Not too old for the road

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Today's cars are so complicated that changing spark plugs almost requires six engineers, two MIT computer-science professors and maybe four NASCAR pit crewmen.

But if you want the points adjusted on a 1949 Buick; if the front suspension of your 1910 Model T has gone all knock kneed; if your 1931 Model A Ford needs an engine rebuild, the solution is simple: Pick up the phone and call Jerry Baker.

Among antique car fans, the word is that, if it has four wheels and a motor, Jerry Baker can fix it _ especially if it was built before World War II.

"I never met an old car I didn't like," Baker says. "After nearly 50 years, I guess I've developed a feel for them."

Baker's little shop in Paris _ Antique Auto Parts of Kentucky _ attracts folks who fancy old cars. Some want to have Baker repair or restore their cars. Others come looking for hard-to-find parts for automobiles that left the assembly line long before their current owners were born. A few drop in to see whether Baker knows where they might buy a choice old car, and many just want to pick his brain for advice on ways to keep their prized antiques running.

One typical recent day, Baker had eight prewar Ford engines in various stages of repair, some being put back together, others waiting to be taken apart.

A spotless 1930 Ford Model A rumble seat coupe was up on the lift, waiting for some delicate surgery. The owner had brought it in for carburetor work, but an examination revealed that the brakes, transmission and front end also needed attention. So, the car was going to be a patient for the next few days.

Of more immediate concern was Perry White's bright yellow Buick convertible, looking sleek and slick even though it was built in 1949, when Harry Truman was president. White, who is from Bourbon County, Ky., wanted the idle set and the points checked, so naturally he brought the car to Baker.

"He's the only one I'd trust to work on it, besides me," White explained while Baker labored under the hood.

After about 20 minutes of work, Baker announced that the Buick's points were in good shape, and a relieved White drove away.

Baker then went back to "lapping" the valves on a Model A Ford engine he is rebuilding, using a small hand tool to seat each individual valve.

You might think that business would be slow at a shop catering exclusively to cars built 50, 60 or 70 years ago. But there are more than enough old-car fanciers around his area to keep Baker hustling.

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"I stay about six months behind all the time," he said.

Baker, 60, can't remember when he didn't love cars.

He remembers the first vehicle he ever bought: a 1941 Chevy pickup. Baker was 14, growing up in Monticello, Ky.

"I spent a month negotiating the purchase price with the owner, and we finally agreed on $22.50. I think I paid at least $5 too much," he said.

Baker has no idea how many cars he's actually owned, since he often kept them only a few days before swapping for something else. He does know that most of them were old. He's always loved those, particularly Model T and Model A Fords.

"They were the first really reliable and comfortable family cars that the average person could afford," he said. "Millions of them were made. They changed everything; those cars put America on wheels. People still love them today."

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In the course of owning and restoring numerous old Fords and other makes, Baker did his own mechanic work and over the decades developed a vast reserve of knowledge and skills. He also worked in several automotive-related businesses, doing things like selling high-performance parts.

But sales kept him on the road and away from his family for up to 20 weeks a year, and he finally said enough. Two years ago, he bought a small antique car parts business. Last year, he added a car repair and restoration business to the mix.

Car enthusiasts _ a very fussy bunch when it comes to the care of their vehicles _ soon learned that Baker not only knew his stuff, but wouldn't let go of a car until it was fixed properly.

"He's unique," says Dr. Jay Zwischenberger, chief of surgery at the University of Kentucky Hospital and an unabashed Baker fan. Zwischenberger owns six antique Fords and calls Baker whenever they need special attention.

"You take a car to most people, and they work on whatever you tell them is wrong with the car," Zwischenberger said. "Jerry will say, 'Do you want me to fix what you think is wrong, or fix the car as if it were mine?' Then, he'll tighten some spring shackles and replace some tie rods, and all of a sudden the car drives like a miracle."

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Baker and his wife, Martha, regularly drive their own 1931 Model A Ford town sedan on 1,000 and 2,000-mile antique car tours over back roads all over the country. He says that when he fixes a car he wants the owner to be able to do the same.

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"Honestly, there is nothing practical about owning any antique car," he says. "But they are great fun, and you get to meet a lot of nice people driving them."

Not surprisingly, Baker's son, Grant, has been an antique car lover for years. Now, Baker is training a third generation. He says his granddaughter, Kate, age 8 months, loves riding in the backseat of his old Ford and that his 3-year-old grandson, Andrew, is rapidly catching the old car fever.

"He already knows the difference between a Model T and a Model A," Baker said.

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© 2008, Lexington Herald-Leader (Lexington, Ky.).