Member Stories
1966 Chevrolet El Camino - Larry Crouder
Color – Teal Green, Engine – 327 Cubic Inch, Transmission – 5 speed floor shift
Color – Teal Green, Engine – 327 Cubic Inch, Transmission – 5 speed floor shift
This 1966 Chevrolet El Camino is the only car that has a back story or history for me. It is also the first car bought with the intention of rebuilding and keeping because it has memories for me. It is also the car that started me thinking about collecting cars that I thought were exceptionally beautiful or unique and worthy of collecting. I first saw this car in 1966 when my girlfriend’s stepfather bought it to serve as his work vehicle to travel to job sites as he was the owner of a small Mechanical Construction Company. Years passed, I graduated from College, joined the Navy, married the daughter, and we had two daughters and eventually divorced. During this time my father-in-law and one of his sons died in a plane crash with an instructor while practicing slow flight in a twin engine airplane in the Tanana River flats just south of Fairbanks. I stayed close to my mother-in-law and gave her needed help when needed. I also designed, received bids, and administered repairs and upgrades to her house. She was the grandmother to two of my children and we stayed close through the years including divorces, other marriages, and more children. I never lost my title of son-in-law with her. She passed in 2004 and the El Camino went to her boyfriend at that time. He knew I wanted the car and he finally decided to sell me the car in 2009 for $4000. He passed in 2010 and I administered his estate. No will. It took five years. Everyone needs a will, and update it regularly.
The car originally had a three-speed manual column shift transmission and a 327 cubic inch Chevrolet engine. When I got the car the manual transmission had been replaced with an automatic with a floor shift. The 327 cubic inch engine had been removed and a 305 cubic inch Chevy engine had been installed.
In 2012 I bought a double hump 350 cubic inch Chevy block and found a 327 crank in good condition in Anchorage and had a new 327 cubic inch engine built at a local engine shop that had a great reputation. During the spring of 2013 I had a five speed Borg-Warner transmission from a 1986 Camero installed in the car along with the new engine and a hydraulic clutch. During the next few years I put in black bucket seats from a 1966 GTO, new chrome, black carpeting, black period headliner, tachometer, chrome wheels, new bumper, and painted the interior black with Teal Green accents to match the future exterior paint. The car was essentially finished in 2016 when the entire exterior of the El Camino was painted with the Teal Green paint.
I am essentially only the second owner of this very nice 1966 El Camino. I will not ever sell this car and I expect to will it to one of my children who are the grandchildren of the original owners.
The car originally had a three-speed manual column shift transmission and a 327 cubic inch Chevrolet engine. When I got the car the manual transmission had been replaced with an automatic with a floor shift. The 327 cubic inch engine had been removed and a 305 cubic inch Chevy engine had been installed.
In 2012 I bought a double hump 350 cubic inch Chevy block and found a 327 crank in good condition in Anchorage and had a new 327 cubic inch engine built at a local engine shop that had a great reputation. During the spring of 2013 I had a five speed Borg-Warner transmission from a 1986 Camero installed in the car along with the new engine and a hydraulic clutch. During the next few years I put in black bucket seats from a 1966 GTO, new chrome, black carpeting, black period headliner, tachometer, chrome wheels, new bumper, and painted the interior black with Teal Green accents to match the future exterior paint. The car was essentially finished in 2016 when the entire exterior of the El Camino was painted with the Teal Green paint.
I am essentially only the second owner of this very nice 1966 El Camino. I will not ever sell this car and I expect to will it to one of my children who are the grandchildren of the original owners.
1965 Ford Mustang Fastback - Larry Crouder
Color – Red, Engine 302 cubic inch V-8, Transmission – 4 speed on the floor
Color – Red, Engine 302 cubic inch V-8, Transmission – 4 speed on the floor
During my time in the Navy, I was stationed in San Diego, California in between deployments. I purchased several mid to late 60’s cars that I wish I still had now. One of these cars was a 1965 Mustang Fastback with a 289 cubic inch V-8 with a four speed on the floor. I sold the car before deployment and my wife flew back to Alaska. I didn’t want her to drive it back to Alaska alone because the thrust bearing was going out in the rear end and I didn’t want it to fail somewhere in Canada. I enjoyed the car and I would want to buy another one someday.
Someday came during the summer of 2013 when I found a red 1965 Mustang on Craigslist in Anchorage, Alaska. I watched it for a couple months and became more interested as the price dropped slowly from $22,000 to $20,000. It was a nice looking car but it was still about six times the price that I had paid in 1968 for the same car. A friend of mine, who is also a car nut, was about to go to Anchorage on a business trip so I asked him to stop and look at the car and give me his feedback. He called me back a few days later and said there was absolutely nothing wrong with the car that he could see. I called the owner and told him I was going to drive down to see him and examine the car. I drove to Anchorage with my daughter, Morgan, the next day. I met the owner and looked the car over carefully before he started it up. Just the sound of the 302 engine with headers was just about enough to sell me. I was ready to buy after the test drive. It brought back so many memories. The owner was ready to sell as he had some pending expenses he needed to address so we agreed on a sale price of $18,500 cash that I could have to him the next morning. I was really pleased with the car as it checked all the boxes on my “like to have” list. The owner had just finished rebuilding the car and it had the 302 engine with headers, bucket seats, black interior newly installed, four speed transmission, and a new paint job that just screamed “Look at me”. I had expected to drive the car the 350 miles north to Fairbanks but the owner offered to split the cost of having the car shipped as the highway was being upgraded in several areas and he did not want to see it damaged at all during the trip. My half of $160 was well worth it.
The car is not a perfect antique by any means as I know there are parts from other cars included in the rebuild. The engine is not new and when the engine sits for months over winter I get some oil into one of the cylinders through a valve guide, I think. The only work I have done is to install an emergency brake mechanism that was missing. In addition, there was no tachometer so I ordered and installed a Rally Pack which includes a tachometer and a clock.
For the future, I have toyed with buying the fifty year match to this car which would be the 2015 Mustang that will be red with black interior, a V-8 with at least 400 HP and a 6 speed manual. I could really hurt myself with that!
Someday came during the summer of 2013 when I found a red 1965 Mustang on Craigslist in Anchorage, Alaska. I watched it for a couple months and became more interested as the price dropped slowly from $22,000 to $20,000. It was a nice looking car but it was still about six times the price that I had paid in 1968 for the same car. A friend of mine, who is also a car nut, was about to go to Anchorage on a business trip so I asked him to stop and look at the car and give me his feedback. He called me back a few days later and said there was absolutely nothing wrong with the car that he could see. I called the owner and told him I was going to drive down to see him and examine the car. I drove to Anchorage with my daughter, Morgan, the next day. I met the owner and looked the car over carefully before he started it up. Just the sound of the 302 engine with headers was just about enough to sell me. I was ready to buy after the test drive. It brought back so many memories. The owner was ready to sell as he had some pending expenses he needed to address so we agreed on a sale price of $18,500 cash that I could have to him the next morning. I was really pleased with the car as it checked all the boxes on my “like to have” list. The owner had just finished rebuilding the car and it had the 302 engine with headers, bucket seats, black interior newly installed, four speed transmission, and a new paint job that just screamed “Look at me”. I had expected to drive the car the 350 miles north to Fairbanks but the owner offered to split the cost of having the car shipped as the highway was being upgraded in several areas and he did not want to see it damaged at all during the trip. My half of $160 was well worth it.
The car is not a perfect antique by any means as I know there are parts from other cars included in the rebuild. The engine is not new and when the engine sits for months over winter I get some oil into one of the cylinders through a valve guide, I think. The only work I have done is to install an emergency brake mechanism that was missing. In addition, there was no tachometer so I ordered and installed a Rally Pack which includes a tachometer and a clock.
For the future, I have toyed with buying the fifty year match to this car which would be the 2015 Mustang that will be red with black interior, a V-8 with at least 400 HP and a 6 speed manual. I could really hurt myself with that!
1957 Chevrolet Belair Two Door Hardtop - Larry Crouder
Color – Orange, 350 cubic inch Chevy 328 HP, 5 speed manual
Color – Orange, 350 cubic inch Chevy 328 HP, 5 speed manual
During the fall of 2017 I was looking through Craigslist and I found a 1957 Chevy Belair for sale in Buena Vista, Colorado for $22,000. It had an automatic transmission that I didn’t like but it had a 327 cubic inch engine that I did like. I watched it for a while and it didn’t sell by November I thought I might drive over there from Monument and make an offer. As I got closer to the address I could see the car from a distance of about two miles. That orange color really shows up. Took a test drive and the engine seemed a little weak and the car did not track well because of the four oversized tires. It was the lowest price I had found for a 1957 Chevy Belair indecent shape but it had enough detractions that the owner accepted my $20,000 offer. That offer was my upper limit for an older car. The owner offered to trailer the car to Monument for $200 which he did a few days later.
I drove the car occasionally and fixed various things like water temperature gauges and other items that had been neglected over the years. I found that there were several problems with the engine. One cylinder was not contributing and there were other bad signs such as bent spark plug electrodes. During an engine startup after the replacement of a cracked intake manifold in the fall of 2018 parts of a cylinder/piston began coming apart which breached the water jacket. Paul Ames, a member of the car club, and I decided to pull the 327 ci engine and declare engine death. I ordered a 350 cubic inch Chevy engine from Phoenix Engine that had a sale price of about $3600. They would build the engine over several months and run the engine and test it to ensure it produced the 328 HP advertised. I ordered the engine in October, 2018 and because of the Christmas break I did not receive the engine until about a week into 2019. The price increased with the addition of a flywheel and shipping to over $4000. Paul and I installed the engine during the spring of 2019 and removed the automatic transmission. We installed a Borg-Warner 5 speed manual transmission from a 1986 Camero that I found in Denver. I also installed a hydraulic clutch that I had ordered. Had a lot of trouble getting the clutch mechanism to fit under the dash and we had to do some modifications to strengthen the mechanism as it didn’t seem strong enough to handle a standard 10” clutch plate.
Other upgrades that I have done to the car includes the modification of the driveline, replacing the rear side window operators, re-install the front bucket seats, replacing the carpeting, installing seatbelts throughout, and replacing heater control valves and temperature gauges.
I still need to install a converter for the speedometer between the transmission and the speedometer. Also there are some small cracks on the wing windows that need to be replaced. The engine is still in break-in phase but sounds just I like it with the headers and new exhaust system.
I drove the car occasionally and fixed various things like water temperature gauges and other items that had been neglected over the years. I found that there were several problems with the engine. One cylinder was not contributing and there were other bad signs such as bent spark plug electrodes. During an engine startup after the replacement of a cracked intake manifold in the fall of 2018 parts of a cylinder/piston began coming apart which breached the water jacket. Paul Ames, a member of the car club, and I decided to pull the 327 ci engine and declare engine death. I ordered a 350 cubic inch Chevy engine from Phoenix Engine that had a sale price of about $3600. They would build the engine over several months and run the engine and test it to ensure it produced the 328 HP advertised. I ordered the engine in October, 2018 and because of the Christmas break I did not receive the engine until about a week into 2019. The price increased with the addition of a flywheel and shipping to over $4000. Paul and I installed the engine during the spring of 2019 and removed the automatic transmission. We installed a Borg-Warner 5 speed manual transmission from a 1986 Camero that I found in Denver. I also installed a hydraulic clutch that I had ordered. Had a lot of trouble getting the clutch mechanism to fit under the dash and we had to do some modifications to strengthen the mechanism as it didn’t seem strong enough to handle a standard 10” clutch plate.
Other upgrades that I have done to the car includes the modification of the driveline, replacing the rear side window operators, re-install the front bucket seats, replacing the carpeting, installing seatbelts throughout, and replacing heater control valves and temperature gauges.
I still need to install a converter for the speedometer between the transmission and the speedometer. Also there are some small cracks on the wing windows that need to be replaced. The engine is still in break-in phase but sounds just I like it with the headers and new exhaust system.
1956 Ford Thunderbird - Larry Crouder
Red with white top. 312 cubic inch Ford with automatic transmission
Red with white top. 312 cubic inch Ford with automatic transmission
I have looked for a 1955 to 1957 Thunderbird for several years but the nice ones were always well over $20,000. I was always was more interested in the years 1956 or 1957 because they both have the 312 cubic inch engines instead of the smaller 292 cubic inch engine that comes in the 1955.
I found a 1956 T-bird for sale in an area of Alaska just north of Anchorage. It was advertised for $19,000 but he said he would accept $17,000. A friend of mine, who is a car nut as well, picked up his trailer and headed south on the highway toward Anchorage that weekend. The vehicle was in the condition that the owner had indicated and after a test drive we decided to load it on the trailer and drive the 300 miles north back to Fairbanks.
The car has period tires that are brand new and the owner gave me new carpeting for the interior that he had ordered but never installed. The engine runs fine and doesn't seem to burn oil but the paint is only in fair condition. The paint is bubbled in several areas due to underlying rust. The worst areas are below the doors which indicates some serious rust on the rocker panels. It looks good from 20 feet but will need to be repainted after the repairs are done.
I bought the car in July of 2020 and did not have a lot of time to do much to the car before I left for my winter home in Monument, Colorado but the new carpeting makes it very nice in the cockpit. I am impressed that the electric windows still work even though they are a little slow.
My plans for the car are to raise the rear of the car about two inches as it has a slight gunboat rake that makes it look tail heavy with the continental kit. The original tires are very narrow and the car would look nicer with meaty tires and possibly chrome rims. I will, of course, save and store the stock tires. I did break one of my rules by buying this car. It has an automatic transmission. It turned out to be very difficult to find a Thunderbird in decent shape with a three speed or three speed with overdrive manual for a reasonable price. I could have kept looking for a few more years, but I am getting old.
I found a 1956 T-bird for sale in an area of Alaska just north of Anchorage. It was advertised for $19,000 but he said he would accept $17,000. A friend of mine, who is a car nut as well, picked up his trailer and headed south on the highway toward Anchorage that weekend. The vehicle was in the condition that the owner had indicated and after a test drive we decided to load it on the trailer and drive the 300 miles north back to Fairbanks.
The car has period tires that are brand new and the owner gave me new carpeting for the interior that he had ordered but never installed. The engine runs fine and doesn't seem to burn oil but the paint is only in fair condition. The paint is bubbled in several areas due to underlying rust. The worst areas are below the doors which indicates some serious rust on the rocker panels. It looks good from 20 feet but will need to be repainted after the repairs are done.
I bought the car in July of 2020 and did not have a lot of time to do much to the car before I left for my winter home in Monument, Colorado but the new carpeting makes it very nice in the cockpit. I am impressed that the electric windows still work even though they are a little slow.
My plans for the car are to raise the rear of the car about two inches as it has a slight gunboat rake that makes it look tail heavy with the continental kit. The original tires are very narrow and the car would look nicer with meaty tires and possibly chrome rims. I will, of course, save and store the stock tires. I did break one of my rules by buying this car. It has an automatic transmission. It turned out to be very difficult to find a Thunderbird in decent shape with a three speed or three speed with overdrive manual for a reasonable price. I could have kept looking for a few more years, but I am getting old.
1951 Chevrolet 3100 5 Window Pickup - Larry Crouder
Blue with a 350 cubic inch crate engine with a floor mounted three speed w' syncro 1st
Blue with a 350 cubic inch crate engine with a floor mounted three speed w' syncro 1st
I have always considered the 1946 through 1952 Chevrolet pickups to be especially attractive. The five window options make the vehicle even more desirable. The problem for me has always been that they only offered six-cylinder engines over those years.
During the summer of 2018, while scanning Craigslist, I saw the 1951 five window Chevy pickup for sale in the small town of Wasilla north of Anchorage, Alaska. It had been upgraded with a 350 cubic inch V-8 and a more recent three speed floor shift on the floor. The owner accepted my $12,000 offer so I borrowed a car trailer from a friend and my son and I drove to Wasilla that weekend. We left early, found the address, loaded the truck and drove the return trip all in one day. That sounds impressive but it never really gets dark in the mid-summer in Alaska. We even stopped to visit a friend who does bush plane modifications in his hanger. My son and I both fly so it was a "must stop".
The truck had a high quality gloss paint job but it was old and the truck had been stored out of doors a lot of the time so the hood and cab top were very dull. In addition, the paint has a lot of cracks on the rear fenders. I buffed out the hood and cab with a rubbing compound and brought out the high gloss finish. The cracks in the paint on the fenders were allowed because when it was painted the underside was not sprayed with an asphalt product to prevent damage by flying rocks. Alaska still has a lot of unpaved areas.
The truck looks pretty good from fifteen to twenty feet and it runs pretty well so I use it for my errand vehicle during nice weather.
The future plans for the truck will be to replace the horizontal chrome in the grill. I polished and rubbed out them each spring but by fall the rust pits start becoming noticeable. The chrome wheels are rusted beyond repair and need to be replaced. The exhaust comes out ahead of the rear wheels and are in poor repair. They need to be redone with proper mufflers and extended out under the bed. The bed has been sprayed with bed liner and some of the underlayment is getting soft. I will install a nice wood bed when it comes time to repaint. My first project this next summer will be to replace the failed windshield wiper motor. I will be done as soon as I find the way to remove the bench seat and I grow arm extensions so I can reach the top of the inside of the dash with both hands. I will also reupholster the seat and recarpet the cab at that time.
During the summer of 2018, while scanning Craigslist, I saw the 1951 five window Chevy pickup for sale in the small town of Wasilla north of Anchorage, Alaska. It had been upgraded with a 350 cubic inch V-8 and a more recent three speed floor shift on the floor. The owner accepted my $12,000 offer so I borrowed a car trailer from a friend and my son and I drove to Wasilla that weekend. We left early, found the address, loaded the truck and drove the return trip all in one day. That sounds impressive but it never really gets dark in the mid-summer in Alaska. We even stopped to visit a friend who does bush plane modifications in his hanger. My son and I both fly so it was a "must stop".
The truck had a high quality gloss paint job but it was old and the truck had been stored out of doors a lot of the time so the hood and cab top were very dull. In addition, the paint has a lot of cracks on the rear fenders. I buffed out the hood and cab with a rubbing compound and brought out the high gloss finish. The cracks in the paint on the fenders were allowed because when it was painted the underside was not sprayed with an asphalt product to prevent damage by flying rocks. Alaska still has a lot of unpaved areas.
The truck looks pretty good from fifteen to twenty feet and it runs pretty well so I use it for my errand vehicle during nice weather.
The future plans for the truck will be to replace the horizontal chrome in the grill. I polished and rubbed out them each spring but by fall the rust pits start becoming noticeable. The chrome wheels are rusted beyond repair and need to be replaced. The exhaust comes out ahead of the rear wheels and are in poor repair. They need to be redone with proper mufflers and extended out under the bed. The bed has been sprayed with bed liner and some of the underlayment is getting soft. I will install a nice wood bed when it comes time to repaint. My first project this next summer will be to replace the failed windshield wiper motor. I will be done as soon as I find the way to remove the bench seat and I grow arm extensions so I can reach the top of the inside of the dash with both hands. I will also reupholster the seat and recarpet the cab at that time.
1933 Plymouth Four Door Sedan - Larry Crouder
Two tone Blue over Dark Blue, engine – 225 cubic inch aluminum V-8, four speed Muncie
During the fall of 2013 while living in Fairbanks, Alaska I decided to spend more time in Colorado in the Denver area. I had two of my children and four grandchildren living in the area. In addition, my most recent project of building a scribe fit log cabin ten miles up the Salcha River was nearing completion and the lack of a major project to occupy me was making the cold and darkness much more oppressive. By the end of the year, I had invested in a bid purchase with my eldest daughter’s husband on a foreclosed property in Monument, Colorado. The very large home was located on five acres and had some serious deficiencies, one of which was a black mold from a neglected leak. Being an engineer, I was not afraid of any color of mold so I devised a plan to repair the damages. I spent two years working in the winter months and was successful in making electrical upgrades, structural changes, and remodeling to provide a separate apartment in the lower floor that opened to a ground level entry. The mold problem was professionally removed and tested to show no spores. My only problem was that I was still scanning Craigslist in the evenings.
I found the 1933 Plymouth four door sedan in October of 2014 during the time I was finishing up the fencing that was only partially completed when we bought the property. It was a beautiful car and the owner had done a nice job of renovation. He was moving to Oregon and needed to sell the car. The engine in the car is a 225 cubic inch aluminum block Buick V-8 taken out of a 1964 Skylark. The transmission is a Muncie 4 speed floor mounted. There is a well fitted wooden enclosure mounted above the windshield where it meets the ceiling that houses the radio and two small speakers. The car looks totally original to me with the exception of the tail lights. The period tail lights are typically protruding out from the body on horizontal pedestals. The ones on this car are modified early 1970’s Volkswagen tail lights. I like this car and feel fortunate to find the car and purchase in the amount of $18,500.
I think the classic cars of the 1930’s are special and beautiful cars. The reverse opening doors, the large chrome grill, independent headlights, and large fenders are especially attractive.
The only changes I would like to do is install disk brakes on the front wheels. The only work I have done so far is replace a coil last spring when the electric spark system failed due to old age.
I found the 1933 Plymouth four door sedan in October of 2014 during the time I was finishing up the fencing that was only partially completed when we bought the property. It was a beautiful car and the owner had done a nice job of renovation. He was moving to Oregon and needed to sell the car. The engine in the car is a 225 cubic inch aluminum block Buick V-8 taken out of a 1964 Skylark. The transmission is a Muncie 4 speed floor mounted. There is a well fitted wooden enclosure mounted above the windshield where it meets the ceiling that houses the radio and two small speakers. The car looks totally original to me with the exception of the tail lights. The period tail lights are typically protruding out from the body on horizontal pedestals. The ones on this car are modified early 1970’s Volkswagen tail lights. I like this car and feel fortunate to find the car and purchase in the amount of $18,500.
I think the classic cars of the 1930’s are special and beautiful cars. The reverse opening doors, the large chrome grill, independent headlights, and large fenders are especially attractive.
The only changes I would like to do is install disk brakes on the front wheels. The only work I have done so far is replace a coil last spring when the electric spark system failed due to old age.
1994 Corvette LT-1 Coupe (Torch Red) - Joe Mentek
Bought this car in 1994 because I was invited to a couple of C4 factory driving events for the Corvette. These events demonstrated how good the C4 Corvettes were in the early 1990s. These events had Corvette chief designer Dave Hill and old-time racer Dick Gulstrand promoting the activities. Gulstrand presented the driving brief and Dave Hill was there just to talk with.
Of course, there was high-speed driving events with autocross layouts and timing, but the event I remember most was driving on a huge rubber sheet that had been spread out on the tarmac with soapy water covering it. Normally, traction control can be disabled but anti-lock brakes cannot be disabled. Chevrolet had added a few switches to accommodate this. First step was to try driving on the sheet without benefit of traction. It was impossible to maintain control without traction aids. The car could be pushed around the surface with no problem.
I have owned this car since 1994. At this time, there were rumors of the C5 so C4 sales were extremely poor. People didn’t know at the time that they were going to have to wait until 1997 model sales began for a new Corvette.
My car only has 33k miles, mostly from long trips. It is completely stock except for the 1-4 forced shift disable. This is accommodated by unplugging a connector from the transmission. I think this disables a solenoid intended to block the gate between 1st and 2nd gears. This “feature” forces a shift from 1st gear to 4th gear if the engine is below a given rpm and car above a certain speed – sensing that you are not driving aggressively – tends to do this in traffic at the perfect time you don’t want to bog down. I think this was a gas saving idea but a horrible idea. I don’t think gas saving was needed as car can get over 30 mpg driving at 70 mph and not climbing.
At the time, the car was considered to be pretty advanced. Numerous transmissions had been tried in the C4 and I think most are considered failures. The 1994 used a 6-speed ZF transmission. The gear box itself was used in F1 cars of the day so it’s pretty rugged. Gears are almost straight-cut so it does make a nice noise in first three gears. However, I guess this transmission evolved to be a failure also since there weren’t any places it could be repaired if you destroyed a gear. Early on, the only option was to have ZF repair it. The car was one of the early cars to use aluminum forgings for the suspension control arms and ribbed Al structures throughout. If I recall correctly, the 1994 Corvette was the first GM car to use sequential fuel injection. It is also one of the earliest GM cars to use a roller cam. Gearing in the car is great. The top two gears in the transmission are both overdrive – 5th being 0.75 and 6th being 0.5. Car goes about 50 mph in 6th gear at idle speeds, although this is probably not recommended as there is no throttle response. Car will run at redline in 5th gear but not 6th – not enough power.
Many people don’t like C4 Corvettes and the resale prices reflect this, but they are starting to make a comeback. The cars are still relatively complex compared to the days of the muscle cars but still much simpler than the cars of today. One of the sounds you get used to in these cars is the anti-lock brakes and traction control system calibrating once the car starts to move a little.
Of course, there was high-speed driving events with autocross layouts and timing, but the event I remember most was driving on a huge rubber sheet that had been spread out on the tarmac with soapy water covering it. Normally, traction control can be disabled but anti-lock brakes cannot be disabled. Chevrolet had added a few switches to accommodate this. First step was to try driving on the sheet without benefit of traction. It was impossible to maintain control without traction aids. The car could be pushed around the surface with no problem.
I have owned this car since 1994. At this time, there were rumors of the C5 so C4 sales were extremely poor. People didn’t know at the time that they were going to have to wait until 1997 model sales began for a new Corvette.
My car only has 33k miles, mostly from long trips. It is completely stock except for the 1-4 forced shift disable. This is accommodated by unplugging a connector from the transmission. I think this disables a solenoid intended to block the gate between 1st and 2nd gears. This “feature” forces a shift from 1st gear to 4th gear if the engine is below a given rpm and car above a certain speed – sensing that you are not driving aggressively – tends to do this in traffic at the perfect time you don’t want to bog down. I think this was a gas saving idea but a horrible idea. I don’t think gas saving was needed as car can get over 30 mpg driving at 70 mph and not climbing.
At the time, the car was considered to be pretty advanced. Numerous transmissions had been tried in the C4 and I think most are considered failures. The 1994 used a 6-speed ZF transmission. The gear box itself was used in F1 cars of the day so it’s pretty rugged. Gears are almost straight-cut so it does make a nice noise in first three gears. However, I guess this transmission evolved to be a failure also since there weren’t any places it could be repaired if you destroyed a gear. Early on, the only option was to have ZF repair it. The car was one of the early cars to use aluminum forgings for the suspension control arms and ribbed Al structures throughout. If I recall correctly, the 1994 Corvette was the first GM car to use sequential fuel injection. It is also one of the earliest GM cars to use a roller cam. Gearing in the car is great. The top two gears in the transmission are both overdrive – 5th being 0.75 and 6th being 0.5. Car goes about 50 mph in 6th gear at idle speeds, although this is probably not recommended as there is no throttle response. Car will run at redline in 5th gear but not 6th – not enough power.
Many people don’t like C4 Corvettes and the resale prices reflect this, but they are starting to make a comeback. The cars are still relatively complex compared to the days of the muscle cars but still much simpler than the cars of today. One of the sounds you get used to in these cars is the anti-lock brakes and traction control system calibrating once the car starts to move a little.
Joe Mentek's 1965 Cobra
| joes_65_cobra.pdf |
My First Avanti - Steve Gutman
I warned Bill Beeson of the Tri-Lakes Cruisers about giving me a writing assignment about my Avantis without a word limit. Like probably every car buff, I think too much about my car and what I want to do next to make it uniquely mine. I was car-crazy in high school but had neither time nor money to do anything but draw pictures of my favorite cars. In 1962, just as I was beginning my 6 years at Berkeley studying architecture at Cal, one of my parents’ neighbors in our town north of the Golden Gate Bridge bought a silver 1963 Studebaker Avanti that immediately caught my eye. It was the first one in our area and really stood out. It looked so different with its somewhat unorthodox styling, especially the nearly invisible grille tucked under the front bumper, the headlights, the asymmetrical hood bulge, and the minimal chrome trim. I found that it also had record-setting performance and engineering innovations like the first disc brakes on any production US car, an upholstered roll bar integrated into the roof, and a fiberglass body by the Corvette coachmaker at that time. It also had a price tag that was WAY out of my range! Nonetheless, when I visited my parents I always checked to see if the Avanti was home.
After I moved east from California, I did not see another Avanti until one beautiful Florida Sunday morning in 2000, when I saw an ad in the Palm Beach Post for a red 1989 Avanti convertible for sale. It was a rare late model, with only 25,000 miles. At that time I did not even know there was an Avanti convertible model. So, just for grins, Karon and I went to see it. The seller lived in a gated golf course South Florida community where cars cannot be parked on driveways. As we drove into the subdivision I could see the Avanti, the only visible car, about two blocks away. As we drove closer, it appeared to be in beautiful condition! The owner said the convertible was his third and favorite Avanti. He had ordered his first Avanti in 1963 and had never been without one since then. Of course, I bought it for his asking price and considered myself lucky! There were tears in his eyes when he turned over the keys, and I teared up a bit myself upon finding that he was selling his Avanti to make room in his garage for a minivan to transport the electric wheelchair he needed to help him cope with his recent stroke. So, “Red” became my first collector car and my daily driver for the next fifteen years. During the subsequent years before we moved to Colorado, I would pick up Red’s previous owner when he flew south to Florida for the winter each year and drive him in Red to lunch. I last saw him just before we moved, and it happened that his two grown sons were visiting and were thrilled to see their Dad’s favorite car again.
I will always have special memories of my first Avanti.
After I moved east from California, I did not see another Avanti until one beautiful Florida Sunday morning in 2000, when I saw an ad in the Palm Beach Post for a red 1989 Avanti convertible for sale. It was a rare late model, with only 25,000 miles. At that time I did not even know there was an Avanti convertible model. So, just for grins, Karon and I went to see it. The seller lived in a gated golf course South Florida community where cars cannot be parked on driveways. As we drove into the subdivision I could see the Avanti, the only visible car, about two blocks away. As we drove closer, it appeared to be in beautiful condition! The owner said the convertible was his third and favorite Avanti. He had ordered his first Avanti in 1963 and had never been without one since then. Of course, I bought it for his asking price and considered myself lucky! There were tears in his eyes when he turned over the keys, and I teared up a bit myself upon finding that he was selling his Avanti to make room in his garage for a minivan to transport the electric wheelchair he needed to help him cope with his recent stroke. So, “Red” became my first collector car and my daily driver for the next fifteen years. During the subsequent years before we moved to Colorado, I would pick up Red’s previous owner when he flew south to Florida for the winter each year and drive him in Red to lunch. I last saw him just before we moved, and it happened that his two grown sons were visiting and were thrilled to see their Dad’s favorite car again.
I will always have special memories of my first Avanti.
My Last Avanti - Steve Gutman
Four years ago, Karon and I decided to streamline our retirement by selling our RV and “Red,” my first Avanti, a head-turning red 1989 convertible I had owned for 15 years, as well as Karon’s “summer car.” This left room in our heated garage for our pickup truck and our SUV, the vehicles we needed for life and winter survival in the Rockies where we live at 7600 ft. However, it also left a huge hole in my heart to see Red leaving for a new home in Palm Springs, CA, where the first Avanti had been designed in secrecy by Raymond Loewy’s design team in 1962. Even before the car was shipped, I already knew I would greatly miss the car clubs and car shows I had come to enjoy in Colorado Springs. I knew I had made a big mistake selling, so I started looking online for another special Avanti to acquire, my form of “porn surfing” you might say.
I immediately found a 1979 Avanti II RQ-B Sport Coupe in Edmonton, Canada. It sounded amazing! It was deep burgundy with a fawn leather interior, represented to be in excellent condition for its 36 years because the car had only 26,000 original miles, had always been garaged and never driven in the rain or snow. That is what all sellers say, right? It also had the original factory Corvette 350 with a 4-barrel carb and those beautiful finned aluminum valve covers. I engaged in a lengthy on-line exchange and then a telephone dialogue with the seller. The more I heard and saw, the more I knew I needed to bring that car back to the USA and exile our poor truck from the garage again. The seller called me one night to see if I was serious about purchasing his Avanti, because he had another prospect. Without hesitation, I told him I would buy his car for his asking price. I called him the next day with my flight information, and he picked me up at the new Edmonton International Airport two days later. He lives just a few miles from the airport, and it was raining slightly when we got to his house via a dirt road near where the world’s largest indoor marijuana growing facility was being completed… no fooling… I almost forgot why I was there! When we got to his house, he raised the garage door and even in the gloom, I could see the Avanti was a stunner! It hurt me to take such a beautiful clean car down that muddy washboard road for a test drive. That drive lasted less than 5 minutes, because that is all I needed to completely fall in love with a car again. I hated to turn off the car and silence those big dual exhausts.
It turned out to be easy to ship the Avanti from Canada to Colorado, and I am glad I made the extra effort to obtain this great car from outside the country. “Ava” brings a smile to my face every time I find an excuse to go into our garage, which is often. Exciting news: In three months, construction will begin on my last Avanti’s new home, a dedicated 15x32 detached garage-shop in the woods with a lift! Let the fun begin!
I immediately found a 1979 Avanti II RQ-B Sport Coupe in Edmonton, Canada. It sounded amazing! It was deep burgundy with a fawn leather interior, represented to be in excellent condition for its 36 years because the car had only 26,000 original miles, had always been garaged and never driven in the rain or snow. That is what all sellers say, right? It also had the original factory Corvette 350 with a 4-barrel carb and those beautiful finned aluminum valve covers. I engaged in a lengthy on-line exchange and then a telephone dialogue with the seller. The more I heard and saw, the more I knew I needed to bring that car back to the USA and exile our poor truck from the garage again. The seller called me one night to see if I was serious about purchasing his Avanti, because he had another prospect. Without hesitation, I told him I would buy his car for his asking price. I called him the next day with my flight information, and he picked me up at the new Edmonton International Airport two days later. He lives just a few miles from the airport, and it was raining slightly when we got to his house via a dirt road near where the world’s largest indoor marijuana growing facility was being completed… no fooling… I almost forgot why I was there! When we got to his house, he raised the garage door and even in the gloom, I could see the Avanti was a stunner! It hurt me to take such a beautiful clean car down that muddy washboard road for a test drive. That drive lasted less than 5 minutes, because that is all I needed to completely fall in love with a car again. I hated to turn off the car and silence those big dual exhausts.
It turned out to be easy to ship the Avanti from Canada to Colorado, and I am glad I made the extra effort to obtain this great car from outside the country. “Ava” brings a smile to my face every time I find an excuse to go into our garage, which is often. Exciting news: In three months, construction will begin on my last Avanti’s new home, a dedicated 15x32 detached garage-shop in the woods with a lift! Let the fun begin!
The 1963 Corvette - John Amen
I was a junior in Fort Collins High School when a friend occasionally got the keys to an almost new 1963 red Corvette with the L84 fuel injection option. Ever since that I have wanted to own a 63 Split Window.
2011 I bid on a 63 SWC that was green. It had a big 4-71 blower on the heavily modified engine and I was outbid on Thanksgiving day.
2012 I see a 63 SWC on Ebay out of Pheonix, AZ. It had a lot of body modifications including a 67 front clip and a big spoiler on the back and heavily customized wheel openings on the fenders. Only 58K on the odometer. I ended up with high bid because it was a low bid due to all the work needed to bring the body back to the beautiful lines of an original. The car came with an early 63 fuel injection front end clip and a bare block numbers matching fuelie engine that had correct heads and block internals in boxes. Trim tag proved that the original color is Riverside Red with black interior.
This was June, 2012 and my son and I took my Silverado to Phoenix to pick up my new masterpiece (not). It was a father/son bonding experience that was fun and well worth the time and expense. We rented a U-haul vehicle trailer in Phoenix and every time we stopped for gas on the way home it drew onlookers who remembered the old days of early Corvettes.
Speaking of early Corvettes this rough example is Very Early Production with a VIN of 1100 out of some 21000 Corvettes produced in model year 1963. Its birthday is October 5, 1963, and, being an early model, replacement parts are very hard to come by as many modifications were made at the St. Louis plant during the first year of C2 production.
Well, it is now going on 9 years of restoration in the John Amen solo restoration shop. First order of business was put together and recondition the engine. Next was pulling the body off the frame with my cherry picker engine hoist. The frame and engine are finished although I am currently working on starting the engine for the first time. The front clip has been restored to perfection by Colorado’s fiberglass master, Ron Clark, up in Elizabeth. It is ready to be glued back on.
My receipts folder is over 2 inches thick and I am sure I could have saved money back in 2012 by buying a fully restored example for, oh, say 125K. But no, I would have then missed out on all the knuckle busting fun. Unfortunately, I now have 5 other cars in various states of unworthy roadness. So the 63 gets attention when I am waiting on parts for something else. It will be a while before it is finished. But I will finish it. Persistence counts in this auto restoration hobby.
Cheers.
2011 I bid on a 63 SWC that was green. It had a big 4-71 blower on the heavily modified engine and I was outbid on Thanksgiving day.
2012 I see a 63 SWC on Ebay out of Pheonix, AZ. It had a lot of body modifications including a 67 front clip and a big spoiler on the back and heavily customized wheel openings on the fenders. Only 58K on the odometer. I ended up with high bid because it was a low bid due to all the work needed to bring the body back to the beautiful lines of an original. The car came with an early 63 fuel injection front end clip and a bare block numbers matching fuelie engine that had correct heads and block internals in boxes. Trim tag proved that the original color is Riverside Red with black interior.
This was June, 2012 and my son and I took my Silverado to Phoenix to pick up my new masterpiece (not). It was a father/son bonding experience that was fun and well worth the time and expense. We rented a U-haul vehicle trailer in Phoenix and every time we stopped for gas on the way home it drew onlookers who remembered the old days of early Corvettes.
Speaking of early Corvettes this rough example is Very Early Production with a VIN of 1100 out of some 21000 Corvettes produced in model year 1963. Its birthday is October 5, 1963, and, being an early model, replacement parts are very hard to come by as many modifications were made at the St. Louis plant during the first year of C2 production.
Well, it is now going on 9 years of restoration in the John Amen solo restoration shop. First order of business was put together and recondition the engine. Next was pulling the body off the frame with my cherry picker engine hoist. The frame and engine are finished although I am currently working on starting the engine for the first time. The front clip has been restored to perfection by Colorado’s fiberglass master, Ron Clark, up in Elizabeth. It is ready to be glued back on.
My receipts folder is over 2 inches thick and I am sure I could have saved money back in 2012 by buying a fully restored example for, oh, say 125K. But no, I would have then missed out on all the knuckle busting fun. Unfortunately, I now have 5 other cars in various states of unworthy roadness. So the 63 gets attention when I am waiting on parts for something else. It will be a while before it is finished. But I will finish it. Persistence counts in this auto restoration hobby.
Cheers.
The Nickel Hudson - Bill Beeson
It’s funny how things come full circle. My grandfather had a Hudson dealership in Elkhart, Kansas, which is a little farming town in the southwest part of the state, in 1927. My father finished the 8th grade and starting working in his father’s dealership as a mechanic. He stayed in this profession for 65 years. Needless to say, my grandfather and father drove Hudsons, until they were no longer made. My father started his own business, City Garage, in Walsh, Colorado. This is small farming town in the southeast part of the state, about 40 miles across the state line from Elkhart, Kansas.
My first car was a 1949 black Hudson coupe, which dad purchased in 1951. My sister was given this car as a high school graduation present in 1958. A few years later her husband and my father put a 308 engine with twin H carburetors setup in it. In 1964, I received the same car as my high school graduation present. Dad told me “ Son, all you have to do to it is overhaul the engine, paint it and fix the interior and it is yours.” I did the work and proudly drove the car off to college that year. The following year I sold it to a friend who made it into a stock car, a bad choice on my part.
Fast-forward several years. In about 1970 my father was doing a lot of restoring of antique and classic cars in his garage, so he was going to a lot swap meets looking for parts. He obtained the 1937 Hudson by making a series of trades over a period of ten years. The trades went like this: he traded a very nice 1937 Buffalo nickel for a complete four horse harness set, traded that for an original buffalo robe, which in turn traded for a wrecked 1956 Pontiac, traded this for a Ford pickup and then traded the pickup for the 1937 Hudson 8, which was in Elkhart, Kansas, of all places.
When he got the ‘37 it was all original except for the paint. It had been painted Texaco Red with Texaco decals on the doors. The engine and drive train were in bad shape. Dad had a wrecked 1966 Ford around the garage and he decided to put that drive train in the Hudson to make it into a nice highway driver.
When my father passed away in 1989, The Hudson was sold at his estate sale to a farmer in the area. Ten years later I called the farmer and asked if he wanted to sell the Hudson and he said no, his son wanted it. About a week later he called me back and said his son had decided he did not want the Hudson and if he were going to sell it, he would sell it to only me. We agreed upon a price, that was more than the he paid for it at the estate sale. When I went to pick it up he told me that when he bought the car he drove it eleven miles to his farm and put it a round top and never moved it. I put the car on a trailer and took it home to Colorado Springs, CO. I changed the oil, gas filter and put some fresh gas in the tank and cranked it up. The only things I have done to the car are to put radials tires on it and paint it. The paint job is a whole different story. The car still has its original interior and many of its original parts.
I now have the car in Mesa, AZ where my wife and I enjoy taking it to shows and cruises around the area in the winter. The car is an eye catcher and most people don’t know what it is. One young man asked me “Who made Hudson?” I just smiled at him and said “Hudson.”
It really is wonderful how thing do come full circle. My grandfather owned a Hudson dealership in Elkhart, Kansas and now I have a Hudson that my father obtained by trading a Buffalo Nickel that came from the same town where my grandfather had his dealership.
My first car was a 1949 black Hudson coupe, which dad purchased in 1951. My sister was given this car as a high school graduation present in 1958. A few years later her husband and my father put a 308 engine with twin H carburetors setup in it. In 1964, I received the same car as my high school graduation present. Dad told me “ Son, all you have to do to it is overhaul the engine, paint it and fix the interior and it is yours.” I did the work and proudly drove the car off to college that year. The following year I sold it to a friend who made it into a stock car, a bad choice on my part.
Fast-forward several years. In about 1970 my father was doing a lot of restoring of antique and classic cars in his garage, so he was going to a lot swap meets looking for parts. He obtained the 1937 Hudson by making a series of trades over a period of ten years. The trades went like this: he traded a very nice 1937 Buffalo nickel for a complete four horse harness set, traded that for an original buffalo robe, which in turn traded for a wrecked 1956 Pontiac, traded this for a Ford pickup and then traded the pickup for the 1937 Hudson 8, which was in Elkhart, Kansas, of all places.
When he got the ‘37 it was all original except for the paint. It had been painted Texaco Red with Texaco decals on the doors. The engine and drive train were in bad shape. Dad had a wrecked 1966 Ford around the garage and he decided to put that drive train in the Hudson to make it into a nice highway driver.
When my father passed away in 1989, The Hudson was sold at his estate sale to a farmer in the area. Ten years later I called the farmer and asked if he wanted to sell the Hudson and he said no, his son wanted it. About a week later he called me back and said his son had decided he did not want the Hudson and if he were going to sell it, he would sell it to only me. We agreed upon a price, that was more than the he paid for it at the estate sale. When I went to pick it up he told me that when he bought the car he drove it eleven miles to his farm and put it a round top and never moved it. I put the car on a trailer and took it home to Colorado Springs, CO. I changed the oil, gas filter and put some fresh gas in the tank and cranked it up. The only things I have done to the car are to put radials tires on it and paint it. The paint job is a whole different story. The car still has its original interior and many of its original parts.
I now have the car in Mesa, AZ where my wife and I enjoy taking it to shows and cruises around the area in the winter. The car is an eye catcher and most people don’t know what it is. One young man asked me “Who made Hudson?” I just smiled at him and said “Hudson.”
It really is wonderful how thing do come full circle. My grandfather owned a Hudson dealership in Elkhart, Kansas and now I have a Hudson that my father obtained by trading a Buffalo Nickel that came from the same town where my grandfather had his dealership.
Lon Wartman's Mercedes
Her name is Norma Jean and she lives in Monument Co. She was born in 1986 to the German family Mercedes Benz. Her sleek body lines are a testament to her family’s German heritage as she is a 560 SL convertible roadster. Norma Jean can be classified as a garage find for she was an orphan when first discovered. We came upon her in 2012 when searching for a home to purchase in Monument, Colorado. My wife, Donna, had viewed the home with a Realtor prior to me having seen it. Donna thought the house was pretty neat and would meet our needs as were going to be moving from Kansas within a year to be close to our daughter’s family.
She wanted to show me the home as I hadn’t made the trip from Kansas. So, I jumped in my truck and headed to Monument. Upon arrival we toured the home and I was quite impressed as it pretty much fit our needs. After a few minutes Donna stated that there was something in the garage and that I should take a look. Well, much to my surprise Norma Jean was parked inside and taped to the window was a for sale sign and a phone number. At that moment I really hadn’t given it much thought but I did look it over and didn’t see any-body damage and it appeared pretty straight. She didn’t appear to have been driven lately either. Actually, the car was in the middle of an estate settlement as the owner had recently passed.
Anyway, I took a couple of photographs of the car and also wrote down the serial number. It happened to be 26 years old with 135,000 miles under her skirt. The next few days were filled with offers and counteroffers. Finally we were down to the point to where it didn’t really matter much one way or the other. It was at that moment I said we would pay their last counter offer only if they threw in the car. As fate would have it they took the bait and agreed.
What really made the deal work was that the original owner had two highly successful daughters. One was an attorney and the other an engineer. Both lived in Aspen Co. They had purchased the home in 2009 for their mother, Norma, thus the name Norma Jean. The home we purchased was and still is located in a gated community. Community By-Laws stated that you could not sell cars on the property. They were sort of in a catch 22 as they couldn’t feature the car and neither had a place to store it or a place where they could sell it. Regardless, I felt I had a pretty good chance of picking her up for next to nothing, which we did.
On a side note, Norma Jean moved here from San Louis Obispo, California. She was a one owner car purchased for her by her husband in 1986 for somewhere over $48,000. To get Norma Jean running again it took a new battery and a little gas in the carburetor. It had 15 year old shoes which I immediately replaced. Other than that it was in like new condition. However, it took a lot of elbow grease and “Mother’s Clay Bar to brighten her up. I did spend somewhere around $3,000. for new shocks and a variety of other issues. I also found that the cloth top had never been out of the boot and was in new condition.
The Mercedes Benz 560 SL got its name from the 5.6-liter V8 engine that it came equipped with
This engine can pump out 238 horsepower and 287 foot-pounds of torque. There were 11,631 of the 1986 560 SL cars manufactured; all in Sindelfingen, Germany. It was only sold in Australia, Japan, Canada and the United States. The SL stands for Sports Lightweight. It is not classified as a sports car but rather is basically a high performance GT type vehicle.
Currently she lounges around in our garage waiting for that Sunday afternoon drive or the day I take her on a cross country trip. She does love the open road.
She wanted to show me the home as I hadn’t made the trip from Kansas. So, I jumped in my truck and headed to Monument. Upon arrival we toured the home and I was quite impressed as it pretty much fit our needs. After a few minutes Donna stated that there was something in the garage and that I should take a look. Well, much to my surprise Norma Jean was parked inside and taped to the window was a for sale sign and a phone number. At that moment I really hadn’t given it much thought but I did look it over and didn’t see any-body damage and it appeared pretty straight. She didn’t appear to have been driven lately either. Actually, the car was in the middle of an estate settlement as the owner had recently passed.
Anyway, I took a couple of photographs of the car and also wrote down the serial number. It happened to be 26 years old with 135,000 miles under her skirt. The next few days were filled with offers and counteroffers. Finally we were down to the point to where it didn’t really matter much one way or the other. It was at that moment I said we would pay their last counter offer only if they threw in the car. As fate would have it they took the bait and agreed.
What really made the deal work was that the original owner had two highly successful daughters. One was an attorney and the other an engineer. Both lived in Aspen Co. They had purchased the home in 2009 for their mother, Norma, thus the name Norma Jean. The home we purchased was and still is located in a gated community. Community By-Laws stated that you could not sell cars on the property. They were sort of in a catch 22 as they couldn’t feature the car and neither had a place to store it or a place where they could sell it. Regardless, I felt I had a pretty good chance of picking her up for next to nothing, which we did.
On a side note, Norma Jean moved here from San Louis Obispo, California. She was a one owner car purchased for her by her husband in 1986 for somewhere over $48,000. To get Norma Jean running again it took a new battery and a little gas in the carburetor. It had 15 year old shoes which I immediately replaced. Other than that it was in like new condition. However, it took a lot of elbow grease and “Mother’s Clay Bar to brighten her up. I did spend somewhere around $3,000. for new shocks and a variety of other issues. I also found that the cloth top had never been out of the boot and was in new condition.
The Mercedes Benz 560 SL got its name from the 5.6-liter V8 engine that it came equipped with
This engine can pump out 238 horsepower and 287 foot-pounds of torque. There were 11,631 of the 1986 560 SL cars manufactured; all in Sindelfingen, Germany. It was only sold in Australia, Japan, Canada and the United States. The SL stands for Sports Lightweight. It is not classified as a sports car but rather is basically a high performance GT type vehicle.
Currently she lounges around in our garage waiting for that Sunday afternoon drive or the day I take her on a cross country trip. She does love the open road.
Susan Hernandez's Truck
My father, John Balog, restored many cars in his lifetime. There was one in particular that he kept for 24 years. This vehicle was a 1937 International Pickup D2. He picked her up as a project and rebuilt her from the ground up. After he had fully restored the International truck that we would all come to know as “Little Darlin’, he took her to many car shows up until 2017.
In 2018 he was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer and was told he only had a few months to live. When he got this news, he sold the International and passed away four months later.
After his passing, I was able to find the gentleman who bought the International and told him that if he ever sold the truck I would love to buy it. I was so surprised when I got a call in July of 2020 from that same gentleman informing me that he was ready to sell the truck. I was so thrilled that he had remembered me and that I had the opportunity to get the truck that my Father loved so dearly. I bought her back and have been enjoying taking her to car shows or just a sunny day drive. Little Darlin’ has become a family treasure and I am so grateful to have her back in our family.
Susan
In 2018 he was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer and was told he only had a few months to live. When he got this news, he sold the International and passed away four months later.
After his passing, I was able to find the gentleman who bought the International and told him that if he ever sold the truck I would love to buy it. I was so surprised when I got a call in July of 2020 from that same gentleman informing me that he was ready to sell the truck. I was so thrilled that he had remembered me and that I had the opportunity to get the truck that my Father loved so dearly. I bought her back and have been enjoying taking her to car shows or just a sunny day drive. Little Darlin’ has become a family treasure and I am so grateful to have her back in our family.
Susan
Bob Gould's 1949 Oldsmobile
| bobs_49_olds.pdf |
Bill Beeson
THE NICKEL HUDSON
THE NICKEL HUDSON
It’s funny how things come full circle. My grandfather had a Hudson dealership in Elkhart, Kansas, which is a little farming town in the southwest part of the state, in 1927. My father finished the 8th grade and starting working in his father’s dealership as a mechanic. He stayed in this profession for 65 years. Needless to say, my grandfather and father drove Hudsons, until they were no longer made. My father started his own business, City Garage, in Walsh, Colorado. This is small farming town in the southeast part of the state, about 40 miles across the state line from Elkhart, Kansas.
My first car was a 1949 black Hudson coupe, which dad purchased in 1951. My sister was given this car as a high school graduation present in 1958. A few years later her husband and my father put a 308 engine with twin H carburetors setup in it. In 1964, I received the same car as my high school graduation present. Dad told me “ Son, all you have to do to it is overhaul the engine, paint it and fix the interior and it is yours.” I did the work and proudly drove the car off to college that year. The following year I sold it to a friend who made it into a stock car, a bad choice on my part.
Fast-forward several years. In about 1970 my father was doing a lot of restoring of antique and classic cars in his garage, so he was going to a lot swap meets looking for parts. He obtained the 1937 Hudson by making a series of trades over a period of ten years. The trades went like this: he traded a very nice 1937 Buffalo nickel for a complete four horse harness set, traded that for an original buffalo robe, which in turn traded for a wrecked 1956 Pontiac, traded this for a Ford pickup and then traded the pickup for the 1937 Hudson 8, which was in Elkhart, Kansas, of all places.
When he got the ‘37 it was all original except for the paint. It had been painted Texaco Red with Texaco decals on the doors. The engine and drive train were in bad shape. Dad had a wrecked 1966 Ford around the garage and he decided to put that drive train in the Hudson to make it into a nice highway driver.
When my father passed away in 1989, The Hudson was sold at his estate sale to a farmer in the area. Ten years later I called the farmer and asked if he wanted to sell the Hudson and he said no, his son wanted it. About a week later he called me back and said his son had decided he did not want the Hudson and if he were going to sell it, he would sell it to only me. We agreed upon a price, that was more than the he paid for it at the estate sale. When I went to pick it up he told me that when he bought the car he drove it eleven miles to his farm and put it a round top and never moved it. I put the car on a trailer and took it home to Colorado Springs, CO. I changed the oil, gas filter and put some fresh gas in the tank and cranked it up. The only things I have done to the car are to put radials tires on it and paint it. The paint job is a whole different story. The car still has its original interior and many of its original parts.
I now have the car in Mesa, AZ where my wife and I enjoy taking it to shows and cruises around the area in the winter. The car is an eye catcher and most people don’t know what it is. One young man asked me “Who made Hudson?” I just smiled at him and said “Hudson.”
It really is wonderful how thing do come full circle. My grandfather owned a Hudson dealership in Elkhart, Kansas and now I have a Hudson that my father obtained by trading a Buffalo Nickel that came from the same town where my grandfather had his dealership.
My first car was a 1949 black Hudson coupe, which dad purchased in 1951. My sister was given this car as a high school graduation present in 1958. A few years later her husband and my father put a 308 engine with twin H carburetors setup in it. In 1964, I received the same car as my high school graduation present. Dad told me “ Son, all you have to do to it is overhaul the engine, paint it and fix the interior and it is yours.” I did the work and proudly drove the car off to college that year. The following year I sold it to a friend who made it into a stock car, a bad choice on my part.
Fast-forward several years. In about 1970 my father was doing a lot of restoring of antique and classic cars in his garage, so he was going to a lot swap meets looking for parts. He obtained the 1937 Hudson by making a series of trades over a period of ten years. The trades went like this: he traded a very nice 1937 Buffalo nickel for a complete four horse harness set, traded that for an original buffalo robe, which in turn traded for a wrecked 1956 Pontiac, traded this for a Ford pickup and then traded the pickup for the 1937 Hudson 8, which was in Elkhart, Kansas, of all places.
When he got the ‘37 it was all original except for the paint. It had been painted Texaco Red with Texaco decals on the doors. The engine and drive train were in bad shape. Dad had a wrecked 1966 Ford around the garage and he decided to put that drive train in the Hudson to make it into a nice highway driver.
When my father passed away in 1989, The Hudson was sold at his estate sale to a farmer in the area. Ten years later I called the farmer and asked if he wanted to sell the Hudson and he said no, his son wanted it. About a week later he called me back and said his son had decided he did not want the Hudson and if he were going to sell it, he would sell it to only me. We agreed upon a price, that was more than the he paid for it at the estate sale. When I went to pick it up he told me that when he bought the car he drove it eleven miles to his farm and put it a round top and never moved it. I put the car on a trailer and took it home to Colorado Springs, CO. I changed the oil, gas filter and put some fresh gas in the tank and cranked it up. The only things I have done to the car are to put radials tires on it and paint it. The paint job is a whole different story. The car still has its original interior and many of its original parts.
I now have the car in Mesa, AZ where my wife and I enjoy taking it to shows and cruises around the area in the winter. The car is an eye catcher and most people don’t know what it is. One young man asked me “Who made Hudson?” I just smiled at him and said “Hudson.”
It really is wonderful how thing do come full circle. My grandfather owned a Hudson dealership in Elkhart, Kansas and now I have a Hudson that my father obtained by trading a Buffalo Nickel that came from the same town where my grandfather had his dealership.