The Responsible Mechanic

            What does a professional mechanic do in his spare time? If you’re Larry Shedd who works full time as a mechanic for one of the largest school districts in Ohio, when you aren’t keeping the school’s vehicles moving you’re working on your own project cars.

            “Now he’s just concentrating on his own projects,” said Larry’s wife, Janice. “He used to do work on other people’s cars on the side. But that kept so busy that he couldn’t do his own projects.”

            Larry has a large personal garage at his home “with a lift and everything” so he has the facilities to do everything necessary in restoring a car. Though he’s done a few cars over the years, he still has the very first car he completely restored, a 1948 Ford Super 8.

            “It was my first bumper to bumper car,” said Larry. “I’m a mechanic by trade so the mechanical work is pretty simple for me.” But that doesn’t mean the entire job was easy.

            “The bodywork was the hardest. What a body man can do in two hours takes me a week to do,” he said with a grin.

            With the bodywork, the full time job and the other mechanical work Larry was doing at the time, it took him a while to finish this car. “We’ve had the car for over 15 to 20 years,” said Janice, not really remembering exactly when they got it. “It’s been done for 10 year.”

            “Working on these cars keeps me busy,” said Larry.

            “Keeps him out of trouble,” added Janice.

            “Well she knows where to find me, that’s for sure,” chimed Larry with a laugh.

            “When we got the car I wanted to stay with a coupe or a sedan because we travel so much,” said Larry, adding that they will put 4000 miles on the car each year.

            While they drive to around 25 shows throughout Ohio and into neighboring states each year, their biggest car passion is being members of their car club.  “We’re members of the Run of the Mill Street Rodders,” he said. The club is there for the camaraderie but both Larry and Janice pointed out all of the charities to which they contribute through shows and fundraisers.

            “We don’t do things unless it has something good attached,” Larry proudly said after thumbing through the current Show and Shine Calendar and pointing out all of their upcoming charitable events.

            Larry’s ’48 Super 8 may not look like a chopped up street rod at first glance but he surely fits right in with the rest of his club. “It has a 350 Chevy V-8 with a turbo Chevy 350 transmission.

            The car will go plenty fast but Larry hasn’t really pushed it, saying he’s probably only ever had it to about 70 or so. “I guess I’ve outgrown that part of it. When you get older you get more responsible,” he said.

            Both Larry and Janice said the car runs great but he pointed out that it’s about time for it to be restored once again; unfortunately it is going to have to wait in line. He has a 1951 Chevy truck that he’s been working on but a 1979 El Camino suddenly slipped its way into the front of the list. “I’m restoring that one for my wife,” he said with a wry grin. The mechanic is indeed responsible.