Willy's Garage with Paul Williamson
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Cruising calendar: July 22-11
July 22, 23
Yellowhead Road Runners Auto Club hosts a classic cruise starting at the Agassiz Drive In from 7-11 p.m. Live music. On Sat., July 23 the Hamilton Street Classic "in the park", sponsored by the club, Piston Ring and Agassiz Drive In, will be held under the trees at the Lions Riverbend Park. Registration starts 9 a.m., parade at 11 a.m. First 80 registered will receive a free combo meal at Agassiz Drive In. Contact John @ (204) 476-2739 or (204) 476-6167.
July 24
Lions Club of East St. Paul 12th Annual Show & Shine at the East St. Paul Community Centre, 266 Hoddinott Road, East St. Paul, MB. Our major sponsor, Nott Autocorp (2nd year) will be featuring their popular Import Tuner Show inside the arena. All antique, classic, high-performance and special-interest vehicles are welcome. Entry fee of $10 per show car includes lunch for two. Free admission to spectators. Breakfat 7-11 a.m. All proceeds to various charities sponsored by the Lions Club of East St. Paul. Contact Richard Chornick, Show Director at 795-8604 or rdchornick@shaw.ca
July 24
Legends Car Club Annual "Show in the Park" at the Altona Centennial Park. A great car show with plenty of trophies and door prizes. Open to all special-interest vehicles and vintage snow machines. Free registration 9-noon; show noon-4 p.m. Info: call (204) 324-9923 or email legendscarclub@mymts.net
July 24
Cruise Night at the Pony Corral Restaurant and Bar, 400 Wilton at Grant Ave. 4 - 10 p.m. All antique, classics and special-interest vehicles are welcome. Hosted by …
Feel-good car show of the year
'Bentley tourists' join enthusiasts at first-ever Collector Car Appreciation Day
There's no denying that Winnipeg has hosted some amazing car shows over the years.
Still, if you're a veteran automobile buff, you may sometimes feel as if you've been there, done that and have the T-shirt to prove it. We may be the cruising capital of Canada, but the reality is we haven't had a fresh venue to showcase our automotive passions for a number of years.
That's what made the city's first-ever Collector Car Appreciation Day so special.
The event, masterfully organized by the Manitoba Association of Auto Clubs (MAAC), was held last Friday at the Manitoba Legislative Grounds, Memorial Park and a short stretch of Broadway Avenue. In case you missed it, more than 300 local cruisers and hundreds of spectators showed up for this festive event that paid tribute to our city's long-standing love affair with classic and special-interest vehicles.
While the vast majority of vehicles on display have been seen around town in the past, it was the amazing location that really made this event special. The sun was shining, the Golden Boy was watching over us, and we were surrounded by beautifully manicured lush green grass and a sea of flowers in full bloom.
I really can't imagine a more picturesque location to host a car show, and for a few magical hours it actually felt like I was a tourist in my own hometown.
For me, the most interesting proof of this event's success -- and the true 'community' nature of our hobby -- came from a pair of travellers …
Cruiser of the week: July15-11
Wayne and Barb Lambert are the proud owners of this spectacular 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Seville. The car is one of only 975 produced and has been restored to better-than-new condition. Highlights include a freshly painted body, a new leather interior and a rebuilt 390-cubic-inch engine.
New-school touches include an air-ride suspension with the controls hidden in the ashtray and a modern audio system tucked in the glove box.
Lambert, who is retired from the automobile towing and parts business, purchased the car 10 years ago in Indiana and drove it home.
He was originally just going to spruce the car up a little but, five years and countless hours and dollars later, the end result is one of the province's nicest custom cruisers.
-- Paul 'Willy' …
Cruising Calendar: July 15-11
July 16
Lily Pad Cruisers 10th Annual Show & Shine. All antique, classic and special-interest vehicles are welcome. Located on Hwy. 9 & Netley Creek at the Mallard Park in Petersfield. Show hours are 11 a.m.-3 p.m. with registration at 9 a.m. BBQ pork on a bun and refreshments are available. Registration fee is a tin for the bin for the local food bank. 50/50 draw and silent auction will be held. The first 75 cars will receive a dash plaque. All proceeds go to local charities. For more info, call Marcel @ 738-2488 or 485-6899 or email mlem@mymts.net.
July 17
All British Car Show
The Forks. Noon to 4 p.m. Enter at Children's Museum. Contact Geordie Despins at 947-9252.
July 17
Manitoba Mustang and Ford Association presents the 17th annual "Henry Ford Birthday Car Show" Show N' Shine sponsored by Wilf's Elie Ford. 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. at Kildonan Place Shopping Centre parking lot. Open to all makes of cars and trucks. Registration 9 a.m.- 1 p.m. Vehicle awards and silent auction. $5 entry fee for show vehicles. Free spectator admission, with net proceeds to The Movement Centre. For information and updates call (204) 981-PONY(7669) or visit www.manitobamustang.com. Rain date: Sun. Sept 18.
July 17
Cruise Night at the Pony Corral Restaurant and Bar, 400 Wilton at Grant Ave. 4 - 10 p.m. All antique, classics and specialinterest vehicles are welcome.
July 17
Cruisin' the Peg at Tavern United, 826 Regent Ave. W., 6 - 10 p.m. All classics, antiques, muscle, sports, specialty vehicles and motorcycles are welcome.
July 19
NACAT …
The triumph of Evel
Sure, we love the show -- but we do it for you
âEvelâ Dave Radey, above right, with his friend Virginia on Canada Day. Radey builds custom machines because he enjoys the reaction they receive.
Sometimes they cuss a little too much, their jokes are a bit crude and their hands are usually greasy, but my friends are always full of surprises.
That was certainly the case with my buddy "Evel" Dave Radey last weekend.
If you're part of the local car or motorcycle scene you've probably seen him out there -- he's typically either roaring around dressed like Evel Knievel on his Harley-Davidson motorcycle or tooting the horn in his Dodge Charger, which is painted up to replicate the General Lee -- but take my word for it, the only thing evil about 'Evel' Dave is his machines.
A few years back a young lady named Virginia struck up a conversation with Radey at a car show and they became fast friends. Virginia has special needs and I was totally impressed with how much time he had for her, patiently answering all her questions, allowing her to sit in the car and toot the horn, and just generally being a really nice guy. The pair became unlikely pals and ever since that first meeting, it's common to see Virginia hop off a transit bus at one of the many events we attend each summer and set up beside Radey's car.
On Canada Day their friendship blossomed. Radey and his lady, Barb Miller, picked up Virginia at her inner-city apartment in the General Lee and took her to the Manitoba Mopar Association's annual Canada Day car show at Kildonan Park. I showed up a bit late, as usual, and …
Cruiser of the week: Bob Chubala
Bob Chubala is the quintessential Manitoba car guy.
In addition to owning what is surely the sweetest 1968 Chevrolet Caprice Estate Wagon on planet Earth, Chubala is also the chairman of the Manitoba Association of Auto Clubs, the chairman of the annual Piston Ring World of Wheels car show, and a sales manager at Ledingham G.M. in Steinbach.
When Chubala isn't moving metal in the Automobile City, he's working feverishly to help keep the wheels turning in our car-crazy town.
Recently, Chubala has been burning the midnight oil organizing and promoting Winnipeg's first-ever Collector Car Appreciation Day, being held this evening at the Manitoba Legislature grounds (see Classic Cruising).
Chubala is quick to point out that this is a MAAC event and not about him, (he'll probably kill me for making him the cruiser of the week). But this man has literally put his heart and soul into this event, and he deserves recognition.
MAAC represents more than 70 organized car clubs and an estimated 25,000 Manitobans. So, if you're part of our local auto scene you owe it to MAAC, Bob Chubala and yourself to head downtown tonight and celebrate the best our amazing hobby has to offer.
-Paul 'Willy' …
Cruising Calendar: July 8-11
July 10
Brandon & Area Car Enthusiasts (B.A.C.E.) present their 13th Annual Assiniboine Valley Run. Open to all vehicles. No charge. Free registration with dash plaques for the first 125 vehicles registered. 8:30-10 a.m.: free pancake breakfast. 10-noon: poker run with prizes. Free lunch for poker-run participants supplied by A&W. 1-5 p.m.: Show & Shine. Riverbank Discovery Centre, 545 Conservation Drive (directly south of the Coral Centre and Home Depot, just east of 18th Street N.). For more info, contact Dwayne Wells at (204) 726-9131 or bace.ca@gmail.com or visit us online at www.bace.ca
July 10
Yellowhead Road Runners Auto Club Cruise Night
Come join us Sunday evening, July 10, at the Agassiz Drive Inn, Neepawa, from 7 to 10 p.m. Contact John at (204) 476-2739 or (204) 476-6167.
July 10
Gimli Car Club is proud to present Cruisin Gimli Beach #9. Registration is 9-11 a.m. at Matlock Recreation Centre in Matlock, MB. Pancake breakfast, poker derby. Beautiful 25-km cruise along the Lake Winnipeg beaches to downtown Gimli. Show & Shine, live entertainment, contests. Registration $10 and poker derby $5/hand. For more info contact Bob Forzly at (204) 642-9481 or John Hykawy at (204) 642-2554 or jtcb@mts.net
July 10
Cruise Night at the Pony Corral Restaurant and Bar, 400 Wilton @ Grant Ave. 4-10 p.m. All antique, classics and special-interest vehicles are welcome.
July 10
Cruisin' the Peg
Tavern United, 826 Regent Ave. W. 6-10 p.m. All classics, antiques, muscle, sports, specialty vehicles and motorcycles are welcome.
July 10
Wheels Car Club Annual Show & Shine sponsored by Syl's Drive Inn, Hwy. 3, …
Challenging restoration
Local firefighter offers cautionary fixer-upper tale
Chris Payne in his restored 1970 Dodge Challenger.
Restoring a classic car is never an easy task, but the challenges Chris Payne faced restoring his 1970 Dodge Challenger is the stuff of horror movies.
Payne, 47, and a 27-year veteran Winnipeg firefighter, bought his Challenger online out of South Dakota in 2005. It was in decent shape, with a running 318-cubic-inch engine under the hood. He figured all it needed was some minor rust repair and a good cleaning.
Six years and almost $50,000 later, the car is finally on the road.
The nightmare began when Payne took the car to a local body shop to get the rust repairs done.
"The guy told me he could refinish the body in his spare time over a year and that it would cost $9,000," Payne said. Three years later the car still wasn't completed and the bill had racked up to more than $28,000.
"I just gave my head a shake, said to him 'you're not the guy I thought you were', paid the bill and got the car out of there."
Now, before you go on about how things like this could never happen to an experienced car guy, it's important to note that Payne is no automotive neophyte. He was bitten by the car bug as a kid riding around in the rumble seat of his father Tom's 1931 Chevrolet. He also took an automotive mechanics course in high school. His rolling resume has included former beauties like a 1968 Chevrolet Camaro RS SS convertible and a stable of cool old trucks.
The moral …
Cruiser of the Week:: June 30-11
Jon Melville and his 84-year-old mother Betty with Jonâs 1980 Chevrolet Malibu sedan.
Mother's Worry
Rain or shine, every Sunday at the Grant Park Pony Corral you can find Jon Melville and his 84-year-old mother, Betty, with Jon's cool 1980 Chevrolet Malibu sedan.
Jon purchased the car from a friend two years ago for the tidy sum of $900 and, after adding mag wheels, new tires and a mechanical overhaul that included new brakes, suspension parts and a tune-up, Jon estimates he has less that $2,000 invested in his Sunday-night cruiser.
Under the hood, the Malibu features a 267-cubic-inch Chevrolet V8 engine. Every Sunday Jon talks hot rods with his many friends in the hobby while Betty sits in the car -- either people-watching or doing the occasional word-find puzzle.
Just to give you an indication of how confident Melville is with the reliability of his 31-year-old Chevy, he and Betty will be taking a major road trip in the car next week to visit friends and family in Oshawa, Ont.
Melville, who previously owned a 1969 Ford Torino, is a fan of all makes and models of cars, as long as they are old. He's also known for his collection of vintage hot-rod t-shirts -- last Sunday he was sporting an Ed "Big Daddy" Roth monster shirt that read "Mother's Worry",
But no worries. According to Betty, he's a good …
Cruising Calendar: June 30-11
July 1
Mr. Electric annual Canada Day car show. Red River College parking lot off Route 90. All vehicle makes and models welcome, special prizes for Rat Rods and Bikes. Live Rockabilly music, plus face painters, jugglers and a balloon artist for the kids. Registration 10 a.m. to noon, show noon to 4 p.m. Event fee: $10 per vehicle, All proceeds to Ronald McDonald House. $1000 price for People Choice award, Door prizes, draws, etc. Contact info: 470-5628 or 831-5176
July 1
Canada Day Car Show at The Mint, corner of Lagimodiere Blvd. & Hwy. 1, To promote the sport of drag racing in Manitoba, featuring vehicles belonging to members of The Drag Racer's Association of Manitoba.
July 3
Cruise Night at the Pony Corral Restaurant and Bar
400 Wilton @ Grant Ave. 4 to 10 p.m.. All antique, classics and special-interest vehicles are welcome.
July 3
Cruisin' the Peg
Winnipeg's Sunday night cruise destination. Tavern United, 826 Regent Ave. W., 6-10 p.m.. All classics, antiques, muscle, sports, specialty vehicles and motorcycles are welcome. Great rides, great friends and safe cruising.
July 6
Lakeview Resorts "Wednesday Night Cruisers Night"
Every Wednesday to Sept. 7 from 7-10 p.m. All special-interest vehicles welcome and anyone wishing to spend the night will receive special cruiser rates. Lakeview Resort is located Center St. & Lakefront in Gimli, MB. For reservations call (204) 642-8565 and mention that you are a Cruiser.
July 6
Fabulous 50's Ford Club of Manitoba - A&W CRUISE NIGHT,
1875 Pembina Highway, 6-9 p.m. Cruise on out and enjoy tasty burgers, fries, and a root beer. …