Bob Stephens had something to prove in his hometown of Aldergrove Saturday, during the 2017 edition of the Good Times Cruise-In car show in Langley on Sept. 9.
Stephens parked his bright yellow 1950 Chevy Coupe along 272 Street in front of the former Aldergrove mall, as the enormous charity show-and-shine moved to Aldergrove for the first time in its existence.
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The Coupe鈥檚 hood was flipped up and sitting on the engine was a sign that read: 鈥淚 want to prove you can build a car for less than $5,000. Cost was $4,995 total.鈥�
When Stephens came across the car in Gibbons, Alta., it was in rough shape. The motor had seized and 鈥渆verything was rotted,鈥� Stephens said.
This wasn鈥檛 a case of a car needing simple restoration; more like it needed resuscitation, then resurrection.
鈥淚 picked it up for $500, brought it back from Gibbons, and I put about a year鈥檚 work into it,鈥� Stephens said during a rainy Cruise-In day.
He rebuilt the car鈥檚 floor and its trunk, and he sourced some of the other key parts from an RCMP cruiser.
鈥淭he radiator is out of a cop car re-wrecked, the antenna is out of a cop car, (and) the fuel tank is 50 gallons and that鈥檚 out of a cop car,鈥� Stephens said.
He noted that the main expense in fixing the car was $1,500 worth of upholstery.
The car鈥檚 sun visor was 鈥渉ard to come by,鈥� Stephens shared, noting that set him back $325.
A friend donated the car鈥檚 wheels to Stephens for free.
The stunning paint job is TREMCLAD mixed with lacquer thinners and automotive hardeners.
All the work was done 12 years ago, in 2005, Stephens said.
