Restoration Shop in Ballard

It's easy enough to sink tens of thousands of dollars into your classic car. When I checked out these vehicles at the restoration shop in Ballard, it struck me that each had some good points and some bad points for your restoration dollar.

1951 Chevy 3100 Advanced-Design truck
Pro: Everybody loves it. Easy to maintain.
Con: Hard to drive.

1962 Ford Thunderbird
Pro: Well-built and powerful. Makes a statement.
Con: Old man's car. Kind of tacky.

1982 Jaguar XJ-S
Pro: It's a V-12 supercar. Surprisingly affordable.
Con: It's surprisingly affordable because it's impossible to keep running.

1981 Fiat 124 Spider
Pro: Fun.
Con: Not very reliable.

1980 MGB
Pro: Fun.
Con: Not very reliable.

1958 Cadillac Coupe DeVille
Pro: Wow power, easy to maintain the drivetrain.
Con: Kind of a money pit - it's got power everything with 1950s wiring.

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1951 Chevrolet Styleline Deluxe

Down by the waterline on Portage Bay, there's lots of places you can store a car for a while without a problem. It's amazing how many "survivors" like this there are in Seattle. All these years, and none of the systems that hold liquid have rusted through? Amazing.

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1959 Chevrolet Parkwood and friends

The 1959 Chevy is a car that collectors either love or hate, with its distinctive "eyebrows" over the headlights and teardrop taillights. Personally, I think it's the ugliest car Chevy ever made. Few wagons of this era survived, especially as daily drivers like this one.

This car's owner also has a 1951 Chevy which may or may not be drivable. Next door to these cars is a very smart-looking 1961 Chevy C10 pickup that also appears to be an unrestored survivor. And just a couple of doors down is a GMC, possibly also a 1961. Too bad it's wrecked; the frame is probably too messed up for restoration.

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Not Dead Yet: 1951 Ford F3, 1941 Chevrolet Special Deluxe, 1952 Chevrolet Styleline, 1946 Mack E-Series

The three vehicles on the street all appear to be in working order. I once saw the Chevy homebrew El Camino driving downtown.

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1951 Ford Custom

Known as the shoebox Ford, this was Dearborn's first new model after World War II. This Ford was a very capable car, particularly when equipped with a V-8 engine and automatic transmission like the car pictured. The shoebox was made 1949-51. The '49 and '50 had the famous bullet nose, so the '51 is less popular as a collector car. It looks like very little has been done to this car in the 70 years since it was built.

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