Passion for the Job
Those who rebuild vehicles — classic cars, race cars or the only car they ever loved — require a special mix of skill and circumstance to be successful.
They must have some extra money to spend on the project, the passion to see it though and time — lots and lots of time.
"I remember growing up thinking 'I never want to do this job,' but as soon as I turned 16 and got my license, that all changed," Ryan Baldauf said.
"It's really my passion. If you don't have a passion for it, it'll just eat you up."
Baldauf, 25, is a second-generation owner/operator at Baldauf Auto Body at 17 Pittsburgh Road, Lyndora.
He estimates he has rebuilt at least a half-dozen vehicles, and about four in the past two years. His current project is a 1967 Pontiac GTO.
"My father, who owns the business, restored this in 1988, and now I'm doing the touch up work," Baldauf said.
"The guy who owns it has definitely taken great care of it. It might only have about 16,000 miles on it. You really have to go to great lengths to keep these cars looking good in this area (because of the weather)."
Baldauf said summer is the only time he really has to work on project cars and restorations since during the winter, the company might have 15 or more vehicles per week coming into the shop.
"We only have about four months out of the year that we have time to work on these kinds of vehicles," he said.
Baldauf now handles client restorations, as well as his own projects, including vehicles from the 1960s, '70s and '80s. He said restorations range from light work to in-depth projects, but most owners concentrate on aesthetics."It depends on how far the owner wants to go. If they just want to do the outside, that's a lot less than a frame-off restoration," Baldauf said.A frame-off restoration involves pulling off all of a vehicle's body panels, sandblasting and repainting the frame to remove rust, then putting it all back together. The project can run from about $8,000 to $10,000.Some projects, though, are worth the cost to the owner."A couple years ago I worked on a customer's vehicle, his race car which had caught on fire. Normally, people would replace the car, but he was 25 and had had this car since he was 16. It had a lot of sentimental value," Baldauf said."It took me at least three months to fix that car, a 1980 (Ford) Mustang, my whole summer. It was hell. The panels were so warped from the heat. I don't ever think I'll do another fire vehicle."Baldauf's personal tastes in restoration reflect his shared passion with that customer: racing. He races a 2000 Acura Integra, complete with a 12-point roll cage and five-point safety harnesses. The car runs on alcohol, but is street legal."I always have three or four cars in motion in the back of my head. It's a vicious cycle," Baldauf said with a laugh.He insists he does not have a preference as to what type of vehicle he works on, either."To me, I'm not biased toward either one. New vehicles, obviously they're new to me, and I've not really worked on them, but so are vehicles before my generation. I'm sure if I grew up in the '60s and '70s, I may not look at it that way," Baldauf said.
"The technology from older cars to newer cars is just unbelievable, though. In a classic, you just twist a screw to adjust air-fuel ratio. But now, you have to hook up the car to a computer."Parts for either type of vehicle, though, are equally easy to find."Fortunately, nowadays, you can search for parts online. We order from as far as California. I don't really have time to go out looking for parts," Baldauf said.But rebuilding vehicles is not just work and play for Baldauf. It also is therapeutic. In 2004, he was involved in near-fatal motorcycle accident. But instead of recovering on a couch, he recovered in a garage."My father (Terry) and I got together and started working on a promotional truck for the shop," Baldauf said.The end result was a 2001 Chevrolet S10 ZR-2 with an 11-inch lift, 35-inch tires and a wild paint job. They show it at car shows and competitions.Baldauf, who also has worked on his father's 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle, stressed patience and perseverance as the keys to successful auto restoration."Especially with racing, you'll spend more than 20 hours rebuilding your engine, go out and take a few laps and something goes (breaks). You basically get the money to fix whatever went wrong and go out and do it again," he said.
