Road Rebels heading to World of Wheels
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
We need your support!
Local journalism needs your support!
As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed.
Now, more than ever, we need your support.
Starting at $14.99 plus taxes every four weeks you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website.
Subscribe Nowor call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527.
Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community!
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/02/2020 (1505 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The 46th annual World of Wheels auto showcase is taking place in Winnipeg March 27-29, and a group of Westman gearheads will be occupying a good chunk of real estate on the RBC Convention Centre floor.
This is because the Road Rebels car club is setting up a five-vehicle display that is designed to highlight various stages of automotive restoration, from a rusted-out “barn find” to a fully rehabilitated classic car.
“I’ve always wanted to do the club display, but I couldn’t get all the members together because it was early in the spring and they didn’t want to get their cars out,” Road Rebels president Dave Burba told the Sun. “But now, with the new collector plates, these cars are all licensed year-round, so it’s a lot easier that way.”
Burba went on to say that fellow car enthusiast David Maguire came up with the idea for this exhibit in the hopes of providing urban motorists some insight into the unique process that Westman hobbyists go through to revive their classic vehicles.
“We’re going to not only display the cars, but we’re also going to have some tools there, (like) a hoist that goes over the engine … just to give people some idea of what’s going on,” Maguire said. “Some cars will even have their hoods off, so they’ll have an idea of what you have to go through to get to that final process.”
On Jan. 31, Burba sent out an email out to fellow members to confirm the line up for the upcoming World of Wheels show.
Alexander resident Dustin Baloun will be first in line, since he has barely touched his 1972 Buick Gran Sport after rescuing it from a barn near Manitou three years ago.
“The car is actually in really, really terrible shape,” he told the Sun earlier this month, estimating the GS was wasting away in that barn for 10-15 years. “It’s going to be (restored) from top to bottom, pretty much everything taken apart … full bodywork, a full paint job, refreshed suspension, everything fixed back to where it should be.”
Chad Bicklmeier’s Oldsmobile 1970 Cutlass Supreme is in slightly better condition, although the Rivers resident has been struggling to find the right parts to bring the car back to its former glory.
“I want to keep it original,” he said on Feb. 10. “And sourcing original parts has proven much more of a challenge than buying restoration parts.”
Next in line is Mike Fontaine’s 1968 Ford Falcon, which is drivable but needs work, and Joyce Burba’s Oldsmobile 1976 Cutlass Supreme that still requires some cosmetic upgrades.
Finally, Lindsay Rystephanuk will tie everything together with his 1973 Dodge Charger, since the journeyman mechanic finally put the finishing touches on his dream muscle car in 2017 after almost a decade of hard work.
While the logistics of getting five different cars, some of which aren’t drivable, into one out-of-town location will definitely be a challenge, Burba said all this effort will be worth it to get some Westman representation on the show floor.
“Not very many rural people have done the club displays in Winnipeg for World of Wheels,” he said. “So we’re trying to put Brandon on the map more so.”
On a personal level, Bicklmeier hopes that the camaraderie on display at this year’s convention is just the inspiration he needs to finally make some progress on his Cutlass, since he’s been gradually chipping away at this restoration project for the last decade.
“It’s a group of individuals that are just coming together to share their passion,” he said. “We’ve got five different cars from five different people and everybody’s got a different background, but we’re all car people. That’s really neat.”
» kdarbyson@brandonsun.com
» Twitter: @KyleDarbyson