Garage Sale Find

I’ve always loved garage sales. Ever since I was a little kid, my favorite Saturday mornings would consist of road trips to far away towns to hunt for all sorts of dusty treasures. More often than not, my mom and I would work as a team to dig up the best stuff. Sometimes we found it. Other times we didn’t. But one thing was for sure—we were never in a rush and we always found a quality spot for lunch after the sale. It’s low-buck fun, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

While I was back in Michigan earlier this fall, my Mom and I were able to go out garage sale-ing once again. This time around, we made our way to Garden City on a hunch that there may be some old car parts stashed away. It didn’t take long to realize that yes, there most certainly were. As I quietly perused, my mom started sifting through a cardboard box on a card table in the driveway. “Hey Joey,” she said, “Check out these old hot rod magazines.”

There, right in front of us, was a bevy of car magazines from the 1950s. They were all neatly organized and slipped in clear plastic sleeves. The first one she handed me was August 1956 issue of Rodding and Re-styling with a customized 1953 Buick on the cover. The woman running the sale informed us that all magazines are $1 apiece. Needless to say, I bought a stack—and more.

A great garage sale haul

Today, I’d like to take a glimpse at Dave Kernaghan’s Deuce roadster, one of the cars featured in the aforementioned August ’56 issue. I had never seen it before, and I believe it is worth sharing.

First and foremost, it’s channeled and full-fendered. If the bobbed fenders seem familiar, it’s because they were pirated from a Model A. The article states that they were reinforced and moulded to the body with exhaust tubing. In standard channeling procedure, the grille shell was sectioned to match. When paired with the mildly chopped top, the Ontario, Canada-based roadster nails the East Coast look.

Beyond the radical fender treatment, the rest of the build was pretty straightforward. Highlights include 59A flathead with a pair of Strombergs, dropped front axle and full wheelcovers all around. I don’t know about you, but I feel the ’47 Oldsmobile taillights work for this unconventional setup.

By the time the roadster appeared in the magazine, Dave had sold it to Ken Wetthaufer. From there, your guess as to where it went is as good as mine. Who knows, maybe it’ll show up at a garage sale sometime down the line? I’ll keep my eyes peeled.

—Joey Ukrop