LOL!! Ya you might be right I know I do !!! Dont you think though back then, that being the new custom to have they would want to get that car finished and out there?
I'm sure. Curley's car was blue when got it and it was a 50. The one in the picture is a 49 and it was gold and had been painted by Winfield 20 years before we chopped it. Rodp
Here's another hint. This is the owner picking up the car after we did the work. It left ready to paint. He did rest of the work and showed it in Sacramento. I don't remember the year. Maybe 78.
Alot of people want to do alot of things but if I was workin on my car and some early 50s pre-disease era morphine hooker walked in and I had a pocket full of money from street racing my caddy finned 40 merc,I might say "fuck the merc,let Barris get all the credit he wants" HAHAHAHAHA juuuust kiddin.....KIDDING!
Rod...Why did Bailon always get the credit for that car???????????????????????????????It does have the classic Hurley cut but I honestly have never associated ya with the car.That fuggin Ganahl!
LOL Man I love that!!! You might just be right. I cant say that I would of kept on working on that merc either.HAHAHAHAHAH!!!! Hookers & going to the lakebed the next morning and running that 40 merc......... Maybe that 49 can wait a little while!!!!!!!!!
That's a whole other story Anthony. Bailon's name was a lot more famous than ours and I don't even know if he ever said he did the whole car. The owner Frank Marini painted it maroon with pink scallops the first time around and showed it that way for a long time. I think he took it to Bailon for a Candy Red paint job. Joe changed the hood and ended painting it black. Today the Bailon tag might be considered a better investment. I'm glad to see you use ??????????? too. I got busted for that a couple of weeks ago on here. RodP
Anthony I don't know if you remember. Here's how the 51 looked when I owned it. It had a flathead, it was hard to start and burned oil but I sure liked the way it looked. RodP
This is the Frank Marini Merc as it was first completed. The second picture was taken at one of my picnic / car shows. Standing behind the car left to right are Curley Tremayne, Frank Marini and Richard Zocchi.
Hi Axle, Yes I knew this, and I did not forget. It was just something I did not wanted to mention. John Barris is not a car guy, like his father was. And the reason for that is because Sam did not want John to work on cars just like he had done since he was a kid. He thought his son would be much better of learning a different trade. So he became a school teacher, and I bet his father would be very proud about that. Sam talking about his father... This is all the stuff of his father Sam Barris that John Brought with him to show at the panel discussion. (the book is at the far end.) He had also some of my colorized photos there and had the colorized photo of the Sam Barris Merc next to the book. So I took out one of my Kolorized Jerry Quesnel photos and placed that next to the book and put the Sam Barris Merc photo somewhere else. I told John about this. And he said it could very well be that car, I dont know. The kolorized Photo can be seen just above the book. John is just not a car guy, and all that mattered to him is the fact that his father chopped that car, and his father is in the pictures. I really hope that somebody will contact john about this book, and tries to talk him into to reproducing it. This is a very valuable historic document that needs to be shared with everybody who wants to know. Two more items that John showed... And one more photo from the album. I think thats the Snooky 1941 Ford in the background.
Well this is where 00MACK has always been right. I assume you are talking about the left row bottom two photos. Those two photos are in some of the Barris books. And George claims they where taken when Sam chopped his own Mercury. But in fact those photo's are of the Jerry Quesnel car. And some time ago in a different HAMB thread 00MACK already mentioned that he thought George was wrong about this. The photos in the Marcia Campbell album proof 00MACK was right, and George was not. All the photos on that poster are of the Quesnel Mercury.
great thread, awesome pics, thanks for posting! the photos of the famous merc customs arriving are giving me goosebumps.
This is the best show coverage ever! Usually you just get pictures, but with rikster we get histoy too! Thanks so much for the coverage and info rikster!
[quote=Rikster;. But in fact those photo's are of the Jerry Quesnel car. And some time ago in a different HAMB thread 00MACK already mentioned that he thought George was wrong about this. ------------------------------------------------------- What do you mean George said something wrong, Goerge wouldn't do that -would he?????? TwoChops
RIKSTER you did a very very good job in the pics. Look real 3d. When i look at the pics i think i was there. It`so nice to share this pics because i`m to far away to come to the show. Maybe you have some more pics about the show and the old book you told?? Thanks for your time to show us all your talent as a photograph also.
Cancer... possibly caused by the lead and paint fumes for all those years they did not use any protection.
Krap I thought that I was going to get something done today, I'm stuck in Kustomville again. When I hear someone tell me again that Kustoms are dead they need to read this post. The knowledge and the passion for Kustoms on the HAMB board are amazing. Kustoms are alive and well!! I wish that I had something kool to add. Hopefully, I can just add more fuel to the fire and please keep the stories coming. Happy Trails, Mick
Rik You did a over the top job of coverage of the show. What a once in a lifetime gathering of Mercs. More "Mercjerks" than the law allows. Was once one myself but , took the cure. Welcome to American Rik, great to see you in the midst of it all. GREAT PHOTOS!!! BARRESSE'
Rikster your pics on this show, the photos of old photos and the coverage of all this history are amazing simply awsome !!! Thanks man for coming to Sacto and doing all this coverage! LTr dave
Yes Rik,that is what I have been saying this whole time as well.Why would every pic be of Jerry's car and only 2 of Sams? Also that is Jerry in the picture and look at the grill,you never saw Sams car with a modified merc grill like the one Jerry ran.
All i know is what i read in the books, i wasn't there, I don't have a fanmous car. I thought also that maybe the car was not Sam's to begin with, but, According the story Rik was told, Quisnel cut the roof off at home. The photo sure looks like they are cutting the top off of the car. Maybe it's niether car, the Barris shop built alot of cars. I know it's cool to call George a bufoon, but, personally i feel that they built too many cars for him to be lying about all of them. He's an old man, and it was a long time ago.
I agree that all the images are of Quesnel's car, but keep in mind that the wording is "First Photos on the Chopping of a Merc" (which was Marsha's wording on her album) rather than "Photos of the First Chopping of a Merc"
Thats an excellent question and a very good possibility. I want to do some California DMV registration research on this subject and see what i come up with. After reading all of these recent posts, and talking to so many people when my wife and i organized this event it is now not 100% clear who's 49-50 Merc coupe was chopped first. It is however, safe to say that the Sam Barris Merc, Quesnel Merc, Bettencourt , and Wally Welch Merc were some of the first 3-4 done. I am positive that in due time we WILL find out for sure. Cool stuff, and again, now that the Autorama all over with i'm glad we did this. Axle
I am the guy who told Rik that story and I was told that from Jerry himself.(The one of Jerry cutting the roof himself) I was also told by Jerry that the car was cut in nov 1948 and after seeing that photo of Jerry's merc with the 51plates and not being chopped,it changes things a little bit.Jerry is on vacation right now but I will be talking with him when he get's back.
The Jalopy Journal
