Rebuilt Model-T cruises Cottonwood

Photo by Michael Woodward, Reporter

NEW FANGLED 2-SPEEDER: Jarrod Gregory's 1923 "black era" Model-T had two gear speeds and sported extras like a water pump and an electric starter. 'Ts designed before 1915 lacked those extras, were one-speed, but flashed brass trim.

Jarrod Gregory, 18, must have had plenty of compliments on the 1923 Ford Model-T he restored. The final product, finished in October 2006, took him two and one-half years to complete. He's modest about his accomplishment, pointing out a break in the paint job before mentioning the care invested in restoring the car.

"I had to do a lot of Bondo work on this car to fill in the dents," he said. "These cars weren't perfect when they came off the line, so I didn't want to get it perfect. I wanted it to look like it just rolled off the showroom floor."

Gregory has maintained bulldozers and backhoes at work, but never tried restoration before.

"The purpose was to do a senior project nobody's ever done before," Gregory said.

It's not built from a kit, either. His grandfather, Chuck Lema, gave him the vehicle and supplied Gregory with the parts to finish the job.

"He supported the whole idea," Gregory said.

The car was already operational, but it had deteriorated by the time it was passed down to him. He repaired the radiator and wiring, but replaced the car top, the seat, floorboard, paint and mirrors.

"I drive my mom out to Sunday breakfast, but I don't take it out much more than that," Gregory said of his Model-T. "It doesn't keep up with traffic too well. It gets up to 45 mph, but it takes a while to get there."

Also helping Gregory was Paul Sheehy of Cottonwood, who helped him paint the car and do body work. He credits Dennis O'Lea, the West Valley High School woodshop teacher and a Model-T restorer, as being a wealth of information and assistance.

"He was extremely helpful.

He gave me a lot of information on rebuilding the magneto in the transmission," Gregory said.

He developed his mechanical skills growing up on Cross Creek Ranch in Cottonwood, which his parents own. His parents, Tom and Stephenie Gregory own TRG Equipment Services, also in Cottonwood.

"It teaches you a lot of skills by hand - building a fence, raising animals and maintenance," Gregory said of growing up on the ranch. "That's where I did all the work on the Model-T."

While in the FFA, he raised a 214-pound hog earning the FFA Grand Champion of market class at the Shasta County Fair. He also built cattle chutes and picnic tables for welding competitions at the fair.

In his spare time, Gregory enjoys four-wheeling with his father in the Shasta Dam area. "I'm really interested in local history," Gregory said.

Gregory recollects that on their excursions, they would find old cabins, antiquated steam-powered wenches that once pulled material out of mines, and old "skid trails" that the logs left from being pulled down a hill by mules.

Gregory currently attends Northwest Lineman College in Oroville. He sent nine applications out to various apprentice programs to work maintenance on high-rise power lines. Once he gets his journeyman card after three years of apprenticeship, he hopes to end up in Oregon.