BOARDMAN With Beach Boy car, he'll have fun, fun, fun

The RT Challenger was on display Friday.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
BOARDMAN -- A quick flip through an auto sales and trading magazine landed a local man a five-day getaway and the car of his dreams, which just happens to have belonged to a member of the Beach Boys.
Frank Fordeley, owner of Fordeley's Music Store in Champion, said he was flipping through the magazine one afternoon and came across a sales ad for a 1970 Dodge RT Challenger. The orange classic with black trim and all black interior had it all.
"I called about it and asked some questions but the guy on the phone was real evasive and didn't really answer any questions," said Fordeley. "Finally, I said look, I am in Ohio; I own a music store and I'm a serious buyer."
The guy on the phone turned out to be the manager of former Beach Boy Al Jardine, and Fordeley's musical interest and love for the popular '60s band turned out to be the glue that would seal the deal on the car.
Went to Florida: A few days later, Fordeley was on a plane headed for Florida to pick up his dream car and hang out with the former Beach Boy. He spent several days in Florida with Jardine and his manager.
"They were real, very nice and treated me like I was somebody," he said of the experience.
Fordeley said he has always wanted a car similar to the RT Challenger and has always been a huge fan of the Beach Boys, so the fact that the car belonged to Jardine was added incentive to buy it.
"I am honored, I am truly honored to have his car," said Fordeley. "When I got back, everybody heard that I had bought the Beach Boy's car and everybody was all excited about it, so A & amp;W Rootbeer called and asked me to show it in their parking lot Friday night."
On display: Show the car is exactly what Fordeley did. The restaurant's marquee announced that the "Beach Boy Car" would be on display Friday, and Rick Thompson, A & amp;W owner, gave the car the premiere spot on the lot with a banner signed by all original members of the Beach Boys hanging above the car.
Fordeley strategically placed pictures of Jardine taken in Florida throughout the car, including in the trunk beneath the spot where Jardine autographed the vehicle. The pictures were constantly being moved as Fordeley made his way through dozens of Beach Boy fans and car buffs, explaining what was happening when each picture was taken.
Since returning from Florida, Fordeley has not driven the car -- it was taken to A & amp;W on a flatbed truck, the same way it got to Ohio from Florida.
He said he wants the vehicle to be perfect and has spent virtually every spare moment sprucing up some aspect of the car's appearance or performance.
When it is all said and done and every detail of the car's appearance is in tact, Fordeley is hoping to book the car for shows where people can pay a small fee to have their picture taken in the car. Fordeley, who has dealt with cancer in his family, said all proceeds from such shows would go to charity.