1951 Metro- The Restoration Begins

To say that this journey that I have been on with this little truck is amazing would be an understatement. My little car got everyone with it's styling and it won it's fair share of trophies, but the way that people have taken to what I've done with this truck is far beyond what I could have imagined. I have two second place trophies with it and that's only because they didn't would to give me first place two years in a row, the rest have been "First Place" "People's Choice" and "Best of Show". So when some people suggested I try "The Grand Daddy of The All" The Grand National Roadster Show where they pick the "Most Beautiful Roadster", I went... for three days. Everyone said that I needed to do a display for the show, you just couldn't have the truck sitting there. Most of the cars there were in the air with lights and mirrors under them and even on rotating displays and I was showing up with one of the only original vehicles there, not the type of car to have in the air with lights and mirrors. So what do you do with a vintage tool truck... You make it look like it's at a gas station.

To have famous car builders from all over the world come up to you and appreciate what I've created was amazing to say the least. I don't build cars for a living, so for them to recognize the details of the build was humbling to me. I wasn't too surprised to receive First Place in my class, but when the big awards come up and the picture of Snappy was put up on the big screen for "Outstanding Detail" was more then I could ever have expected. Unless you have been to this show, you cannot comprehend the caliber of the well over two thousand cars there and to win that trophy... There aren't any words.

You deserve the recognition.

Congratulations Dom ! You certainly do deserve to be recognized for your workmanship. I can relate to how you feel about it, as having experienced it myself this summer at Syracuse, just not to the level as you. The notoriety of the West Coast builders is probably greater than most everywhere and to have them take notice is humbling to say the least. The level of the builds as a whole increases every year as well so to be noted as such is huge. While the brand recognition may draw them in, the craftsmanship of the build is undeniable. Good for you. Enjoy your achievements! George

CLEARLY you put the wrong era shoelaces in the mannequin's boots, what were you thinking?!? Lucky they even let you stay with an error like that!!


OF course, I'm kidding. Your Metro is just so cool even the guys who do cool every day recognize that. You set out to build your truck your way, not build something to win awards, right. The awards are the hot fudge on top of the ice cream- great to get, but life is grand without them, too.

Enjoy your Metro, however you want.

Thanks guys, I appreciate the comments. As for the shoes... I went to work in my route Friday morning before the show wearing sneakers because BOB (the mannequins name) was wearing my work shoes! (Ha-Ha)

Before the show I was looking at the truck in my shop and being inside I noticed that the interior was a little dark and you could not see all of the details. I restored this Snap-on toolbox light and mounted it in the back of the truck. I love the way it highlights the toolbox in the truck as you can see in the pictures.

You set out to build your truck your way, not build something to win awards, right. The awards are the hot fudge on top of the ice cream- great to get, but life is grand without them, too.

Enjoy your Metro, however you want.

When I set out to build this truck, it was because I wanted to do something cool for the company I've been with for over half of my life, No just kidding.

Well no, part of that is true. I wanted to do another restoration but my wife said no until I remodeled the kitchen. I snuck this in explaining to her that it was for the business. What I really wanted to do was promote the Franchise and the Brand. We receive 15K for anyone we find for Snap-on that sign a Franchise. I've had one person sign a Franchise so far and that pretty much paid for what I have invested into the truck. So if anyone else signs from seeing the truck at a car show, then I'm making money with it and that was the goal from the beginning. Did I think it would win awards like it has done... No. I thought I'd win some here and there but not like this. It's nice to receive recognition, especially after the years of hard work putting it together. I hate being at a car show and someone wins a trophy for something they just bought and they are receiving a trophy for someone else's hard work. Built not Bought

Speaking of West Coast Builders, two of the nicest and most genuine people that you would ever met are Dave Kindig and Kevvdogg from "Bitchin' Rides". They were the first ones to come up and congratulate me at the Roadster Show as I was wheeling my gas pump out of the building. I first met them a few years ago at an anniversary celebration for this little hot dog stand. This is what he had to say about the little truck. https://youtu.be/0LVL0zjKy5E

Since the San Marino show, things changed in the Concours d'Elegence show world. A lot of the Concours shows started a Special Interest class because they realized that not all people wanted to see the grand old classics, they want to see something they remember from their past. So after years of doing regular car shows that the judging came be... Well, let's just say political, It was time to see what people that are trained at judging cars thought of what we had built. The first show was the Benedict Castle Concours and I thought it would be nice to bring the wife along. When we arrived I knew this was not going to be a nice experience for her. They had us down as a 1957 Buick Estate Wagon? They said that's put I put on the application and I was out of luck...What! So the judges never came to look at the truck and when I ask if they were going to judge it, they blow me off. That was the first and only show I ever left in the middle of, we were treated very disrespectful and I felt bad for me wife.





After that bad experience, the next Concours was the Muckenthaler Motor Festival. Some amazing cars there along with a bunch of vintage trailers all restored with period correct cars pulling them. As they judged my class they walked right past my truck? I've been mistaken as a vendor at quite a few show cars, but that shouldn't have been the case here. I thought to myself, here goes another Benedict Castle. I sat there all day waiting to be judged, I couldn't go and check out the other cars and trailers, so there I sat. Judges would come look at the truck and say "I'm not your judge, I just wanted to look at your truck". A gentlemen came up and said they were moving me into a different class and I was like what class could that be? Another gentlemen came up to me and said that he was the chairman for the Huntington Beach Concours d'Elegance and that I needed to bring my truck to his show in two weeks. I told him that I'd have to check my schedule and he explained that my truck needed to be there (but that's another story). Finally as the cars were being lined up to receive their trophies and yet another gentlemen came up to me and told line up behind the Rolls Royce.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mXASB5SOYM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBEQ2tPiLi0

Very Cool! You deserve those awards.

So after being told by the Chairman of the Huntington Beach Concour d'Elegence at I needed to bring my truck to his show... I did. Showing a vehicle in the "Special Interest Class" is such an eclectic group of cars that really do not belong together. In most classes you are being judged against like cars, but not this class, there could be race cars, classics and even newer cars that some might consider a classic. This was the first Concours that the judges actually judged the truck, so I was interested in what they had to say. After the safety check of starting the truck, turning on the headlights, turn signals and beeping the horn, I stood with some of the other participants as they continued their judging. Five judges from the Palos Verdes Concours d'Elegence approached and ask if I was being the truck to their show in a couple of months, so I told them I would. It was when the judges got underneath my truck that the other participants got a little nervous. They said "I didn't know they would look under the car?" I told them "They should, It's pretty clean under there."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcdTHIi_d-8

The second and third place cars were handed their trophies at their cars. They put a number on the truck for the order that it would be in to receive it's first place trophy, pretty cool. As I was sitting there waiting to drive up and receive the trophy, a judge came up and put another number on the windshield and told me to line back up once I receive my trophy because the truck was receiving a special recognition trophy. The little truck had won it's third "Chairman's Award" in three shows. Pretty amazing considering the fact that it is hard for any car to do that but here I was with this little Snap-on Tools truck... Just amazing. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think when building this truck that people would take to it the way they have. It truly has been a humbling experience. They lined us up for a group picture... Best of Show Pre War, Best of Show Postwar, Best of Show Motorcycle and Chairman's Award