The Birth of a Restomod
“Pop-Pop, Pop-Pop, come see what’s in the driveway!”
Little did I know that those words, spoken on my birthday by two jubilant granddaughters, were the beginning of a messy, interesting, expensive, wonderful car project, the story of which will unfold in the coming months of this blog.
The girls had been told to wait for the “signal,” but there was no containing their seven-year-old enthusiasm. With each one holding a shirt sleeve, they dragged me out to the driveway. Sitting there, in all its original glory, was the car I had talked about and dreamed of for almost fifty years – an original 1957 Ford Fairlane 500.
It was brown & cream with a three-speed on the column, the twin four-barrel carb set-up and 39,000 original miles. Surrounded by well-wishers, I got in, turned the key and was greeted with that wonderful sound of 1950’s glass packs.
Looking out over the hood and through the original fender-mounted rear-view mirrors at those unmistakable tail fins, I got such a wonderful feeling of being “back in the day” that when I got out of the car, my feet didn’t even touch the ground. I was so thrilled. I couldn’t wait to take it out for a spin.
The next morning, with the grandkids piled in the back, we headed out for a tour of the neighborhood, and guess what happened? I started groping for three-point seat belts, and realized they weren’t there. I started worrying about having the grandkids in a car with no airbags. I realized that the steering was not exactly “precise” and that the brakes were more for rapid slowing than for actually stopping.
Now it’s true that over the years I have owned a few nice cars, so I will admit that my thinking with regard to proper steering and braking could be a bit clouded. But still. After that drive, I kept thinking about the steering, the brakes, the seat belts and a dozen other things.
For those of you who are classic car purists - which I considered myself to be, up until about 6 months ago - I urge you to read no further. You may find what I am about to describe distasteful, disrespectful, or even immoral. Read on at your peril.
I started making inquiries after the street rod builders in my area who have the skills & expertise necessary to turn my original car into a resto-rod. The builder I eventually selected has an A+ reputation for building fine cars. As the proud owner of a Mercury lead-sled and a ’61 Chevy with a 409, he is a street-rodder down to his bones.
To read this next paragraph you have to be seated or you may fall and hurt yourself.
I jokingly said, “Sam, can we “do” this car for about the same dollars as I would otherwise spend on a – oh, I don’t know – new 911?” “Maybe” he said. “MAYBE”? Because you are reading this story, you are, as I am, clearly “car-insane.” I also know that you’re way ahead of me on my next move: Right! I tossed him the keys.
NEXT: The Fairlane Comes Undone