My Favorite Car: A drive down nastalgia lane

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Name: Jim Bush

City: Modesto

The car: 1955 Chevy 210 sedan

My Favorite Car: A drive down nastalgia lane

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What sparked the interest: This is the first car I ever owned. It is the car I learned how to drive in and the car I drove to high school in. This car more than most other things has defined me as a person. It is a link to my past; it is in some way like a time machine. The reflection in the rearview mirror has changed a little, but the feeling is the same while driving.

Road to ownership: The car was given to me by my father in high school. I recently found out how much he liked the car and how difficult it was for him to see a 16-year-old kid start modifying an old classic.

Under the hood: Changes include a rebuilt 327 equipped with 2.02 intake valves, a comp cam, a Holley street avenger carb, an Edlebrock dual plane performer intake, MSD ignition and ceramic-coated headers. The transmission was changed from an automatic back to an M-21 Muncie 4 speed. The current rear end gears are 4:11's but will be changed to 3:55 in the near future to get a little more top end.

Body of work: The paint is older with a graphic stripe down the sides, still looks OK, so I am just leaving it for now. The rims and tires had to be changed. I went with old-school Craigers and B.F. Goodrich TA radials, and disc brakes in the front because it is just as important to stop.

A favorite memory: My favorite memory is hard to pick since there are so many. I think one of the best memories is when we found and purchased the car for the second time after selling it in 1983 for college tuition. Driving it home from Jamestown after so many years was amazing. I was so lucky to find the exact same car that I drove in high school. Thanks to my wife, Jo Lynn, for encouraging me to buy it back.

Garage mural: My family's made many trips down the old Route 66 in my dad's 1957 Chevy. Nothing like pulling into a gas station for cold Pepsi and a bathroom break. I have many great memories of all the odd road side stops and gas stations.

The mural of the Texaco Station is painted on the back wall of my garage. It is a typical 1958 Route 66 station. It is painted from memory with a little help from research to get the gas pumps and vending machine correct. It is supposed to be somewhere in Winslow, Ariz. It took six months to complete. The floor of the garage is black and white checkered linoleum.

-- Compiled by Jillian Hanks, Bee Newsroom Assistant