To most spectators they are cars, but their owners might call
them their lives
– the products of unfaltering attention, constant care and, of
course, large financial investments.
To most spectators they are cars, but their owners might call them their lives – the products of unfaltering attention, constant care and, of course, large financial investments.
Watching the owners of some 90 classic cars on display at the 22nd annual Taste of Morgan Hill car show feverishly wipe the rain drops off their prized possessions with towels during Sunday’s showers made it obvious how much they love the vehicles they often built from the ground up.
Fred Mauldin, 67 of Santa Clara, has spent “thousands” of hours in the last five years restoring the interior, body and mechanics of his 1928 Model A pickup. He has owned the vehicle about eight years.
A retired metal fabricator, Mauldin acquired the expertise in his career to make his beloved vintage truck look exactly how he wants it to look. And he did everything himself, including the wood paneling on the bed rails and the dash, as well as the polished stainless steel, brass and aluminum trim that adorn the truck’s interior with shiny, polished details.
He designed and built aluminum housing for the engine block and valve covers, and the entire rear end of the vehicle which he replaced in his back yard. And he has a lot more work to do.
“This truck will never be finished,” Mauldin said.
He drives the Model A every day, he said, but mostly around town. “It’s not a road car,” he said, explaining the old-school suspension would make for a shaky ride at high speeds. But he shows the car often, and estimated it’s been to about 120 car shows in the last six years.
Mauldin showed the truck Sunday, at his fourth Taste of Morgan Hill car show.
Many of the entrants at the local car show were long-running participants, and most of them make a busy hobby out of showing the cars at similar events – some much larger – around the Bay Area and beyond. About 180 cars entered Saturday, typically the busier day at the annual show.
Prizes were handed out both days. On Saturday, the show’s sponsors voted on their “Best of Show” favorites. On Sunday, local dignitaries did the same, explained car show co-chair Joyce Bimbi. Plus, each day a sponsor with automotive expertise picks a single coveted “Showcase” winner.
Saturday’s showcase winner was a 1959 Corvette. Judge Mark Reuter, of MDR Machine, said the car looked like a regular Corvette from the outside, but was “heavily modified” with a modern engine, new chassis and other enhancements. “It’s not the average Corvette,” Reuter said.
On Sunday, he picked a 1962 Plymouth Valiant as the showcase winner. That car was chosen for its “perfect” restoration from a “rust-bucket piece of junk,” Reuter said. “This was probably one of the hardest to restore because they don’t reproduce any of the parts,” he said.
A complete list of winners for the 2011 car show was not available at press time.
One of Sunday’s dignitaries’ “Best of Show” winners was Maurene Andrade of Morgan Hill, the owner of a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air that she spent about 11 months restoring. Andrade, who was featured in Friday’s edition of the Times, found the car in 2005 in Santa Clara which she described earlier as “real ugly” when she bought it. But she decided to take on a full restoration of the car – which she now calls her “baby” – herself. She now shows the red car at events throughout California and Nevada.
And new to this year’s car show is a separate contest within a pre-selected brand category. This year, the category was the Ford Mustang.
About 20 Mustangs showed up to compete, and their owners judged each other, each picking their three favorites, Bimbi explained.
One of the owners, another Taste of Morgan Hill car show regular, said his 1967 Mustang Fastback had some competition from the other entrants.
Dave Matos, 49 of San Jose, bought his Fastback – known as “the Bullitt car” – in 1986 when he saw the Steve McQueen film.
“I like the Fastback style. It’s the iconic car from when Steve McQueen was racing around San Francisco,” Matos said.
He fully restored the car in 1997, and over the years has added racing stripes to the paint job, replaced the wheels, added a heavier-duty suspension and made other enhancements. And Matos isn’t even retired from his job working for an upholstery service.
His Mustang now “stays in the garage” when he’s not showing it off.
Matos can’t remember exactly how long he has attended the Taste of Morgan Hill show, but he was wearing a T-shirt from the 2004 festival Sunday. It’s one of his favorite shows.
“They feed you, and there’s a lot of nice people here,” Matos said.
Each year, the car show committee wants to pick a different brand category sub-contest, and next year they are leaning toward a competition among 1955, 1956 and 1957 Chevrolets, Reuter said.
Upon acquiring any vintage car they intend to work on and improve regardless of what shape it’s in and regardless how long it will take, different enthusiasts have different visions for the end product. Mauldin, the 1928 pickup owner for example, explained that he strives to give his vehicle a unique appearance that enhances its vintage character.
“I like things different. I make all the parts,” Mauldin said. “I don’t like to just go out and buy things.”
Some, like Bob Bridge, 74 of Morgan Hill, want to keep everything original.
Bridge showed his regal red 1965 Chevelle Super Sport on Sunday. When he bought that car about four years ago, the previous owner had made some improvements that were more modern, and removed some of the Chevelle’s original qualities.
Bridge wanted to return the car to its original state, and completed a “frame-off restoration,” restored the seat belts, and replaced the wheels with original rims.
He and the owners of other classic cars on display readily admit spending a career’s worth of time restoring their vehicles.
“It’s taken up a lot of time since I retired,” said Bridge, who worked in the microwave components industry. “The work on it never ceases.”
