Author: Greaser Alley

History, Merc'sLeave a comment

1954 MERCURY ROADLAMP KIT

Greaser Alley

An option for the 1954 Mercury passenger car was a roadlamp or fog light kit.  These lights mounted in the front bumperettes.  What makes them of interest to me is that they later became a rare option for the 1955 and 1956 Ford Thunderbird.   Shown below is an NOS kit used in these cars.  The switch is a sought after item as not many have survived.  The switch allowed the headlamps to be operated in conjunction with the roadlamps, as required in some states.  The lamps could either be clear or amber.   Continue reading 1954 MERCURY ROADLAMP KIT

Custom and other projectsLeave a comment

Speedometer Broke? Use your Phone!

Greaser Alley

SpeedView is an advanced speedometer application that uses the phone’s built-in GPS system to show your current maximum and average speed, as well as the direction, total distance, and time traveled. Suitable for running, car driving, biking, or hiking. We use this app on our android Phone and Love it! Used it the on the maiden voyage and have never looked back. It does drain the battery on your phone , so I made sure the cigarette lighter was wired and now we just plug the phone in and charge it while we cruise. High accuracy GPS-based speedometer that is more accurate than the … Continue reading Speedometer Broke? Use your Phone!

Custom and other projects, History3 Comments

Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper died a few minutes after 1 a.m. on Feb. 3, 1959.

Greaser Alley

CLEAR LAKE, Iowa–At 1 a.m. Friday, a handful of people will gather under a waxing moon on a gravel road about 5 miles north of here.  As they listen to Don McLean lament “the day the music died” in his 1971 song American Pie, they’ll walk, as they do every year, to the site of the plane crash where singers Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper died a few minutes after 1 a.m. on Feb. 3, 1959. At a memorial in a farm field, the fans will say a prayer and sing a couple of songs. “We give thanks for the lives of these … Continue reading Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper died a few minutes after 1 a.m. on Feb. 3, 1959.

MusicLeave a comment

The Reckless Ones

Greaser Alley

“This ain’t the 50′s no more” snarls the young man behind the drum set. He follows it up by spitting directly behind himself. The aggressive contempt of youth was on full display during the Reckless One’s set. A level of punk energy that it took me right back to my early twenties, crawling in and out of “Oi” shows in Dallas, Texas dive bars. But this wasn’t Oi or even pop-punk. The Reckless Ones start out very simply with blues riffs, country licks, and the heavy back beat of early rock ‘n’ roll. This is rockabilly, no doubt about it. … Continue reading The Reckless Ones

MusicLeave a comment

A Season In Hell………..

Greaser Alley

     “A Season in Hell”, a spiritual and confessional autobiography. Arthur Rimbaud was a genius, his writings were a quest. A search for perfection, an attempt to find total freedom. At the age of nineteen, Arthur Rimbaud commited suicide, not of the flesh, but of the mind and the soul. It means he never wrote another word, and disappeared off the face of the earth. He was not seen nor heard from again for nearly twenty years, until he reappeared in a hospital within Marseille on his deathbed. The innocence of the 50s was over and so was rock … Continue reading A Season In Hell………..

Custom and other projects1 Comment

Bob “The Mad Scientist” Stiegemeier

Greaser Alley

I owe Bob “The Mad Scientist” Stiegemeier  a gratitude of thanks for everything he did for us on the Merc! If it was not for Bob we would of never made it that maiden voyage of 270 plus miles to Decatur for the final Hunnert care pile up! If you haven’t seen a chassis dyno in action, here’s the deal. There is a lot of setup time, the actual testing is brief but exciting, and the resulting power numbers are usually numbing-but not in a good way. Invariably, Greasers and hot rodders alike think their vehicles make much more power at the wheels than … Continue reading Bob “The Mad Scientist” Stiegemeier