Fine Workmanship is Not Dead

Beloved Classic Cars 

If you love cars and trucks, you can certainly appreciate the attention to detail it takes to bring out every beautiful bit of sparkling detail on a cherished car or truck.

Yesterday, I had occasion to watch the process of adding a protective sheet of clear "plastic" to the front of a new Toyota pickup, while also watching the process of repairing a very small 'pit' in the windshield of my recently purchased Toyota Scion xB.

Customized Toyota Pickup
a real beauty, for sure

I have always appreciated vehicles of all sorts, but especially those of classic design, and the very old ones that someone has taken the time, money and attention to restore to original condition.  There is also a lot to be appreciated about many of the custom designed and custom build cars and trucks, as well.  When a real car enthusiast does work on a cherished vehicle, just to watch them work is enlightening.  They treat that vehicle with love, and are so detail oriented, making sure that not a speck of dust is there that should  not be, as when applying paint, or lacquer or as when the man was applying the clear sheeting to the new sliver Toyota Pickup he was working on yesterday in Corona, CA.  It was as if it was only the special truck and him, and he was oblivious to anyone else around.

There is something to be said about "Rod Runs," that are held in many communities across the country, as each vehicle there, plainly reflects the love and attention of it's owner.  The owner is driven to bring out every square inch of beauty of his car or truck, and heaven help the person who leaves a fingerprint on his work of art.

I just loved my first car, which was an old one that had been my father's work car, until he gave it to me when he bought a new 1961 Dodge pickup truck.

The car he gave me was a 1950 Dodge Coronet, two door sedan.  It was dark metallic green, and had a ivory colored pearled steering wheel, with lots of chrome and wood grained dashboard.  The overdrive was activated by a button in the end of the chrome handle on the gearshift, which was mounted on the shaft to the steering wheel. My beloved car even had a glass packed muffler, which was really cool in the 1960s.

Pristine classic car

I did my own oil changes, and rotated my own tires, too.  I was about sixteen then, and really appreciated fast cars and fast horses, which I still do, by the way. I kept my little car washed and waxed, too.

I had a friend whose father bought him, an old car, one that had a rumble seat, that looked very much like the car on the left.  His had yellow spoked wheels, and was kept pristine by it's proud owner. Mind you, this young man was about eighteen years old, but he had a real love of classic cars.

I really have to hand it to anyone who can do a perfect job on anything, but there is just something special about restoring a vehicle, be it car or truck, to make it a show piece.  If more people cared for their cars in proper manner, more of them would make it to the stage of becoming cherished collector edition, that can be restored and shown, as an example of what cars were "in the day."