It Was Purchased New, Sold, Bought Back...and Now Is a Work In Progress
In your December issue you asked for stories about “the one that got away” (or didn’t quite get away). Well, I’ve got a great story. Enjoy!
This Chevelle wagon was purchased by my parents in 1975 in Paw Paw, Michigan, for about $5000 after their tradein. It was the first car they bought with air conditioning which was a real luxury item. (Still, they refrained from adding a clock.)
The Chevelle was Chevrolet’s mid-size car in 1975 and one of the reasons my parents purchased it was my mom wanted a car that wasn’t so big that she’d feel uncomfortable driving it.
Many family trips were made in this car…with my sister and me fighting over space in the back seat.
The wagon saw active duty for about 10 years until it was relegated to being the third car in the family fleet and was driven by my sister and me when we were teenagers.
After taking an auto mechanics class in high school I was bitten by the bug and I decided that one day this unassuming automobile was going to be my hot rod. I laid claim to the car and stored her in a barn for 13 years waiting for The Day to come. During those years I was able to make semi-regular visits to the barn and the car always started but each visit revealed more examples of neglect: failed brakes, transmission leaks, yellowing paint, bird poop damaging the surface…
Adult life intervened and an attempt at marriage and home ownership brought an end to my hot rod plans. In 2005 I sold her to a caring new owner who spiffed her up a bit and made her roadworthy again.
When I sold the car I told the buyer to give me the first chance to buy her back if he ever wanted to sell and on August 8, 2010 I received The Best email Ever. I considered the wisdom of such a purchase (briefly) and an hour later decided this was one of those opportunities one rarely gets in life. I drove her home from the Detroit area a week later.
I love owning this car. I love the smell, the whine of the transmission, the thwock of highway expansion joints passing under the tires, the lightness of the steering. When I get behind the wheel a lifetime of experiences come flooding back: my parents as young 30-somethings, trips to my grandparents, family vacations to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, angstridden teenage years, the tree I really wish I’d never hit in 1988 and the, ahem, “comfort” of vinyl seats on a hot day.
In the last five years I’ve chipped away at a long list of repairs: replaced the door that was dented in 1988, added a Quadrajet with electric choke, fixed the holes in the floorboards, added new carpeting and sound deadener, painted the interior plastic trim, re-upholstered half of the front seat, sealed the leaky windshield, added proper hot rod wheels, tires and a true dual exhaust with rumbly mufflers, and fixed three leaky brake lines.
A year ago she had major engine work performed by community college students (new camshaft, lifters, water pump, valve job, timing chain & gears and some proper chrome-plated parts) and…I gave her a $200 fake-patina driveway paint job.
While the car was in storage for 13 years the paint had turned at least four shades of blue. Don, the fellow who had bought the car from me, had painted it matte black. I was not crazy about that, but at least it was all one color so I kept it that way for a few years.
Knowing that a professional paint job and the extensive body work necessary prior to the paint job were not affordable, I tried to figure out what approach I should take.
Since the car was already black, I had one color in my palette and with a lot of sanding I exposed layers of old blue paint and primer. I then used a cheap “chip brush” to apply some Rust-Oleum bare metal primer on large areas of the car to give it some texture.
With the help of a local auto parts company I got paint and supplies for close to $200. I applied it with a Preval sprayer and after it was dry I set to work with a lot of wet sanding to expose the different colors underneath. I’ve even fooled a few people into thinking it’s real patina.
Someday I hope to return her to her original glory but for now I’ve got a paint job that can’t be ruined and an engine that runs like a top. I’m having fun driving her and figure I’ve waited 20 years to get to this point; what’s a few more?