- Story by Sean McIntyre Photography by Don Denton
From West Shore Life + Style magazine
Disco can inspire some bold moves, and that91裸聊视频檚 not just on the dance floor.
Metchosin91裸聊视频檚 Jody Dick had only just began his gig as a keyboard player in a popular Victoria band called Tight Hair when things started getting groovy.
The band quickly began lighting up dance floors across the Victoria area. They had the sound, they had the look and they had the moves, but it felt like a little something special was still missing.
It was the band91裸聊视频檚 guitarist, a 30-something Englishman by the name of Christopher Lloyd, who nailed the missing ingredient.91裸聊视频� The band needed a 91裸聊视频減impin91裸聊视频� ride.91裸聊视频�
| Photography by Don Denton |
91裸聊视频淗e91裸聊视频檚 an old soul who digs retro things,91裸聊视频� says Jody. 91裸聊视频淗e91裸聊视频檚 the one who pitched this crazy idea.91裸聊视频�
Nearly two years after the bandmates were tossing around ideas for Tight Hair91裸聊视频檚 wheeled mascot, 91裸聊视频淢onica91裸聊视频� is nearly ready to hit the streets and, quite possibly, make an appearance at a disco night near you.
91裸聊视频淪he91裸聊视频檚 a lot of fun to drive,91裸聊视频� Jody says. 91裸聊视频淚t just literally glides likes it91裸聊视频檚 on air. She screams mid-70s with this long hood, the way the windshield tapers back and these really cool lines.91裸聊视频�
You might miss Monica91裸聊视频檚 distinctive look, but you91裸聊视频檙e highly unlikely to miss her colour. Pagan Candy Apple Gold is every bit as bright as it sounds. The colour seems to illuminate the surroundings, halo-like, on a wet and dreary West Coast spring afternoon at Jody91裸聊视频檚 home in the forested hills of rural Metchosin.
91裸聊视频淚t looks pretty intense,91裸聊视频� he says. 91裸聊视频淚n the sun, you literally cannot look at it without sunglasses.91裸聊视频�
Monica is a rare breed, a 1976 Mercury Cougar XR-7, which Dick found stowed away by the grandson of the car91裸聊视频檚 original owner.
| Photography by Don Denton |
Jody was flabbergasted to discover that, as a teenager, he91裸聊视频檇 worked as a part-time detailer at the very same dealership where the car was purchased more than 40 years ago.
91裸聊视频淭here91裸聊视频檚 a chance I could have touched her then,91裸聊视频� he says.
Jody has come a long way since he cleaned cars as a high-schooler. These days he91裸聊视频檚 the general manager at Victoria Hyundai. Whether in the shop or in the showroom, he91裸聊视频檚 covered a lot of ground in the automotive sector. The experience and relationships he built up along the way served him well when it came to rebuilding his new ride.
Dick saw promise in those iconic lines and near-mint details, like the rear seat 91裸聊视频渙pera windows91裸聊视频� that are stencilled with the silhouette of a fierce mountain cat on the prowl.
As is the case with any creative project, the artist must begin with raw materials from which to carve out his or her vision. From the moment he saw it, Jody was confident the Cougar hit all the right notes.
91裸聊视频淚 play a lot of music, I91裸聊视频檓 fairly creative and I come from an artistic family, so I just looked at it and said 91裸聊视频榦kay,91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频� he says.
The car had a pair of minor door dings and a few bubbles of rust. The low mileage was a positive, but years of sitting idle silenced the car91裸聊视频檚 original purr. Dick says the car91裸聊视频檚 long-expired gasoline had turned chartreuse green and wreaked havoc on the carburetor. The entire tank had to come out, and the original 351M engine underwent a near complete overhaul.
The gray body colour was peeling badly and needed to be completely stripped and repainted if the old Cougar had any chance of lighting up the dance floor. The Pagan Candy Apple Gold called for three coats of base, six coats of tint and three coats of clear to really make it shine. It91裸聊视频檚 set to receive a coat of gloss before the job is complete.
Jody went to see an old friend, Doug Thompson, at an upholstery shop downtown to source some chocolate embossed paisley material for the car91裸聊视频檚 roof. He also found some dark-gold velour for the bucket seats and accents.
| Photography by Don Denton |
As if that weren91裸聊视频檛 enough eye candy, the front headlights now feature multi-colour LEDs designed to flash in synch with the beats of funk and disco tunes playing on the car91裸聊视频檚 stereo. Despite the high-tech upgrade, however, Monica remains true to her 91裸聊视频�70s roots with no air conditioning, hand-cranked windows and an AM radio.
91裸聊视频淪he started as a low-budget custom and morphed into not-so-low if you know what I mean,91裸聊视频� Jody says. 91裸聊视频淚 don91裸聊视频檛 want to gaudy it up or anything, but I think we91裸聊视频檙e at that line.91裸聊视频�
With the sunny driving season and a full schedule of gigs right around the corner, Jody is nearly ready to call the project done. The car91裸聊视频檚 inaugural test spin through the winding streets of Metchosin has already got people talking. Jody says a nearby motorist actually rolled down her window to scream, 91裸聊视频淥h my god!91裸聊视频� while stopped at a traffic light.
With some wide, white-wall tires, a little clean up and a stretch of sunny weather, this cat will be ready to prowl.
91裸聊视频淪he91裸聊视频檚 turned a lot of heads already and believe it or not, has a following of sorts,91裸聊视频� he says. 91裸聊视频淭his isn91裸聊视频檛 a Camaro or Chevelle or Mustang. There91裸聊视频檚 a ton of those cars out there, but nobody is crazy enough to customize a 1976 Cougar.
91裸聊视频淓xcept me, of course.91裸聊视频�
| Photography by Don Denton |
