VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1933-1936 Eagle becomes Master + Mercury

Maybe it's time to end the bloodline "Mercury" until other information is found. It is obvious that there is not enough evidence to support "Mercury" & overwelming evidence that it is in fact the Standard Six...Joe

I have 50+ documents of 1933 Chevrolet literature. Nowhere in any of those documents do you see the word Mercury. Mercury was not a GM label for any of their products in 1933.

I think weve closed this issue without a doubt in terms of facts:

1. Chevrolet for 1933 launched the "new chevrolet six" and it was labeled Eagle
2. In Feb/March Chevrolet introduced the "Standard Six" and renamed the Eagle as the "Master Six"
3. For 1933 chevrolet did not use the name Mercury

Anybody not agree or have evidence contrary??

Congrats...somebody finally gets it. Well put...Joe

Yes, I think we all get it - but it leaves the unanswered mystery of where did the commonly used "Mercury" name ever come from? Why did the after-market gasket guys and others adopt this name for the Standard? Can anyone provide a scan/photo from some of the early after-market catalogs that call it a Mercury? This name even appears in the old "60 Years of Chevrolet" book by Gerge Dammann, and other references.

I was wonder where I came up with Mercury, it's been in my mind for many years. I opened a couple of books, one that I have had sense 1972 "50 years of Chevrolet" by George Dammann. On Page 98 he states in 1933 the new Chevrolet known officially as the Eagle Sears CA but more often called the Master. Then a little later says, At mid year, a totally new series was introduced. This was the Mercury Series CC

Also in the book "A pictorial History of Chevrolet 1929-1939" it lists both the Eagle and Mercury.

I have know idea where these two authors got the name Mercury but we were all influenced by there writing,

I should also say that I do not have anything by "Chevrolet" mentioning Mercury..

Exactly, Dale. Dammann's reference books (the 1972 version is actually 60 (not 50) Years of Chevrolet - and he later published an updated "75 Years of Chevrolet" version in 1987) and MANY others contain this same myth. As well as many other inaccurate statements, especailly about the very early years.

Where did they get this erroneous information?

That is what we are trying to correct. Set the record straight. Chevrolet never called it Mercury - so where did the name come from?

Only original source documentation fron Chevrolet / General Motors can be considered gospel, and the later authors obviously are not always correct.

Thus the request for scans or photos of after-market suppliers' materials that began using this Mercury name. Maybe we can piece together some of the mystery.

Just went thru my 1940 McQuay Norris parts book and all the 33 chevrolet notations as to aplications all say 1933 CC standard.

mike

Sorry about the mistake on the 50 vs 60...

I was discussing this with my lovely bride (she may read this) and she is a very good genealogist. She suggested that she could do a news paper search for Chevrolet and Mercury for the year 1933. We did and it shows nothing, we widened the search and to 1933-1941 got Mercury and Chevrolet together but it was separate cars. She uses Historical News Paper Archives in case you are interested.

Joe,
The date on a book or manual may have been either the official release date or the print date. In the former it would have been put together and printed before the release date so that it would be received before the "release" or effective date. In the second case (like a lot of sales literature) a print date or date code (and also a form number) would have been put on when printed. That date would be the date (mostly month and year) it was printed.

The point I was trying to make is: in either case the information contained in a document was days, weeks or months old when printed on the paper.

Don,
Mercury is only one of the quadrillion other errors in "60 years of Chevrolet". It is so fraught with errors it is worse that worse-less. The updated "75 years of Chevrolet" is not much better. If you want to jangle Skipper's chain just mention "Cars & Parts" and the former VCCA member editor/publisher. One article in particular was even more fiction than the Dammann fiascos. Once published others use the BS as gospel and perpetuate the inaccuracies.

That makes sense. Thanks, Joe

The following is not meant to criticize your efforts, which I am sure are noble. Just seems further research is a waste of time for all involved.


Who cares? BS is BS and still smells the same.


It is irrelevant. Maybe the same place they found the French wall paper.

The only point you should be concerned with is letting people know in no uncertain terms that use of "Mercury" is pure fabrication or fantasy. IMHO Attempting to authenticate the mis-application of Mercury just helps to support the use of it.

Chipper, I could not agree more!!!! Wrong is wrong and the repeat of wrong only makes it live on even longer. If a G&D article is to be written it should simply be along the lines of RIP Mercury, or MERCURY Myth Revealed, that simply shows the transition as I described earlier in 3 short bullets along with some of the photos several members posted to this thread. Together this would clear the air once and for all .

IF I HAD A 1933 CHEVROLET STANDARD SERIES 3 WINDOW COUPE I WOULD HAPPILY TELL PEOPLE IT WAS A MERCURY SERIES, BECAUSE IT SOUNDS FAST....AS THE MYTHICAL MERCURY WAS.

Too me it sounds right, MERCURY for the 33 standard , a bit more glamorous than " its a standard ", oh so hum drum.

I vote that all 33 standard chevrolets be referred to from now on as MERCURY'S
MIKE

I found this interesting reading, never heard of the issue before. Way I sum it up, if you tell a lie often enough, someone will eventually take it as the truth. Or if you inadvertently use the wrong word in printing something, most people believe everything they read.

I can just imagine some guy back in the day writing something about Chevrolets and can't remember the name of the new Chevrolet series, asks his buddy, and says I think it starts with M, and buddy says, ya, I think it was Mercury, and the myth starts. I say drop the entire myth unless someone can produce anything corporate that even hints at the possibility of some substance to the issue.

In the Production of bodies delivered by General motors Holden's LTD (Woodville SA .AUS) dated 14th May 1944 it records Mercury bodies being delivered in the years 1934 and 1935. No Mercury bodies were delivered in 1933 ,as only standard chevrolet where produced that year . Mercury bodies were delivered for sedans, sports and Business coupes , tourer , Comercial and sports roadster , and 4 different variations of utilities ,( coupe utes , roadster utes etc)
I dont think they the just dreamed up the mercury name themselves. Maybe it started in the 1934 literature.

Standard , master and mercury bodies were delivered in 1934 , and only master and mercury bodies delivered in 1935 , according to this document.

We can all agree it is a total myth.

However, one can Google "Chevrolet Mercury" and wonder how a long-sustained myth got started and when. Also, how many of us have heard the term used and for how many years? Not that it really matters but to me, but the origin of the myth is the real puzzle.

Many years ago at an AACA car show, I saw a coupe identified as a Chevrolet Mercury. Even though obviously a myth, it ain't new.

You can scan and copy the document and post the pictures here i hope or forward the pictures to chat master to post. Nothing like pictured proof of the word description being used to back up the arguement/discussion.

mike

FYI,
Copied from http://www.coachbuilt.com/bui/m/mercury/mercury.htm

Mercury Body Corp.
Mercury Body Corporation, 1920; Lexington, Kentucky; 1920-1926; Louisville, Kentucky

Associated Builders
Jackson Body Company, 1926; Louisville, Kentucky


Keeling Gaines Pulliam Jr. and Charles Ellsworth McCormick of Lexington, Kentucky, and Morris Julian Crutcher (Maury Crutcher) of Detroit, Michigan, all graduates of the University of Kentucky at Lexington Mechanical Engineering program and members of the Gamma Iota chapter of the Sigma Nu Fraternity, organized the Mercury Body Corporation in early 1920.

In March of 1920, C.E. McCormick submitted a speedster body design to the US patent office. Approved in November of that year, the patent was assigned to the Mercury Body Corporation of Lexington, Kentucky.

A few speedsters were on Chevy chassis. Most were installed on Ford chassis. Pinky Randall had a Mercury Bodied Speedster on a '25 Chevy chassis.

So the industry was aware of the name even if it was not a Chevrolet produced body. There also may have been other companies named Mercury even before Ford introduced the Mercury line in 1939.

Thanks Chipper , we have a replica Mercury body speedster here in Sydney with original windshield and badges.

I couldnt get the full image to load from photobucket , so have posted in the members photos.

https://vccachat.org/ubbthreads.php/galleries/268671/GMH_Woodville_body_production_#Post268671

I am surprised some of the 33-36 group have not responded to to your documents posting. The 1944 sheet listing Mercury Bodies delivered in 1934 and 1935 seems to suggest either a different model/marketing campaign, or more likely, that Mercury Body corporation was producing a significant chunk of bodies for Chevrolet at the time, quite possible as the depression had everyone scrambling for work. That would also help explain why the outside suppliers were differentiating between the essentially 2 versions of the same car, i.e. the Chevrolet Standard and the Chevrolet Mercury were the identical car except one had a Fisher Body and the other a Mercury Body. One quick source for verification would be a copy of the Mercury Body Service Manual, which may show a 34 Chev somewhere? Anyone ever seen one?

Mercury body Corporation switched to Manufacturing truck bodies in the mid to late 1920's.

Maybe Mercury body corp was THE OUTSIDE SUPPLIER who was producing the roadster and touring bodies. It says right in the GM canada production sheets that these were supplied / purchased from an outside supplier.

I just called them chevrolet body works for lack of a published name of the supplier.

You might be onto something here ????

mike lynch