The Franklin News-Post
P. O. Box 250
310 Main Street, SW
Rocky Mount, Virginia 24151
540-483-5113
Fax: 540-483-8013
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| 'Muscle car' restoration labor of love for Pegler |
Staff Photo by Charles Boothe:
David and Susie Pegler stand with their 1963 Ford Galaxie, on the road after a two-year restoration job. The car will be on display at the Outlaw Cruisers/United Way car show on Sunday.
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Friday, May 22, 2009
By CHARLES BOOTHE - Staff Writer
A man born and raised in Surrey County, England, with no background in mechanics may seem an unlikely candidate for a "muscle car" restoration project here.
But that's exactly what David Pegler tackled.
Pegler, who along with wife Susie own The Daily Grind Coffeehouse in Rocky Mount, admitted he didn't know what he was getting into when he decided to find and restore a 1963 Ford Galaxie, one of the many antique vehicles that will be on display in Sunday's car show on Franklin Street.
But conversations with Gene Field, one of the customers at his South Main Street restaurant, peaked his interest.
Until those conversations, Pegler, who moved to America in 1998 and to Franklin County three years ago, said he had always loved American muscle cars but had not considered restoring one.
"In England, we don't have big cars," he said. "There is no such thing as a muscle car. But in America, with big roads and long distances to travel, the design of motorcars was different. They are completely opposite of (smaller) European cars."
Field, who has 60 years of experience in repairing and restoring cars, told Pegler about his work, and a visit to Field's home shop followed. While there, Pegler saw Field's restored 1963 Galaxie and loved it.
"It's such a nice car," Pegler said, and decided that's the one he wanted to restore.
Field started helping him look for a junked Galaxie, which they found in a Callaway junkyard. It was not a pretty sight, Pegler said of the car, but Field said the "bones" were solid. That is, the chassis was intact and straight. And it was the right model -- a 1963 1/2 Galaxie Fastback with a 390-cubic-inch engine and a three-speed transmission on the steering column with overdrive.
"This (transmission on the steering column) allows for the front bench seat and, along with the air conditioning, is one of the reasons I bought it," Pegler said.
But a car left out in the weather deteriorates.
"It had spent 13 years in a junkyard with a window open, so the interior was destroyed," he said.
What followed was a two-year project that included "a lot of blood, sweat and tears," Pegler said. "Restoring is a lot of work and time."
That's especially true for someone who had no background in the work involved. But with the guidance of Field, who also had all the tools Pegler would need, he started the work.
"The engine was rebuilt and slightly dressed up with chrome valve covers, air filter and water pump," he said. "The car has been repainted in the original colors of Viking blue and Corinthian white -- the interior has been replaced with a complete new interior from the roof liner to the carpet."
Pegler said Susie helped with the interior, a job he has little patience for. Pegler also added some final touches.
"Many Galaxie fans consider the Galaxie incomplete without bumper guards and a spotlight, so these were fitted although not original to the car," he said. "The spotlight is mainly a southern thing, as they were used when driving with the main lights off to avoid the unwelcome attentions of the revenue men."
The car even includes the original owner's manual and a list of previous owners, who, Pegler said, may still be living in Franklin County.
Other touches include an LBJ campaign sign in the back window, a pair of puffy dice dangling from the rearview mirror and another mounted on the door locks.
"The project's completion brought a 'deep joy,'" he said, adding that it could be compared to giving birth.
"There was a lot of misery and pain in the work," he said. "But when you see it finished, you forget about all that."
Not only has Pegler put the hard part of the project behind him, he's ready to start on another one.
"It got me addicted," he said, "and next month I will start to restore a 1963 Ford Thunderbird."
Pegler said some may restore cars and sell them, but he wants to keep his in the family. The Thunderbird will belong to Susie.
"The Galaxie will be given to my eldest daughter (Kimberly), and she in turn will give it to her firstborn, so it will stay in the family until it is 100 years old," he said, adding that Kimberly lives in Maryland and wants the car to stay here.
Keeping it here suits Pegler fine, he said, as he and his wife have no plans to ever move again. They tried living in Northern Virginia when they first moved to the country, but traffic and crowds prompted them to look elsewhere.
"We had no real idea of where we wanted to live, just as long as it was in southern Virginia," he said, which offered the quiet, rural life they were looking for.
Susie Pegler said she happened to see a house for sale in Rocky Mount, and they liked it and the area.
"This is a great town, wonderful people," David Pegler said. "We made more friends in seven days here than we made in seven years in Northern Virginia."
And he said he loves "the southern way of living," a great change from his high-stress, high-tech job in Northern Virginia.
Their daughters love it here as well, he said. His other daughter, Helen, is a student at Radford University.
"They were teenagers in high school when we moved to America," he said, "probably the worst time for them to move."
Although they didn't want to move, "within six months they completely turned around," he said. "They love America."
Pegler said many Americans may not always appreciate what they have.
"Maybe you have to be an immigrant to really appreciate America," he said. "It has such opportunity -- wonderful land, climate and a sense of well-being."
"This is the place to come if you are optimistic about the future and want to make your own future."
And part of Pegler's future will probably always include restoring cars, a job once filled with apprehension he now describes as a "thrill."
To see Pegler's car and many others, visit the fourth annual car show, sponsored by the Outlaw Cruisers and the United Way of Franklin County, from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, May 24 along Franklin Street in Rocky Mount. |
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