In love with the '50s

SANDPOINT — He remembers driving through Glacier Park with his dad, sitting alongside him in one of the family's 1940 Fords.

"He would just toodle along … and tell us stories of what brought him there, how my mom and he met," Dan Sheck said while checking off the more than 500 classic and vintage rides at Saturday's Lost in the '50s car show that filled downtown Sandpoint on Saturday.

Now living in Coeur d'Alene, Sheck said his dad grew up in Bonners Ferry and had a few older cars and pickups that were prominent parts of his childhood. His dad's love of cars instilled a similar love of cars in him; he graduated from the automotive program at North Idaho College and he went on to have a 40-plus career as a Ford parts man.

While he loves all older cars, Sheck said it is the 1934 Ford that holds a special piece of his heart.

"I just love the distinct lines, how beautiful the cars are," Sheck said, who now lives in Coeur d'Alene.

Like Sheck, Bill Felton has always loved classic vehicles — albeit in his case, the love is felt most strongly for vintage motorcycles.

Felton has loved motorcycles ever since he was a kid and watched his dad ride them in the '40s. He would tell him stories about his rides and Felton said he loved to look at the old photos as his dad reminisced.

About 15 or so years ago, the Sagle resident ran across an old 1946 Harley Davidson that needed some TLC and couldn't resist. He purchased the classic ride and began to bring it back to life.

"It's kind of a work in progress," Felton said, then chuckled. "But I like it and it suits me."

The 1946 Harley, which he painted a bright turquoise common to the 1950s, albeit not for motorcycles, is not the only Harley that he has.

"Motorcycle riding, it kind of gives you a sense of freedom or independence," Felton said.

While he loves riding his other motorcycle, Felton said there is something special about riding the 1946 "knucklehead," a nickname the motorcycle picked up because of the unique shape of the rocker boxes that resemble the knuckles of a fist.

"I like the history," Felton said. "It's kind of old school and that's kind of fun, kind of squirrelly but for me, it kind of predates the phase when everybody is whining and worried."

If something needed to be fixed, you jumped in, pounded it out and got it done. "I guess it's a touchstone to that different day and attitude," Felton added. "That's kind of what I like about it."

His other Harley is a '99 and is a good ride; you don't have to think about it, you just walk up to hit, hit the button to start it and head out onto the open road.

"This," he said pointing at the gleaming 1946 Harley parked along Oak Street, "is a contraption. You have to get into a property mindset to run this."

It's a different process and a different experience, Felton said.

"It's much more difficult. You don't use it as transportation but it's much more enjoyable. The other one, it's nice and everything but it's like an everyday-means-to-an-end nice.

"This is an experience. It's kind of a step back to the past a little bit. For whatever reason, it suits me."

The Sagle resident enjoys bringing his motorcycles to the show but admits he wasn't sure of the reaction he would get when he brought them for the first time.

"But pretty quick, this older woman comes up and says, my husband and I eloped on a bike just like that in 1947 and gives me the whole story," Felton said. "You know, it's neat, the fact that people get a kick out of it."

Like many who found themselves drawn to classic cars, Dennis Hall has fond memories of the cars he grew up with. His first car was a 1957 Chevy Nomad, "the year of the bling," Hall said.

The car he brought to Saturday's car show is the second '57 Chevy he's owned; the first was one he owned over 40 years ago.

"I used it to get a downpayment on my first house," Hall said. "I never got over that."

He finally got another one and is "doing to it what I want," modifying it to make it a bit more reliable so that he and his wife can take it on the road without having to worry about it breaking down.

It's reminiscent of their honeymoon when they took the first 1957 Chevy through the mountains of Arizona on their honeymoon.

There isn't anything about the era that he doesn't like, Rick Wowk said of his love for classic cars and the era that brought them to the forefront of American culture.

"I live the era," the Edmonton, Alberta man said. "Since I was 5 years old, that's all I wanted was old cars and old music. I wanted to learn to dance jive, and play the guitar or the saxophone."

It's a combination of great cars and great people — a time when old school was the name of the day, when mechanics worked on cars and not technicians.

Keeping that history alive, keeping the cars that have a heart and soul to them is why he began designing cars, Wowk said.

"It's an era of the 1940s-'50s that everybody that lived that, they treasured it for the rest of their lives. "And all I do is bring it back and make sure that it's there so we don't lose it."

His 1949 Mercury custom is modified from the original body; the roof is chopped down about four or so inches, and the car is a little bit longer. There is more stainless steel to catch the sunlight, and the car sits lower than it would have straight out of the factory.

Wowk said he wanted something long, black, and sexy and worked with his builders to bring the vision he dreamed up to life.

It turned out better than he could have imagined.

"When you're driving it, you feel like you're in that era," added Wowk.