Published: October 10, 2008 10:33 am         

Award-winning Fiesta Wagon part of auto show

The sun hid behind the thick gray clouds, hiding its warmth as snow blanketed the ground, piling up along the side of the barn. The barn provided only limited protection from the storm as the snow blew under the doors and flurried inside when they were opened. Inside, a classic Oldsmobile sat quietly, left for dead after the engine and transmission had been removed years before, the owner finding a better use for them than in a station wagon.

But all cars deserve a second chance, and after a lengthy restoration, Bruce and Judy Ricks of Sapulpa have given the Oldsmobile Fiesta Wagon its chance to shine.

The car will be on display at the Downtown Stillwater Auto Show on Saturday.

The car had been left in a barn in Clovis, N.M., where it sat since 1966. It had been used to operate an irrigation engine repair business, but the maintenance man found a 1959 Ford pickup that suited the job better than the car. The pickup needed a new engine and transmission, and with the help of his son, the repairman moved them from the Oldsmobile and into the Ford, rolling the car into the barn.

Fast-forward to about four years ago, and the repairman was cleaning out his barn. He offered the car to a local man named Fred, for free, and all he had to do was get the car out of the barn. Fred did get the car out of the barn, and placing a For Sale sign in the window, left it in front of his house along Highway 60 in Clovis.

Darrel and Tim Cimbanin of Cimtex Rods, based out of Jarrell, Texas, found the car when passing through Clovis.

The Cimbanins knew Bruce, and knew his love for 1956 and 1957 models of Oldsmobiles.

They called him and relayed the news of their finding; Ricks urged them to get the car.

The body was in amazing condition when discovered, having years of protection inside the barn.

“No rust, no dents, all the glass was still in the car,” Ricks said. “It was a time capsule. Being inside for all these years was super.”

But the car still needed a lot of work, and the Cimbanins went to work on the car in their Texas shop.

“It was hard being so far away from the build,” he said.

A new engine and transmission had to be provided since the New Mexico repairman had removed them, and the Cimbanins replaced the engine with a 1957 Oldsmobile J2 engine, which was rebuilt in Ricks’ shop at his home in Sapulpa.

The transmission was also an original model, a 1957 Oldsmobile four-speed automatic.

The front end was removed from the firewall forward and replaced with a new frame, suspension, 18-inch wheels and axle, all built by Art Morrison Enterprises in Washington state.

Although the rear end is original, it had a lot of work.

New, 20-inch wheels were added, along with new 12-and-a-half-inch stainless steel brakes.

The suspension was narrowed to make room for the new large brakes.

The exterior is original, with the only modifications being door handles and chrome.

A man named Chris Ito, who designs interiors for Peterbilt trucks, designed the interior, and all leather trim was handmade by Paul Atkins of Hanceville, Ala.

The seats are also original, except Atkins replaced the spring cushions with foam cushions.

Restoration of the car took about two years, and the Fiesta Wagon finally debuted on the car show circuit at the Detroit Autorama in March 2007, winning four awards: best interior; custom station wagon class winner; cruiser of the year and award of excellence.

The Fiesta Wagon has gone on to many other accolades, including a Turtle Wax Street Rodder “Top 100 Finalist” for the 2007 Street Rodder “Street Rod of the Year;” “Best GM Street Machine Class” at the Fall Street Machine Nationals in Springfield, Mo., and the 2008 Street machine “Grand Champion” at the Hot Rod Super Nationals in Springfield, Mo. in June 2008.

It was featured on the cover of Rod & Custom in December 2007 and the cover of Summit, a racing and custom car catalog, in March & April 2008, and summer 2008 found the Fiesta Wagon on the cover of the mid-summer catalog for California Car Cover Co.

The Downtown Stillwater Auto Show is Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Entry begins at 8 a.m. and lasts until the show begins at 10 a.m.

Registration forms are available on Stillwater’s Web site, www.stillwater.org.

The registration fee is $10 for all cars. Registration forms, along with fees in the form of check or money order, can be mailed to the Bid Coordinator, P.O. Box 1449, Stillwater, 74076-1449. For more information, call 747-8647.

     

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.