A '30s Chrysler with a new interior and sparkling chrome may be a magical
sight, but no wizard's wand could make it happen. The fine paint, polished
chrome and smooth woodwork of a customized car takes many hours and a whole
lot of cash.
Martin Lum is the owner and operator of a car restoration company. He says
people should expect to pay high prices for his labor, materials and artistic
touch.
"I say to people when they want a major restoration that if 2,000 labor
hours -- plus countless amounts of material -- upsets them, then maybe they'd
better look for somebody with a magic wand."
As a teenager, Lum discovered he had a knack for fixing up old things.
He'd always liked crafts, and decided to try his hand at restoring antique
furniture. Around the same time, he developed an interest in history and began
to dabble in texts of the past.
Now, he has found the perfect way to use both hobbies: auto-customization.
His ability to research and understand the past is crucial to his work with
old cars.
For example, if a client wants a Chevy to have a certain '50s flair, Lum's
got to deliver. Sometimes, this takes a little background research.
"I'm an avid history reader. You've got to do a lot of documentation on
old cars to restore them properly. In many cases, you have to go into the
research facilities," says Lum. "So, it's not just hands-on.
It's work that you do in research, and it's fascinating."
Fascination is what keeps Lum in the business. The money, he says, is certainly
not the main attraction. "I actually worked for a year with a guy who was
doing restoration. He went bust! He went bankrupt and that should have been
a warning for me," he says.
Fortunately, income is not a serious concern for Lum. Auto-customization
is just something he's always wanted to do. When he retired from sales management
and his kids left home, he decided to pursue a lifelong passion and open up
a shop. He prepared himself financially and is now able to enjoy his work
as a hobby more than anything.
However, he advises young people in the business to work with modern cars.
With old cars, he says, business is just too inconsistent.
"I used to have three employees full time back in the '80s. When the economy
dropped off, fortunately two of them quit. And the other fella, whom I dearly
love almost like a son, I told him that I felt he should get a job in modern
automotive work."
While Lum isn't concerned with making great financial gains, he needs to
keep his head above water. In order to survive through lulls in the economy,
he always gives his customers the best work and service he can, in hopes that
they come to him when times are tough.
"You've got to have some heavy hitters who want more than one car restored.
I just delivered a car to a customer. He said, 'Now that you've finished with
this, when you've got extra time, I want that done and I want that done.'
That's music to my ears! He's a great customer. He just pays and admires and
enjoys, and doesn't really seem to be too concerned about what it costs,"
he says.
Lum adds that with the right attitude, anyone can do auto-customization,
even with older cars, and survive the slow times. "It's something that anybody
can do if they just put their minds to it."
For Sonja Terrick, a stripped, sanded and freshly painted old car is a
fantastic sight. "It's very satisfying to take something crunched and make
it new!" she says.
In high school, Terrick knew she wanted to get out of her desk and do something
a little out of the ordinary. Her school offered some courses in the automobile
trades and she decided to give them a try.
"I was just looking for something different and I didn't want a desk job.
So, it was something I'd never done before, and it was just a challenge because
I've never done anything remotely like it," she says.
Now, Terrick makes a point of encouraging other young people to go into
the field. She is involved with a national organization aimed at increasing
youth awareness about careers in skilled trades and technology.
"I'm involved in the autobody part....It's a series of practical tests
and written questions that students go through, and the top marks get awards
and prizes....I just like to get involved with those little things," says
Terrick.
While she'd encourage almost anyone to give auto-customizing a shot, she
recognizes its downfalls.
"I don't like the chemicals," she says. "I don't like the idea that it's
probably going to have an effect on my body. It's hard on the lungs -- the
dust, the chemicals. We worry about lung cancer and things like that. So far,
I haven't noticed anything, because there's a lot of safety equipment that
you can use, and we do use it here.
"But still, no system is perfect. Most of it is just restoring [cars] to
what they looked like before. It is satisfying to take something and make
it really beautiful."