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12 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tues. August 14, 1984 Collector has half dozen -- vintage Fords and Mercs ggg Py s £2 ® a ' rs wr % vr Sh ; =4 SRR OT TR eRe Bl a 3 Aris LL fh He TA 3 - 2 Bill Ross was 14 years old when he bought his first car, a '52 Pontiac, for $25. He couldn't drive it on the roads, of course, and quickly sold it for $50 to buy himself a new bicycle. That was more than 20 years ago, and Bill estimates he has owned well over a 100 cars since then. Most cars just come and go for Bill of Nestleton, but start talk- ing old Fords and Meteors, and it's a totally different story. To put it mildly, he has a soft spot for Fords and Meteors, especially those from the 1950's. For the past six or seven years, Bill has been finding, buying and restoring 1950's era Scars and trucks. His wife, Lynn, who at one time didn't have much interest in cars, iS now an avid enthusiast as well. there looking pretty. Bill uses it to haul wood and drive back and forth to his job in Orono where he works as a truck driver for Dur- ham Region. In fact, all of Bill's car are in fine working condition, and Bill makes it a point to get them on the road as often as he can. "It's better if they are driven. If you leave them sit, they seize up', he says. And one of his more recent purchases is a 59 Ford Skyliner. This one has a retractable hard- top roof. Set the electric motors running and the entire roof, including the rear window folds back into the truck and presto, an instant con- vertible. Ford made the re- tractable roof for three years 57-59, and the design won a gold medal in Brussels. Only about 12,000 Skyliner models Once gone, they are gone forever! "I really hate to see an older car just sitting in some field, rusting and rotting away. Once they are gone, they are gone forever," said Bill in an interview with the Star last week. - Bill enjoys working with any car from the '50's, but it is obvious that his favourites are the Ford products. He has about half a dozen vintage machines in his collection right now, including a "54 Pontiac Chieftan, and a '64 Chevy convertible. But his pride and joy is a 1950 Meteor sedan. With just 30,000 original miles, the car is in near flawless condition, orig- inal in every way except for a new paint job and a sun visor. Bill bought it from an owner near Janetville several years ago, had it re-painted midnight black, and now says he wouldn't part with it for anything (well, almost anything). Another of his favour- ites is a 56 Meteor, finished in a distinctive colour scheme from that era (cream and banana yellow). And he recently pur- chased a 56 Ford, a two-door hardtop Florida car with virtu- ally no rust. The Ford is now being painted salmon pink and white and Bill will add a Continental. The Meteor will be '""His"" car and the pink and white Ford will be "Hers" for Lynn. Also sitting in the back-yard of his Nestle- ton home is a 52 Ford half-ton, refinished in fire engine red. A V8 standard, Bill believes the 29,000 miles are original. This snappy pick-up doesn't just sit were produced in 1959, so this car is rare and difficult to find these days. Bill bought it from an owner in Oshawa, but he stills has plenty of work to put into it. When Bill finds and buys an older car, often it is in very rough condition. He has photos of what his 56 Meteor looked like and now one would never know now it is the same car. He does all the mech- anical restoration: the brakes, steering, trans- mission, motor and so on. And a friend of his, Ernie Ellis of Janet- ville, who also has an avid interest in older cars, does the body work and painting. Bill admits his hobby is an expensive one, but he tries to keep costs down by wheeling and dealing for parts, and keeping a sharp eye peeled at the auto flea markets. And he recently had to build a new 60 by 40 garage in the back yard to store his collection. While most people wouldn't know the diff- erence between a Meteor and a Ford model, Bill says the former is styled a little better, has more chrome and trim. But finding Meteors and parts for them is tougher because they were manufactured ex- clusively for the Canad- ian market. Because of the rigors of Canadian winters (especially road salt) the Meteors simply didn't last as long as a Ford. "1 prefer the Meteors to the Fords. They are harder to find', he says. And because they weren't sold in the States the many ta PE | a This sporty '52 Ford Pick- -up is finished in fire engine red. Bill uses it to haul wood and drive back and forth to work. All the vehicles in his coligction are fia top running order. Rie ich Bill and Lynn Ross of Nestleton in front of their 1959 Ford Skyliner, a car with a ful- ly retractable hard-top roof. Bill has had a soft spot for Ford and Meteor cars for as long as he can remember, and now has several in his collection. bY " This is the "continental view" of Bill's prized '56 Meteor, re-painted in traditional 50's colours of cream and banana yellow. American car publica- tions of interest to collectors have virtually no info on the Meteors. In fact, Bill says that once when he was scout- ing for cars in South Carolina, he saw a 1950 Ford, identical almost to the 50 Meteor he OWNS. He mentioned to the owner that he owns a Meteor just like that Ford. The guy looked at him like he was crazy. "I just let the subject drop, didn't even try to explain that a Ford and Meteor are almost the same car", he says with a big smile. Bill admits that a lot of people who enjoy and collect cars from the 1950's go in for the 55-57 Chevs. He says he likes the Chevies, but personally, the Fords are what he prefers by a long shot. As a youngster, he dreamed about owning a 1950 Ford, and as a teenager, the 56 Ford was the car to own, as far as he's concerned. Aa ) aad A od rahe LY EE---- This 1950 Meteor, midnight "black, is Bill's favourite. Aside from the new paint, it is completely original and Bill says he hod Albi ' - wouldn't part with it for anything (well, almost anything) S.oimmenveve 2} pean ya GS. oc Pn pecicisth bY EL | i