Interior aint there which is a shame cause it was killer and even inspired that great teen angel poster with the guy striping outside the Tijuana upholstry shop.
The Leo Lyons "Ulta Modern Merc" is on eBay now. It's muckin fugly but it dose have "history". See pg 86-87 of your 61 custom cars annual. eBay item # 4507958 Billy
willowbilly, that deal looks like the place where freakish custom experiments are performed..dear Lord......
[ QUOTE ] Leo Lyons Ultra Modern Merc-Ebay# 4507958722 [/ QUOTE ] "The top and windows were customized by George Barris as well as other modifications" That's interesting. Terrible pictures for someone trying to sell a car.
Yeah,I was dissappointed at the quality of the pics.The price is right, $2000 starting bid with no reserve.
The Ultra Modern Merc: An interesting custom/styling experiment that deserves a restoration to its former glory. I guess its only the trunklid that can reveal that it is based on a 50 Merc. I really hope it will find a good home! The car was featured in Custom Cars Feb 1960.
Mild '55 Chev 2dr. I could probably get this car, but I couldn't afford to do justice to it - and I can't figure out if it would re-sell for enough to pay for it and the trip and the day it would take to go and back. If it were a hardtop, maybe. I have closeups of the work, looks like bondo at least on top but it's held up good. The car needs floors in back and has no interior or drivetrain left, looks like it was a V8-manual with a floor shift. Grille is a mesh insert. About all that was done out back is smoothie taillights and more dechroming.
That '55 is radial compared to this 49/50 Merc 4dr. Look close and you'll see Olds trunk? logos on the fenders and unknown non-stock parking lights. Grille could have been changed too, but it's gone. Looks like it lost some chrome too but if I remember right it still had stock doorhandles. The taillights are also changed, small square units that remind me a bit of '63 Plymouth Fury but I think are smaller. Looks like it was at least partly a bright lavender/purple color at one time, you can see it there on the lower half of the car. Again, available, again beyond my ability. Anyone want one? Both east coast cars, both for real. The '55 aught to be easy to redo if not cheap since they make so much repro stuff for those now about all you need is a roof skin and cowl and you could build the rest new.
[ QUOTE ] That '55 is radial compared to this 49/50 Merc 4dr. Look close and you'll see Olds trunk? logos on the fenders and unknown non-stock parking lights. Grille could have been changed too, but it's gone. Looks like it lost some chrome too but if I remember right it still had stock doorhandles. The taillights are also changed, small square units that remind me a bit of '63 Plymouth Fury but I think are smaller. Looks like it was at least partly a bright lavender/purple color at one time, you can see it there on the lower half of the car. Again, available, again beyond my ability. Anyone want one? Both east coast cars, both for real. The '55 aught to be easy to redo if not cheap since they make so much repro stuff for those now about all you need is a roof skin and cowl and you could build the rest new. [/ QUOTE ] Sent ya a pm rustynewyorker!
[ QUOTE ] Also with the p***ing of Russ Grady,maybe his Herb Gary built 57 Olds will reemerge from the darkness. Unfortunately it wuold now have the gl*** roof and the handicapped hand railing on the sides. [/ QUOTE ] 57 Olds - Is that Olds "The Oriental"? Dave
[ QUOTE ] willowbilly, that deal looks like the place where freakish custom experiments are performed..dear Lord...... [/ QUOTE ] Yeah, I put them up for a little contrast. Just some old hippy out in the dessert, ****in up suds and whackin on cars.
[/ QUOTE ] 57 Olds - Is that Olds "The Oriental"? Dave [/ QUOTE ]Yep that's the one.Never did like it after they painted it gold and put in that stupid gl*** roof section.When that car was black it was the nastiest looking Olds around and it had a severe case of,"Testiculus Giganticus" with it's 4-71 GMC blown 433 cu.in. motor.If I remember right it was turning around 113 in the quarter mile.
[ QUOTE ] 2 [/ QUOTE ] Thats a 73-74 roadrunner hood scoop grafted to that hood. Good lord . One thing I noticed is alot of 60's customs don't have much of an interior in the way of nice looking. They mainly look like boat dashes and consoles. Was that pretty common back then? later plmczy
[ QUOTE ] Right on Slag, **** Scully and Dave Puhl in Chicago in 1960/62. It won the ISCA championship in Indy in 62 or 63. Nobody knows where Puhl is, kinda dropped off the face of earth. Last place he can be traced to is Scottsdale AZ about 5 years ago, ran a tavern called Old Chicago Pizza or something like that. I know that Starbird even took his wall down or downsized it because of no contact. Anyway 2 years ago at GG Waukesha I ran into Scully and talked Ralph into coming to the show on Sunday. He ain't into cars at all anymore. Anyway he came down and I took him over to see Scully, it was like old home week, they sat and lied to each other for a couple of hours. The car looks pretty bad now, a guy in Missouri has had it for a few years and been collecting parts but nothing more than that. Last I heard is he was wanting to sell it. B B [/ QUOTE ]Hey Bob K. the 1954 Olds aka "THE STARTLING STARFIRE" went from Ferks to Bob Dzemske to me. It sat in Dz's garage until I bought it around 1979. It was still in its ISCA CHAMPOINSHIP form, some rust on the many chrome parts, interior and top were near mint, paint (tutone)was fading and yellowing (one of Butch's first candy paints with his pinstriping on the 1/4's), barely ran. It took about a week to fix wiring and other mechanical problems. Drove it to all local car events, many people remembered the car from the car show circuit in the 60's. At that time, there was no huge interest in old customs, like there is today. It was of special interest to me because the car was from this area, nationally known and I wanted to get it driveable and out for people to see what radical customs were in the 60's. I sold it to a specialty car broker from Chicago. Next, I heard, it ended up on the south side of Chicago, behind some body shop allegedly run by a group of "recreational drug and happiness" distributors. Basically, abandoned, neglected and being slowly stripped of parts. Supposedly, Kurt McCormick got it sometime after the Chicago body shop. When Rod & Custom resurfaced, in the 80's, there was a letter in the "readers column" from a guy in Missouri. He had the car and was looking for any info or pictures that may help in the restoration. When, I had the car, I took a number of photos, that showed all areas and details of the car. I contacted the Missouri guy and sent him copies of all the photos and any printed material that I had. All I asked was that he pay me for the copying cost. Did not hear any thing from him, didn't know if he got the stuff or not. Called him, he said "got the photos and stuff, work problems, etc., was going to sell the car etc". Never did get the $. About 3 or 4 years ago, saw an ad in one of the "car trader" type mags that the Olds was for sale. Any way Bob K., your post says "most recent photos of the Ralph Ferks Olds". How recent? The present owner, can you find out if he is the same guy that I sent the photos to? Lamar, Missouri, I think. This car is one of the few non Ford/Chev radical customs that needs to be a "survivor". It was a perfect example of how customizing changed, in the 60's, from "customizing for smoother, sleeker, cool looks" to "customizing for sake of change" to ac***ulate as many points, as possible, on the ISCA judging sheets. That's a whole nuther subject. SO, that's my story and I am sticking to it.
[ QUOTE ] The parking lights on the Merc look like Olds, about 51 or 52 maybe. B B [/ QUOTE ] Thats what they look like to me, 49-50 in there somewhere. If I ever get back down there I want to look and see, I wouldn't be at all surprised if this thing has an Olds motor in it - or more than likely, had one once and now just has mounts for one.
OG, check your PM's. I think it is the same guy. When that article appeared, I called him also and gave him Ralph's name. He contacted Ralph and got some info from him. I have got copies of some letters he wrote to Ralph and he sent those pictures that I posted along with the letters. He was collecting some parts and was having trouble finding those Mercury tailight trim pieces. I'll check Monday at my office to see what the date is on those letters. I'll bet that it is the same guy though. I didn't know that McCormick owned the car. Later B B
got your PM and PM'd you. When were the most recent photos, that you posted, taken? McCormick's ownership is third or fourth hand info, no verification. Any of you HAMB'ERS in Arizona or Phoenix hear of a Bob Dzemske or Dzemski? Supposedly, he and/or his son are involved in the rod/custom car culture there.
OG, If it's in Lamar MO thne call Gary at Night Prowlers. He's got to know about it right there in his own town!!
59, thanks for the tip. I'm going to try and find the name and address for the guy that had the Olds. Gots to dig back thru 15 years of stuff. Damn, what is the name of this disease for keeping all this STUFF? Maybe, Lamar clicked because of the Night Prowlers and hopefully, my mild case of CRS isn't getting worse.
OK Dennis, WTF is CRAFT?????? BTW talk about small world ****. OG 001 and I just found out that we know each other and even went to the same High School VIVA LA HAMB !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! B B
WillowBilly. what the hell are those things?? the first one almost has a 'sinister cool' look to it. lets see if i can't find the pics of this old more door Ford Levis Cl***ic and i found in the junk yard up north. it has a NAILHEAD in it, still, and many custom body mods.
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