If there’s a time to be out in the hot Gilroy sun, it’s to
admire the scintillating chrome wheels, buffed bodies and sleek
leather interiors of classic cars.
By Perry Shirley Staff Writer
Gilroy – If there’s a time to be out in the hot Gilroy sun, it’s to admire the scintillating chrome wheels, buffed bodies and sleek leather interiors of classic cars.
Proud owners showed off 61 of their best vehicles at the sun-baked 4th Annual Classic Car and Truck Show Saturday at the Elks Lodge in west Gilroy. The benefit for a drug awareness program drew automobiles from 1928 to 1977, and paint jobs ranging from neon yellow to “au natural” rust. Restoration jobs ranged from conservative to wildly over-the-top.
A red and white 1958 Chevy Bel Air, nicknamed “Marilyn” by owner Mary Zorale because it reminds her of Hollywood, and it followed a typical storyline. Like many of the car owners, Zorale is middle-aged, remembers seeing such cars growing up as a teen in the 1950s, remembers them being fazed out and now has the time and cash to buy one, spend a year lovingly refinishing it and rekindle childhood memories.
But not everyone fit that storyline. As the winner of the show’s “Exalted Ruler’s Choice Award,” given out based on the car and the character of the owner, 17-year-old Shelly McCune was proud of her 1963 Ford Falcon Futura in simple white with red interior. She said she inherited her love of the car, which has “always been owned by a girl,” from her mechanic father. Unlike many owners who take their prized possession out only for shows or special occasions, McCune drives the Ford to Live Oak High School and around town everyday.
“This was my first car and a lot of the older people (who see it) said ‘it was my first car too,’ ” McCune said.
The show’s oldest car was a 1928 Model A Ford pickup, restored to full brilliance by Fred Mauldin of Santa Clara. Though bright orange and detailed with chrome, the car kept many of its original attributes, including the varnished wood dashboard, the etched glass window dressings, the radiator cap that included a thermometer and some of this early car’s not so fine ideas – like having the fuel tank placed in front, just behind the engine.
There was another Model A present, with just as much attention to detail, if you can look past all the rust. Jeff Jones of San Martin stands out as the scruffy, grinning owner of a 1929 Ford that he calls a “rat rod, because it’s kinda ratty.” In fact, the car looks entirely unfinished, all bare metal, exposed welds and uncovered mechanics with “Straight to Hell” painted on the door. In his own way, Jones paid as much attention to detail as Mauldin did, using antique Coca-Cola trays for foot rests, a screwdriver for a shifter and wrench for a gas pedal. Furthermore, he all but eschewed the popular pinstriping and, instead, drilled holes in sweeping patterns.
“It tends to raise some eyebrows,” Jones said. “A lot of people ask what color it’s going to be. A lot of the ladies say ‘what the hell is that. That thing is dangerous.’ ”
Apparently, none of the rust, which he said he keeps under control by treating it with WD-40 every few weeks, affects the car’s performance: he said he “shut the door” in a street race with a 2003 SS Camero last week.
Each classic car’s customization reveals something about the owner, often the owner’s version of preserving history. One of the show’s most unique paint jobs belonged to Ken and Jacque Chestnut of Gilroy and their 1937 GMC pickup. A big fan of an ice cream bar from his youth called “50-50,” Ken had the car painted orange cream with vanilla interiors and splashes of vanilla on the front end, hoping to make it look like “it plowed into a big pile of ice cream.”
Nostalgia has always been part of classic car shows and this one proudly chronicled the past.
Several cars included window trays with plastic burgers and shakes similar to what was used in drive-through eateries while Morgan Hill-based live band JJ Hawg played fitting classic rock covers. The bright green cobra on the hood of John Kettle’s 1968 Shelby Mustang was airbrushed in 1980, a stylish note at the time. But with children to raise, Morgan Hill’s Kettle said he put a tarp on the car and left it sitting in his garage 28 years ago. With fashion an ever-looping circle, the 1980 look is back and Kettle is once again proudly taking his car out on weekends.
“You’re finding out that a lot of old style are coming back,” said Tony Rath, whose family restored a 1958 “teardrop” trailer that is the precursor to modern day campers. “You have to spend some money, spend time, time putting these machines back together.”
