Passion, persistence pay off

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/03/2021 (2030 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Matthew Donald is hoping to turn some heads on the open road this summer if he can get his 1937 Ford convertible running in time.

The 56-year-old, who owns Four Seasons Mechanical, told the Sun earlier this week that he has been trying to restore this classic vehicle for the better part of a decade, having originally picked it up in the northern United States after answering an ad on eBay.

Donald said the ad caught his eye in the first place because he’s a big fan of cars from that period, having already owned a 1937 Ford two-door sedan and 1938 Ford coupe.

“I just love the front end on that thing, the big, fat fenders and the thick, chrome grills,” he said of his latest acquisition on Thursday. “It’s just a beautiful car. That’s what attracts me to the ’37s. Just the way they bubble out.”

Of course, this new Ford didn’t look very pristine when Donald originally bought it, since the body was hollowed out from years of wear and tear, with the remaining parts coming to him in boxes.

“It was rough. It was a basket case,” he said. “Most convertibles are because when the top goes, it just sits there and fills up with snow, water and rain and the whole inside is always just rotten.”

Because of this, Donald enlisted the help of his longtime friend Rob Rose, who possessed the proper mechanical know-how and resources to bring this vintage vehicle back from the brink.

“The body was so badly warped or bent out of shape that I needed Rob to put it on a jig to get everything straight again,” he said. “And then one thing led to another and it would go back and forth from his shop to my shop.”

Donald mentioned that the folks over at Brae-Mar Auto Body also played a key role in this restoration, since they managed to find the ideal shade of purple to complement his convertible’s classic design.

“It took them a year because I wanted to get it perfect,” he said. “The lines and the doors and the trunk lid, the way the fit and finish is. They took a long time and they got it right.”

Despite all these helping hands, Donald admitted that this rebuild has been plagued by plenty of stops and starts, with the scarcity of certain parts in Canada constantly halting progress.

Rose told the Sun that this is a growing trend in the automotive industry throughout the last decade, where supply chains are becoming less reliable over time.

“If you need radiator hoses … you used to be able to bend a piece of wire, go to an auto shop, go to the back and look at 400 rad hoses and find one that fits,” he said. “Now you go down there and they have three.”

Right now, Donald and Rose are waiting to receive a fan blade that will fix the car’s air conditioning and allow them to proceed with closing up the front end of the Ford.

“Once we get the air conditioner done, then the front fenders can go on it, the hood, the sides and all that gets put on,” said Donald.

However, Donald maintains that these countless delays will be worth it in the end, since he has been waiting to get behind the wheel of this “dream car” all his life.

Plus, Donald said he and Rose are making sure to give this Ford the best of both worlds, with a classic design that’s complemented by some modern hardware under the hood.

“I wanted to keep all the original parts, but the drive train, the brakes and all that is modern so I can go anywhere with that car,” he said.

For anyone who wants to spearhead a similar project, Donald reveals that the No. 1 resource they need, above all else, is passion, since this quality will get them through a gruelling and drawn-out restoration process.

“If you’re going to pick a car, make sure you love that car, so that you’ll stick with it and finish it,” he said. “So many people just drag whatever they see home and it never gets done.”

Thankfully, Donald’s passion was never in short supply when it comes to his 1937 Ford convertible, which is making the final stages of its restoration all the more exciting.

“It’s crazy right now. It’s so close. It’s an amazing transformation,” he said. “I’m pumped to go for a ride.”

» kdarbyson@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @KyleDarbyson