My First Classic Car Restoration: 1950 Ford Pickup Restoration and Early Days in Car Flipping

Back in 1980, before I started my business and while working full-time as a mechanic and body man at my uncle’s dealership, I took on my first full classic car restoration: a 1950 Ford Pickup Restoration.

Money was tight, so I had to get creative. I pieced together a motor with used parts and rebuilt the transmission. I spent a lot of time hunting down every part I needed, trying to find the best deals – mostly from junkyards. Perfection wasn’t in the budget, but I was determined to make it work. When it came time to paint, my dad let me use his garage, and I chose a Chrysler color, “Kashmir Cream,” that gave it a nice, clean look.

Flipping Classic Cars on a Budget: My Early Days

That Ford pickup was my first full classic car restoration, and I later made some money on it, but it wasn’t the first car I made money on. Even before then, I fixed up classic cars to make a little extra cash – before ‘flipping cars’ was even a thing. I’d pick up what I could afford and haul home a few that others just wanted to get rid of. Although it was hard, time-consuming work getting them running, it eventually paid off and was worth the extra cash.

Some of the classic cars I remember from those early days were a 1949 Chevy, a 1956 Ford pickup, and a white 1964 Dodge Coronet. I didn’t have the funds to do full restorations on those, or they didn’t need a whole lot of work to flip them. So, it was just a matter of fixing them up enough to get them running and ready to sell. I put a lot of time into detailing – after all, it’s the details that count. It was a gritty way to make money, but you have to start somewhere.

Lessons Learned from Restoring a 1950 Ford Pickup

After I finished restoring that 1950 Ford pickup, I traded it to my insurance agent for a Thunderbird – and got some cash to boot. My dad ended up buying the Thunderbird from me for my mom to drive. So, the sale of that first truck I restored with little cash but a lot of hard work came full circle – from a full restoration to a sale with a trade-in that put cash in my pocket and more when I sold the vehicle I got in trade. It was a big deal back then and gave me the confidence I needed to keep going.

Working with What You’ve Got: The Foundation of My Classic Car Business

Thinking back on it, that 1950 Ford taught me a lot about working with what you have. I didn’t have a big budget, so I learned to do things on my own, make do with what materials I could find, and keep an eye out for classic car parts anywhere I could – mainly salvage yards and swap meets. That first restoration, along with those early classic car flips, laid the groundwork for what eventually became my auto repair and body shop business.

Over the years, we serviced, repaired, and restored many classic and muscle cars. It’s a reminder that you don’t need a perfect setup, expensive tools, or a big wallet to make things happen. You just need determination and a lot of hard work to make your dream of owning a classic car – or even turning your passion into a business – a reality.

More Information

• Check out our Classic Car Restoration Tips for more budget-friendly ideas.
• Learn more about the early days of flipping cars and what to look out for when buying a classic car.
• Watch for my post about my first car at age 16, 1964 Plymouth Barracuda.
• Find great deals on classic car parts at Summit Racing.
• Visit Hemmings Motor News for listings on classic cars for sale

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