Rebuilding vintage cars a passion for local retirees
BY DON RICKERS Special to the VOICE
Evert’s love of classic cars was jump-started by a friend at work, who proudly displayed a 1913 Cadillac, which he had converted into a flat-bed orchard truck. Evert was hooked.
After a lengthy search through trade magazines, a 1929 Model A Ford was located, which needed complete refurbishment. Evert enthusiastically purchased the vehicle, and set to work sandblasting the chassis.
The engine had seized, so he scrounged a used engine from Floyd Ebert, owner of his namesake, storied garage in downtown Fenwick. Referring to manuals he purchased through the mail, Evert got the motor running, and installed it himself in the Model A. Additional automotive hardware was purchased through a manufacturer for vintage car parts in Lockport, New York.
Next came the vehicle body, which was made primarily of wood from his son-in-law’s farm. Evert shaped and fabricated the wood himself.
The results are impressive. But performance enthusiasts need look elsewhere—the Model A’s 40-horsepower engine delivers a top speed shy of 100 km/hour.
The 1928 Chevy coupe originally came from Pennsylvania, and found its way eventually to Fenwick, though not before taking a ride on a hay wagon into New York. Evert is the tenth owner of the vehicle. Like the others, it had a wooden body that needed restoration. More wood from the farm, shaped by hand, did the trick.
Another 1928 model, this one a Ford Model A, was originally a four-door “leatherback” sedan, sourced in Oshawa, which Evert restored as a “Huckster” truck. All the wood to rebuild the body came from the farm. The plans he got from Hudson Wagon Works, in Iowa.
A 1932 Chrysler CI6 with a straight–six engine is arguably the crown jewel in Evert’s collection. It was purchased and brought to Ontario from Nova Scotia in 2001 by a longtime family friend. The car was stripped to the frame, sandblasted, and completely rebuilt. Evert bought the car in 2015 and did the final refinishing and assembly.
Evert and Nellie have exhibited their vintage automobiles in many car shows in Niagara, and as far away as Bothwell (near London). Nellie sits in the front seat when Evert is at the wheel.
Occasionally, Nellie drives the 1928 Ford when her husband is driving another vehicle in the collection.
“Evert is the master-mechanic and restoration guy,” said Nellie. “I just stand there and hand him tools, and hold stuff until the glue dries. And I’m the one who encourages him to enter the vintage auto shows.”
One project left to address is a 1968 BSA motorcycle, housed in the barn. Evert rides it around the farm on occasion, but he may never get around to restoring it. His latest passion is woodworking. He also needs to carve out time to take Nellie on long country drives. After 59 years of marriage, he figures she deserves the attention. ♦
