Diamonds in the Rust

Diamonds in the Rust

Perhaps $150 will pay for a new set of brake pads and installation. A pair of tires might draw that price. Depending on the car, it might be enough for a refurbished alternator.

For Max Davis, $150 bought the car that got him to Bonita Springs less than four years ago. It was a white, aging Nissan that did the trick. That car and the $80 in his pocket were all he had when he arrived.

He’s not rich now, but he’s doing pretty good. The Nissan is long gone. In its place has been a stream of automotive classics that he and neighbor Dick Campbell have reincarnated from worn-out heaps into shining models from car history.

Last month, Davis finished work on a 1969 Corvette Stingray convertible for a client. That car has a long, sloping hood shaped for acceleration. It’s the type of car that rumbles a deep bass in a simple idle.

The garage of Davis’ Bonita Springs home also held a reconditioned 1979 Corvette that he recently sold. Now there’s a 1937 GMC truck that he and Campbell tore down to its base in the past month. Soon it will sparkle in coats of $150-per-pint paint.

In previous years, Davis’ mechanical work was focused on keeping whatever he was driving from coming apart. In LaBelle he made a living working on off-road vehicles for citrus companies.

Predictably, his first car, a 1980 Ford Thunderbird, needed some paint and a little help with the power windows.

“Before I came here, I could barely afford to pay rent, and that was in LaBelle,” Davis said. “Now I come over here and I can buy a $200,000 house.”

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