Show ‘n Shine and Get Together
Ray Weldon rubbed the right rear fender of his bright red and white 1956 Ford Fairlane Victoria, pulling out a deep, rich shine.
Weldon and his wife, Dixie, of Lebanon, had arrived early for the 10th annual Grandpa Pa Tom’s Show and Shine Car show and was using the time wisely.
“We’ve owned it for five years,” Weldon said. “We wanted one and looked all over, including Nevada and California and we found this one in Aumsville.”
A member of Lebanon’s Rollin’ Oldies Car Club, Weldon said he bought the car because his wife said “that’s the one.”
“What we found out was the previous owner was car painter and he did a great job on the body work and paint but the mechanicals of the car were bad, really, really bad,” Weldon said with a pained laugh.
“The first time I stepped on the brakes I about went through the windshield,” he said. “None of the switches worked and the brake line broke. We had to replace the gas tank.”
But, Weldon admits, the reward of cruising in the ’56 was well worth the effort made and a trophy here and here, including the Best of Show two weeks ago at Monmouth, is icing on the cake. It earned the Costume/Display award this weekend.
The car’s 292 cubic inch engine was rebuilt by Bob Hubler of Cascadia and purrs. The Weldons enjoy driving their toy but say that on very hot days, they tow it to car shows because the Victoria features a glass “bubble” top.
“That sun can really beat down on you since there’s no air conditioning,” Weldon noted.
Jon Schroder doesn’t have far to drive his 1929 Buick for Grandpa Tom’s show, he lives on Epps Lane.
No hot rod, the Buick commands attention though due to its impeccable condition, enough to take second in the Pre-50’s class.
“I bought it in 1980 in Southern California, where we lived at the time,” Schroder said. “It was in a million pieces. It took me seven years and a few dollars.”
Schroder’s display includes a framed copy of a 1929 Magazine ad touting the virtues of the Buick. The car’s unusual color was copied directly from the ad, Schroder said.
A big car by anyone’s standards, Schroder says it is powered by a huge in-line six cylinder engine.
“The stroke on the piston rods is humongous,” Schroder said.
Although they were produced just seven years apart and they were park just feet from each other Saturday morning, Nels Hansen’s 1936 Ford trunk sedan has little in common with Schroder’s Buick.
Hansen found the car in Portland at a swap meet eight years ago and has been working on it for the past five years.
“It’s a ground up, frame-off restoration,” Hansen said. “I did all of the work and built many of the parts because I wanted them out of stainless steel,” he said. “The interior was done by Jerry’s Upholstery of Lebanon.”
Hansen’s toy features a 305 tune port Chevy engine mated to a 700 R4 automatic transmission and a nine-inch rear end.
Its red ice, pearlescent paint changes colors with the variation of sunlight.
Although highly modified from the day it rolled off the assembly line, Hansen retained the vehicle’s original dash gauges and radio face plate to retain a tough of nostalgia.
When Jim Bales of Florence decided he wanted to built a 1934 Ford Coupe, his skills as a mechanic came in handy. He and his wife, Kim, were riding in the unfinished coupe in just three months.
Today, the Bales’ ’34 is among the nicest examples in the state.
The big block 396 cubic inch engine boasts more than 550 horsepower in a car with a total weight of less than 2,600 pounds. Air comes from two Edelbrock carbureators.
The coupe is as functional as it is beautiful and fast. Glossy black base is overlayed with purple flames over the front fenders and along the running boards. Pearlescence allows the vehicle to shine and shimmer even the engine block.
“It really looks neat when it’s near neon lights,” Bales said with pride.
The Bales also enjoy good music while cruising, thanks to a 600 watt amplifier. When they get where they’re going, they can watch movies on the car’s built-in DVD player mounted in the trunk.
“It’s really good on gas belief it or not,” Bales said. “It has a 13-gallon tank and I used about half a tank coming up from Florence this morning,” Bates said.
The Bales are members of the Rhoady Cruisers Car Club.
Their efforts have paid off with 17 trophies in 11 shows. They took Best of Show last year at Grandpa Tom’s and they won the Participant’s Choice, Street Rod, Best Motor and Best Paint trophies this year.
“I saved it from a graveyard,” Kenny Eshelman of Albany said, and it’s a good thing too. The 1967 Mustang will be a sight to behold next year as if it didn’t attract enough attention already.
Eshelman’s Mustang drew the curious over to the parking lot, where he was eating a hamburger.
Coming to the show was something to do, Eshelman said. “I thought I’d get this out and drive it.”
Under construction this year, next year, he expects to enter it in the show.
“This was my car when I was a senior in high school,” Eshelman said. Back then, it had a 289 three-speed.
“I joined the Navy, so I sold it,” Eshelman said. “I got it back 16 years later in pieces. He decided he wanted to make it into a race car.”
After years of tinkering with the car, Eshelman’s buddy gave it back.
Eshelman found the car at Garret’s Machine Shop. He took it up to Finn’s Auto in Colton, near Woodburn, to begin working on it.
Eshelman installed a 351 Windsor with a JCI-C4 automatic transmission. It now has new electrical and a nationally approved roll cage.
He has a carpet kit to finish off the interior and still plans to repaint the car.
Total, he has spent about $18,000 fixing the car up.
Nearby, Kenneth Ward of Scorpion Custom Stripes was pin striping Ted Hufford’s truck.
He has attended the car show for five or six years and demonstrates his work on someone’s rig each year.
Ward does all of his designs freehand with those who show their cars in mind, he said. His pinstripes don’t fade under the constant buffing and shining that goes along with shows.
“I’m a logger too,” Ward said. “This is a hobby for something to do. I basically taught myself. It was way beck when no one would teach you this.”
Ward started in vinyl but became intrigued by the colorful cars coming up from California. He started using paints then and now does “everything from soup to nails.”
Because of his talent, he was soon put to work on lettering his company’s log trucks.
In fact, he was able to work on logging equipment to hone his skills.
Ward was busy with the straight lines around the truck itself.
“To me this is boring,” Ward said. He is far more interested in doing the design work.
Now, he is part of a national organization, the “pinheads,” trying to keep the art of pinstriping alive and he happily teaches people how to do it “so it will never die.”
The key to the art, he said, is “practice, practice, practice.”
Car owners and car lovers enjoyed perfect weather both Saturday and Sunday of the show.
Some unique vehicles included a stock 1966 four-door Ford pickup from Scio and Carol Carter’s 1963 Ramber convertible that features both a high and low transmission and an overdrive.
2003 Grampa Tom’s Car Show results:
Grampa’s Choice: Dan Hart, Brush Prairie, Wash., 1959 Ford Galaxie convertible.
Best of Show: Don and Robin Pyle, Lebanon, 1941 Willys coupe.
Participant’s Choice: Jim and Kim Bales, Florence, 1934 Ford coupe.
Street Rods: Jim and Kim Bales, Florence, 1934 Ford coupe; Second: Richard Barber, Lebanon, 1940 Ford coupe; Third: Harry and Carol Carter, Lebanon, 1923 Ford Model T C-Cab.
Pre-50’s: Don Gallogly, Sweet Home, 1941 Packard; Second: Jon Schroder, Sweet Home, 1929 Buick; Third: Gary Dalton, North Bend, 1927 Ford Model T.
50’s: Mike Beaver, Sweet Home, 1956 Chevy; Second: Dan Hart, Brush Prairie, Wash., 1959 Ford Galaxie convertible; Third: Lora Barber, Lebanon, 1955 Buick Special.
60’s: Shirley and Victor Rasler, Eugene, 1965 Chevy Corvette; Second: Harry and Carol Carter, Lebanon, 1963 Rambler convertible; Third: Dave and Lisa Herring, Sweet Home, 1969 Pontiac GTO.
70’s: Jon Walberg, Sweet Home, 1970 Oldsmobile; Second: Howard Hopkin, Lebanon, 1971 Ford Ranchero; Third: Dave and Lisa Herring, Sweet Home, 1972 Chevy Malibu convertible.
Pickups: Bob Boardrow, Lebanon, 1939 Ford; Second: Richard Trees, Bend, 1957 Chevy; Third: Dave and Lisa Herring, Sweet Home, 1972 Chevy El Camino.
Costume/Display: Ray Weldon, Lebanon, 1957 Ford Crown Victoria; Second: Rolyn and Jan Dey, Albany, 1954 Ford two-door Customline.
Under Construction: Tom and Marilyn Huntington, Scio, 1956 Pontiac.
Traveled Farthest: Mike Kenney, Huntington, BCA, 1956 Ford F-100.
Car Clubs: Rollin’ Oldies, Lebanon.
Car Club With Most Entries: West Valley Country Cruisers, Willamina.
Best Motor: Jim and Kim Bales, Florence, 1934 Ford coupe, 396 CI, two Edelbrock four barrels.
Best Paint: Jim and Kim Bales, Florence, 1934 Ford coupe.
Super Dad: Dean and Marcy Anderson, Sweet Home, 1957 Chevy.
Most Patriotic: VFW 3437, Sweet Home, 1930 Franklin.
Ms. Kool: Adele Hanscam, Sweet Home, 1971 Corvette.
Mr. Kool: Steve Barber, Sweet Home, 1967 Chevelle.
Best Orphan: Don and Robin Pyle, Lebanon, 1941 Willys coupe.
Best Ford: Wynn Morris, Cascadia, 1967 Ford Fairlane.
Best Chevy: Dean and Marcy Anderson, Sweet Home, 1957 Chevy Belair.
Best Luxury: Paul Dubois, Sweet Home, 1947 Cadillac convertible.
Best MOPAR: Gary and Patty Olsen, Sweet Home, 1948 Plymouth coupe.
In all, 10 clubs and 97 entries.
– Reporter Sean C. Morgan contributed to this story.