Hey there fellow "fix'em enough to roll" kids. My name is Jason and I'm from Bend in Central Oregon. I'm finally getting around to working on my 1953 Chevrolet special 150 Handyman Station Wagon. I've technically had the car since around 1999. I acquired it from a former neighbor that his grandfather bought new in 1953. My neighbor had it handed down to him through family and drove in high school during the early 1990s. During that time he drove it to and from school about 25-30 miles a day (I grew up out in the sticks). One day driving home from school, a pickup blew a red light and T-boned the p***enger side front & rear doors. He quickly lost interest in the car and let it sit for a while. While it sat, another incident took a toll on the car. During a spring back yard debris burn, a amber came through a open window and caught the front seat on fire. Because he didnt have his keys on him when the fire started he proceeded to brake a window and extinguish the fire with a garden hose. When his father p***ed away from cancer and his mother wanted to sell their home and move, I spoke up about the wagon. I had always admired the wagon and told him that I would love to buy it from them when they were ready to sell it. He was thrilled that I still had interest in it after all those years even after the damage happened to the car. When I left for college myself, the neighbor came to my parents house and asked them if I would still be interested in having the wagon to fix up. My parent's told him that even though I was away at school, I would more than likely still want to bring it back to life one day. He towed the wagon to their house and signed over the ***le. Now 10 years later, I'm in a position to start fixing her up to roll. Unfortunately it has weathered and sat this whole time uncovered outside my parent's home in a moist environment here in Oregon. There's a bunch of rust, but still has enough metal to make it road worthy. BTW, to my surprise my neighbor took the time to find color matching doors and a middle post included inside the back of the wagon. That makes getting the car straight again that much easier! At this point I've got it running, replaced the complete brake system, replaced a large amount of rubber engine & suspension components, and now I'm working through 6 volt electrical functions all around the car. O.k. sorry for the rambling, but I wanted to get it all out so I don't get in trouble asking questions from the long term members. I've been a long time admirer of the H.A.M.B and the whole community of old schoolers. If any of you fellow Oregonians are ever around Bend, hit me up! I love talking car stuff and drinking beer! Here is a picture of me picking it up from my parent's home and another of where I'm at right now.
I have always love the handymans very cool cars I think! N very interesting story n still being able 2 get it after all that time but can't wait 2 see it all done