A Restomod Evolution
By Cathy Wallace, Heartland Classics Chapter
Performance vehicles played a large part in my upbringing. Our family spent weekends at the drag strip; my dad and I raced snowmobiles, and my older brother, Charlie, raced the Pro Superbike road circuit. This aspect of family life set the stage for the evolution of Miss Glastron.
In 1977, my parents bought some lakefront property on Wixom Lake in Central Michigan. We quickly realized lake life wasn’t nearly as fun without a boat, so they purchased a 15’-10” ski boat from a local physician. Her sleek lines and red and white color scheme made her stylish. My dad thought she must have been a sexy boat in 1966, so he appropriately crowned her Miss Glastron 1966.
Watersports introduced an entirely new aspect of excitement. We cruised, skied, tubed, and admired performance boats as they roared past on the water. As my brother, Al, and I grew, our four-cylinder 1966 Glastron’s performance lagged. She could no longer successfully maintain a speed for barefoot skiing. My dad found this totally unacceptable, but it did not take him long to formulate a solution. The image of him with a tape measure in hand sizing the engine compartment is forever etched in my mind as is his look of total satisfaction when he realized his spare Chevy 350 would fit.
Once that V-8 engine was bolted in and fine-tuned, she came to life. Miss Glastron’s increased performance took us to a whole new level. Not only could she rip the arms of any skier, she rivaled and unexpectedly dominated any boat on the water.
Here is a funny story to illustrate this. We had a close family friend, Jerry, who bought a brand-new Liberator one summer. He confidently challenged us to a race. Dad accepted and subsequently beat him; not giving it another thought. Jerry did give it more thought! In fact, he sent his boat off to a shop that winter and spent several thousand on performance upgrades.
Upon the first opportunity, he flagged my dad down for a rematch. However, Dad was pulling my brother Al, as he skied. He graciously accepted the challenge, but informed his rival that he would have to wait until family time was done. They met up later that day for the showdown.
The challenger foolishly suggested they start the race from a dead stop this time. Jerry unknowingly put himself at a disadvantage as the “hole shot” was Miss Glastron’s “bread and butter.” The result was not favorable for Jerry. Miss Glastron annihilated his upgraded Liberator and deflated his ego. He pulled his boat out of the water and immediately put it up for sale. The next several years saw repeated similar race scenarios.
Over time Miss Glastron showed signs of wear and tear. Once again, this was unacceptable to my dad. He didn’t want her to lose her luster, so he pulled her from the water to repaint and refurbish her interior. Unfortunately, during this process, she ended up set aside and left unattended for years.
About 20 years later, in 2014, I returned home to help my parents downsize as they were getting older and unable to maintain their lake house. During the move, my Dad asked me to take that ”old boat” down to Erskine Marina for disposal. Hearing him refer to Miss Glastron as that “old boat” was heartbreaking, but I still honored his request.
My brother, Chuck, and I spent the entire day cutting trees out from around her, replacing rotting trailer tires, and hauling her off to her impending fate. By the time we finally arrived, the gate was closed and locked. We had no choice but to double back.
We found ourselves relaxing with a couple of beers in hand, discussing our available options when Chuck had the idea to un-tarp the boat. As we did, we were pleasantly surprised. Miss Glastron’s exterior red and white paint was still vibrant despite years of neglect. We knew in that moment she had to be saved.
I decided to haul her all the way from Michigan back to Missouri to begin her resurrection. Throughout the next several years, I fixed and confirmed all mechanical functions of the boat. Then I moved onto a few aesthetics such as the interior and buffing out the gel coat.
My dad’s health had declined significantly, so I knew my window of opportunity was closing. I gathered my two kids, Kait and Zach, along with Miss Glastron and headed to Michigan for what was to become Dad’s final ride.
The sky was cloudless that day, and the sun glistened off the water. Extended family gathered for visiting and boat rides. My dad was hesitant to take a ride and allowed everyone else to go first, but when he finally decided to step into Miss Glastron, his transformation was apparent.
My daughter, Kait, was crouched in a corner, filming it all as we rode. My heart swelled as I looked over and saw my dad smile. That moment will be remembered forever . It was the last day I would share with my father in this lifetime, as he passed away just a few months later.
The memory of his smile that particular day would soon serve as both inspiration and motivation as I took on the monumental task of a complete restomod. Long, hard days in the shop reminded me of time with my dad and helped me grieve.
Those days included removing and replacing stringers, floor, transom, gelcoat, repainting, interior revamp, motor upgrade, and carpet installation. As depicted in the pictures, the carpet has an inlay highlighting Miss Glastron 1966. This feature is a tribute to my Dad as he taught me the trade of carpet installation.
Following Miss Glastron’s completion, we joined Heartland Classics and attended a few events. Initially, we were concerned we may not fit in since our boat, although classic in age, was a fiberglass restomod versus a purist restoration. Nothing could be further from the truth, as both we and Miss Glastron, despite her excessively loud growl, have received a warm welcome.
We have made many new friends and look forward to spending time with them at events. Expressing our thanks to Heartland Classics is a must. Club members have accepted us and provided the opportunity to share the story and evolution of Miss Glastron with others.
Watch the video we did of dad’s last ride online at: https://youtu.be/f3QSNZgxzfQ