This 1950 Mercury was purchased new by Wally Welsh and taken to the Ayala Brothers, Gil and Al, for customizing. The top was chopped, head and taillights frenched, frame

c-ed, door handles removed and solenoids installed. All emblems were removed and DeSoto grille teeth installed in the frenched shell. The Merc was finished in Metallic Lime Green. As one of the first chopped Mercs, the car was considered one of the top ten radical customs of the 50's. It was featured in several magazines and was awarded the Best Custom title at the 1951 Pan Pacific Autorama.

According the April 1952 issue of  Hop Up magazine the car was chopped 4 inches in the front and 5 inches at the rear giving the top a very pleasing flow toward the rear. Personally I think it has been chopped a bit less than what was written in Hop Up magazine, but that it is a very pleasant flowing chop is for sure. The flow of the rear window and how the top flows into the turret then into the trunk is extremely nice and has a lot of body work in it. Its known Ayala used Californian Metal Shaping Company for performing their panels and perhaps this customs is one to use such preformed panels.

Just like Sam Barris did on his 49 Mercury Ayala left the B pillar on the Welch mercury also straight. But they rounded the top corners with a very gentle radius which is not an easy job since the amount of metal on top of the doorframe is less than it is on the B pillar side. The front fenders where extended three inches and the front of the fender was nicely tapered to the back at the bottom, almost in a same manner as a 49 Studebaker. The headlight bezels where molded to the extended fenders, but the headlights where not frenched. The way the molded and extended fenders/headlights curve into the grille shell hood is of extreme beauty.

Staying at the front the hood was relieved of its chrome ornaments and the peak on the hood was extended thru the grille surround which was molded to the fenders. The hood corners at the front where rounded with a similar radius as was used on the doors to make sure the theme was consistent. The gravel pan was molded to the front fenders with a gently curved radius.  Five ’51 DeSoto grille teeth where set deep inside the grille opening. The grille teeth flow nicely with the new rearward angle of the front fender, this is not just a bold on of a new grille this is custom car designing to perfection. Moving to the rear of the car the trunk was relieved of all its chrome ornaments and the top trunk corners where rounded as well, and again with the same radius as was used on the doors. Rounded corners here make the flow of the roof into the trunk much more pleasing to the eye. Basically nothing changes here its only the movement of your eyes are not interrupted by that sharp corner when looking at the flow of the roof. A trick customizers learned in the late 40’s and never forgot after that.

Ayala built some new taillight bezels for the stock taillight lenses. Round small diameter rod was shaped around the lens and with a gentle curve molded to the rear fenders. Factory accessory fender skirts where used to cover the rear wheel opening. The car was lowered a few inches front and rear but not as much as some other customs of that time. When the door handles where removed a set of electrical solenoids where installed and the push buttons very nicely installed into the door side trim piece.

The car was going to be entered in the 1951 Pan Pacific Motorama show and to meet the deadline it was decided to leave the interior factory stock for now. Ayala painted the Wally Welch Mercury with a vibrant lime gold metallic lacquer which was a very unusual color for the time (although they had used a similar color on the Bettancourt Mercury earlier) Cadillac Sombrero hubcaps and a set of series 552 Appleton spotlights are the finishing touch on this custom. The show deadlines had prevented to create an all custom interior of which Wally Welsh was dreaming, so in late 1952 Wally took the car to Barris for an update and his all custom interior. Barris added two grille teeth, the car was lowered a bit more and was painted a multy layer deep and very rich purple lacquer.

The Wally Welch Mercury is still in good shape and in late 2007 it is nearly completely restored.

This 1950 mercury was not Wally Welch first custom built at Ayala. He also had a’41 Ford convertible built by them which can be seen in the Ayala section of this site here. And before that he has had several other mild custom cars.