When Jim Boomer’s Oldsmobile Club Coupe rolled off an assembly line, the Second World War hadn’t started and Canada was still shaking off the Great Depression.
Boomer’s 1938 coupe was one of dozens of vehicles that rolled into the Rock’n August Car Roadeo at the A&W on Hebert Road Wednesday night.
Classic cars filled the parking. Boomer’s was not the oldest, but virtually every detail in the vehicle is the same as it was when it was brand new.
The coupe is now in its third year at Rock’n August, where it has won its category for the last two years.
Restoring the vehicle took Boomer 25 years. A retired machinist and St. Albert native, Boomer worked on the vehicle on and off, trying to replace parts that were no longer made and rebuilding what could not be replaced.
“Most of it is original, but it has been completely redone. Everything was taken apart right down to the last nut and bolt,” he said.
The last big piece of the puzzle was the car’s radio, which uses tubes instead of transistors. It had to be completely rebuilt when Boomer finally tracked it down.
He said the Oldsmobile brand also made it more challenging because there aren’t many parts to find.
“If it was a Ford I could buy all of this stuff, but that was one of the reasons I bought it.”
The car’s age is also a big part of the challenge. To access the engine the hood opens from two doors on the side, not from the front of the vehicle like a modern car.
“Once you get into the 1940s there is a one-piece hood and then they flattened everything out and made them wider.”
The challenge of rebuilding, replacing and restoring the coupe is all part of the experience for Boomer, who has also restored a 1954 Ford.
“It is nice to get something off the field that should be buried or put into a scrap yard and restore it and then you get behind it and turn the key and drive it down the road again.”
The car’s chrome front grill was one of the most time-consuming projects for Boomer, taking up 150 hours of his time. He had to use special solder to fill in gaps on the grill and then chrome plated it.
Boomer said the cost of restoring the vehicle is more than he can really even measure.
“I know how much I put into it — parts and outsourcing and upholstery and things, but if I was then to put in my time and the hours I spent, I can’t afford it.”
Rock’n August continues today with the annual show and shine competition from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Lions Park, followed by a dinner and dance at the Kinsmen Banquet Centre.
