No one has yet petitioned the Maple Grove City Council to change the name of Narcissus Lane to Hot Rod Alley. But it could happen. Not that the residents of the 8100 block of Narcissus have a pathological need for speed, nor have there been complaints about squealing tires or unsanctioned drag-racing. However, the block has gained local fame as a custom-car connection.
Four neighbors on the block own meticulously restored, classic cars dating back to 1930, including a couple of street rods. The neighbors share ideas—and tools. The hobby “keeps us out of the bars, we always say,” says Barry Blazevic.
Conversation Starters
Blazevic, 55, has a white 1964 Thunderbird he bought from his father in 1980. In 1998, the car won a first place award at the Thunderbird International Convention at Indianapolis Speedway. He also completed ground-up restoration of a 1956 T-Bird, which he later sold. A crew from the History Channel came to Maple Grove to film Blazevic driving the car, but the footage never aired.
Blazevic’s current collection includes a 1964 Mustang, which he completely restored and showed for the first time at last year’s Maple Grove Days, and a 1940 Ford coupe deluxe, which is a street rod—defined as a car with the original body but is modernized everywhere else. Blazevic installed a 350-cubic inch engine, two four-barrel carburetors, power-steering and AC.
Of course, the cars are designed to attract attention everywhere they go. “Every generation that lived with these cars has their own stories about them. They’re really conversation starters,” Blazevic points out.
His most interesting conversation took place at a car show in northern Minnesota. “This older gal kept coming over and looking at the 1940 Ford,” he recalls. “Finally, she asked me ‘Did that car come with that kind of shift-lever? I didn’t think so. My oldest son was conceived in a car like that.’”
Blazevic’s next project will be restoring a 1940 Ford pickup his 80-year-old father, Albert, found on E-Bay.
A Neighborly Bond
The four neighbors share their “tools, knowledge and a lot of B.S.-ing,” says Blazevic’s next-door neighbor, Greg Tobias, whose car has been featured in two hot rod calendars, including one for the current year.
Tobias is the proud owner of a 1930 Ford Model A street rod with a 350-cubic inch engine. The Porsche-red car has all the modern conveniences—cruise control, disc brakes, AC, a security system, and even a CD player.
Across the street from Blazevic, Dick Coles’ garage houses “one of the original muscle cars”: a red, 1966 Pontiac GTO with a 389-cubic-inch engine, “Tri-Power” carburetion system, and Positraction rear end. “I don’t race it,” Coles explains. “When you race, things break. So it’s just for show.” The car’s original owner was killed in the Vietnam War, and it was placed in storage for 20 years. Coles found it on E-Bay and bought it from the second owner. He has spent four years and about $40,000 restoring it to original condition.
Coles’ next-door neighbor, Ted Eyre, owns two vintage Chevys: a 1967 Chevelle and a 1966 Corvette. Eyre has had the Chevelle for seven years. He recently added the Corvette. “Anybody my age who grew up with muscle cars wanted a Corvette,” Eyre said.
Labor of Love
Collecting and restoring classic cars is not an inexpensive hobby. “It takes time and money to get a car into pristine condition,” Blazevic said, pointing out that it took him five years to restore the ’56 T-Bird. Fortunately, the cars are relatively cheap to insure since “the insurance companies know we don’t put any ‘hard’ miles on them,” Blazevic explains.
Blazevic and his buddies all keep their cars garaged under flannel-lined, custom-car covers. Blazevic’s three-car garage (he only uses one stall) is equipped with a hydraulic lift so he can stack two cars.
Blazevic is not a trained mechanic; he owns a construction company. He says the restoration process involves “reading books and manuals and figuring your way through it. And there’s a lot of help on the Internet.” It also helps that the cars he restores are from the pre-computer age and are easier to repair than today’s vehicles. Blazevic says he wouldn’t think of attempting his own repairs on his everyday car, a 2004 Ford pickup.
Of course, finding replacement parts for a 70-year-old car can be a challenge. “When something breaks, you can’t always go to NAPA for it,” Blazevic points out. “If somebody bumps into you and breaks a tail light, you will hunt for a replacement for a while.”
How do the men’s wives feel about their husbands’ motor-centric hobby? “We always have a good time, whether it’s at the Back to the Fifties Show at the State Fairgrounds, the Maple Grove Car Show or some other event,” says Sue Tobias. “It’s a good way for us to spend time as couples—go out and find good restaurants in outlying areas we wouldn’t normally go to, like Loretto or Hanover."
“The whole thing is about the trip,” she adds, proving that custom-car buffs have a philosophical kinship with the self-help gurus who like to say, “It’s about the journey, not the destination.”
