My Favorite Ride: That grille, the best part of this old Ford

SPENCER — It won’t be long before Tom Coleman will be steering his 1934 Ford out of Daniel’s Garage south of Spencer and toward home.

Or more likely, to Harold’s paint and body shop off U.S. 231 first for a fresh coat of silver gray with black accents.

“I’ll be really happy to have it done, to see him take it home. It’s the first full restoration I’ve done on my own on somebody else’s car. It’s been a challenge. Every time I thought I was close to done, there’d be something else. I was hoping to have it done last week.”

That’s “Young Paul” Thomas, who works at the garage his dad — also named Paul Thomas — bought from a Mr. Daniels back in 1981. It was in town then, but has since moved a mile and a half south of Spencer.

Coleman dropped his car off at Daniel’s Garage about a year ago. It’s been pretty much up on a lift since getting a 347-cubic-inch, 452-horsepower engine, and other parts, installed.

The car was parked on the floor when I got there for a visit Friday, awaiting new door locks and installation of a shiny new shifter.

The father and son have spent about 200 hours on the project. Coleman has been a customer there since Young Paul was 13 and started working with his dad. Young Paul is 44 now.

This past February, Coleman sent me an email with a picture of the car, and said there might be a story there. “Hi Laura, I am sure you remember the nice article you wrote about this 1934 Ford some time ago.”

Well, Tom, not all that clearly. Was it, like, 15 years ago? I can’t find the story anywhere in the newspaper archives. Paul Thomas, the older one, can’t locate his copy of the column he claims to have, somewhere.

Coleman said the story might be less about his car and more about Daniel’s Garage and the two Pauls. And Jenora at the front desk, a small woman hidden behind a tall counter and so many stacked-up boxes of car parts, one containing new side-view mirrors for Coleman’s Ford.

“If you do one, it should be about the two interesting Spencer men who are doing the work, not me,” Coleman’s email said.

The older of the Pauls warned me, apologizing that the garage was not very clean and in a state of disarray. I picked up a socket wrench from a pile of grimy tools and assorted automotive parts.

“I bet you know where all of your tools are.”

“Don’t count on it,” he said. “And watch your step.”

Next time: The 1966 Dodge Coronet parked outside Daniel’s Garage that stopped me in my tracks. I took eight pictures of the car before I went into the shop.