About this blog

"Relax, alright.  My old man is a television repair man.  He's got this ultimate set of tools.  I can fix it!"  -Jeff Spicole

I am set out to disprove the naysayers and show that a 35 year-old  boy man without the slightest bit of automotive knowledge can successfully restore a classic car.  With that said, let's be clear about what we are dealing with from a knowledge standpoint.  First and foremost, I have NEVER performed an ounce of maintenance on any car I have ever owned (unless you count filling the gas tank, in which case, I'm a seasoned vet).  Moreover, I have never helped anyone do any semblance of automotive work nor have I ever changed the oil in my own car.  In fact, my fund of knowledge about cars and trucks pretty much consists of the following:

• If you turn the key, the engine will generally start 
• If you step on the gas, the vehicle travels faster.  
• You stop the vehicle by stepping on the brake 
• If you don't take your car to jiffy lube every 3,000 miles your car will explode.  

Beyond these basic tenants, I'm clueless.  In fact, I'd venture to bet that a 12 year-old girl living in New York City probably knows more about cars than I.  But before you go hedging your bets on how long it is going to take me to wave the white flag, here are three important considerations:

1. Despite a marginal (and I'm being generous here) level of innate intelligence and being the slowest reader I know, I did manage to graduate from a top 20-ranked university with degrees in English Literature and Biology in 4 years. 
2. Three weeks before I was supposed to start medical school, I suffered a cervical spinal cord injury and was paralyzed from the neck down.  I was told I would be a quadriplegic for the rest of my life.  Despite this, I regained the ability to walk and went on to earn my M.D. degree by age 28.  Granted, I still have partially paralyzed hands and a bad limp, but I manage to do almost anything I want (except to quit drinking Coca-Cola and eating chocolate, for some reason I can't seem to kick those terrible habits...damn spinal cord injury).
3. I am fairly well versed in carpentry, tiling, power tool use and basic electronics...so I do possess at least a modicum of manual labor skills and know how.

With that said, it should be evident that when I set my mind to something, I usually accomplish it.  It should also be evident that I don't let things like "talent" or "qualifications" stop me from pursuing my dreams.  So don't count me out yet!

In all fairness, I should also disclose that I have a few neighbors with a TON of automotive knowledge who have sort of taken mercy on me me under their wing and will serve as my consultants along this journey.  Also, I will admit that I do plan to hire some components of the restoration out...most likely, rebuilding the engine, exterior paint, and interior upholstery.   Having practiced medicine for several years now, I have come to realize that some jobs are best left to specialists.  So with that mindset, I will set aside my hubris when the time comes and pony up the big bucks to make sure certain steps go right.

All disclaimers now aside, I invite you to join me on what I hope will be a tremendous learning experience and entertaining read.  I fully expect heart ache, laughter, and a boat load of curse words along the way and look forward to sharing all of it with you as it unfolds.  Thanks for reading.

-Jon Myers 

aka "Fry-Pan Jones"