Idaho State University students help restore classic car
The 11th annual Chrome in the Dome event kicks off in Pocatello on Friday and Saturday.
There is one car on display that Idaho State University is excited for people to check out.
It’s a “rags to riches” story – ISU’s automotive class restored an old Ford classic car.
Two years ago, in the summer of 2015, an ISU alum, named Bill Eames, approached the university’s automotive program about restoring and remodeling an old car. He agreed to buy the car, pay for the materials and the students’ scholarships to work on the car. The automotive class agreed.
“He had a couple of requirements,” said Russell Butler, one of the instructors in ISU’s automotive program. “It had to be pre-1960 and it had to be red when it was done and he wanted it to be a convertible so it could be a parade car.”
A car was found locally. It was a 1959 Ford Fairlane 500 Galaxie Skyliner. ISU started a special hands-on restoration course. It opened the course up to the community and to workforce training programs. Butler said they had retired aircraft professionals, eye doctors and more help on the project.
“We did a frame-off restoration, so the body was removed from the frame,” Butler said. “Frame sandblasted and painted, suspension parts replaced, and then all of the body parts reworked and put back together.”
A local shop, Terry & Sons in Idaho Falls, redid the upholstery. Then there was still the requirement that it be a functioning convertible. So they engineered the retractable hardtop to go up and down and fold in.
“That certainly was one of our hardest parts of the project,” Butler said. “It works on about 20 different switches that have to work in conjunction with each other. We found that it’s a little finicky, it has to be on very level ground and the battery has to be fully charged. We found those two things out the hard way, but that was quite a process.”
Butler said finding the right parts for the car was also a big challenge.
He said restoring the car was a rare learning opportunity for the students.
“It was amazing,” he said. “They got to see things they wouldn’t normally be able to see in a regular class.”
Around 20 to 21 people worked on the car and it was completed in eight weeks. Eames came back to pick it up and he took it back with him to California.
He brought it back and drove it in ISU’s homecoming parade. Then last year, in 2016, Eames donated the car to the university. It now belongs to the automotive program.
Those who want to see the car can see it in the homecoming parade or catch it at Chrome in the Dome. Chrome in the Dome is one of the biggest and most popular events in Pocatello. Doors open Friday at 2 p.m. at Holt Arena. Tickets are $5 for adults. Kids 12 and under are free. The event will run Friday from 2 p.m. until 9 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. This year will also feature a hall of fame to honor community members who have had a big impact on the automotive industry.
