Tsawwassen's Maurice Hamlin has put in a lot of hours on one of his latest projects - a '54 Chevy Wagon.
It took him almost two years to find a back bumper for the car and 14 months of going to swap meets to find outside door handles.
"I've done a lot of cars over the years but this is one of the more difficult ones ... because nobody kept them, they're such an ugly car. They're so ugly they look kinda neat," says the longtime car enthusiast.
Hamlin says he wanted a wagon for a while and eventually found this particular one in Burnaby.
"You won't see 50 of them sitting at a car show," he says, noting he was at an event last week with over 3,000 cars and he was only able to find two of the particular wagons - a '53 and a '54.
His wagon is "99 per cent finished" and he plans on bringing it out to the upcoming Ladner Quilt Walk and Classic Car Show.
Hamlin, who works for the Dueck Auto Group, has been to the local show before and says he likes the fact the event raises money for charity as well as there being a combination of cars and quilts.
"It's really a different mix."
Hamlin, who's also an award-winning minor hockey coach, says cars have been his hobby ever since he can remember.
He's got a couple other projects currently in the works. He plans on having a '36 Ford hot rod ready for next year's car show in Ladner and he's just started work on a '51 Ford Woodie.
"It keeps me busy."
