Keeping It In the Family

            Some families pass down heirlooms such as jewelry or pictures or even clothing. Mike Weigel got the opportunity to keep something in his family and jumped on it.

            Twelve years ago his father had picked up a 1947 Ford Coupe which he kept and drove and took to shows. “He bought it already fixed,” he said. “The previous owner had done a frame off restoration.”

            According to Mike they were able to salvage many of the original parts when they did that job. “It has the original body, original glass, the original chrome,” he said. “It has a newer Ford 302 engine and new suspension.”

Mike also pointed out that it has new steering and that his father had put in a new gas tank. “He did so many small things to make it really tight,” he added of his father’s work on the car.

“This was the first older car that he got. It was something from when he was growing up. I guess there were a lot of memories there,” Mike said. In a way, the car held memories for Mike as well. He had seen all of the things his father had done with the car and wanted to make sure that it’s “legacy” remained intact.

            “Two years ago dad wanted to sell it. He was getting tired of it. I knew how good it was so I bought it,” Mike said. “I wanted to keep it in the family.”

            So the ’47 Ford joined Mike’s stable of classic cars. He also has a 1966 Cadillac Calais and a 1964 Buick Skylark convertible. These, he pointed out, were the cars from when he was growing up.

            Speaking of the ’47 Mike said, “I don’t drive it near as much as the other two. I’m usually out two or three times a week in one of the classic cars,”

            From the looks of this 1947 Ford Coupe and the determination that Mike has to keep it in as good of shape as possible, it wouldn’t be surprising to see this collectible car become a family heirloom for generations to come.