I too have heard that the 55 no longer resembles the way it used to look but no one seems to have any pictures of it in it's current condition. Any current pics out there ???
Ok, someone please dig out the old SRM that had the AG Merc being re-done at Gene Winfields. I know I'm old and my memory is kinda fuzzy, but I remember that story. Also said the work was done for Brian Setzer. They did stories on the other AG cars also, but I was more interested in the Merc, so I don't remember them as well.
Best magazine article I had on the movie was in March 1974 Street Rodder. A back up article on the Merc coupe came out in the November issue of Street Rodder. The March issue claimed the Merc was spotted in a dirt track parking lot and the deal was made. All work was a quicky for sure as the whole car was built in just a couple of weeks. The article claimed the car was only done in the fuzzy white fur from the window belt up. It still retained the stock drivetrain throughout and there was only one Merc used for the movie. There were several 55's used with the one wrecked in the end still going back on the dirt track after the movie.
The idiot could have screwed up any 55 with his ideas of (cool) modifications but he had to screw up one of the original movie cars. It makes me boil every time I think about it. Look in the May 1976 Street rodder for information about the 55 the 32 the 58 and the Mercury. The article states that the Merc was still at Universal studios as part of the tour (1976). Another mag that covers the cars when Steve Fitch owned the 32 and 55 was in the October 1983 Car Craft. I think Fitch sold them a couple of years later. The 55 went to Jersey to get ruined and the 32 went back to California and is still somewhat preserved in Original condition.
Read the following post # 156 for some info... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=309663
That's what I had heard too. What a shame. I saw it when my friend Steve got it back to Wichita. It was pretty rough but all there. He restored but not too much. It had a pretty good paint job though. Ran like a scalded cat. The guy that built it said it ran 10's pretty easily. I think the original owner/builders name was Sam. It looked pretty nice when he got done but he kept it true to the movie. Same with the 32.
The thing that always stuck in my mind from when I was a kid was seeing that Mercs hood line running to one side. Bo Hopkins was leaning on the car or something and the hood line over the grill shell was way to hell off. Even back then everybody knew it was thrown together for the movie. I believe one shot inside the car you can see the headliner material split in the back where it fell down.
Oh yeah, the Merc was a roach. I read an interview with Setzer and he said the "frenched" headlights were actually created by bondo-ing the headlight rings to the body. Good luck changing the headlights! It was very crude all the way, but the other three cars were actually decent cars.
I have over 70 magazine articles (and growing) about American Graffiti on my website if you would like to read them. Or for those of you who don't read you can look at the pictures
I heard some where that the 55 sounded so good that the director of Smokey and the bandit used the sound of 55 instead of the FireBird in the whole movie.
I don't know but I always thought the same thing by how the scene looked with kirt riding in the back. There are no moving reflections off the "gl***" as the car is moving down the road. But I've seen pics of the car after the movie was done and they all look like the gl*** is in there. Someone needs to ask Bo Hopkins at the next car show. "Uh, a bunch of us are wondering, do you remember 30 years ago if the Merc had a back window in it or not?" He'll think we are nuts.
I read there was gl*** in there but they did not cut the gl*** when they chopped the car.I read that there were somecuts made behind the package tray and the rear gl*** was just shoved down into place,not sure if this true but this what I read.
Remember the scene in the movie where they're in the Merc and everbody has they're own story about Wolfman Jack? It seems like the same thing has happened with the cars in the movie. Rumors and wild stories that are probably much more entertaining than the truth. Seems appropriate. I've also thought the ratty look of the Merc was right for the kind of club the Pharaohs were.
That's the article I remember readign at the time. The merc was a quick 'hack job' done for the film on a stocker. Even the window trims were simpy cut and welded back together to make the 'image' they wanted for the film. Cheers, Glen.
These pics are from an article about the owner died and the dad or brother has it in a storage lot or wrecking yard, I will try to find the magazines that the pics were in and post them.
Anthony White aka 00mack posted these photo's of the American Graffiti Merc when Brian Setzer owned it.It was repainted by Roth.Pic's were taken in New York.You can see Brian Setzer washing his merc in one pic. Never seen these pics before.
This is when Brian still lived in M***apequa on Long Island. My cousin Ed was tight with him, they shared a house in Seaford around 1981. I ran into him now and then, my cousin came real close to being a Stray Cat. He had his own band, Ed and the Squirrels From Hell. They played often at The Right Track Inn in Freeport.
Brian lives close to me, He has been to my house and I see him at the drive in on hot rod nights. We have talked about his ownership of this Merc before. He told me that mechanically is was a piece of **** and it gave him nothing but grief. I will have to ask him about who painted it. I would bet that Roth might have striped and lettered it but I can't imagine that he did the bodywork and paint. He didn't paint any of his own cars. In the beginning dirty Doug did them and later Larry Watson painted Roth's cars
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