File Name:

The Tale Of Gerry’s 1959 Ford Convertible

There comes a time when a car buff makes a decision on wanting to collect and drive a collector or classic car for many reasons. Most of us develop a passion for a certain make or model of car that has a story or a nostalgic relation to why we pick that certain model or make of vehicle. For me, the 1959 Ford Convertible brought back many memories of a great teenage summer with a friend. This friend had a generous father who made sure his only son would never be without what he wanted. It so happened that my friend had a yearning for a convertible and the father was a die-hard Ford man. Thus a two-tone blue and white 1959 Ford Galaxie Fairlane 500 became the envy of many local teenagers. Not only was this a gorgeous hunk of metal and chrome but the girls all wanted to ride in this car. Thus the summer of ’65 was spent cruising in the ’59 on weekends and certain mid week evenings. The favourite cruising spot was none other than Waskesiu where women were a plenty to almost having to beat them off with a stick. Of course, the car did help attract some of these fair damsels. It was a summer I never forgot
and neither did my parents from the stories that seemed to surface some years later.

The attraction of the ’59 styling and what that car did for our ego was an everlasting impression. Unfortunately, it wasn’t till after I got married that I was able to fulfill a long time dream of owning a ’59 Ford convertible. The days of trapping women with the car were over but I still figured we could do some booze cruising with it. At the time I was sculling Hemmings looking for a retractable convertible in the U.S. when I discovered an ad for a ’59 Ford soft-top convertible in Winnipeg. It was a 37.000 original miler with power steering and brakes but needed a full restoration. Winnipeg was a lot closer than Cincinnati, Ohio and what the hell – a soft-top was not as complicated as a retractable. I made a quick trip to Winnipeg with a tow bar on hand and my brother-in-law as a cohort and companion for the trip. Once in Winnipeg, I found the character that was selling the car to be just that – quite a character but a gem of an honest person. The car was complete except for a roof, which had some tattered remains of a black top remaining on the bows. The car had not been running for 7 years but fired up with some new gas in the throat of a 2-barrel on a 332 V-8. The car cruised on the Winnipeg freeway very well but needed some brake work as one line had burst from rust. Once repaired, the purchase was made and a truckload of replacement parts was provided for most of the restoration.

This was an original Winnipeg car that had seen four owners prior to my purchasing the car. It had been vandalized by a jealous fiancé of a sweet university student and then parked to let rust play havoc with the body. It was drivable which is what we did for our trip home. We were in a hurry to get back as Joyce was soon to deliver our youngest daughter but had been given instructions by me to wait until I got back with my prize. It just seemed appropriate at the time to get the car first and worry about the baby later. My prize did not meet the fancy of my family as they called it a piece of junk and a waste of money. I guess that’s what happens when you have other pressing issues and no vision of a restored product.

The restoration began at a friend’s farm in Harris where I was teaching at the time. It was a major teardown and a lot of surprises as there was more rust than first thought. We moved from Harris after that summer but not too far away that I could slip down for a weekend and get some work done on the car. A little at a time, as a little money could be spared for some parts. Many visits to wrecking yards and farmyards became the norm, as some parts were scarce to find. We made another move to Unity where the distance became a major factor and weekends the only possibility to work on the car. The restoration became more intense as we took body off frame and began to replace rusted metal with new. All rust removed, we began to rebuild the classic to original with the exception of the motor. It was determined that the original spark plugs were still in the engine. To this day, I have never taken a wrench to the engine except to replace a water pump.
The restoration took 5 years to complete but all the family did agree that the end product was worth the effort and time. The original white car was now a two-tone red and white with the original interior intact. The car has provided us with many happy trips and car shows. It has ventured into the Okanagan twice and into Alberta and British Columbia at least four times. It has not been back East to Winnipeg since I bought it but hopefully we will do that tip before she leaves our family. The car has been a part of our lives for the last 20 years and my daughter, who was born a week after the car was brought home, refuses to have her dad sell it. Change is inevitable and a Mustang is still my passion, which may come when the ’59 departs. It will be a sad day when the ’59 no longer occupies three quarters of my garage.