Some inspiration from my files. Of course I have Jeff's on file, but that has already been posted. I also spend hours pouring over stuff on Rik's website soaking in details on most every aspect of my project as I go along, planning, planning, planning before I attack.
To the guys who are still working on undoing the damage and driving their cars while it happens, keep fighting the good fight. I don't think Jeffsled or anyone else is trying to start a fight. I've been following DrDave and Pro Stock John's Merc builds since the beginning, they're both coming along nicely and headed in the right direction. But looking at some of the other examples that were posted and elsewhere, you can see freshly built pleated vinyl door panels with square power window switches cut in, beatifully painted and chromed dashes with CD players sticking out, plastic columns painted to match the interiors, headrest bucket seats which were clearly recovered at great expense in a pattern that tries to look 50's but fails. That's the stuff I don't like. Someone intentionally set out to try to force those items into the car and make them blend in and it just doesn't work. I'm all for the "do it however you want it" mantra but don't try to call it traditional when it's not.
Exactly ^^^^ Everyone should do their customs how they want but this msg board is about a certain style and a tribute to the way things were done back in the day.
To be fair the owners of 90% of the cars posted did not post them themselves so they probably have no interest in being traditional and probably don't consider their interiors traditional. And sometimes new guys (the OP)don't quite get it.
You hit it right on the head John. Undoing some of this stuff is money and labor intensive. Thank goodness there are guys like you and I taking the streets back from tweed and velour one merc at a time. I don't think Jeff was digging, so much as asking, because there are so many out there that are built with all the, as we see it, "wrong" stuff on purpose. Guys like us that see it as wrong and are making the efforts to change it I didn't see as the center of his question. There are compromises all the way around. A strictly traditional flathead, stock lowered suspension, manual steering custom can be a daily driver/cross country runner, but won't rack up serious miles with as much ease as one with overdrive, power steering, disc brakes, etc. That's cool. I've paid that price, and still do on several cars. AC, power steering, disc brakes and some other things some might see as "creature" make it easier to drive this things in traffic and non-socal weather, but are a compromise on the hard line trad theme. That's ok, too, I think...and maybe to Jeff's thinking too...maybe not. That's cool, too. I think the big question as originally asked is why so many with stuff so "purposely" done not traditional being called and accepted as traditional. Things like tilt...non-traditional, no reason to present it as such. It can be useful and for some necessary, but I would not present it as right down the line traditional. Now, for guys like you and me John who are going for the traditional look, we can make the tilt have a traditional feel and vibe and in our ideal would prefer not to have the flamed billet wheel and shooting that direction and fit the theme overall. Where it all goes wrong is the totally not even close late model column, etc and not even caring but still calling it traditional. John, I look at you as the perfect example of the guy who digs cars, always wanted a cool custom, bought what he found and would work best of his knowledge and then "saw the light" and is now headed in the direction of the light. The commitment of time in learning, studying and money to get it right is to be commended and is the very thing I am saying in that so many people never even notice, care or try to change. HUGE commitment and I think we would all say...and have at various times...you are the example of what so many could do it they only would open their eyes and see. I've lived, breathed, devoured customs my whole life, so it's almost just who I am, but to be a non-custom car guy, step in the deep end and take the time to ask, study and swim the length of the pool...you go it going on.
The interesting thing about that interior is that originally as built, the interior TOTALLY didn't match the car. I forget the colors, but they were way off in left field compared to the exterior color. When Kurt McCormick restored the car, he decided to change the color of the interior to match the outside in the original style and pattern. Looking at his pictures of the original I would have to agree. It was something totally goofy like bright red and yellow against the purple exterior or something like that. I guess sometimes the "new" traditional with some historical perspective is a bit better than the "original" traditional. LOL
HAHA. I noticed that a few times that they liked pretty wild interior colors compared to the subtle exteriors.
One of the areas I'm trying to improve right now on my Mercury is the interior. It had one of those late model GM tilt colums in it which has been revoved for the switch(along with three ignition switches). I'm in the process of replacing it with a non-tilt column that somewhat resembles a 51 Merc-O-Matic colum (I have an original brochure) but I'll still probably catch some grief for it. I'm not knocking the builder. I'm just changing it to be more to my liking.
I have a few pic's of my interior,but,unfortunately....there's some girls in the way!!!! I'll post them,if you REALLY want to see them.
Seriously though.... This is how it looked when I got it. Then after I sprayed the pleats. My new interior will look the same,but all white. It will do til I can change it...
The Jalopy Journal
