About the owner of Classic Car Parts Co.

Classic Car Parts Co.

Classic Car Parts Co

In 1975, I returned from an overseas assignment with a new bride. As with all newly weds, we did not have a lot of extra money plus we were traveling on Air Force pay. We needed a car because I did not ship one back from England. My Mother and Step Dad drove us to down town Fresno, Ca to look for a car. We went through a lot of used car lots that cold Sunday afternoon, until I found a 1970 El Camino. On Monday we went back and bought that El Camino. We were reassigned back to England a year later. We took that El Camino to England, I can still see my wife driving that Yank Tank around those narrow streets. Not one accident!

Ever try to find a timing gear? In England in the dead of winter the timing gear on the 350 stripped and bent one valve push rod. Finally found one after a week of phone calls and catalogs, no internet back then.

We brought that El Camino back to the states and drove it from New Orleans to Arizona via Alabama and Kentucky, pulling a motorcycle. By the time we arrived in Phoenix it needed a radiator and a carb over haul. The wife was a little tired of a pickup so we traded it for a ’81 Camaro; the El Camino had 131,000 miles and only needed two things to keep on running. I missed that El Camino. As my sons grew up we bought one and started restoring a 1970 with a 350. Then in 1993 some fool hit it head on where I parked it on the street in front of my house. Number two El Camino was totaled. When my youngest son started to drive he found a 1968 Pontiac La Mans, it was in fair shape, so we went to work restoring it. At almost the same time I found a 1971 El Camino, in fair shape also. So we had two cars that need parts. As my youngest grew out of “Muscle Cars” and into the big rigs the La Mans made way for a K 5 Blazer. The Blazer broke down one Friday afternoon and my son asked if he could drive my El Camino. Being at the stage of doing body work on it there were no head lights, tail lights or bumpers on it. We put the head and tail lights back on and he left for the evening.

“Please have my car home by 12!"

At 12:30 I get the phone call “Dad I am ok, but your car is totaled.” someone in a pickup ran a red light and totaled my El Camino, $11,000 invested and almost ready for a paint job. The car is still in my back yard waiting for me to get up the courage to ask the misses...............