Lake County >> Some people build their classic cars from the ground up. Others, well, they prefer the open road to the garage. Jay Gould is one such car enthusiast. In 2014 he purchased his 1934 Ford three window Coupe from a consignment shop in the Bay Area and while he doesn’t do any of the mechanical work himself, he does drive the car nearly every day.
Although he loves his coupe, it did take a push from his son for Gould to make the leap into the classic car world. After his wife passed away unexpectedly in 2012, his son suggested Gould do something he’d always wanted to do, but never gotten around to. Gould was hesitant, worried it would be too costly. But his son said he could keep the car for a decade and then sell it, and come out mostly even in the end. It was enough to convince Gould.
At first he had his sights set on a 1932 Ford Highboy, but when he went to check out the car, he didn’t fit inside. He was crushed, having built up excitement about finally owning a classic car. Then he spotted the ‘34 Coupe behind it. He slid easily into the roomy interior. From that moment on, the car has been his.
Gould didn’t mind that he couldn’t have the model he’d first seen. He just wanted something like it, and Fords from 1932-1935 are all similar. He doesn’t have anything against muscle cars — he had one in high school — but he finds that the earlier makes are simply more fun.
Not being the mechanical type, when Gould first obtained his car he was worried he’d have to drive to the Bay Area whenever we needed work done. But he soon discovered he had no reason to fret — Lake County is home to a number of impressive body shops. It makes sense, considering there are over 8,000 cars around the lake. Konocti Rods and Restoration in Lower Lake have done virtually all the work on Gould’s car, including painting it an putting in a new high performance engine.
It goes to show that anyone can join the classic car world, regardless of whether or not they have talent with a wrench.
Car enthusiasts enjoy their cars for different reasons. There’s the driving them, the design work and the mechanical aspects, but it seems universally agreed upon that the best thing about owning a classic car is the people. “I got to meet a lot of new friends who’ve become very great friends that I never would have had otherwise,” Gould said. “That has filled a fellowship need in my life and I’m very, very grateful for that.”
Even though they might belong to different car clubs, and even though they may be scattered throughout the country, car enthusiasts are there for one another through thick and thin. “Friendship goes beyond the car clubs, I found out to my pleasant surprise,” Gould added. “I’ve had some illnesses and they’re among the first to come visit me.”
Despite meeting multiple times a week for breakfast, lunch and club meetings, they amazingly never seem to run out of things to talk about.
But while the friendships are wonderful, driving his Ford Coupe is its own special joy. The car is his late wife’s favorite color, and he keeps a photo of her in the cab. It’s his way of spending more time with her. “Every time I drive I’m driving with her,” Gould said.
While he has two newer cars, Gould does drive it regularly, come rain or shine, a heat wave or a cold front, never mind that the car doesn’t have air conditioning or a heater. It helps that the car is what Gould calls an old school build, meaning that the inside is a cool tweed instead of a potentially sweltering leather.
He’s taken the car all the way to Los Angeles, driving down the Pacific Coast Highway in his 1934 Ford Coupe. It had always been a dream of his, and he’d finally been able to achieve it.
But he has nothing against cars that are more for show than driving. “I don’t fault those guys that have trailer queens, because that’s their side of the sport and that’s fine,” he said.
Owning a classic car is a constant stream of maintenance, something all people should be aware of before running out to buy one. Gould has needed to replace the engine and the tires, and at some point he’s going to have to repaint the body as well. But he’s happy to have the work done.
But it’s not all a bother, not when there’s constantly something fun to buy. Gould recently purchased a pair of those famous fuzzy dice to hang on his review mirror. Here’s the best part — they’re Bluetooth enabled. Gould can pull up music on his phone and play it through the dice. He can also take phone calls. “There’s always little things like that you can do to keep your car fresh,” he said.
Jennifer Gruenke can be reached at 900-2019.
