Ron Shellenbarger, of Delphos, and his son Randy Shellenbarger, of Wapakoneta, each began restoring Ron’s 1941 Ford pickup and Randy’s 1970 Ford Torino GT two years ago.
Jim Krumel | For The Lima News
DELPHOS – After Ron Shellenbarger’s wife Dixie passed away two years ago, the 82-year-old Delphos man said he needed something to occupy him.
The question was what?
The answer saw him joining his son Randy as they each began restoring a vehicle.
For Randy, it was a 1970 Ford Torino GT – one similar to the first car purchased by the 61-year-old man when he was a youth. “I wanted something I could pass down to my son,” he said.
Ron decided to restore a 1941 Ford pickup.
They proudly had both vehicles parked side-by-side at the Heartbeat of Lima Car Show, hosted by the Tom Ahl Family of Dealerships in August.
“I enjoy going to the car shows and cruise-ins. It gives me something to do. I sit around and talk to people, and when I get tired, I go home,” said Ron.
He located the Ford pickup in Elkhart, Indiana. With the aid of his son and grandson, T.Y., they went to work.
“We put in new wiring and a new fuse box. Also added were a new carburetor, electric choke, radiator and batteries. Now that it’s done, only three people have driven it … me, my son and my grandson,” said Ron.
Randy’s Torino comes with a 429 C.I. Cobra engine. “The car needed some paint restoration when I bought it, otherwise, it was in good condition,” the Wapakoneta man said.
Working on the cars together is something they’ll always cherish.
“There was a lot of teasing each other … a lot of fun,” said Ron.
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