Customs Pharoahs Merc

I know the Merc in American Graffiti wasn't the nicest or most period correct movie car of all time but it's my favorite car from the movie and one of my favorite cars of all time. Anybody have info or pics of it to share? Just curious.

 

Some info and pics on this link.

http://jeffsallgraffitiallthetime.blogspot.com/2010/10/street-rodder-november-1974.html

 

I never knew the car was such a hack job.

http://kipsamericangraffiti.blogspot.com/2010/11/51-mercury-coupe.html

 

Here's some pic's I took at the Merc Gathering in Sacramento a few years back. This is a clone,but is DEAD ON,including all the bad customizing.

 

It's my favorite movie! Each time I watch it I think,"I really wish they would have put WWW's,skirts, and lowered it."

 

I two wish they would have torched the springs to get it to the bump stops and lost those uglier than I am hub caps!!!

 

Now looking at the extra info and reading that the guy that owns it doesn't want to rebuild it that makes me wonder if that car in the back lot of that place in New York is not really the Merc from the movie? Why would someone just allow something with that cool history just rot away?
Jay

 

Brian Setzer owned it for a while in the late 80s or early 90s. Still a cool made for the movie car. They had limited time and money and figured the chopped top would be the biggest visual they could make with it. However, heated springs and lowering blocks are dirt cheap and super quick.
Still a cool car in a great movie!

 

Happens ALL the time. Hard to believe the Hirohata was allowed to fall apart before Jim McNeal found it. Many of the old Customs and show cars fall by the wayside when trends change. Can't tell you how many cars are found in some junk yard or back lot un recognizable. Look at the Orbitron,for example.

 

Me too!

 

I love this pic!

 

That is a good point Bob.

BTW do you know of any pics of the Hirohata before it was restored? I googled that Merc and would like to know a little more about this car too
Jay

 

Here is the car. Date of this picture is unknown.



***I just realized this shot is in that link. I found it elsewhere while doing a search.***

 

Looks like There is a nice dent in the roof, hopefully it will see the light of day eventually, as ugly as it is I still idolize the car...

 

That is my favorite movie, chopped top Mecrury's one of my favorite cars.
I know it was very poorly done, but, deserves better than rotting away.

 

Plenty of pics in the Rodders Journal of the restoration by Pat Ganahl.


And here on the HAMB.http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=375166&showall=1

 

I don't know, despite being so ugly and being such a turd It's one of my favorite Mercs of all time. I'd love to build a clone but a version without all the bad customizing.

 

I always thought the Merc was cheesy on purpose. Sort of a reflection of the type "custom" the boneheads inside would build. It's modern counterpart might be a '90's Honda beat to hell with a flat black hood, a fart can and real low with the wheels leaned way in at the top.

 

Well said, I think thats why I like it so much. It's kind of a dichotomy of it's self. It also kind of represents a side of kustoms that we don't see these days so much, the car and the Pharoahs that drove it in the movie represented the OGs (Original Greasers) in a stereotypical derogatory way that could only come out of the 70's viewpoint of the situation. The car represents 3 specific decades just from being in the movie, then it represents the 80's by being owned by Brian Setzer. I wouldn't say it's an un-sung hero, but it's a misunderstood and under-sung hero in a way that no other Kustom will ever be.

 

I saw the car shortly after the movie was released. It was on the lot at Universal Studios. What a piece of shit, the workmanship was disgraceful and it was obviously made for movie visual effects.

 

The movie was a very, very low budget film. Made a killing at the box office and the profits were used to make Star Wars.

 

Well its probably autentic in that way
that most customs was built by half
criminal loosers with no skills and no
money. just like the caracter in the
movie
Just like the average R.R or fartcan
ricer to day

 

I was gonna go to bed, but I think I`ll pop some popcorn.

 

Don't forget mini truckers, Donk guys and the lifted diesel truck guys which are like a combination of Mini truckers and Donkers which is ironic because huge trucks advertise small reproductive organs of the guys that drive them. Should we call them "Mini Donkers?" I think the term has been officially coined.

 

Not really my problem , but the word is Pharaoh

 

Not my favourite chopped merc, but I have to say it looks like a greaser mobile and not a goldchainer mobile.

 

..........Really?

 

Are there any more pics of the original or the clone? Seems like there would be more out there about it.

 

HA! Great catch!