Hot car show gets cooled by Blue Water breezes

PORT HURON, MICH. — While Detroit and much of southeast Michigan broiled in the July sunshine, collector car owners and visitors to the 2012 Blue Water show here enjoyed cool winds coming off Lake Huron.

Preceded the night before by a popular cruise, this year’s annual show attracted fewer cars but included an interesting mix of vehicles.

There were two you-build sports cars from Factory Five of Wareham, Mass., a few nostalgic gems from the 1950s, a Jeep-Kaiser military vehicle, lots of pickup street rods, and plenty of muscle under various gleaming hoods.

One of the Factory Five roadsters was Paul Borror’s 1965 Mk3, a vehicle he bought unfinished in 2009 and spent two years perfecting.

“I got it from a shop that had started to assemble it but did not finish the job,” he said. Borror, of Lake Orion, Mich., decided to put a 1991 small block 302 (bored to 306 inches) 5.0-liter engine in the rear-drive two-seater. Its spectacular red paint job was completed last September. Borror, who drives the car for pleasure, said he had never tackled a project like this before.

“We had to apply for a VIN at a Secretary of State’s office following a police inspection,” he recalled. “The clerk who helped us disappeared for about 15 minutes and I feared the worst. When he returned he said everything was in order. The car is titled as a 1965.”

Gary Wood’s seafoam green Ford Crestliner is what it is: a 1955 business coupe with fixed second row windows, storage space instead of a rear seat, an enormous trunk, a six-tube radio, a straight six under the hood and an oil bath air cleaner.

“I’ve owned this car close to 40 years,” said the Richmond, Mich. resident. “I rebuilt the engine just last year.”

Another charmer from the fifties was the ’55 Chevrolet Del Ray Club Coupe owned by Dave and Theresa McKee of North Street, Mich. The black-and-white Chevy had a perfect black-and-white interior, with squares stitched on the black-and-white vinyl, giving it the look of classic a diner.

The Del Rey was powered by a “New Blue Flame 123,” a 123-horsepower 235-inch six with three-speed transmission.

A red-on-red 1994 Honda Del Sol was a one-of-a-kind at this year’s show. Owner Ken LaFlour of Peck, Mich. said he bought the car in 2008 through a lead on e-Bay. He is saving it for son Kody, now age 13, who was busy putting Armorall on the tires.

Flint, Mich. resident John Chapoton was anxious to show visitors his 1984 Chevrolet S-10 pickup. Its 83-horsepower 2.0-liter four delivers 35 miles per gallon city and 45 on the freeway, he said.

Kevin Hudgins of Fort Gratiot, Mich. let a sign beside his 1971 Chevelle Malibu do the talking for him. The Chevelle Malibu convertible has a 383-inch engine with Airflow Research heads, Crane hydraulic roller cam and lifters and Edelbrock carburetor. The Chevelle’s transmission is a 700R-4 with conversion kit. There are Hotchkis springs front and rear. Inside Hudgins installed Auto Meter instrumentation and a custom dash insert.

Hudgins noted that all modifications and labor were his.