Phillips Home Repair

Before I was in the business of fixing houses, I was in the business and hobby of fixing cars. I worked in a body shop for a while, but spent years on my own fixing wrecked cars and building custom cars. I thought it would be fun to post a few of my past projects here. Even though it isn’t house-related, it might help illustrate my attention to detail.

Almost all of these cars have been sold. A few have since ended up in the junkyard and a few are still around, but the only one I still own is the ‘53 Chevy.

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This is a 1998 Cadillac DeVille that I bought wrecked and put back together. It had spinning 20’s when they were still cool!

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This was my first AMC Pacer. It was a 1976 hatchback and I didn’t do much to it. There was a little body damage in the front and I couldn’t get a paint that matched, so i did the flames. Seemed like a reasonable solution to me at age 20.

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This was my second Pacer. It was a 1978 wagon and I went full custom with it. Probably the first and last Pacer with hydraulics you’ll ever see! I never finished it because it was getting too expensive.  I sold it cheap and last I heard it is still around in the same stage I left it.

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This was my Caprice Classic wagon. I bought it cheap from the U of I surplus and went crazy with it. I shaved the door handles, hood ornament, body trim, roof rack and rear bumper. I installed a 6′ sliding rag top, hydraulics, and wire wheels with Vogues. I loved this car, but I traded it for a Vespa.

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My 1953 Chevy 2 door hardtop. This was the first car I “restored” right after I got out of high school. I didn’t know what I was doing and it turned out horribly. I still have it and am planning a complete redo in the near future.

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This was a Chrysler Lebaron I bought wrecked and put back together. I actually really liked this car, but I got a good offer for it and let it go. I used the money to buy the Caprice and the hydraulics.

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These are just a couple miscellaneous photos. The first is a Dodge 600 convertible that a tree fell on and I got for $200. I just played with it for a few months and took it to the junkyard. The second picture is of a van that my friend painted and I layed out the flames for. Last I checked it is still parked on Dubuque St. near the reservoir turn.

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