Stadalsky: Restored car taking first place meant something

When Dan Clennon had his father’s 1987 El Camino restored recently, it was a dream come true.

When the car took first place at the World of Wheels in Chicago, it was a dream come true for Jason Zolper, of Zolper Auto Restoration, who restored the vehicle. This was the second year in a row Zolper won at World of Wheels.

Now, the only one left to impress would be Dan’s father, Jerry “Bud” Clennon, but he passed away three years ago this coming May.

Although Bud Clennon loved his El Camino the way it was, pre-restoration, Dan is sure he would have loved the new look.

“He probably would have gone nuts,” Dan said.

Two years ago Dan decided to have the beloved car restored in his dad’s memory. The El Camino, which wasn’t in bad shape when Bud bought it 15 years ago, underwent a complete restoration at Zolper’s shop.

It was dismantled. It got a new engine, transmission, rear end and wheels. The black paint job, which is a talent Zolper is known for, is said to be so shiny you can see the color of your eyes in the reflection of the paint.

Because he enjoyed the project and values each piece he works on, Zolper added a beautiful hardwood floor in the bed of the truck as a surprise gift to Dan and his wife, Robyn Clennon.

Every week for the past two years, Dan and Robyn checked the progress of the El Camino at the shop. Sometimes it looked like nothing was going on and all he did was write checks, said Dan.

But it’s not like the TV shows, where they restore a car in a week and show it in an hour-long show, said Jason.

The interior alone took three months. They opted for a sports model nose, which had to be cut and refiberglassed to fit.

Robyn sometimes referred to the El Camino as Christine, as in the Stephen King horror novel about a possessed car, because she sometimes felt the car was going to kill her.

When Bud Clennon first bought his El Camino, he was in seventh heaven. He told his son that some day it would be the flower car in his funeral.

“It was,” said Dan. “I drove it in his funeral.”

Bud was well known in Minooka and Channahon. He was born in a farmhouse on U.S. Route 6 in Minooka. He was a veteran of the Korean War, a farmer and an insurance salesman.

He sold insurance out of the farmhouse until he bought a building in downtown Minooka for the Clennon Insurance Agency in 1962, which is now run by his daughters.

Dan would take the El Camino to car shows for his dad when Bud’s health wasn’t so good, which made for a lot of great memories.

Getting it restored in his honor is just icing on the cake for Dan. And this May, on the third anniversary of his father’s death, he intends to drive the El Camino to Bud’s grave to show it off and then everyone will toast Bud Clennon with a beer.

• Kris Stadalsky writes about people and issues in areas southwest of Joliet. Reach her at writestuff56@comcast.net.