False claim... two totally different cars. Jerry's was a 1949 Merc, this is a 1950 Merc with a totally different chop.
Figured it was too good to be true! But it did get the thread up and running again! -Dave p.s. This issue has some nice images of some old customs - not sure if the facts are true (you know how info. gets distorted ).
That particular issue has some really great Custom Car stuff in it... photo wise. But as for the captions and some of the text it looks like those where done by somebody who never heard about Custom Cars before. The magazine does not state a writer for the article on this Merc, but the weird thing is that Spencer Murray was the editor... and he should know... he knows!
I wonder if there is any type of connection ? I know 00Mack has mentioned it before.I wonder where this car (50) is right now?
The article on "Wild Child" says the (then) owner Bob Kirkpatrick of Fort Wayne, Indiana was directed by the Alexander Bros. to a fellow named Dick Bailey who was selling a chopped Merc custom - "a 1950 Mercury two-door sedan with a 3 1/2 - by 6 1/2-inch Barris chopped top). Those numbers seem off, but one wonders where Mr. Bailey came by this car and who had it before him?
Dick Bailey's Merc was built in Detroit by the Alexander Bros. There are pictures on Rikster's site. Car is not shown in its original form. Still exists somewhere in Ohio and is not being restored or for sale.
Dick Baileys car was shown being chopped in a magazine as everyone knows, by the Alexcander Brothers. I know youve said you've poked around the threads but I've clearly stated my opinions about a possibility of a connection. I did hunt down Bob Kirkpatrick and the guy I found now has a 50 merc 4 door but says he doesnt remember and purple chopped merc. LOL He was from Indiana.
Yes and the roof was chopped in a 2 part series in either Custom Craft or Car ,Speed and Style. Its almost fun losing my memory at 38.
Does anyone know what bullets Javier used on his grill. I know the Quesnel car had 51' bullets but Javier's don't seem to have the fins.
ANTHONY YES!!!!!!!!! Im getting fired up hearing you talk like this again !!! It's been a while and im glad to hear it!
That's funny....considering the tailights were made before I owned the Merc and before I ever saw your Merc! haha...I was considering changing mine back to the stock '49 taillights,lowered 2",cause the chrome on mine is getting pretty bad and I have a set of perfect '49 lights. Who knows....The lights I was thinking about that night at Giovannis were oval VW lenses,mounted sideways. Really hard to see at night though. I ended up selling them.
Bob back when I wrote that,we were bustin balls about tailights and I was just giving you shit trying to be funny.I didn't invent the bumper guard tailights and I was serious when I was asking you about those lights you were talkin about,because I remember you saying how different they were.
Sorry, I didn't know - thus my questioning of the Popular Customs story! It certainly makes sense that they would direct Mr. Kirkpatrick to a custom they had previously done work on if they knew it was available. There are a lot of threads on the H.A.M.B. regarding custom Mercs and a lot of comments on each. I'm sorry I didn't spot your report on this (must be the one I missed ). Thanks for answering my question! -Dave
Jerry Quesnel now has a drag car for sale he's still alive in Arizona doing very well 1986 El Camino tubbed fuel cell big block about a thousand horsepower if you're interested and a drink was not original call me 323 738 9084
Rik Hoving posted this on FB. Thought I would it share: Some fantastic photos shared by Rick Rojas. Rick discovered these a while back cleaning up Aldo’s place. “Absolute Kustom gold! The Jerry Quesnel mercury, one of the baddest mercs ever, the Don Britton shoe box (I believe sectioned by Santa Barbara’s own Sam Foose) and the Hank Griffith 42 Ford all in one place! Aldo told me once about going to a car lot down south that sold hot rods & kustoms, but never showed me any pictures. Don Britton was the owner of DB auto sales, so maybe that’s where these were taken? Sure wish Aldo was here to clarify! Must have been pretty killer to see these cars all in one place.“ Most, if not all look to have been taken at the Andrews and Evans Car Dealer in Burbank California.
THis was also posted on Riks FB thread:Ann Baum Last known photo of the Quesnel Merc as far as I know. 1967, in Reno Nevada.
Axel Izardi did a short article on the car in CKD magazine ( I think) a few years back. Seems that some people were of a mind that that was the first merc Sam Barris ever chopped.
It's been an ongoing argument for years. Jerry said it was. Dick Jackson said Jerry and Sam's cars were done at the same time. George Barris said it was Sam's car. The timelines are a little murky so it's quite possible they were both being done at the same time. They had to have been within days/weeks of each other given the photographic evidence. Sam's finished car was shown in Oakland in late February of 1951 (20th to the 25th). The chopping pictures that we now know are Jerry's car and not Sam's show the car being worked on with Jackie Stewart's car in the background with an interior which we know he didn't have installed until after January 28th of 1951 so it all had to have been happening in a very tight window of time. Personally I find it hard to believe that Sam built his car, afterhours, in what would have to have been less than a 3 week time period that would allow for Jerry's to have been done first but who know. We will probably never know for sure.
I go back and forth on whos merc was chopped 1st. Maybe the Ayalas or someone else did one 1st? Who knows?Like you said we will never know for sure?
Yeah overall who knows. The Buddy Alcon, Wally Welch and Louis Bettancourt Mercs would have both been done in and around that time period as well at Ayala's but far less documentation went on there of the goings on.
The Jalopy Journal
