Man, I totally forgot about that book. I know I have a copy but I haven't looked at it in ages. The scans that Jim posted (@stanlow69) shook the cobwebs loose. Great pic of Sam's Merc Jim. Do you happen to remember what the interior was like? I've never seen a picture of it. I wonder if it was similar to the Smith four door. E
So you don`t mind that it has a diesel engine as well. It was the 80`s. I like the rear bumper with the Caddy lights. Not that I would build one like it my self.
Lol .... may as well have Michael Keaton, driving it ... ala' the movie, "Night Shift" ... in his side piped, pimp mobile. ( Love that movie, by the way. )
here it is. I am surprised @Sancho couldn't find the ad LOL https://www.kijiji.ca/v-classic-cars/city-of-toronto/1951-mercury/1421120307 are ya sure you would want that? someone changed the engine to gas, but it is still front wheel drive and a gawd awful sunroof too....
Oh, I didn’t say I wanted it... I did think it was cool back then, and still dig it. I just wanted to see the ad. For the time it fit right in. If’n it was mine, I’d put it right back, with the wacky furniture fabric interior and all. But, I’m out of space and I’d have to get it a whoooole lot cheaper than the asking price. [emoji846] Thanks for finding the ad though, I had no luck. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I do like it for what it is, a representative of the time. I agree with the good dr though, it would have to be a whole lot cheaper than that.
I have this shot of George drag racing his Merc in the 80s at the Nostalgic Drags at MAR Raceway outside is St Louis George was racing Ed Lepold in his Custom Merc
Great pic`s @Sum54ford Now for a picture of Ed Lepold`s Merc before it was finished. I don`t think I`ve posted this yet. My dad took it at the KKOA show in Des Moines in 82.
Kool drag pictures Sum54ford! Mr. West's wild Mercury was in the ruddy brown primer around 1987. You'll notice the "Crown Victoria" style top was not on the car in the drag pictures. This is the same way the car appeared at the 1987 Leadsled Spectacular in Springfield, Illinois. Our own @drdave took pictures of the Merc at the Hangin' Dice Nationals in 1988 and the car was blue again there, so some time between '86 and '88 the car was sanded down, reworked, primered and repainted blue. I've read somewhere that the Mercury had changed hands around 1988 or thereabouts, but I can't say for sure. I do believe that George still owned the Merc in the drag pics as you can see his metalflake blue drag plaque is still on the front that read something like "Built with pride in KY (Kentucky) by Amercians". I see that @Austinrod posted a classified ad for the car that looks recent. The Mercury is blue again and the "Crown" top was put back on. The burgundy paint that came next in the car's time line is a memory. I can't say when for sure, but Mr. West passed away in the late 80s. Jim (@stanlow69) mentioned that his passing was printed in a KKOA Trendsetter back then, but I don't have that issue to give an idea of the exact time. I've researched this quite a bit, but I haven't found any dates. This car was crazy and very well accepted in the 80s, but it doesn't pass the traditional style that is the way things are today. It is still a significant car in the history of the big return of customs in the 80s and I think changing it would be wrong. The way the car is today represents that wild time in custom history, and by changing it to a traditional style something would be lost. It would be another Merc made to look 50s style which is great, but 80s customs were cool and have their place in history and at custom shows too. Don't get me wrong, $45,000 is a lot of money, but judging by what chopped Mercurys are going for these days, the price doesn't seem all that crazy. Mr. West's Mercury was covered here way back at W.E.H.T. #7. Here's a link to that conversation in case anybody wants to check it out. E https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/what-ever-happened-to.1016572/page-4#post-11550106
Cool pic, Jim! A lot of people don't know that that was Ed's Mercury in the early stages. It was in Custom Cars by Hot Rod Volume 1 number 5 from 1983 on page 55. I scanned that page for another W.E.H.T. car and saved it on my computer. This had to have been around the same time your Dad took the picture of it at the Spectacular in the early days. E
These are some stories about George West, these are form the Lincoln Land Kustoms and Gateway Ford Mercury Club newsletters form May 1990. I agree that some of the modifications on George’s car seem crazy now but I have to say I really appreciate them now looking back on it. The 1980s was a great decade for Kustoms and I’m glad these guys kept them going so we could still be enjoying them today. If I had the Crown Princess today I would build it just as it was then, Diesel and all! George had the car to his death and then it was sold after.
Man, those write-ups are priceless! Thanks so much for posting them Sum54Ford! Nice to finally nail down when Mr. West left us for a better place. He was a true custom lover the likes of which are seen very seldom nowadays. We could all learn something from him. I'm sure all of his friends and family still miss him very much. Rest in peace George..........E
I showed Ed the picture in the Custom Cars Issue at the Custom Car Revival in Indy 5 years ago when I attended. Ed had never seen that issue(I have others). So I gave it to him. He thanks me every year in Indy. As well as his daughter-in-law. Met some of his other family members as well. Friendly bunch of people. I can see why him and George got along so well. As a youngster back then, George seemed older than most people who showed Customs.
Some of us discussed that car a while back when it was ebay I think. It may have been via PM's though.....
I’m guessing a Nova subframe due to how they radiused the front fenders Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Lol I forgot that it was diesel powered. For the time it was built I thought it was kool. If I money lay around I'd buy it and add it too my Merc museum/collection. I would have to update the interior and put the couch material back.
I rescanned the pictures I have. The car deserves it. It was the 80`s. The rebirth of the custom car movement. Like it or not. You just had to be there to understand. And even no modern Mirrors @Moriarity. Two more scans later today of Ed`s car.
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