Love of cool, classic cars keeps Waldport couple working and driving ahead with their projects

By KATHLEEN O’CONNOR/Lincoln Chronicle

Julie Garcia’s customized 1941 Chevy Coupe was in rough shape when she and her husband, Joe, purchased it, but she loved its bright orange color. So when the car was finally ready to be repainted she chose exactly the same color — and it can’t be missed on the road or at car shows.

In her role as right hand technician, Julie and Joe Garcia have rebuilt two cars in the six years they have been in Waldport — her ’41 Chevy and his 1969 Pontiac GTO.

In 2019 Joe was in a very serious motorcycle accident in California while out on a “long run” with his motorcycle club. He broke 10 ribs and his back in eight places and suffered two collapsed lungs. As he was recovering Julie asked if he wanted to replace his motorcycle or choose a car to work on instead. She knew he would need a project.  Joe chose a car. Julie moved quickly, before he could change his mind, and found the Chevy on Facebook Marketplace.

The accident happened as they were making plans to move to Waldport. They had lived for many years in Fairfield, Calif. less than an hour from Vacaville, where Julie grew up. She was raised in the country, loving the fact that she and her sisters got to ride horses whenever they wanted, with no supervision but and not loving all the farm chores associated with cows, chickens, horses and gardening.

Joe is from Guam but immigrated to the United States after Typhoon Karen devastated the island in 1962, destroying his home. Soon after the storm, he moved to Fairfield with his mother, stepfather, and uncle, joining relatives who were already there.

Question: Please tell us more about your move to Waldport.

Answer: Joe’s accident hastened his retirement a little bit, but we had already been looking for a home in Waldport for quite a long time – to be close to my parents and to have enough space to build a large shop. My stepdad had been checking out property for us for about three years, and our place on Northeast High Street turned out to be perfect. Joe now says he’s living his dream — a big shop, an old car and a band. And he also says that while the accident fractured both his body and his pride he earned some of that pride back when he repainted our new house — with the help of a boom truck and a back brace.

Q: You have redone two cars together. What work was needed on each one?

A: There was rust, lots of rust — so there was sanding, lots of sanding.

Body work is the hardest, and Joe did most of that. He worked as a commercial painter, so he’s familiar with all the prep work that needs to be done before anything can be painted. And he used YouTube frequently to learn how to do the metal work. The interior of the Coupe was in terrible shape. We had a gentleman in Eugene who specializes in auto upholstery redo the seats and the dash. Everyone who owns a custom car does little things to make it unique, so we asked for all the topstitching to be done in orange thread. And some of the control knobs are the same orange color as the exterior of the car. The car had already been chopped four inches and had its door handles removed before we got it. The doors now open with a remote control.

Joe bought the 1969 GTO in 1972 and used it daily for about 12 years. He gave it to his son, Joe Jr., when he graduated from high school. Joe Jr. had it for 26 years, but it gradually fell into disrepair. When he no longer had room for it he asked if his dad would like it back – and of course he did. By then we had built the shop, which has a lift and a collapsable painting booth and a multitude of tools, so we started right in restoring it. Once Joe had that piece of his history back in his own hands he declared that the Chevy Coupe was mine.

Q: How did the two of you work together on these projects?

A: We have spent most our 20 years together side by side, and that’s how we approached the cars. Joe handled the heavy work, while I ran innumerable errands, categorized and cataloged parts as we took things apart, and then found the right parts as we put things back together. We both did a lot of sanding, and we made all the design decisions together. I have had fibromyalgia for many years, and I never know what kind of pain I’ll wake up with. At times it slows me down.

Q: Please tell us about the awards you have won on both cars.

A: Last summer we entered both cars in the Waldport Beachcomber Days Car Show, which starts on a Saturday. We finished working on the GTO late Friday night — just in time.

The GTO won the “Best Muscle” award, and the Coupe won the “Best Car” award. Over the past year the GTO has won three other awards, and the Coupe has earned a total of five awards in the three years we’ve been showing it. During the summer there are car shows up and down the coast and in the valley — we’ve entered several. I was invited to show the Coupe at the Salem Roadster Show this February. The show included a special section — The Female Forum — for cars owned by women. Eighteen women participated with all kinds of vehicles. It was a great opportunity for women to feature their cars — and an honor to be included.

Q: What do you like to do besides work on cars?

A: Several times a week I start my morning at the pool at the Newport Community Center. Being in the water really helps me manage my fibromyalgia. We both enjoy going to car shows even if we haven’t entered our cars, and Joe couldn’t live without his band, BuzzKill. He’s been in multiple bands since high school, always on drums. He first fell in love with drums as a child on the beach in Guam where the drummer in one of the beach bands invited him to give it a try. His band plays up and down the coast, and part of our shop is a designated practice room.

Tell us a secret.

My secret is that last year, on our 20^th wedding anniversary, we renewed our wedding vows right in our shop– our two dogs were with us and Joe’s band played afterward. Since 50 people joined us it’s not exactly a secret. Joe’s secret is that he grew up never knowing his biological father, but he recently discovered he had four sisters. It wasn’t DNA testing that brought them together, but an unexpected connection with an extended family relative. We were both grateful to meet two of them in Texas last year.

Contact: Julie Garcia: [email protected]; Joe Garcia: [email protected] and [email protected]