Things take a weird turn whenever you set out on a project car; parts go missing, secret patches of rust are found, accidents happen that were beyond control. The last of these very nearly turned this classic sled into another piece of scrap metal in the junkyard, were it not for the owner’s tenacity.

The year was 1989 when 20-year-old Dave Chavez bought the above 1949 Ford with dreams of crafting a mean lead sled. He put the dream on hold for almost twenty years before finding Brad Masterson, a professional car builder and restorer living in Paramount, California.

Masterson was tasked with customizing the car as best he could, all the while leaving the roof alone, since he personally found chopped cars to be a little too common and unremarkable. The builder went about curing the car’s patches of rust on the body and frame, and then went about giving the body a unique style that Chavez would love: frenched headlights, molded sidepipes, molded rear fenders, v-butted windshield, and dummy spotlights.

The color came from a gas tank off of a motorcycle that Chavez had spotted–persimmon luster red, done in three coats. The seats were done up in pearl white tuck-and-roll upholstery, and the carpets were done in grey with white piping. The I6 that had lasted for nearly sixty years without a problem, pooped out on the way to a show, and was replaced with a newer-model by Rudy’s Automotive.

All this would come to a screeching halt in 2007, when Chavez’s dementia-ridden neighbor took a bat to his beloved Blue Oval and left just about everything in pieces on the driveway. None of Chavez’s other neighbors had made a serious attempt to stop the stick-wielding octogenarian, and since Chavez was away at work while it happened, he was powerless to stop the rampage on his own.

After that ordeal, Chavez spent the $2,500 settlement money on a restoration that was all for naught, as the man was dealt another cruel hand in 2010. Chavez fell asleep at the wheel and plowed into a parked truck near an intersection, essentially totaling his creation.

The remains were hauled back to Chavez’s house that night, and the man went about disassembling the car to save whatever was worth saving. It still sits in his backyard to this day, awaiting its repair. Let’s just hope Chavez can muster the courage to try one more time, for old time’s sake.

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