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Classic car buffs show off their rides at Pine Lake cruise
By Sean Barron
columbiana
Tom and Pattie Welsh may have to spend part of their Fourth of July weekend clearing a little extra wall space in their New Middletown home.
“Or I might put it back in the box,” Tom said with laughter, referring to a plaque the couple won for their vintage 1966 Mustang GT Convertible, which was ranked “First in Show.”
Tom and Pattie’s amber-glow brown vehicle was one of the attractions of Sunday afternoon’s Car Cruise at The Vineyards at Pine Lake, 14101 Market St.
Among the custom and vintage cars and trucks at the two-hour event was a deep-blue 1937 full-sized and restored Ford, as well as many others of all sizes, some of which dated to the 1930s.
Tom Welsh recalled having bought his convertible in 1985, after which he made a variety of restorations to the car that included rebuilding the engine compartment. The four-speed vehicle has about 75,000 miles, sports a 289-V8 engine and has sets of pony logos on the front and back seats.
“I go to a lot of car cruises,” Tom said, adding he also enjoyed showing his car during the 1980s.
It’s difficult not to feel a longtime popular band’s influence on Steve Garasic’s vintage vehicle.
“This is the car the Beach Boys wrote the song [“409”] about,” the Columbiana man said, referring to his sporty black 1962 Chevrolet Impala with a 409-cubic-centimeter engine. “I bought the car from a friend of mine 30-some years ago.”
If anyone doubted the 72-year-old Garasic’s love for the legendary 1960s rock ‘n’ roll band, all one has to do is open the hood, under which is the line “She’s real fine my 409” from the famous 1962 hit song.
His Impala, which has more than 100,000 miles, features a four-speed manual transmission and the 409-V8 engine, which is quite rare. In 1962, about 1.5 million full-sized Chevrolet Impalas were manufactured; of those, only about 14,000 had such an engine, Garasic noted.
In addition, he spends considerable time waxing and maintaining the four-seat, red-interior car, which he often takes to car shows and cruises, said Garasic, who also owns a 1968 El Camino and a 1978 CJ-7 Jeep with a 401cc engine.
Another rarity was Don Stratton’s 1952 Chevrolet Suburban truck, which he rebuilt over several years after having made the purchase in the late 1990s.
“It looked like a basket case when I bought it,” the Beloit man recalled, adding that a friend painted the car. “I put in all modern running gears, brakes and suspension under it.”
The compact truck, with a paltry 5,000 miles on the odometer, has a fuel-injected 350cc engine, air conditioning, custom leather seats and a custom design on the roof’s interior that resembles large flames.
The cruise also gave many car enthusiasts an opportunity to share the features of their vehicles with one another and for participants to enjoy ideal weather.