PUBLISHED JUNE 23, 2016
Car project spells Happy Father’s Day for one Riverview dad
By LISA STARK
Ed Linde and son Bryan pose with Michael Mooney of Perfection Automotive Group in Seffner, on the day that they picked up their restored 1971 Chevrolet Camaro.
It may not have been the Father’s Day gift that Riverview resident Ed Linde expected, but it was nevertheless, a precious one. Together with his son, Bryan, Linde made a decision more than a year ago to restore his 1971 Chevrolet Camaro SS-350, which had been sitting in their garage for years, as a father-son project. It was their goal to revive the classic car and get it back out on the road again.
Linde had acquired the second-generation Camaro in 1975 while still in high school, with a purchase price of $2,995. Now, 40 years later, it was time to dust off the cobwebs and get the classic car back out on the road.
Unfortunately, health problems intervened and slowed down the project to the point that Linde had doubts that his dream would ever come to fruition. Afflicted by a debilitating condition of hereditary peripheral neuropathy known as Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT), Linde’s mobility and dexterity were compromised to the point of making it impossible to work on the car himself.
Regrettably, Linde’s son Bryan was also diagnosed with the disease, making physical labor challenging for him as well.
Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease (CMT) is one of the hereditary motor and sensory disorders of the nervous system that causes progressive loss of muscle sensation across various parts of the body. Currently incurable, the disease is the most commonly inherited neurological disorder, affecting one in 2,500 people.
Once Linde and son Bryan began restoring the Camaro, it became increasingly clear that it would be a daunting process. After several months of ongoing struggles, Linde decided to seek out some professional automotive help. He called upon Michael Mooney of Perfection Automotive Group for advice, and, in January, the Seffner shop began a full off-frame restoration of the Camaro.
“Initially we had planned just a partial restoration, but my wife said: ‘If you’re going to do it, do it right,’” Linde said.
Linde and Bryan remained involved in the restoration process throughout the ensuing 15 months, visiting the shop on a weekly basis to consult with Perfection Automotive’s mechanical and body shop experts.
The company’s owner, Michael Mooney, knew how important this project was for Ed and his son.
“He was so accommodating, letting us be involved in the entire process,” said Ed. “Everyone at the shop was so kind to us, allowing us to come up every Friday to watch and try our best to stay out of their way. We actually became good friends throughout this process.”
To date, the ’71 Camaro has been fully restored to factory stock specifications with a few minor upgrades.
“We took everything — and I mean every nut and bolt — right down to the frame,” said Linde. “We’ve wanted to do this for years, and seeing the result, I’m thankful now for my wife’s advice. She said, ‘You always do things for everyone else — now it’s time to do something for yourself.’”
The bright-red Chevy Camaro is now a collector car, and well worth the money they put into it, says Linde. “There were only 8,000 of these cars made with the super sport package in 1971, and now it looks like a brand-new car straight off the showroom floor.”
Linde, who is in a wheelchair, uses hand-assisted controls that enable him to drive. The first weekend they got the Camaro back, father and son drove it to the Bay Life Church car show in Brandon, and won a trophy for Show Favorite.
“We weren’t going there to get a prize, just to show the car off for the first time,” said Linde. “The trophy was just an added bonus.
“I can’t think of a better Father’s Day present than to have my son and I complete this project together,” said Linde. “There’s now this sense of accomplishment we share, and, of course, for Bryan, this car will be his legacy.”
“We’re looking forward to just enjoying the day as father and son,” said Linde, adding quickly, “and of course, my wife is invited to come along, too.”
On Father’s Day, Linde, and his son — and Linde’s wife — took the Camaro out for a spin around town.
