OVERVIEW

Ron Dolling’s neighbours know he customizes cars.

The 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser he bought new and drives daily has been radically altered to look like a supercharged dragster boosted with nitrous oxide. And then there are the low-slung Lamborghini lookalike super cars that he builds in the garage at his Burnaby home – one after another.

Just before Christmas last year, his neighbour dropped by to ask him if he wanted an old car that had been in her parents’ garage for more than 40 years. She told Dolling that her parents had left the car in the detached garage of their Calgary home when they moved to Vancouver. They had bought the car new and had driven it sparingly because they also had a pickup truck.

They thought it would be good to have a car to drive in Calgary and, when they rented their house, they left the car behind. The car was last licensed in 1974. It hadn’t moved since.

Dolling’s neighbor, a physician, didn’t know anything about the car other than it was very old and she used to ride in the back seat when she was a child. She didn’t even know what make it was. She told Ron that, if he didn’t want the car, she was going to have it scrapped. Her father had passed away, her mother was 92-years-old and the house in Calgary was to be sold.

With nothing to lose, Ron sent Canuck Towing to pick up the car which he had never seen.

The 1956 Meteor Rideau Victoria two-door hardtop that was dropped off several weeks later is an amazing automotive time capsule and beautiful example of Canadian car heritage. The car was so original that it was still equipped with the bias ply tires it was delivered with. Dolling was so pleased with the car that he gave his neighbor a Christmas present of $500.

The tri-tone 1956 Meteor had traveled just 63,000 miles according to the odometer and the old car, apart from being dusty and dirty, looked like it was just a few years old. Dolling, who is a licensed heavy duty mechanic, assessed the condition of the car.

“I almost got it running without doing anything but I wanted to make sure everything was right before I ran it,” he says.

He installed a new gas tank and new fuel pump as well as rebuilt the carburetor to ensure there was no stale gas from the 1970’s running through the V8 engine. He had the generator and starter rebuilt just to be on the safe side and installed a new voltage regulator. After more than four decades of dead storage, the Canadian-built 1956 Meteor turned over and started.

Dolling finished his minor refurbishment with new mufflers and wide whitewall radial tires. The original seats had been preserved under seat covers installed when the car was new. The interior is completely original from the carpets and to headliner and is in near perfect condition. Even the radio plays – intermittently.

Meteor cars were badge-engineered cars built by Ford from 1949 through 1961, allowing distinctive lines of cars to be sold by Meteor-Mercury-Lincoln and Ford-Monarch dealers across Canada. The Meteor had the same body and interiors of their Ford brothers but they had different exterior ornamentation including grilles, badges and stainless side accents.

Dolling’s 1956 Meteor Rideau Victoria two-door hardtop is one of just 2,110 that were driven off the Ford Canada assembly line in Oakville, Ontario, during the 1956 model year. Some were ordered with tri-tone paint to enhance the styling. The original owners of Ron’s car ordered the optional Thunderbird Special 312 cubic inch V8 engine, offering the highest horsepower available. The car also has dual exhausts exiting through the rear bumper, an automatic transmission, power steering and a radio.

Dolling has now personalized his car with some extra cosmetic touches although he plans to leave the car basically original.

“It’s a nice cruiser and is cool eye candy,” he says of the garage find that fell in his lap. “My neighbor is happy her family’s car went to someone who appreciates it.”

Alyn Edwards is a classic car enthusiast and partner in Peak Communicators, a Vancouver-based public relations company. He can be reached at aedwards@peakco.com.