Jenny King / Special to The Detroit News
Gary Koscielniak of Belleville, Mich., said he did most of the work on his 1953 Chevrolet four-door wagon, which was "all apart" when he bought it 12 years ago.
Ypsilanti gathering jump-starts the car show season
By Jenny King / Special to The Detroit News
YPSILANTI, Mich. -- The 30th annual Show & Shine gathering here the first weekend in May drew hundreds of cars and trucks, their owners anxious to soak up the mid-spring sunshine and a few compliments.
And visitors to the park beside the swiftly flowing Huron River were delighted to inspect hot rods and vintage everyday cars while absorbing a few rays themselves.
Tire-squealing Saturday night festivities included a flame-throwing contest. Things were more subdued on Sunday, with the competition limited to some story swapping among owners about updates and improvements on their toys.
Gary Koscielniak of Belleville, Mich., put a new roof rack on his 1953 Chevrolet four-door wagon and fastened a fiberglass surfboard to it. Painted a deep teal blue (a Pontiac color, he said) and decorated with a magenta stripe, the Chevy glowed.
"I've owned this car for 12 years and did most of the work myself," said Koscielniak, who is experienced in body and paint. "When I bought it, it was all apart. There were no windows or interior. I put in a 350 engine with small supercharger."
Koscielniak earlier had been chatting across the park with Gary Grant, owner of a silvery orange 1948 Plymouth.
Gary Grant of Livonia, Mich., poured his Las Vegas winnings into leather seats for the 1948 Plymouth rod he has owned for 12 years.
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Grant, of Livonia, Mich., said the Plymouth was already a street rod when he bought it over 10 years ago.
"When I won $7,000 in Vegas, I put in a Lincoln leather interior," he said.
The engine under the hood of the 1963 Plymouth Fury owned by Alan McClure of Ypsilanti, Mich., read "429." But McClure, who bought the car back in 1996 from a dealer's lot in Pennsylvania, said his actually has a 440-inch displacement and would be well-suited to drag racing.
"It was red-and-white when I got it," McClure said. "I replaced body panels, added aluminum alloy wheels and upgraded the brakes from drums to discs."
He said he has invested 10 years in the project, "and it's still not done."
Bob Meszaros of Belleville, Mich., represented the other end of the time spectrum. He did his head-turning 1925 Ford T in nine months. Admitting he worked almost around the clock, Meszaros said this was the sixth car he has done -- "and the most daring."
It features highly decorated fiberglass body panels, the likeness of a 1928 Ford top which had to be cut and fitted, and there's a four-cylinder Ford 2000 engine from 1973 up front.
Monroe, Mich., resident Mitch Brower was showing his 1923 Ford T-bucket.
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