Early American Auto Repair has been a part of my life since I was young. Even though my father was a flight engineer, he was a mechanic first. He worked on cars in his spare time, helping me gain a diverse exposure at an early age. Being around cars such as 1916 Overland’s, 1929 Model A’s, 1949 Plymouths truly set me on the path I am on today.
Even my mom played a big part in my love for V8’s; she purchased a brand new 1975 Plymouth Road Runner when I was just 16. That car was far from the usual “grocery getters” my mom had been driving.
While in High School I was known as the “motor head”, fixing and repairing my friend’s cars as well as building and fabricating my own. At the age of 17, I shortened a 1956 Chevy frame and placed a 1956 WV body on it for my daily driver. How’s that for a high school car!
While I did not go immediately into my current career, I continued to work with Early American Auto Repair in various ways; one such hobby turned into a complete modification of a 1940 Ford 2 door sedan. I chopped the top 4 inches, and took a 4 inch section out of the lower body. I installed a Mustang II front suspension, Nova rear axle, and a small block Chevy engine. I never lost my love or appreciation of cars.
Previously I have restored numerous cars of varying vintage. Many were original restorations and some have placed in the top 3 of local antique auto shows! Some restorations were partial, as well as a few being modified. Complete restorations are projects I enjoy and am selective in my choosing of them. A complete ground up restoration takes a lot of man hours; so you have to have an interest in the car you are working on.
One complete restoration project of Early American Auto Repair was a 1961 Corvette. The current owner purchased this car as a teenager back in the late 1970’s and drove it daily. Several accidents later he parked it for repairs at a later date. While stored in his garage over several years, a bag of yard fertilizer slowly leaked onto the car causing much corrosion to the vehicle’s interior and exterior body. At this time the owner decided it was now or never to restore the car. Upon completion of the restoration he and his wife took the car on a drive across country for their 25th wedding anniversary.
In addition to complete restorations, we do repairs and maintenance on all American cars and trucks from the early 1900’s to current Antique status. Rebuilding engines, transmissions, rear ends, complete electrical wiring, brakes, alternators, regulators and magnetos are just a few of the jobs we do. Some of my regular clients have a 1949 Chevy truck, a 1932 Pierce Arrow, a 1915 Buick, 1937 Buicks, Ford Model T’s, Model A’s, a ‘64 Olds Cutlass (with 4 speed), a ‘67 Camaro (big block) and a ‘66 Mustang just to mention a few! If it is American and older than 25 years chances are we have worked on it. We provide quality craftsmanship at reasonable prices.
While automobiles are my career, they are also a hobby for my wife and I. Currently we personally own a 1909 Model T, a 1928 Hudson Brougham and 1965 Corvette. We are members of the Antique Automobile Association both nationally and locally. I was the Chief Judge for the Apple Blossom Show for our Local association for approximately 5 years. My wife and I enjoy touring both locally on “Sunday Fun Runs”, and nationally. We have just returned from a Reliability Run in New Hampshire with our 1909 Model T. Last year we toured Long Island with the Model T and discovered we were the youngest couple with the oldest car!
Take a stroll around the website to see if you recognize your car or one like it. You can contact us with any and all questions via the website or calls us at (540)533-8185. I look forward to talking with you about your early American automobile.