In the Northeast, where our Eastwood headquarters are located, the weather has been pretty stormy this summer, but it was one particular July 2012 storm in the Southeast that brought a tear to our restorer’s heart.
Thankfully, no one was physically hurt, but there was an emotional and financial toll taken after that storm knocked down a massive oak tree, sending it crashing into several classic cars being restored at JLP Motorsports in Dade City, Florida. The list included a ’77 Ford LTD and ’67 Buick Skylark, as well as a ’68 Ford Pickup that belonged to one of the shop workers. That pickup’s restoration was almost complete, and its owners had even taken it for a ride earlier that day. Now they have to start again at square one.
Up north, few people keep project cars outside because of the weather, but down south it’s generally more common to leave cars outside. But of course an indoor storage area doesn’t guarantee protection against a storm either. A ’54 Chevrolet Bel Air was crushed when one of the tree’s main branches crashed down on the shed in which it was stored.
“We got lucky,” the owner said. “We had several other vehicles right next to the lifts and on the lifts, and it just missed them. It could have been worse.”
Our hearts go out to all affected by the storms.