The Old Essex Grille

I have no idea where it came from.  One day, I arrived at my dad’s shop and there was an ancient grille, sprayed white and donning a red Essex emblem.  The emblem was in great shape, but the grille – well, it wasn’t awful, but it had seen better days.  It hung in the shop for years, always just a kind of thing to look at, a conversation piece that may or may not have grabbed attention.

I was shocked how many hadn’t heard of the Essex line of automobiles, but, then again, why should I be?  It lasted just a little over 10 years and was phased out by an even more obscure brand, Terraplane.  In spite of a christening by Amelia Earhart, the Terraplane line lasted less than a decade, with only the parent company of both, Hudson, remaining.  Hudson would, of course, go on to become one of America’s most respected automobiles, mainly competing in the mid-level market with the likes of Oldsmobile, Mercury, and Dodge, until it merged with Nash to form the American Motors Corporation.  Essex and Terraplane, by the way, were Hudson’s entry to the entry-level market, competing with Ford, Chevrolet, Plymouth, and so on.

Today, the grille hangs in my garage, after several years of living in storage, awaiting the day I would finally get my own garage.  While the garage remains in limbo, slowly gaining improvements here and there, I couldn’t wait to hang the grille.  It truly was one of those things I’d see in storage and think what a cool piece it would be.  And, finally, here it is, and actually it was one of the very first things to be placed.  As excited as I was to hang it, the other thought lurking around was to get it off the ground, lest it possibly get damaged.  The emblem remains covered by a few pieces of tape protecting it from scratches and mishaps, something I think my mom did when she found out I was taking it from the shop because the company was being closed down.  This and an old Coca-Cola machine became my beloved headaches from the shop.

Recently, I sent a dashboard from a 1965 Mustang to a friend of mine in Ohio for restoration.  Andrew, and his son, a young tyke lovingly called Junior, are going to bring the dash to another level when they’re not working on the art of creating carbon fiber pieces for vintage vehicles.  Most recently, it was media blasted and now I think they’re in the process of straightening it and welding rust holes shut.  In the end, it’ll be a mounted piece with working illumination and a working radio, hang it on the wall, plug it in, and there we are – instant automotive art.  Well, not instant, it’ll take a minute to restore it, of course.

Interestingly, despite Junior’s young age, Andrew has taught him well and he can run a welding machine like it’s nobody’s business.  He’s also skilled at working a number of other shop tools and, if things stay on track, he will have quite the metalworking resume by the time he’s 20.  The dashboard has a neat story beyond the restoration, and I’ll write about that as soon as its completely done.  But meanwhile, it’s been fun getting pictures of it slowly coming along.  The point is, when the dash is done, I think the grille and Coca-Cola maching will go to Andrew and Junior for restoration as well.

Restoration is a funny thing, isn’t it?  Whether you do it yourself or hire out, the process costs a bit of money, sometimes a ton of money, and time.  And in the end, hopefully, the result is worth the effort and expenditure.  Here, I am restoring things to hang on the wall.  I must be utterly insane, right?  I suppose it depends on the doctor diagnosing the illness.  For me, and maybe I’m not alone, it has to do with getting it to the 100 percent mark.  Making it as perfect as it can be.  Maybe it’s silly, maybe it’s ego.  But the goal is simple – a perfect, working dashboard that will be fun and unique.  Ditto with the grille and soda machine.  Stay tuned, we’ll see how it all goes.