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"I am now retired and having fun customizing a 1959 Apache pick-up. I started restoring cars because of my son Michael. When he was in grade 12, he decided to purchase a 1949 Prefect, turn it into a Hot Rod and to make money selling it! Two months later, my son moved on to other interests, and I decided to restore it to original status. It gave me something to do, besides work! It was the first car I tried to restore. I learnt a lot and had a lot of help from my friends Jim (the mechanic), George (the metal fabricator) and of course my wife Sandy who did the sewing."
Taking over his son's high school car project introduced Wayne to the many stages of car restoration. Later, this Chevrolet sedan project gave Wayne another opportunity to practice his restoring skills and learn new ones... from repairing the dilapidated wood frame to trying his hand at custom metalworking and spray painting.
Great job, Wayne! Thanks for sharing your project with us!
Q: What is it?
A: It is a 1936 Chevrolet 4 door sedan car that I have made into a Hot Rod. I took it and my grandchildren to car shows and drove the car around town. I had hoped to pull it behind our motor home on a trip across Canada. A friend of my twin brother purchased the car in Michigan in 1969 and turned it into a Hot Rod and then moved to Canada in October of 1970. He taught all over Canada and dragged the car with him. He finally landed in Nanaimo, BC where he continued to teach in school. He removed a number of parts from the car for another project and one day, in 2008, decided to sell the old car, as is! Well my helpful brother told me about the car and the next thing my wife knew, it was in our driveway in Surrey, BC.
Q: What design/build challenges were overcome?
A: The car had a lot of wood in the door and frame that was rotten and had to be replaced. At one time during the restore, I felt I was using my table saw more than my welder! When metal rusts, the door keeps its shape, when wood rots there is nothing to hold the door's shape. I replaced the old brake system and the steering. During this project, I learnt to paint cars, weld and shape metal. The engine and transmission were two of the things donated to the other project, so I took an old SBC 350 and rebuilt it. It was the second engine I rebuilt! After using / fighting with the engine for 3 years, I purchased a new SBC 350, as I always had problems with the oil pressure.
Q: If you had to build it again, what would you do differently?
A: I would have chosen a different project.
Q: Which Princess Auto location do you visit most?
A: Langley, BC