was one of the early stripers known for dagers in the designs.......... I will try to find out
As many of you know, that car was built in Salinas, Ca at Rod Powell's shop. Having grown up in that area, the first time I saw the car was in the early 80's when I was in high school. It caught my eye bombing down the freeway with it's Candy Tangerine paint burning my retinas. I soon learned what kind of car it was, who built it, who owned it, etc. I educated myself and learned all about traditional customs and swore I'd own one someday. That car inspired me then and it still does. Thanks for posting! So glad it's still around...
I just talked with Frank. He discussed the car with Rod Powell a few years ago. Powell said that there was a local striper named Tommy the Greek who hung out at the shop when the car was being built. He felt that Tommy did the dash in the car.
The three "teardrops" on either side of the centered striping job scream Tommy the Greek style.Didn't know he pulled designs in multiple colors like the middle piece? Thanks John!
Great to see this car getting the recognition it deserves. FYI Butch is alive and well in Shasta these days, we modeled Curly's Merc when we chopped my in-progress 50.
Such a good looking car. I spent a ton of time looking this car over at the revival and even more time looking it over in the hotel parking lot.
Now it makes sense, I spent time looking at the photos the guys had posted from the Rodder's Journal show and that Merc rang looked real familiar but it didn't click at the time. I studied that article for hours when that issue came out as I was putting my 51 Merc back together after it had sat behind my grandfather's barn for ten years waiting for me to move back home.
Frank said the dash was done by Tommy The Greek, but when I sent the photos from Franks garage, last year, to Rik, he captioned the photo as dash being painted by Rod Powell. I think it is believed that Tommy The Greek pinstriped the glove box door. I can't confirm any of this, one way or the other.
These are Rod Powell's words after I asked him about the Dash on Curly Tremayne's Mercury. " I did paint the dash for Curley. The style came from the motorcycles I had done years before. In those days Curley was a helper in my small shop on Griffin St. He liked this style of paint so much at that time he had me add it to the sail panels and door jambs of his '65 Riviera. Years later, when we were finishing his Merc I added the same designs to the dash. The pinstriping on the glove box door is not my work. It is not part of the original look of the car. I hope this helps. Rod"
It was also featured in the August '77 issue of 1001 Custom & Rod Ideas. (Sorry for the crappy-pictures-instead-of-clear-scans but it's all I got...)