TERRE HAUTE —
Vintage photos of race cars — of the compact “midget” style — hang on the wall inside Joe Preston’s garage.
Few drivers handled midget cars better than the legendary A.J. Foyt, who is best known for his dominance in the Indianapolis 500. A longtime follower of midget racing, Preston admired not only Foyt’s versatility, but also his style.
“I was always a tremendous fan of A.J. Foyt,” said Preston, an 81-year-old retired electrician. “I just liked his attitude. He was, well, ornery, I’d say.”
That explains one of the sayings etched onto a chalkboard, hanging next to those photos: “Lead, follow or get out of the way” — a very Foyt-like expression.
But the other two phrases on the chalkboard reveal more about Preston himself. In the left corner, he’s written, “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.” Beneath those words, he’s added, “If it’s to be, it’s up to me.”
Combined, the passages sum up the motivation inside Preston — if something is broken, he fixes it. Himself. His lifelong list of repairs and restorations includes nearly a dozen stranded, long-forgotten vehicles, such as the speedster resting in the garage of the eastern Vigo County home, where he and his wife, Alice Ann, live. Preston found that 1928 Model A in a field near Bloomington, stripped to its chassis and frame, rusting away. He bought it for 150 bucks.
“I hate to see anything old just destroyed,” Preston said. “I just can’t live with that.”
Seven years later, that withered metal hulk is a sleek speedster, designed completely from Preston’s own mind, and built by his hands.
That success story is typical, his wife said.
“The more something won’t work, the more determined he is,” Alice Ann said. “He wants it done, and he does it.”
Sitting across the room in, ironically, a lounger, Preston grinned at her and responded, “I think it’s because I’m contrary.”
Rather than rebuild the Model A into its Ford factory form, Preston sketched a different plan on a sheet of paper after he’d hauled its aging remnants to his house. Its white exterior shines under the soft garage lights, highlighted by its distinctive radiator and cap, and the car’s torpedo-shaped rear. Under the hood lurks the sturdy, 4-cylinder engine from one of the nearly 5 million Model A’s produced by Henry Ford’s company from 1928 to ’32.
With the hood up, Preston points to a colorful batch of neatly arrayed wires in the corner of the firewall. It’s a hand-made wiring harness.
“That’s mine,” he said, with a hint of pride.
Preston worked as an electrician for Potter Electrical in Terre Haute, his hometown. That background has helped in his restorations of the Model-A-turned-speedster and other road craft, such as a 1931 Model A pickup truck, a ’31 Model A coupe, a ’35 Graham-Paige, a ’50 Ford pickup, and Chevys from 1936, ’50 and ’52. Auto revivals involve more than electronics, though. Along with gathering used parts from Model A’s and other car makes, Preston had to secure the frame with 1/2-inch square stock steel tubing, and create the speedster’s body from sheets of 18-gauge steel.
He spent nearly four years finishing the project. Being retired helped. “That’s the reason I got it done in four years. Otherwise, it would’ve been 10,” Preston said.
“It turned out pretty much the way I wanted to do it,” he continued, pointing to his original sketch. “Of course, you get ideas along the way.”
On the speedster’s front end, for example, Preston decided to use headlights “from some foreign car.” Perched just above the front axle, well below the peak of the hood, the headlights give it a distinctive look.
Despite its name, the two-seater has a top speed of around 55 mph. “And that’s about it,” Preston said, “but back in those days [the 1920s and ’30s], that was pretty fast.”
Joe and Alice Ann have trekked to lots of car shows and Model A club events in the speedster, as well as the Model A coupe and the two relic pickup trucks. On a rare occasion, they’ve endured a breakdown. Such a predicament cropped up after the Prestons left a show at the Clay City Pottery Festival a few years ago. As Joe put it, a friendly “hippie with a beard” helped push them to the side of the road. “I think that was pretty nice,” so fellow Model A owners at the festival could then help get the car going again.
Usually, Joe turns the wrenches and fixes what’s broken.
That ability was a basic requirement of Model A owners when the vehicles debuted decades ago, selling for $350 apiece. “Back then, if you wanted to drive one, you had to fix them,” Preston said.
He learned car repairs as a teenager. His first car was that 1935 Graham-Paige. “I wish I had it now,” he said. Preston’s grandfather, who lived in Evansville, gave it to him. Joe went there to pick it up, “and drove it home. It needed four quarts of oil [along the way]. And, it needed a little work.”
These days, he spends more time with a wrench than behind the wheel of his refurbished vehicles. Leg pain makes it difficult for him to work a clutch and brake. Besides, as he said, “I’m actually more interested in working on them than driving them.”
His automotive passion suits Alice Ann just fine. “I was all for it,” she said, “because he needed a hobby outside of his work.”
Married 57 years with two daughters, five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren, the Prestons’ story still includes Joe’s cars, trucks and, yes, motorbikes. Their daughters, and now their grandkids, enjoy riding in the rumbleseat of the ’31 Model A coupe. Occasionally, something — like that rusty Model A near Bloomington — will catch Joe’s eye.
“He always got me with, ‘I always wanted one of those when I was a kid,’” she recalled, laughing.
Usually, they bought it. Usually, he fixed it. Himself. Joe likes being busy.
“Every day,” he said, “I feel like I’ve got to do something — now, it doesn’t have to be big — or I feel like I’ve wasted it.”
Mark Bennett can be reached at (812) 231-4377 or mark.bennett@tribstar.com.
Valley Life
Related Photos
-
Generations apart: Joe Preston stands with two of his restored vehicles, a 1950 Ford F-1 pickup and a 1931 Ford Model A. (Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis)
-
Marathon man: Joe Preston added a marathon advertising icon to his 1930 Model A Ford Coupe as a finishing touch. (Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis)
-
Dreams: Joe Preston sketched his dream of his own car, then found the beginnings in a field. (Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis)
-
Basic information: The designation of Joe Preston's 1950 Ford pickup truck is F-1. (Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis)
-
First one: Joe Preston stands by his 1932 Ford Model A coupe, the first car he restored. (Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis)
-
Dream fulfilled: Joe Preston wanted a Cushman scooter as a youth. Later on he was able to fulfill those dreams. (Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis)
-
Modified: Joe Preston looks through the engine compartment at the camera. He found an old Model A engine and worked with it, adding an alternator instead of the stock generator, along with other modifications. A retired electrician, he took four years of working when he wanted to build his own car. (Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis)
-
Cap: The radiator cap for Joe Preston's Model A truck is called a Boyce Moto Meter. (Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis)
-
Model Joe: Joe Preston put his own name on the front of the vehicle he built from the frame up. (Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis)
-
Eclectic collector: Joe Preston poses by some of the figurines in his Betty Boop collection. (Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis)
Discussion
Turning wrenches: If something’s broken, Joe Preston fixes it
His lifelong list of restorations and repairs includes nearly a dozen stranded, long-forgotten vehicles
- Valley Life
-
-
Longtime weatherman Jesse Walker relates well to people of Wabash Valley
While in middle and high school, Jesse Walker developed a strong interest in the weather. He thought about a career at the National Weather Service or at a storm prediction center, but the idea of becoming a television meteorologist never entered his mind.
-
YOUR GREEN VALLEY: Keep your garden — and yourself — safe from lead
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, lead poisoning is the No. 1 preventable environmental cause of illness in children.
-
TRIED ‘N’ TRUE: Need something for the kids? Try these Ritzy Cookies
When we have dinners at the church, one of the ladies brings these cookies. Nancy Kahl has been making these for some time now. They are so good. Need something for your kids? Make sure that there isn’t any one who can’t have peanuts. These are so easy and extra good.
-
DNR stocks ponds in Terre Haute with catfish
Fishing opportunities in eight Indiana cities got a boost on Monday as part of an ongoing effort by the Department of Natural Resources to promote angling in urban areas.
-
Katherine Trueblood to celebrate 90th birthday
A card shower is planned to honor Katherine Campbell Trueblood on her 90th birthday.
-
State Park Road Rally coming up June 9-11
Participants will pilot their own vehicles, as their navigator steers them to points of interest and natural wonders during the State Park Road Rally June 9-11, with overnight stays at Canyon Inn in McCormick’s Creek State Park.
-
CANDLES plans film night
CANDLES Holocaust Museum will host a film night at 7 p.m. on Thursday, featuring the documentary “Porraimos: Europe’s Gypsies in the Holocaust” and its director Alexandra Isles, at the museum.
“Porraimos” premiered at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2002. -
Author to lead interpretive writing workshop
An interpretive writing workshop led by Alan Leftridge, Ph.D., author of the textbook “Interpretive Writing,” will be offered from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on June 12 at Fort Harrison State Park in Indianapolis.
-
WEDDING: Published May 19, 2013
Brown-Edwards
Ruth Brown and Josh Edwards were married at 2:30 p.m. on May 11, 2013, in West Terre Haute by the Rev. Paul Shelton. -
Fraud and Scam Awareness Seminar is Tuesday
The Investor Protection Trust estimated that more than 7.3 million seniors (about 20 percent of all Americans 65 and older) have been victimized by a scam. Met Life Inc. estimated the annual loss by victims of elderly scams at $2.9 billion dollars.
-
FAMILY TIES: While searching for my grandfather, I found my mother
I remember the afternoon my mother received the chilling news from her nephew that her oldest sister and brother-in-law had been killed in a car/bus collision.
-
GRAPE SENSE: Same old whites getting you down? Try something different
If the same old Chardonnay, Riesling or Pinot Grigio is getting you down, try something different.
-
TRIED ‘N’ TRUE: A Rhubarb Nut Bread for the season
Last fall we went to the Covered Bridge Festival. Gene loves to go. Anyway, I got to talking to this lady, Treva Smith, at Bridgeton.
-
ENGAGEMENT: Published May 12, 2013
Stoelting-Steele
-
Friends of Library plans annual book sale
The Friends of the Vigo County Public Library is planning its annual book sale from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and from 1 to 4 p.m. May 19 in the Main Library Lower Level Meeting Rooms A, B, C and D.
-
Woman’s Press Club celebrates 100 years
On Feb. 18, 1913, a group of 13 female journalists and activists met for lunch at the Tea Room in L. S. Ayres Department Store in downtown Indianapolis to found the Woman’s Press Club of Indianapolis.
-
Children’s Museum to host orientation for summer volunteers
Those who are looking for a way to give back to the community and have fun at the same time are invited to attend a volunteer orientation session at the Terre Haute Children’s Museum from 4 to 5:30 p.m.
-
Walk for greyhound rescue
A family pet walk fundraiser open to all breeds is set for at 2 p.m. May 19 at Buggs Temple on the Canal Walk in Indianapolis.
-
‘Food Safety: From Garden Gates to Dinner Plates’ workshop coming up in June
There is a new law on the books in Illinois called the Cottage Food Operation Act of 2011. This new law allows for the preparation and sale of certain low-risk foods in the private home without the expense of a commercially certified kitchen and for the sale of said foods at a farmers market.
-
Scams are brown bag focus
The Vigo County Public Library’s next brown bag event, “Don’t Be a Victim!” featuring Amy Wardlow, is set for 12:10 p.m. Thursday at the main branch.
-
Countryside, Kalorama gardens celebrating opening weekend
Countryside Gardens, owned by Terry and Jennie O’Rourke, and Kalorama Gardens, owned by Steve and Linda Gard, opened for the season this weekend. Both gardens are in Marshall, Ill. Opening days continue from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today.
-
Saturday seminar to bring nationally known genealogists to Ivy Tech
The Wabash Valley Genealogy Society is offering the public a unique opportunity to learn more about the new techniques and methods now available for individuals interested in doing genealogical research on the Internet.
-
Evening Thyme Garden Club to host garden fair at Clark County Fairgrounds
The Evening Thyme Garden Club will present the 15th annual garden fair from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m Saturday at Clark County Fairgrounds in Marshall, Ill., with free parking and admission.
-
Student mentoring program offers one-on-one technology instruction
The Connecting Generations Mentoring Program can help those who would like one-on-one instruction on how to use the Internet or other technology.
-
CULINARY COURSES: Clabber Girl Classroom Kitchen provides variety of cooking courses for the Valley
There are a few taste-bud-tantalizing-perks for having America’s leading baking powder producer in your backyard. For nearly 120 years, Clabber Girl has been a staple in Terre Haute. In 1899, Hulman and Company began offering up what was to become one of the oldest brands in the country, Clabber baking powder. In 1923, the company changed the baking powder brand name to Clabber Girl.
-
CHRIS DAVIES: Keep sodium levels in mind when sweating buckets
Salt, or sodium, is vital to life. Too much or too little sodium can cause all kinds of problems in your body. How much sodium do we need if we are exercising consistently?
-
YOUR GREEN VALLEY: Union Hospital creates community garden
Union Hospital will be opening a community garden on its campus in mid-May. Before they embarked on such a challenge, they looked to their neighbor Indiana State University for advice.
-
TRIED ‘N’ TRUE: Try this when you’ve got to avoid salt
I have a good friend in an assisted living complex. She went to her doctor last winter and he told her she had to leave off the salt. My mother used this when dad couldn’t have any salt.
I like to keep this on hand. In summer when it’s real hot I keep in refrigerator. Keep in an air tight container. -
NEWSMAKER: May 5, 2013
Carolyn Whitcomb Jeffries was installed as president of the State Huguenot Society of Indiana on April 21 at Meridian Hills Country Club of Indianapolis.
-
ANNIVERSARY: Published May 5, 2013
Mr. and Mrs. Larry Abel
Larry and Rose Abel will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary.
The couple will have a reception in June. - More Valley Life Headlines
-
Jodi Arias: Death Penalty Would Cause More Pain
Raw: New Video of Deadly Oklahoma Tornado
Raw: Aftermath of Deadly Attack in London
IRS Official Pleads 5th Amendment
Looking for Love? Take the Prague Metro
Florida FBI Shooting Has Boston Bombing Links
Police Ram House to End Hostage Standoff
Okla. City Mayor: Up to 13K Homes Hit by Tornado
First Person: Baby Falcons on a New York Bridge
Garcetti Elected Los Angeles Mayor Over Greuel
Lawyer: Feds Investigating Susan Powell Case
Oklahoma: Images of Devastation, Reunion
Crews Race to Find Survivors of Okla. Twister
Today in History May 22
Former Rep. Weiner Running for New York Mayor
Paperless Scanner, Vision of the Future
Raw: Costa Rica Volcano Roars to Life
Raw: Aerial View of Moore Tornado Damage
Raw: Students Clash With Police in Chile
Protests Outside Cincinnati IRS Office
AK-47-wielding thug may be the most bumbling crook ever
Oklahoma Survivors, Heroes Survey Damage
Trout's cycle a boost for Angels
Kim Kardashian Flaunts Pregnant Bikini Body in Greece
NBA star pledges $1M to help tornado recovery
Shakira's Shocking Talent
Morgan Freeman falls asleep on air
GRAPHIC: Blood-Soaked Machete Killer Caught on Tape
Elin Nordegren Furious With Lindsey Vonn For Parading Kids in Public
Camera Captures Climber As He Loses Grip And Falls
Helen Mirren Meets with Dying Boy in Queen Elizabeth's Place
Crowd Chants '¡Si, Se Puede!' After Passage of Immigration Bill
DWTS Crowns a Winner
Demi Moore a Rocks Bikini at Harry Morton's Family House
Anthony Weiner: I'm running for New York City mayor
Kate Middleton's Dress Flies Up
VIRAL: Baby makes epic soccer goal
The Hangover Baby All Grown Up
