Builder of custom cars has had a long love affair with unique vehicles
Mike McClintock operates his own garage| Mike McClintock, owner of The Deluxe Garage, prepares to weld a piece onto a car in his shop. The South Salem resident specializes in custom hot rods and muscle cars. Dee Moore | Statesman Journal freelancer |
Roadsters and racers, white T-shirts and rolled up jeans, duck tails and slicked-back hair and loud rockabilly music. These are the hallmark images of the custom car culture.
But to have the car culture you have to have custom cars. That's where Mike McClintock comes in. He builds custom cars and specializes in vintage custom rods and muscle cars.
Tucked away in South Salem on a wooded property not far from the Enchanted Forest is a kingdom of cars. Autos fill most every flat space and dominate the landscape.
In his ultra-modern garage, McClintock has shells of ancient cars waiting to become rat rods — a groovy synthesis of old and new parts forged into a unique vehicle.
His own baby, a model A Roadster, has many personal touches that culminate in a barbed wire spiderweb decorating the front grill.
His love affair with cars began with his first, a 1968 Dodge Coronet 500.
"In high school back then," McClintock said, "having a hot car was still something. It was a big part of my life. It struck a cord with me. I pursued it as a passion."
He took this love and made it a career, graduating from the Chemeketa Community College automotive services program in 1986.
McClintock went on to work mainly for dealerships, honing his skills and learning the latest mechanical innovations through his employer's continuing education programs. But he has also learned much of what he knows on his own.
"School of hard knocks," he calls this self education with a laugh.
He began building rods for himself, but after he was done he would sell them and move on to the next project.
Today he is self-employed and builds the kind of cars he loves. He doesn't advertise; he relies on referrals and word of mouth.
"I'm not a self-promoting person," McClintock said.
McClintock feels that he is well-rounded in his appreciation of hot rods. He doesn't stick with one make, model, year or style. He is extremely interested in the classic cars from the 1930s and 40s but enjoys the younger powerhouse muscle cars from the 1960s and 70s as well.
McClintock, a member of the Cherry City Boomers Car Club, frequently takes his roadster to area cars shows.
Although he is into the custom culture, he's not likely to be found with slicked-back hair. His work takes up much of his time. It's about the cars.
McClintock considers himself a "mechanical fabricator." It's a term he's created to describe his skill at being able to "make something out of nothing."
"People don't always have the best parts," he said.
Often the cars he has to work with do not have original parts but are a hodge podge of parts from various car models or production years. In many cases the parts that are needed are extremely difficult or impossible to come by.
At times the modifications McClintock's customers want can't be had without a little finagling. This requires innovation.
So, he takes what he has, frequently things that "don't work together," and he makes them work. He takes great pleasure in this aspect of his work.
Being self-employed in this day and age can make earning a living difficult. But McClintock is a multitasker.
"I have multiple things going on," he said with a smile. His garage can attest to that; there are cars everywhere.
Because the economy is also difficult for his clients, he allows them to "pay as they can." It's a solution that works for everyone.
"As long as overhead isn't so much," he said he believes he can "provide quality work at a reasonable price."
Copyright Statesman-Journal 2010
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20100901/COMMUNITIES/108160014
But to have the car culture you have to have custom cars. That's where Mike McClintock comes in. He builds custom cars and specializes in vintage custom rods and muscle cars.
Tucked away in South Salem on a wooded property not far from the Enchanted Forest is a kingdom of cars. Autos fill most every flat space and dominate the landscape.
In his ultra-modern garage, McClintock has shells of ancient cars waiting to become rat rods — a groovy synthesis of old and new parts forged into a unique vehicle.
His own baby, a model A Roadster, has many personal touches that culminate in a barbed wire spiderweb decorating the front grill.
His love affair with cars began with his first, a 1968 Dodge Coronet 500.
"In high school back then," McClintock said, "having a hot car was still something. It was a big part of my life. It struck a cord with me. I pursued it as a passion."
He took this love and made it a career, graduating from the Chemeketa Community College automotive services program in 1986.
McClintock went on to work mainly for dealerships, honing his skills and learning the latest mechanical innovations through his employer's continuing education programs. But he has also learned much of what he knows on his own.
"School of hard knocks," he calls this self education with a laugh.
He began building rods for himself, but after he was done he would sell them and move on to the next project.
Today he is self-employed and builds the kind of cars he loves. He doesn't advertise; he relies on referrals and word of mouth.
"I'm not a self-promoting person," McClintock said.
McClintock feels that he is well-rounded in his appreciation of hot rods. He doesn't stick with one make, model, year or style. He is extremely interested in the classic cars from the 1930s and 40s but enjoys the younger powerhouse muscle cars from the 1960s and 70s as well.
McClintock, a member of the Cherry City Boomers Car Club, frequently takes his roadster to area cars shows.
Although he is into the custom culture, he's not likely to be found with slicked-back hair. His work takes up much of his time. It's about the cars.
McClintock considers himself a "mechanical fabricator." It's a term he's created to describe his skill at being able to "make something out of nothing."
"People don't always have the best parts," he said.
Often the cars he has to work with do not have original parts but are a hodge podge of parts from various car models or production years. In many cases the parts that are needed are extremely difficult or impossible to come by.
At times the modifications McClintock's customers want can't be had without a little finagling. This requires innovation.
So, he takes what he has, frequently things that "don't work together," and he makes them work. He takes great pleasure in this aspect of his work.
Being self-employed in this day and age can make earning a living difficult. But McClintock is a multitasker.
"I have multiple things going on," he said with a smile. His garage can attest to that; there are cars everywhere.
Because the economy is also difficult for his clients, he allows them to "pay as they can." It's a solution that works for everyone.
"As long as overhead isn't so much," he said he believes he can "provide quality work at a reasonable price."
Copyright Statesman-Journal 2010
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20100901/COMMUNITIES/108160014
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