My name is J.G. Francis. I live in Los Angeles, California, and I do vintage Mercedes-Benz
restoration. It's kind of a lifestyle for me. I've driven one for years, traveled hundreds
of thousands of miles, and I'm probably by now.
I specialize in Mercedes-Benz diesels, and a lot of people will tell you, I wish somebody
would just build a car that would last forever. And the answer is Mercedes-Benz did that years
35, 40 years ago, maybe 100 years ago. I've been building cars since I was a kid. I grew
up next door to a Mercedes-Benz mechanic, and he kind of sold me on the idea of Mercedes-Benz
diesels. I try and do them to the best of my ability, just like Mercedes-Benz did from the
factory. Every nut and bolt I use exactly like they did, the way they sew things, the distance
between stitches. It took me years to kind of come up with my own trade secrets and ideas on
how to make things as well-built as they did.
How you doing? Doing all right? I call it the Boneyard. It's where I get pretty much a lot of the
rare and unusual parts that Mercedes-Benz doesn't manufacture anymore. I guess I'll leave them with
that. It's like finding hidden treasures when I go around there. In California there's a huge
Mercedes-Benz culture, and it ranges from early Mercedes to late Mercedes. There's people everywhere
in that mix. We're one of the few only Mercedes-only wrecking yards in the U.S. This one was nicer
than this one. I'll take the good one. Los Angeles gets a bad rap sometimes, but
I can't say enough good things about LA. It's just, it appeals to me in so many ways.
I spend a few hours every morning scouring the planet for the best Mercedes-Benz I can pretty
much find. I usually fly to wherever the car is that I find, and my close friend Sean, friend,
photographer, upholsterer, he usually meets me wherever I go and we drive them back to Los Angeles
together. I've met a lot of great friends. We've spent a lot of time just hanging out enjoying Los
Angeles. I would say Jimmy is compassionate. I think I would say integrity. Jimmy is genuine.
If I could say anything, it makes me want to get a better job.
Years ago, when I started Mercedes-Modering, I'd read a quote by Carl Banz. He quoted
the best or nothing. It stuck with me. I always thought of myself as my own humble way. I've
considered myself an overachiever, and when I first started building these cars, I really
wanted to be the best at it. We're going the wrong way half the time. We make a lot of U-turns.
We kind of have a motto, which is the wrong way or the long way.
I've heard a quote of different ways, but Hemingway once said the shortest answer is to
just do the thing. I love this. You don't have to talk about all the things that you
want to be or wish you could be or try to be. Just go and do it.
