Sad to hear. Man, the Lincoln Land Kustoms were the dudes back in my growing up days. Prayers and condolences to his family and friends.
It is actually a 56 210 owned by Harvey Bagshaw. I had seen newer pictures of it with larger 5 spokes and thin whites, yet prefer the wheels in this image.
A relative I just came back in touch told me to come here to update my Dads cars info. He built his Mercury as a duplicate of the one he had when he was younger. Bought it off a car lot, took it home and he proceeded to cut the roof off in the driveway. The neighbor came out and asked what was wrong with him. . Short story he had all his friends when he built the duplicate in the 70’s believing it was the same car. The newer version actually was powered by a 55 331 Hemi but he liked to fib about it being a 392. I know because I pulled the motor for a freshen up. Had to call Bob at Hot Hemi Heads to get parts. Just got back a couple weeks ago from the Custom Car Revival event in Indianapolis. Drove it a total 600 miles without a problem. So many people at the event came up saying they remember this car which meant a lot. My Fad p***ed away a few years ago but we keep his memory on the road. Thanks everybody.
I can’t tell you how cool it was to see the car again at Indy! I never did get to catch you, but sure glad you guys still have it, enjoy it and brought it out. I have pics of it at Pierce Park in Appleton, WI in chocolate brown before it was painted orange….at least I’m pretty sure it’s the same car. Lol. Same skirts, chop, etc. Then the next year it was painted orange with the frenched tail lights. So I’m guessing your dad made a few tweaks and repainted it over the winter?
Rich, Was great to meet you and get to see your 'family Merc'. It is one of @OG lil E 's favorites, as noted in the first post of this thread. I sent him a pic from CCR and right away he noticed that you were running blackwalls instead of pinner whites, that's how he just knows custom stuff off the top of head.
Seeing your Merc and having the opportunity to visit with you was the highlight of this year's CCR. It was so kool to see the Merc and it had survived over the years and its back on the road. You have something special and it was kool to see ya driving it to the event. Your dad would have been proud of ya and its so kool that you are continuing his legacy. Much respect.
it was a thrill to see the Mercury after all these years. This magazine is currently on my coffee table. Thanks for bringing the car out. It still looks great View attachment 6445813
I just watched the movie "Los Angeles 2013" (1996) , and I saw this flamed Mercury! What happened to it?
Someone was asking for window decals, these have been on there for years. '54 Chevy Bel Air 2dr. post Dyno Dave
Iam lynn finlayson.. was looking up my nane on google and see somebody was commenting on the chopped black with flames, 50 ford. Wish i could afford to buy it back and return it, back down, with skirts and lakers, etc. I traded a 63 corvette coupe for it, in back in 1980, with bruce mattlock. He bought it at tommy donahues auction. Only had the top chopped and painted with flames, pinstriped, not buffed. No interior excelt stock front seat, stock suspension, no grill or bumpers. Corvette had a 390hp 427, 4spd, et mag, tilt gront, split window replaced with 64 window, dimond tuck interior, chrome ****** side exhaust headers. To me, the chopped ford, was super cool and one of a kind.. it was my all time favorite car. . Rite now iam building a side by side street legal sprintcar. Iam 80 now and some health issues slowin me down but ive posted some videos on my youtube channel. Hope to get goin on it again soon..
Just went threw this tread again and enjoyed all the pictures. I found this photo awhile back first thinking it's was one of the cars in the thread . Anyone seen it before?
Hey everybody, haven't been on the board much lately, so I check in and find this. Nice to see that after all this time people still check in here and add information. Makes me feel good that all the work and time we spent together has left a nice custom record for people to follow. Anyway, after a little digging through my old W.E.H.T. notes, clippings and pictures, I think I have an answer on the yellow Merc above. I believe this is the Merc formerly owned by the late Bill Hayes who p***ed away in April 2019 at the age of 86. I wish there were more pictures of the yellow version so I could be more certain, but there are a few things I spotted that make me think this is Mr. Hayes' old sled. The headlights look to be identical--the shape of them is very distinctive since the frames are very thin. I apologize to the ******** custom guys about the stacked quads, as they are far from traditional, but we have to remember that this was customizing during a time when it was anything goes. Back in the late 70s, 80s and 90s, you have to admit it was just a thrill to see a chopped Merc prowling the streets since many had disappeared once the muscle car craze hit in the mid 60s. I remember as a youngster before I was old enough to drive seeing Mercs on the street quite a bit. Nowadays I'm lucky to see one on the streets a summer. Sad. The front bumper looks to be the same, except that now it's painted and molded. Of course the hood was changed quite a bit, and the 70s Ford Elite grille is long gone. The car went through a few different transformations over the years, and every time it was re-done it was taken a little further away from the white version that Mr. Hayes built in the early 90s. If you look close you can see the yellow car has a '51 rear window, as Mr. Hayes' car did. Now, here is the thing that makes me think this is the same car. On the quarter windows, when the car was chopped, the side windows have a unique shape. The bottom part of the window curves up and meets the top, forming a little point. I can't say that I've seen this on any other Mercury. Here's a few pictures showing what I'm talking about: Of course there are a few other things that look to be the same like the skirts and the side mirror placement looks close, but the mirrors are different. The white version had no lakes, the yellow one does. If we had a few more shots of the yellow car we could maybe pinpoint it more, but 'til then, this is what I think. How about you guys? Am I right, or can you spot something that shows these are two different leadsleds? Post up and let us know. Before I close, I thought I'd put a link to the original write-up of Mr. Hayes' car, which was What Ever Happened To..........? #210, originally posted on March 24, 2020. Boy, that was almost six years ago! Where does the time go? https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/what-ever-happened-to.1016572/page-135#post-13500067 Well, I guess that's all for now. Thanks to all you custom historians and leadsled nuts for keeping this thread going, even though it's not nearly as busy as it once was. KUSTOMS FOREVER!!! You guys take care! See you around..........E
It never ceases to amaze me just how much history has been, posted, do***ented and shared on this thread. God bless you E.
Good to hear from you again! I know the Muldowney Merc from "Heart Like a Wheel" movie has the same chop and if I remember right (?), there is a how to chop your merc article in the late 70's early 80's that shows that chop style. Its either in street rodder, custom rodder or Tex Smith's, If I get time I'll look for it.
Ed, I always thought that this thread was some of the best content on the entire internet... how about you reviving it? maybe once a month instead of weekly? If you were out of material on cars to search for how about going through the KKOA book and start at the front and do each car?? maybe we could get @Sancho to come back
Just stumbled on this thread. @lynn finlayson mentioned a you tube channel in his previous post. He didn't link so I went and found this. https://www.youtube.com/@sprint4two
This thread is my all time favorite on the HAMB. Because of all of the information with each post, the thread should just be pinned to the top. It is timeless and would never get old......I can't imagine how many hours it took to get all of the back stories and put it all together so we can understand it. Much respect goes out to Ed and understand why he had to take a break.
Thanks for all the kind words guys. Nice to be appreciated and missed in my absence. I've been thinking about starting up again, but lack of material is really a problem. Maybe I can come up with a new plan to get things going again. I like @Moriarity's idea, but we already covered quite a few cars in the KKOA books, but there are still plenty in there that need to be brought to the forefront. Thing is, the information on them might be really hard to find. Something to think about though. If I were to start up again it would have to be once a month or maybe a little longer. About two years ago I started a new job and I'm working way too much--usually 7 days a week, so my spare time is very scarce these days. But, we'll see. "So you're saying there's a chance.........." lol. I went ahead and did a little digging and I found some pictures of the Merc used in "Heart Like A Wheel". I found a nice thread started by @Rot 'n Kustom over 20 years ago(!) that has some great pictures. I copied the ones of the Merc as it appeared in the movie, but I'll put a link to the thread so you can see all the pictures posted in the thread. Thanks a lot @Rot 'n Kustom for posting these, as well as @BombsAway. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/muldowney-movie-mercury.81991/#post-988240 A big shout out to @DANSLED as well for having the sharp eyes and memory to bring up the "Muldowney Merc". He was absolutely right about the quarter windows. Same style as the Hayes Merc. Maybe there are a few more Mercurys that were chopped this way. I'm going to have to pay more attention. Where is Jim (@stanlow69) when we need him? He is missed! Also, if we get this thread rolling again, we will definitely need @Sancho to return. We miss you pal! Well, I think I've rambled on enough for now. I'll catch you kats later..........E
Speaking of Ms. Shirley and that Merc I was friends with a guy who supposedly had that very vehicle ( although I was a bit skeptical) . The story was it was featured in the movie Heart Like a Wheel ( but again I was skeptical) .
[QUOTE="OG lil E, I went ahead and did a little digging and I found some pictures of the Merc used in "Heart Like A Wheel". I found a nice thread started by @Rot 'n Kustom over 20 years ago(!) [/QUOTE] YIKES! Have we really been hanging out here over 20 years? No wonder my beard turned grey! Thanks, @OG lil E !
The side window shape mimics the Street Rodder article by Jerry Weesner that used drawings of that type of chop, but not real pics or a real car. I did my first Merc using that article only, and regretted the results. Not nearly enough info for a dumb*** kid to cut up a 50 Merc, but that didn't stop me. At KKOA shows in the 80s, I found 2 other Mercs chopped with that shape side window. Both owners answered yes when I asked if they'd used that ****ty "tech" article. I've always wished that I'd have found little book Merc chop articles, which were a lot better. But that's the story of the pointed side windows.
I hate making these posts - Howard Henry, who we all know for building one of the wildest 60's El Caminos has p***ed on. https://www.hhhfunerals.com/obituaries/howard-henry
Man, so sorry to hear. Thanks for letting us know John (@John B). Loved his El Camino. Everything Howard did to his El did it for me. When it came up for sale a few years ago, I tried to come up with some creative financing to buy it, but my efforts fell short. I hope whoever bought it is taking care of it. My deepest condolences to Mr. Henry's family and friends. He will be missed. Vaya con Dios sir..........E View attachment 6659574 View attachment 6659577
Is this it for sale? https://www.facebook.com/marketplac...wse_serp:74b267b8-1458-44f1-a855-05ab692824b1
If I recall there were a couple of these. Its in the way back files of my brain and its dusty back there.
The Jalopy Journal
