Becoming a pro at cruising

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This article was published 23/04/2021 (1969 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

NEEPAWA — Although it’s not that imposing in terms of raw horsepower, Gary Salmon is still proud of the work he put into his 1950 Mercury, especially since it’s a car that any member of his family can enjoy.

The 54-year-old Neepawa resident told the Sun earlier this week that he originally acquired this two-door sedan from a family friend in 2002 and, over the next decade and a half, completely rebuilt the vehicle from top to bottom.

“I call it the ‘home-built Mercury’ because there are basically only three things that I physically didn’t do on the car: I didn’t apply the chrome to the front bumper, I didn’t do the machining on the engine block and I didn’t install the glass,” he said on Tuesday. “But anything else that was done to the car, including the upholstery, I did.”

Salmon said that one of the more significant pieces of this rebuild was replacing the Mercury’s original chassis with one from a 1980 Oldsmobile 98, since it provided the car with some smooth handling reminiscent of a classic sedan.

“I’ve channelled the car over top of that chassis, so that means the car actually sits lower to the ground and you kind of raise the floor up,” he said. “And then, after that, I chopped the top on it two inches and I made a whole pile of custom panels on it.”

In addition to all this complex bodywork, Salmon also went out his way to install a bunch of modern amenities into the Mercury like heated seats, power windows, air conditioning, USB ports and a digital stereo.

By combining this kind of comfort with some smooth handling on the road, Salmon believes he has created the ultimate “pro cruising car,” something that his family can take out for a lazy Sunday drive at the drop of a hat, especially now that spring has arrived.

“My wife and I will be jumping in it and we’ve got friends with hotrods who also like to take the afternoon cruise and see the nice parts of Manitoba,” he said.

Of course, this project stands in stark contrast to a lot of the vehicles Salmon showcases as the vice-president of the Yellowed Roadrunners auto club, a group that usually hosts a major drag racing event every year.

But Salmon told the Sun that a lifetime of spearheading various automotive projects has given him an appreciation for all kinds of different vehicles, from the machines that run on a drag strip to those that are much more at home cruising on the highway.

Salmon attempts to channel a lot of this enthusiasm into his day job as well, since he currently serves as an industrial arts teacher at Carberry Collegiate.

While he doesn’t dish out any assignments that are nearly as complex as restoring a 1950 Mercury, Salmon always tries to encourage his students to approach their own projects with the same level of passion, whether that involves building a pedal car or tackling a simple welding project.

“I love what I do and it’s exciting to get the kids enthusiastic about creating and building something,” he said. “And when they experience success, when they get something like that done and be recognized for it, it’s very rewarding to see.”

In terms of what he’s cooking up in his own garage right now, Salmon is trying to restore a 1933 Ford Coupe, a vehicle made famous by American rock band ZZ Top.

While he hopes that this new project doesn’t take 15 years to complete, like the 1950 Mercury, Salmon thinks he has built up the right amount of patience and endurance over the years to make anything possible.

“Make sure you’re passionate about what you want to have,” Salmon said when asked about any advice he has for up-and-coming gear heads in the region. “If you do that, you can survive through the long-term efforts it takes to complete a project like this.”

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