Dean Wetzel with his 1955 Chevy on a beautiful afternoon.
The story of how Dean Wetzel came to own this car is meaningful and bittersweet.
By Rich Wicks | Guthrie Center Times
Dean Wetzel knows cars, which stands to reason, since he’s been working on them during his “day job” for the past 42 years at Wetzel Repair in Guthrie Center. But he also enjoys working on cars as a hobby.
One of Wetzel’s favorite cars is a 1955 Chevrolet 210.
“Originally, it was a 210 Belair station wagon, and somebody cut the back end off and made it into like an El Camino,” Wetzel said. “Because they never made an El Camino in ’55.”
The story of how Wetzel came to own this car is meaningful and bittersweet.
“A friend of mine, Greg Kenyon, bought that car in Arizona. He bought it because he liked ’55s,” Wetzel said. “He shipped it up here, and it didn’t run well. Somebody did a nice job on the body, but then they stuck a motor and transmission in it and cobbled everything up. So, it kind of drove.”
Wetzel and Kenyon set to work together to make a variety of improvements to the car. Some of the upgrades included fuel injection, power disc brakes, rack and pinion steering, full dual exhaust, a digital dashboard, sway bars and vintage air conditioning.
“We spent three years, off and on, just changing stuff on it. About the only thing that’s original besides the body is the rear end and the radiator,” Wetzel said. “It drives and handles like a modern car now.”
After Kenyon passed away, Wetzel voiced an interest in buying the ’55 as a memorial to his friend.
“We spent a lot of time on it. A lot of knuckle busting and a lot of thinking,” Wetzel said. “I bought it about a year ago.”
Wetzel doesn’t plan to put the car in many car shows but displayed it at the FFA car show in the fall of 2023 and at the Lakeside Village car show in June of this year. Mainly, he likes to keep the car in good running order and enjoy the memories it represents. He has no plans to part with it.
“I drive it about once a week. If I wanted to go to Kansans City or Omaha, it’ll go,” Wetzel said.
The ’55 isn’t the only classic car Wetzel owns and works on, though.
“Oh, I’ve got the ’55, I’ve got a ’66 Impala Super Sport, I’ve got the ’70 Chevelle, I’ve got two early ’40s Chevy pickups, I’ve got a ’69 one-ton GMC that was my dad’s,” Wetzel said. “I like driving them all.”
For Wetzel, the satisfaction of working on cars is a personal thing.
“I do my own painting, and I’m not a painter…I’m going to do it my way, for me,” Wetzel said.
When asked about his favorite moment involved in fixing up a car, Wetzel had a definite answer.
“For me, it’s when I start it,” Wetzel said. “When I build an engine and put that in there, and when I fire it up and listen to it run. I’ve always been an engine builder.”