Retro déjà vu

{By Justin}

It all started when I was about 15 years old. I was in Sebastian standing in my Uncle Tim’s backyard about to make my first handshake agreement. 

I was too young to fully understand what I was getting myself into, but my dad and Uncle Tim were excited about the project so I just tried to play it cool. 

Dad and Uncle Tim are interesting characters. Uncle Tim has a habit of collecting a bit more than he could ever use and Dad can’t back down from a mechanical challenge. 

That’s where I came in. Uncle Tim had every intention of restoring his 1967 Chevelle Malibu to its original glory; however, it hadn’t moved an inch in more than a decade. 

Me, Dad and the '67 Chevelle Malibu circa 1998

Dad saw the restoration project as the perfect opportunity to teach me how to turn a wrench while spending quality time together. Although, I’m sure having a classic hot rod at his disposal helped move the project along. 

A few thousand dollars and a couple busted knuckles later, we were finally able to spin the tires on that Chevelle just enough to get ourselves into a little bit of trouble. 

Fast-forward 15 years and I somehow found myself in Sebastian about to plunge headfirst into yet another restoration project without fully understanding what I was getting myself into. 

It was love at first sight for my wife, Kelly, but this Airstream had to grow on me. Sure, she had the curves and retro look, but it’s what was under that shiny Aluminum skirt that made me nervous. 

The 35-mile tow from Vero Beach to our home in Stuart went surprisingly well, considering I couldn’t see around the window AC unit jutting out about two feet on the driver’s side. A set of four suspect tires added to the drive time and we eventually made it home where the neighbors gathered around as we backed her into the driveway. 

It was all giggles and grins at first, but two months later, she was still in the driveway, creating quite the scene. Unfortunately, we don’t have any photos of the Airstream in front of the house, but you might be able to find some in the City of Stuart code enforcement files ;)