History Matranga Mercury at the 1951 Oakland Roadster show

I think it is safe to say yes,it was shown in late 51.The earliest pics we have of Louie's car are in 52.I wonder if these guys ever ran a 52 tag in 51? Or maybe a 51 tag late in 50? I wonder exactly how the registration rules worked then.

 

What if the Montebello show was a month earlier and they were finishing up Sams car for Oakland since it was getting paint and interior.There is a chance they wanted to unveil Sams at a bigtime show instead of a military tent show.Have to remember the Ayalas brothers did NOT have Gils 40 merc at Montebello,which means it was already sold and the new owner had Gils old car in oakland at this show,so that kind of fills in the timeline just a little bit.

Through all of this mercury debating I have never claimed Jerrys was finished first.I always thought Sams car was finished and show ready before Jerrys car.

 

Makes sense. I always thought the straight door post chops would have come before the angled door post chops (at both shops) and that would jive with Wally's car being done first.

 

The only reason I would question that time line is the pictures on the wall. I would think that a shop that had chopped two Merc's already would make sure everyone knew they had done it. Especially if that shop was owned by one George Barris

 

Well Louies car had more going on and it had alot going on under the hood from what I have been told,so the post factor I dont think was it.

I know you are hard pressed about the post factor but alot of guys who chop mercs and have been doing them for a long time..... To mention one name to start with is Keith Dean,claims that a angled post is much easier then doing a perfectly straight post because the roof wants to naturally fall forward.After looking at the raw cut pictures of Jerrys merc it looks to me like that's what they did on his car.I know you wont believe that but im just telling you what Keith said.He learned from his father Dick and Dick told me that he learned to chop merc roofs the "Sam Barris Way".I know different guys do it different ways but im just using one example.

 

My thoughts are that the Dec 51 Motor Trend cover (the end of 1951)was shot shortly after the car was finished & around about the same time the car went to the 51 Oakland show - so basically it was shot towards the end of the previous winter (early 51) and then the NEXT winter (late 51) is when it showed up on the December cover (because of the snow theme, it wouldn't have been used in an early spring issue - so it was held over until the next winter). Which is long after it was already sold and gone to the midwest.

 

I wasn't really thinking along the lines of the difficulty factor but more the fact it seemed to be a logical progression from straight to leaned. I can see the leaned being easier but it just seems that two of the three most recognized early chops were straight post and almost all the others after that were angled so it seemed to make sense, to me at least, that the straight came first and then the guys realized the angled was easier so thats the way they did the rest of them. I could be wrong just the way I see it.

I haven't gotten that far with mine yet but from what I have done I definitley see that the angled chop would be easier as far as the top of the post is concerned but a bit more work at the bottom but I am only half way through my first chop so I am definitley not going to question a guy like Keith or Dean.

 

To me Sams car is so much more graceful and it doesnt look as rough and raw as Jerry roof does.The mystery is just thickening with all this new stuff in the last day.After close examination we know the album that was thought to be Sams car turned out to be Jerrys car.The chop is pretty rough and after all the pictures taken of the chop Sam posed next to it in its very early white primer stage,like he was proud of what they had just done.Then when the popular science issue came out to show the public what custom cars were George used Jerrys merc in white primer to show the general public.If he had Sams car painted and done I dont understand why George "King Promoter" wouldnt use his own brothers merc.

 

All very valid points. Although as far as the rough chop maybe Jerry got what was paid for and Sam spent more time refining his own. Who knows? It just seems strange that they wouldn't have used it at the Oakland show as well if it was on the street unless primered vehicles were not allowed?

 

The only reason i can come up with it. Since the oakland show was such a huge thing. Then they are going to bring There latest and cleanest cars there. Maybe George wanted nothing but finished cars at the show. To me this makes sense.

 

Totally. Could very well be the case. It is even possible that unfinished cars were not even allowed to be shown.

I am pretty sure there were not any Suede rooms back then.

Jeffs point about the PS article is the most compelling to me that Jerry's car may have been on the road before Sam's was shown. It would be nice, as Jeff mentioned, to know when those pictures were taken.

 

I dont think that primered cars were allowed in the show.I could be wrong but I have read somewhere that they were in a mad rush to get Sams car done for a big show.I wish I could remember where I read that but it seems to make some sense.They wanted to debut Sams as the first finished merc at a big show as it would help the shop in many ways.Yes they could have finished Jerrys but his last name wasnt Barris and to debut a pretty new chopped merc i would want the car to be owned by someone with my last name as well.Remember Jerry and George did not get along well at all.

 

Sam looks pretty happy and proud right here.I dont think Sam would take a picture with this raw chopped mercury after he had already completed his perfect flowing roof on his own personal merc.

 

I would think without a doubt they were scambling to get Sam's car done in time. I would also add that if you are showing a car to win that Sam's had a lot more done to it than Jerry's which would have been another reason to finish and show it and not Jerry's at Oakland.

 

Maybe but Sam never looks to interested in being in pictures to me. I think most of the time he posed to get his brother off his back and get back to work.

 

What a great article this is and I love the pic with Jerrys merc next to a stock 50merc.I just dont understand why Jerrys would be used in this if they had Sams all complete,which ended up being a nicer car.

 

Thats really Sam's mercury next to Jerry's. HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Theres the proof. HAHAHAHAHA!! Im just messing around.

 

I agree it seems strange. I do wonder however how much lead time they would have had on the article and what month a October 1951 magazine would have been released back then. There was 7 months between when Sam's car debuted and Oct so if his car was not available for the pictures it would have been at least 8 month before Oct that the pictures would have been taken and even if the Mag was released a couple of months before Oct that would mean a 6 months lead time on an article. Seems like a long time.

I will admit I know nothing about publishing though so it might be the case.

 

I was thinking the same thing,I do think that Popular Science was not in a rush to get this out since not very many people were that into customs at this time.

 

I could see that.

How much time do you think there was between Jerry and Sam's cars being out of the shop? A month or so? Doesn't seem like a lot and if they held off the article and George really wanted Sam's car in the article he could have sent in pictures and asked that they use them instead.

Polpular Science may have even used Jerry's car because it was white and was a contrast to the two dark colored cars in the same article.

 

you are correct.

 

Ya but there sure wasnt very many cars Sam posed next to.I think the car had to carry some weight to get Sam to take a picture with it.

 

Thanks again Rik and Jeff. Great thread. Slim

 

Remember that Sam sold his Merc shortly after the '51 Show to Bob Orr in Iowa.
So the car may not have been available for the Popular Science article.

That being said both the Lopez and Taylor cars used in the article were finished before 1951.]

Mick

 

This photo of Joe Urritta's 1941 Ford that Sam Built was taken at the first - 1950 - Roadster show. The car is in either primer, or not yet rubbed out final coat.
But perhaps they changed the rules for the next year...

 

the car in between is awesome!!! i love the flow of the fenders!! everything about it from this angle is pure beauty![/QUOTE]

Judging by the description I think this must be the car in the middle.

 

Judging by the description I think this must be the car in the middle.

[/QUOTE]


No that's the former Gil Ayala car that is sitting behind Sam's Merc in the first picture of his car at the show.

 

Here is a larger scan of the 1951 program.This page is all the Customs at the show that year. The 400 numbers designated Custom class.Any late entries would not have made it into the program.​

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ROD&CUSTOM RON​