Customs OK guys lets try to find the Exodus Cushenbery built 59 Chevy last known to be in Fresno Calif

Agreed I don't see it as that wild a suggestion to think that it happened. None of us know the condition the car was in and without a massive interest in the history of the car I can easily see someone just saying it's too far gone for it to ever really be the Exodus anyways. Some of these "restorations" are really just reproductions IMO. If you are replacing 90% of the car it's not really the same car anymore. It reminds me of the "restored" Johnny Zaro 1940 Merc that consists of an entirely new car other than the roof and the dash. What do you call something like that?

 

@K13 I remember a picture of Kurt sitting in a chair next to the remains after he cut the top off. He said the rest of the body was a mass off chicken wire, pop rivets and Bondo. No other panel was salvageable... Heck according to stories it had a Vega grill grafted into it at one time. Until Pat Ganahl introduced the world to Jim McNeal, how many thought the Hirohata Merc still existed.

 

Yup sitting in his driveway with a pile of pink parts that were "unusable" even though most of them went on to be used on another car..

 

There usta be a custom 48 Ford tudor in my town, chopped, channeled, sectioned, molded, and way overdone. An old 60's show car, but not in a style that anyone anymore would find attractive. Supposedly the owner kept it for decades after its heyday, always getting asked if the old thing was for sale. An ownership dispute drove him over the edge and one day he cut the whole thing to bits with a torch. Just so nobody else could have it. People are weird.

 

Maybe you could contact Bill Manger who did the interior and see if he knows anything?
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063744685454

 

I hope it's not true, but I don't think it's impossible that it happened. Someone buried a wrecked/burnt Tucker under their garage floor because they said it was "unfixable", I think that was in the 80's. Seeing as those cars sell for millions now, I have to wonder how far a million dollar budget could have went to straightening out a lot of bent and burnt metal.

 

Why not just make a clone mark? Youre up to the task if anyone is

 

When he got the clone done the original would pop up.

 

That was suppose to have been the story with "The Oriental", but as we know that wasn't true after all.

 

Buy the house next door?

 

He should buy the old Tonka factory in downtown Mound and open the Moriarity Museum.

 

A bird in hand is worth 2 in the bush.

 

Any news, Mark?

 

Mark Gustavson of the Model Car Museum in Salt Lake City?

 

Well , that’s a flipping travesty ! From the last pics of it in the restoration shop , it did not look that bad . And if the rumours are correct about the chicken wire , bondo etc . It could have at least been used as a template or the shoddy work corrected .


Hey @Moriarity , I know ya don’t want to build another tribute since you have your tri 5 custom trifecta .


But if not you ? Then who ?

damn shame this car is gone , I think it was simply killer in its day !

 

Leaves the door open for some shyster to build a clone and call it original.

 

That's sad. Often when someone says "to far gone" it's more a reflection of the vision and ability of the person saying it than the condition of the car.

 

When we say "had it crushed", do we mean he towed it to a scrap yard and watched them crush it? Maybe towed it to a junk yard and assumed it would be crushed? Would be interesting to know.

 

Good point. I have a friend that recently insisted on his 55 Victoria being crushed, but it is currently sitting in a local salvage because no one is willing to actually crush it for him since it’s a nice car.

 

Why?

 

Why does he want it crushed or why will no one do it?

 

Why the crush.

 

He says if he can’t enjoy it no one can. I think it’s mostly because he lost his wife a few years ago and was building it for them to travel in. All the local guys have tried to talk him out if it, buy it, etc. I think it will likely sit in that salvage until he passes.

 

There is a million dollar car an hour away from me that the dealer picked up when the scrap yard called him, maybe the same thing happened here, we just don't know who the people involved are.

 

I’m not that emotionally involved.
Life’s too short to stress over a car.

my automotive failures might just be someone’s automotive dream.

 

Well seeing as the search so far seems to be leading to the demise of this car I thought maybe some pics from the George Barris photo collection might brighten the mood.