text: Restoring Grandpa's 1955 Chevy
  Powered by Restoring Grandpa's 1955 Chevy When the old Bel Air rolled into a family reunion, it brought with it a carload of memories By Alyn Edwards, Postmedia News
  The dusk rose and India ivory paint was the final touch in a better-than-new complete overhaul of the 1955 Chevrolet.Saskatchewan farmer Carl Bindert was 51 years old when he purchased his first new car, a 1955 Chevrolet.He bought it from Hertz Chevrolet in the town of Southey, 55 kilometres north of Regina. Grandson Murray Iseli doesn't know how it came to pass that Carl, a grain farmer and father of six, ended up with a six-cylinder Bel Air sedan with nothing special about it except for the colour. The Chevrolet division of General Motors had completely redesigned its models for that pivotal year and dressed them in bright colours with such flowery names as autumn bronze, gypsy red, copper maroon, cashmere blue and coral. The colour combination of dusk rose and India ivory chosen by Carl really set this otherwise "plain Jane" car off.Carl sold the farm in 1957 and moved to Vancouver with his 1955 Chevy. He seldom used his sedan in the city as he walked to his church custodian job. So the car spent most of its time in the garage. Murray Iseli had loved that old Chevy since he was a little boy."Grandpa, can we go in the garage and see the car," he would ask every time he visited his grandparents' home in Vancouver. "I would always polish the car at family gatherings," he recalls.In 1981, Carl gave the car to his son, Gerald Bindert worked as a First Aid attendant in logging camps. Gerald took the Chevrolet with him to remote parts of Vancouver Island and the Queen Charlotte Islands.Murray and Audrey Iseli operate Lordship Marine, a Vancouver OMC outboard motor repair company. One day, Murray was talking to 'Uncle' Gerald about his outboard motor and he mentioned that he might sell his old car. Murray jumped at the chance and bought the car in 1991 for $2,000.He drove the Chevy for nine years and the car ran perfectly until fender rust over the headlights and around the rear wheel wells caused him to park it in September of 2000. It may have continued to rust in the carport except for the chance drive-by of an old friend in a very beautiful old car.Longtime bodyman and car restorer Mike Foster used to live behind Murray and Audrey in Richmond, and was out for a drive in his newly restored Triumph TR6 sports car when he spotted Murray in the driveway. The subject turned to the old Chevy in the carport, which subsequently led to the decision to restore the car."I only agreed to restore the car if we left it one hundred per cent original," Foster says. Murray had no idea what the restoration would entail. The old sedan was completely disassembled and the frame was restored separately from the body. The body of the car was put on a giant rotisserie, which allowed bodywork inside, outside and even underneath the car. Murray rebuilt the mechanical components and reassembled the restored frame with all new suspension parts, while Foster proceeded with the bodywork. The two friends did everything themselves except the interior headliner upholstery and installation of the glass. "Even that I had to do over because I wasn't satisfied with the quality of the work," Foster says. Last summer, the push was on to complete the restoration in time for a large family reunion in the fall. The pair got it done in time, and the results are nothing short of spectacular.The dusk rose and India ivory paint glows in any light. Carl's children, including Murray's mother Lorna, were overwhelmed to see the car they rode in so long ago restored to better-than-new condition. Everything had been rebuilt or replaced with the exception of the original seat covers, which also brought back a carload of memories. Carl's children sat on these seats when the car was new.The car turned out to be the focal point of the reunion, which saw relatives from nine years old to 90 in attendance. But most of all, Murray has honoured the memory of his grandfather, who bought a car that was special to him and has been passed down through three generations of the same family."It's been a part of my life since my earliest days," the proud grandson says. "It will stay in the family for a long time."Alyn Edwards is a classic car enthusiast and partner in Peak Communicators, a Vancouver-based public relations company. Contact him at aedwards@peakco.com© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun E-mail this ArticlePrint this ArticleShare this Article More on This Story Gallery: 1958 Oldsmobile 88 Fiesta station wagonGallery: Trucks of The Teamsters Freight Transportation MuseumGallery: Triumph TR6Search for vehicles in our USED listingsClassic-car sales are on the riseRare Oldsmobiles, for him and herCheap car parts hard to findTriumph TR6: multi-generation joyTrading bad habit for fulfilling hobbyFor the non-discerning online buyer Story Tools E-mail this ArticlePrint this Article Font:***** Image:****
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