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Baby, You Can Drive My Car

Tampa Tribune staff photo/Greg Fight.

Richard Geller's restored 1958 Ford Del Rio Ranch Wagon.

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By JOYCE McKENZIE, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 30, 2008

Updated: 01/28/2008 09:22 pm

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TEMPLE TERRACE - Some guys never seem to outgrow their fascination with toys.

Such is the case for 57-year-old Richard Geller of Temple Terrace, whose life since early childhood has been captivated by the look and feel of classic cars.

"From the age of 10, I hung out at the local gas station where they worked on cars, and it's become an addiction," said Geller, whose garage at the home he built on North Riverhills Drive 24 years ago is his sanctuary for tinkering with and storing his collection of vintage vehicles.

Among them are several motorcycles, a 1940 Willys pickup he has had since high school and a restored 1927 metallic-blue Chevy roadster.

Geller added a rare 1958 two-door Ford Del Rio Ranch Wagon to his collection about two years ago, shortly after his retirement, for $15,000. Modeled after the popular Chevrolet Nomad and Pontiac Safari, the company sold a mere 12,687 of the so-called "space wagons" known for their two-tone paint scheme, exterior gold-anodized aluminum accents and top-grade vinyl upholstery.

"It's the only '58 I've ever seen," he said.

Geller's car was built and bought in California by its first owner and sold to a West Virginia resident in 1971. In the 35 years the man owned the vehicle, he replaced its 352-cubic-inch, 300-horsepower engine with a 427-cubic-inch, 410-horsepower engine; he repainted the exterior and drove it just 6,500 miles.

"All I did to the outside was clean it up and replace the stock hubcaps with mag wheels," said Geller, who noted the car now has 119,000 miles on it and 67,000 on its engine.

However, he spent months refurbishing the car's interior. The process included replacing the peeling vinyl rear side panels and cargo bed with light oak panels, swapping red carpet for rubber floor mats and installing a new headliner. His ultimate motive was to take his like-new automobile, valued at $30,000 to $35,000, to Florida car shows.

In the meantime, the older of his daughters, Ashley Cabrera, 30, blessed him with his first grandchild, a son named Carson.

The good news drove Geller to his next project: building a toddler's version of the Del Rio Ranch Wagon for his best buddy and soon-to-be car show companion.

"I'm gonna make sure he's a car guy, too," he said.

On eBay, Geller found a $50 1970s Murray Dude Wagon, a child-size convertible with pedals he restored inside and out to resemble his adult-size wagon.

"He spent every night for six months in his garage working on it so he'd have it ready by Christmas. It was a lot of work," Cabrera said. "The baby 16-month-old Carson was so cute. As soon as he saw the car on Christmas morning, he threw down his other toys and ran over to the car."

Geller plans to install a temporary handlebar on the rear of the minicar so it can be used as a stroller. When Carson gets a little older, he will reinstall the pedals.

"There's no question that my dad plans to take Carson and his car with him to the car shows, and I think it's great," said Carson's mom, who, despite growing up around restored vehicles, has very little interest in them.

Geller's wife, Linda, also is not a car buff and rarely watches him while he's restoring his vehicles. The only way she will accompany him to a car show is if there is a quilting shop or mall nearby.

"But, when I see the finished product, I have to say I'm impressed," she said. "I'm also excited for my grandson, who's learning at this age to like cars, and I'm happy for my husband, who's met some good friends through this."

By contrast, Geller's younger daughter, Jacqueline, 24, enjoys going to car shows with her dad. She also critiques his work.

"He asks me how things look. I get to pick colors and I have to see if everything is aesthetically pleasing," she said. "He was always the hit of the block and still is. The little boy next door came over not too long ago with his broken little 'putt-putt' and asked if my dad could fix it."

Geller's neighbor and fellow car fanatic Jeff Cooke, who attends a lot of car shows with him, watched him restore the small car for Carson.

"He just loves taking something that's old and seeing what it can be," Cooke said.

Reporter Joyce McKenzie can be reached at (813) 865-4849 or jmckenzie@tampatrib.com.

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