A mechanic’s son spent nine months refurbishing his father’s pride and joy, a 1946 Cadillac bought 50 years prior, so that the elderly veteran could drive the car one last time on his 102nd birthday.
Passionate about cars, the older man, Wilburn “Walt” West, was born on May 17, 1920, the eldest of 15 children. He dropped out of school in the eighth grade to earn money for his family before serving during World War II and later worked for 38 years as a forklift driver in a warehouse while raising his family in Pampa, Texas.
Walt purchased his ‘46 Cadillac in 1974.
“When my dad grew up, no one had cars; they walked to school, they rode on horses,” Walt’s 73-year-old son Harry West, a retired biologist from Canyon, told The Epoch Times. “Grandpa finally got a Model T Ford. That’s probably the first thing my dad ever drove.”
In Walt’s day, a Cadillac was one of those things only rich people owned, Harry said. So in the 1970s, when he happened to spot one that someone had obviously taken decent care of sitting behind a building in the hot Texas sun, he had to investigate. It simply wasn’t right.
“Tickled Pink”
Two years prior, in 1972, Walt had retired the Ford he bought brand-new in 1955. This car came to mind first when, at the age of 98, he broke his leg and needed surgery. The injury scared him and he asked his son, also mechanically gifted, “Do you think you could get my Ford out and make it run again? I want to hear it run before I die.”
Harry said, “I told him, ‘Dad, not only will I make it run, you’re going to drive it!’”
So, Harry retrieved the ‘55 Ford from his father’s house in Pampa and, over three months, got the car up and running in time for Walt’s 99th birthday. At a huge family party, he was “tickled pink” to drive his faithful Ford for the first time in decades. When local TV covered the restoration, they asked the veteran what he wanted for his 100th birthday.
Walt wanted to drive his Cadillac, which hadn’t run in half a century.
Harry initially thought there was no chance the ‘46 could be made roadworthy; his father had never succeeded in fixing it. Its engine was frozen and had water inside; the Cadillac needed a bumper-to-bumper overhaul. “The car had not moved under its own power for about 50 years when we got it out of hibernation,” Harry said. “It’d been inside ever since Dad had it, so it had deteriorated horribly.”
By Walt’s 100th birthday, the car was not ready. So his family entered his restored ‘55 Ford into a major car show in Amarillo, Texas, instead with help from the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Notably, Walt was recognized by former President Donald Trump, while an American flag was flown in his honor, courtesy of Senator Ted Cruz, for this milestone birthday. Walt was over the moon.
The Restoration
Harry was raised with his father’s sense of care for vehicles, knowing that if something broke he wouldn’t get a new one. Harry started fixing things early in life, learning from local Pampa mechanics in exchange for odd jobs, and recalls one “stellar” mechanic, Don Cole, alongside whom he fixed his first ‘41 Ford pickup.With his own private shop today, Harry devoted nine months and around $1,500 to restoring his father’s ‘46 Cadillac. He sourced parts from all over the United States and secured help from a trusted childhood schoolmate, Jerry Heasley, who documented the project.
On Aug. 6, 2022, a sunny Saturday in Texas, Harry’s immense hard work paid off when he was able to reveal his father’s precious Cadillac, restored and roadworthy again.
“We got Dad in his wheelchair, got him out on his front porch,” Harry said. “We had five generations of the family there that day. My great-grandson and I were in the car, and we came down the street in that old Cadillac.”
“Beyond Priceless”
After a gobsmacked Walt looked the car over and gushed about its smooth, quiet engine, it was time for his next surprise: a ride.“He says, ‘Well, we better not go very far, we might have to walk back.’ ‘No, we’re not walking back, Dad!’” Harry said, recalling their conversation. “He was a little skeptical because he knew the condition of the car. ... It just was an incredible day. I don’t know how to describe what it meant to that old man to be able to sit in that old car.”
After some convincing, he drove his treasured ‘46 Cadillac himself, at 102 years old, even though it “kind of scared him because his legs were pretty weak.” To honor the veteran, a convoy from the local fire department added to the momentous day.
Two months later, Walt proudly entered his restored Cadillac in a local car show and on Veterans’ Day he got to spend time talking to younger generations about his experience during and after the war.
In the end, Walt got his wish before passing away at his home of 73 years on Feb. 9. Harry and his sister Linda were with him when he died in his sleep.
“Dad is and will always be missed by all that knew him,” Harry said, adding of their last big project, the ‘46 Cadillac’s restoration: “Absolutely priceless ... and now that Dad is gone, it’s beyond priceless.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YM0rp5fzzuQ
