The SAFV Task Force car show was held in the Machine Shop on Friday with the proceeds going to benefit SAFV, which works to provide assistance for those who are victims of domestic abuse.

The car show drew many classic and custom cars from around the area, with cars from Utah and Wyoming. There were cars to satisfy almost any enthusiasts desires, but even though the cars were amazing, the stories behind the cars made them interesting.

When visitors first entered the Machine Shop there was a lineup of Chevrolets from the late 1950s that would make any fan of the “bowtie” cars drool with envy.

The first car was a red 1955 Chevrolet Nomad owned by Jace Nix of Mountain View. The Nomad was a sport station wagon with only two doors and a distinctive tailgate that separates it from the traditional flat-back station wagons of the day. 

While the outside of the Nomad looked when original, under the hood lays the heartbeat of a modern-day Corvette. An LS1 Corvette drive train had replaced the old carburated short block, giving the car modern car feel, power and fuel mileage. 

Next to the Nomad was a blue 1955 Chevrolet Bel-Air two-door. Both of these cars are some of the most sought-after classics nationwide. The Bel-Air had also been fitted with an LS3 Corvette engine and the owner, Tony Nix, mother of Jace Nix, enjoys the 373-horsepower vehicle that still gets 28 MPG. 

Dear old dad wasn’t about to be left out in the garage alone; next to the Bel-Air was a blue 1957 Chevrolet 3100 pickup with the rare, big, wrap around back window. It also sported a modern-day fuel-injected 350 cubic inch Chevrolet engine.

Another car that was sure to catch the eye was a 1967 Pontiac GTO. The GTO was one of the first cars considered to be a “muscle car” and set the standard for others to follow. The car’s paint looked like a deep pool of water and caused many people to stop and admire.

The car is owned by Joe and Jennifer Madsen from Vernal, Utah.

Joe first spotted the car sitting outside in Casper. He asked the owner if he would sell the car and was told he would but wanted nearly $10,000. The car was covered in snow and in need of a lot of work. Joe continue to talk with the owner who eventually asked what Joe planned on doing with the car. Joe told him it wouldn’t be sitting out in the snow and he wanted it to be a family project.

Learning about the plans, the owner offered to sell it to him for $3,500.

“I couldn’t shake his hand fast enough,” Joe said.

They took the car home and the work began. Everyone in the family was involved in the project, Joe, Jennifer, their children, and Jennifer’s mother jumped in to lend a hand.

“We did all the work ourselves,” Joe said, “except the paint job, we hired someone for that.”

The color blue was chosen before they learned that Jennifer’s mother had ovarian cancer. When her mother died they got a ribbon to put in the back window to remember her and found that the color of the ribbon for ovarian cancer was the same color as the car.

“I have had a lot of people offer to buy this car,” said Joe. “I can tell you, $5 million couldn’t buy this car. This car belongs to our family. It means too much to us all.”

Off in a corner there was an all-original 1959 Edsel convertible. The flawless red and white Edsel is owned by Duane Carpenter, who has owned the car for 20 years. Carpenter has kept the car in prime condition. Even now, after having some health issues, he still loves his Edsel.

There was a bright silver 1949 Triumph Roadster owned by Gene and Lisa Woody of Lyman. They found the car on E-Bay and decided to just pay the “Buy it now” price to make certain they won the auction. When they received the car, much of the engine was on the floorboard. The interior was very rough and needed a lot of work, new upholstery, carpeting and a lot of cleaning.

Lisa was pulling up carpet and found a wrench under the carpeting that had apparently been used when the car was built and became trapped. After World War II, steel was difficult to come by, so most of the car, except the fenders, is made of aluminum. They were surprised to find the body was straight and even the paint was good. A lot of polishing and cleaning brightened up the paint and chrome. They rebuilt the engine because it had sat for so long but the car has only been driven 3,500 miles since it was built.

They found documentation that the car had been in Norway at some time during the late 1970s. Each side of the dash is made of a solid piece of wood. Looking at the glove box of the right-hand drive sports car, one can see that the grain is constant, indicating everything was cut from one piece of wood.

It is considered a sports car but Gene said it has a top speed of only about 65 miles-per-hour. What is lacks in horsepower, it makes up for in style and craftsmanship.

One truck at the show wasn’t built by hand by the owners. They hired the work done. When Lanny Pope bought his 1953 Ford F-100 pickup, it ran pretty well. It had a straight six-cylinder engine and a three-speed stick shift on the steering column, a classic setup for the time peeriod. Lanny knew he wanted to modernize the truck. 

When he retired from Union Telephone he talked with his wife Pam and asked if maybe they should just pull money out of savings and have the work done. Their dream was to hook it up to a small travel trailer and cruise the Pacific Coast Highway. Pam agreed.

They searched several car builders throughout the west and finally decided to take the truck to Las Vegas to “Count’s Customs.” After they discussed everything, the Lanny and Pam left their beloved truck in the hands of the staff at Count’s Customs and came home. It wasn’t long before they got a call asking if they would be interested in having their truck build be a part of the Count’s Customs “Counting Cars” reality show on The History Channel.

They agreed and soon the work began. On the show, it seems like they can finish a custom car in about an hour but the truck was there for several months. The staff kept in constant touch with Lanny and Pam but wouldn’t let them look at the work they were doing.

“That drove me a little crazy,” Pam admitted. “But we knew we were in good hands.”

“I knew I could trust them,” Lanny said. “I did my homework and long before we agreed to the show, Count’s Customs told me things I wanted to hear. They told me they would take the truck down to the bare frame and then X-Ray the frame to ensure it wasn’t cracked or weakened. If there was a problem, they would build a new frame. That’s what I wanted to hear.”

The truck had been one Lanny had wanted to purchase for a long time. The previous owner was the original owner and Lanny had offered to purchase the truck from him. He continued to refuse Lanny’s offers. They became well-acquainted and Lanny told him that one day, he would own the truck. Unfortunately, the original owner died and a few weeks later his widow, knowing Lanny wanted the truck and her husband knew he would take care of it, called Lanny and asked if he was still interested in purchasing the truck. They made a quick deal and Lanny took the truck home.

Lanny and Pam have yet to make their trip up the Pacific Coast Highway. Not long after bringing the truck home Lanny suffered a pulmonary embolism and the trip had to be postponed.

The service they have received from Count’s Customs has been excellent, according to Pam and Lanny.

“We are so happy we took the truck to them,” said Pam. “As we were driving the truck back home a big rock bounced up and hit the left fender, the hood and even the cab of the truck. Our beautiful paint job was damaged. The shop called us to see how things were going and we told them what had happened and they told us to bring the truck back. They fixed it up and you can’t even tell where it was damaged. That’s when I told Lanny to go buy a trailer.”

With each shining vehicle, there was a story, a human side of families, fun, and history. All coming together for one day, in one place, to show their support for those who have been victimized.