You still have time for “Goin to Town Car Show”
Published 11:53 am Saturday, March 2, 2024
John Hilliard polishes his 1954 Chevy Bel-Air. (Hunter Cloud | The Daily Leader)
BROOKHAVEN — Classic cars, square body trucks, friendly people and springtime music have taken over downtown Brookhaven Saturday morning. The Goin’ to Town Car Show is today until 3 p.m.
A few rides stand out in the downtown area. Look for a purple plymouth with the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote. Legend has it that the car has a horn modified to sound like the road runner’s beep beep.
Classic trucks are plentiful but a couple stand out due to distinct features. One is a soft banana yellow painted truck. It was the first truck which caught my eye walking down Railroad Avenue. A clean blue, white and red Ford 100 has a vanity tag on the front of it which states 1960 Ole Brook Pickup.
Another blue ford has a sonic hanging from the hood with a pennant stating, “Road Trips make me happy.”
Anyone familiar with the former JC Smith of Loyd Star may see his old 1954 Ford F100 truck. Photographer Johnny Smith took the time to restore his dad’s truck. Dianne Watson, Johnny’s sister, is also hanging around the car. She said her daddy would have loved to see it restored. A picture of JC Smith is on the dash where the clock used to be.
Johnny started working on the restoration project in 2019. His dad bought the truck brand new when he was 20 years old. A QR code on a placard under the hood links to a video showing the restoration process.
A red 1932 Chevrolet coupe is just down the street from JC’s truck.
Over on Railroad Avenue, spectators can find a rusty Chevy C-10 which features a hunting rifle hanging on the back window, an american flag in the truck bed and old license plates.
Perhaps the smallest vehicle downtown is a black Fiat. It just looks cool.
A teal green Chevy stands out on Cherokee Street close to the old Kees Motor Company. It has a light teal body with darker teal flames flickering across the hood.
Near the intersection of Cherokee Street and Railroad Avenue, John Hilliard was taking his time polishing his 1955 Chevy Bel Air. An American Flag is affixed to the front hood and he wears a Vietnam Veteran Hat. He served in Vietnam from 1967 to 1968 and was in the Air Force for 20 years.
“This is a two door hardtop. I’ve had it since 1988,” Hilliard said. “I’ve done a complete frame off and put all new frame on it. I have a late model engine in it. It has a 1962 Corvette tuned port engine. It has a 700 R4 transmission and the interior has been modernized with 2001 Monte Carlo SS Seats. The center console came out of a 2004 Honda Civic. It is the only foreign part on the car. I have a digitized dash in it and a tubular AR front suspension.”
His hands continued to polish the chrome on the wheels as he spoke.
“It took a lot of hard work and money,” he said.
Hilliard is from Haughton, Louisiana.
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