Home / Scene / Antique car enthusiasts unite
By Nadia Hill/Staff Writer
Spotted with oil and grease, Walt Brazil beams while flipping through pictures of his restored 1955 Chevrolet as he explains how it took 10 years, thousands of dollars and community support to transform this piece of history.
Several social clubs, mechanic shops and car lots dedicated solely to the restoration and sale of classic cars have made Denton a hub for pre-1970s automobiles. A portion of the car craze is in part to Peterbilt Motors Company, an American truck manufacturer that was founded in 1939 and opened a manufacturing facility in 1980 in Denton.
Photo by Patrick Howard / Staff - CTC?s Auto Ranch, located at 3077 Memory Ln., opened in 1985. ?People buy what they had in their high school days and are trying to fix them up,? said Allen Williamson, one of the owners. ?They?re just people who like cars from an era when you could actually work on them and didn?t need a computer to do it.?
?Cars today don?t have any character,? Brazil said. ?I just like the old ones and fix them so they can drive.?
Brazil?s 37-year endeavor, Walt?s Garage, is a red brick warehouse packed with scrap metal, tires, cars and everything else he refused to throw away.
He said he moved to Denton as a general mechanic, but as longtime residents and their cars aged, he found a specialty and passion later in his career.
Since 1985, CTC Auto Ranch has sold cars and their parts from the ranch?s sprawling lot of mid-1940s to 1970s classics. Currently, there are more than 3,000 cars on their land, some sold as an entire car, others just used for their parts.
?People buy what they had in their high school days and are trying to fix them up,? manager Allen Williamson said. ?They?re just people who like cars from an era when you could actually work on them and didn?t need a computer to do it.?
The Early Automotive Club of Denton, founded in the 1960s, brings together classic car owners and admirers in a low-key social context.
Member John Fred Duncan said he?s only missed one meeting in the past 30 years, taking part in monthly hangouts at restaurants and fellow members? homes.
?We have some who just like cars and don?t own one,? he said. ?There are people from all walks of life with varied interests. And it keeps us out of the bars.?
Throughout the years, the club has maintained about 50 members. The group likes to caravan in their restored cars to Winnsboro, Texas, for annual car shows. Local gigs include an antique car show in the Square one weekend in October.
Whether on display, in showrooms or rusting in fields, classic cars and their caretakers are nostalgic reminders of decades past.
?People with old cars are proud of ?em,? Brazil said. ?And this is something you have to want to do.?
Source: http://www.ntdaily.com/?p=63253
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