Rick Slaton from the Big D Club in Dallas told us this rust to riches story that may serve us all as a reminder to beware and to be persistent. Ricks car is featured in our 2021 calendar
It came home, went to the first restorer. Came home years later looking like this:
then it went to the second restorer and came home for good.
Here is his story.
BABY, OH BABY BIRD
Our Baby Bird story began in Dallas, Texas at 12:33 PM on October 8, 2011. That’s when the gavel struck and the auctioneer shouted sold! SOLD!! SOLD!!! Little did we know that what was one of the most exuberant, and in hindsight impetuous, moments in our 42 year marriage (now 51 + years) would soon turn into the quintessential restoration nightmare lasting 9 years. Before I move on, let me say for the benefit of those who haven’t yet had the antique and classic auto auction experience, auction venues are definitely BUYER BEWARE! Many six figure cars were sold at this auction, but even with that kind of apparent credibility we found that the advertised description of the car we bought was as much fiction as fact.
Here is where I confess my naiveté. I assumed that a Baby Bird restoration would be no more involved than any other 50’s/60’s era car. After all, just looking at one, it was not at all intimidating. After the auction, I drove it the two hour trip home. That was the only time it was driven for the nine years we have owned it until it was recently test driven by the restorer and me. The day after bringing it home I had the car to a point that I could pretty much see where all the sheet metal issues were. I didn’t even take the time to give my wife a ride or give her a chance to drive it before rendering it not drivable. And yes, I’m still suffering from having made those consecutive very bad decisions.
Soon after stripping the car I took it to an area shop recommended by some of our local car club members. What happened next should have been a red flag. I asked the shop owner if he had ever worked on a Baby Bird. He said: No, but it’s just a car. Seven years later I pulled the car after countless broken promises, missed deadlines, three shop ownership changes and two shop location changes.
It’s at this time my wife said: I have come to the conclusion that the only possibility that I see of me ever getting to ride in my car (we did buy it for her) is if after I die, you have me cremated. That way, if you ever get it back, you can take my ashes for a ride. I thought about laughing, but decided it would be against my best interest on several levels to show that I found any humor in her statement. I’m not just reasonably sure, I’m absolutely positive that any expression of humor on my part at that time would have been added to the previous very bad decisions regarding her car that I admitted to earlier.
Finally, the car had come back home. It may not be possible to appreciate just how little had been accomplished on the car over 7 years without seeing photos. Shortly after retrieving the car I discovered Ray Dellumo courtesy of an article in CTCI’s Jan/Feb 2019 edition of The Early Bird. I attribute it to providential intervention. I made contact and he agreed to take a look at our car. I took it to his shop and thankfully he took on the project. This is where I get to testify that waiting while seeing progress is a different animal than waiting without seeing progress.
Soon after stripping the car I took it to an area shop recommended by some of our local car club members. What happened next should have been a red flag. I asked the shop owner if he had ever worked on a Baby Bird. He said: No, but it’s just a car. Seven years later I pulled the car after countless broken promises, missed deadlines, three shop ownership changes and two shop location changes.
It’s at this time my wife said: I have come to the conclusion that the only possibility that I see of me ever getting to ride in my car (we did buy it for her) is if after I die, you have me cremated. That way, if you ever get it back, you can take my ashes for a ride. I thought about laughing, but decided it would be against my best interest on several levels to show that I found any humor in her statement. I’m not just reasonably sure, I’m absolutely positive that any expression of humor on my part at that time would have been added to the previous very bad decisions regarding her car that I admitted to earlier.
Finally, the car had come back home. It may not be possible to appreciate just how little had been accomplished on the car over 7 years without seeing photos. Shortly after retrieving the car I discovered Ray Dellumo courtesy of an article in CTCI’s Jan/Feb 2019 edition of The Early Bird. I attribute it to providential intervention. I made contact and he agreed to take a look at our car. I took it to his shop and thankfully he took on the project. This is where I get to testify that waiting while seeing progress is a different animal than waiting without seeing progress.
I can quip that the car was reborn in a hurricane, actually two hurricanes. It spent the passing of Laura and Delta in Ray’s shop in Lafayette, LA. That really puts the thunder in THUNDERBIRD. If things progress as planned, very soon my wife won’t have to worry about me driving her ashes around in her beautiful ’57 Baby Bird. She and her 92 year old mom will have their long awaited Thelma and Louise moments. On the other hand, if things don’t go as planned I am very concerned that it will be my ashes that will be getting a ride. It has been humbling and thrilling for us to have our car and our story mentioned in the Bird Thunder newsletter and thanks to our connection with Big D Little Birds it has been presented by Guy Cummins for consideration for the 2021 Bay Area Thunderbird Owners (BATOC) calendar. After all this time that’s a pretty good start to the next chapter of our story.
Rick Slaton
