By the time Eric Burton stepped into his customised Styliner ’49er they were old friends. They had a long acquaintance stretching back 33 years because that’s how long it took Eric to get the old machine back into a decent state after buying it in 1987 from a car dealer in Golden Square.
When he purchased the Chevrolet, it was pretty much an old wreck.
He told the dealer that he’d buy it as long as it got him back to Woodend.
“And it did. Just,” Eric said.
This was a car that Eric didn’t want to restore or make into a hot rod. He wanted to customise it and so that’s what slowly happened.
He even taught himself welding to get the body into the shape he thought it ought to be. But he was wrong. Retired chief designer for General Motors-Holden, local man Leo Pruneau told Eric that what he wanted was a round shape all through the body from bumper to bumper. Eric had it squared off in part so that was something he had to redo.
He took to the Woodend Library to find info on vehicle restoration so he could pick up a wrinkle or two.
“When Lulu (the librarian) saw the type of books I kept taking out she ordered in all the books on cars she could find,” Eric said.
That helped, but the ’49 er still had to go to other people when a job needed outsourcing. The engine was restored (not replaced) by Automotive Services in New Gisborne. And, by the way, it took three years. Sign Obsession and Tylden Trim were also called on to have their input into this unique vehicle and advice also came from members of the Macedon Ranges and District Motor Club.
All in all, this car is a one off, a traffic stopper and a head turner and takes Eric around the local area “for short trips”.
He reckons it took so long for him to customise because ‘life kept getting in the way”.
Now it is garaged along with his MGB (another one for short trips because of the lack of comfort) and his super comfy, everyday Mustang.
So what do you register a ’49er as when it has no peers? The RACV has insured it as a “No Name H-Plate 1949”.
