MARY DAVIDSAVER/Copley News ServiceJack Hawkins of Bishop Hill stands next to his restored 1928 Model A "hot rod." Hawkins refurbished the car - something he enjoys doing.
Cars drive Bishop Hill man's passion
Bishop Hill man returns to restoration work
Monday, October 30, 2006
BISHOP HILL - Still likes to play with cars. That should be the motto for Jack Hawkins, one of Bishop Hill's car guys.Hawkins said the name of his business is Hawkins Garage, but he doesn't have that name on any cards yet. He used to be Jack Hawkins Auto Restoration, specializing in MGs and Triumphs.
"After 15 years, I wanted to do something else," he said.
He spent some time looking for another job, but couldn't find one he liked.
"I'm too old to go back to being a carpenter. If I'd work one day, I'd need the next one off," he quipped.
Restoring a 1947 Lincoln convertible got him interested in cars again.
"I guess I needed a change," he said.
There are many cars to be found in Hawkins' Park Street garage, some finished, others in various states of completion.
He is working on the brakes of a bright yellow 1966 Jaguar XKE that he already has spent a couple of years on. Along with fixing the body, Hawkins rebuilt the in-line, 6-cylinder twin-cam engine. He also helped the owner install a kit for an all-new interior.
Also in the garage is a 1946 Chevrolet coupe. He explains in detail how the front-end suspension is from a Camaro and the hood is from a four-door Chevy. The hood didn't fit and had to be reshaped and clamped. The chrome doesn't match yet and there are parts to be made if they can't be found. The engine is mounted a little too far forward, so the radiator will have to be slanted to fit.
"That will be easier to do than move the whole engine back," he said.
Another work in progress is a 1930 Model A coupe with a metal top. The car sits without an engine, wheels and many major parts. A lot of the missing pieces will have to be made by hand if they can't be found. This is a personal project for Hawkins and is his second Model A.
Hawkins has a photo album of some of his favorite projects. The pictures show the now-yellow Jaguar, unpainted and without wheels, hood or doors, on his "rotisserie." The car body was bolted to this contraption by special brackets that allowed it to be up off the floor and spun over to make every part reachable.
The photo did make the car look a little like a roasting chicken.
"When I had it up there, I turned it over and heard all kinds of rattling noises," he said. "It turned out that the lower panels were filled with ground squirrel nests and acorns. They had lived in there a long time and chewed up all the wiring."
Most of Hawkins' projects are older cars that have been neglected or in storage for years. However, he did give himself a chance to build one brand new car from scratch. He found a book that had all the dimensions of a Lotus 7 race car. That was all he needed to get started.
It took a year and a half to pull the inner parts of a Toyota, MG, Mazda and Chevy Vega together with the hand-built frame and body. He takes the finished car to time trials where the driver races against the clock.
"It is four inches off the ground and has a low center of gravity," he explained. "It takes corners really well."
Hawkins' love of cars goes way back.
"I've been a car nut since I was a kid," he said.
To prove it, Hawkins points to a blue Buddy L toy car carrier. Buddy L toys were made in Moline; this was one of two that he has.
"This kind of collection doesn't take up as much space," he noted.
Walking through Hawkins' world of cars and listening to the stories of how each project is special, one can get a glimpse of a real car guy who will never grow tired of playing with cars.
