Everything Old Is New Again

Restoring this antique touring Sedan took a lot of time and energy but was well worth the effort!

- Joyce Stolte

When my husband Arend retired in 2005 after a 40-year teaching career, he wanted to do something completely different during his retirement years. He decided to restore antique cars, the older the better, and learn to do every aspect of the restoration process himself.

To that end, he joined the Edmonton Antique Car Club and purchased two old cars from a fellow club member, a 1930 Essex Challenger sedan that was mostly complete and a 1926 Chevrolet Superior Touring Sedan, a basket case that literally came in boxes.

After finishing the restoration of the Essex, he started restoring the 1926 Chevy. Arend made new hickory spokes and restored the wooden artillery wheels which were in very poor condition. The car came with a 1928 motor which was seized and the block was cracked. He disassembled the motor, freed the pistons, “pinned” the crack in the block, put in new rings and one new piston and eventually had the engine running as it should.