R.I.P: Jerry August Warfel
Coatesville, PA
From the beginning, Jerry was fascinated by anything with wheels. He pushed his own stroller, had an enormous collection of matchbox cars, then he moved on to building models and pinewood derby cars, he made a track in the basement for his electric Jeep, and then it turned to heelies, skateboards, scooters...
Year: 1963
Model: 2 Dr Sedan
Paint Color: Currently gold, will finish out matte black with pinstripe flames, as per Jerry's drawings and wishes
Wheel Size: Front - story 13's, Rear - 15x7
Engine: The 194 6 Cylinder is still going, but will be replaced with a 350 small block, 4 barrel carb.
Transmission: 3 on the tree is still in the car however, it wil be replaced with an M20 or M22 four speed.
Rear End: Stock 65 Chevy II rear
Front Suspension: original at this point; it will be replaced with a TCI rack and pinion manual steering front and from Chevy 2 Only, soon to be ordered.
Rear Suspension: new mono leaf with traction bars.
Brakes: front breaks will be disc and the rear will remain drums.
Exhaust / Headers: Jerry wanted flow masters off of the headers - he like the sound of it.
Update: article written about a scholarship fund set up to honor Jerry can be found here.
The Story
From the beginning, Jerry was fascinated by anything with wheels. He pushed his own stroller, had an enormous collection of matchbox cars, then he moved on to building models and pinewood derby cars. Being a Boy Scout, probably his high point of scouting, he won the pinewood derby. He made a track in the basement for his electric Jeep, then it was heelies, skateboards and scooters. We built a minibike together and then it was on to the Honda 150.
When Jerry was 11, I decided we needed a project car, so we started looking. We both knew of the Chevy II that was owned by a friend so we decided to approach him and made a deal. Jerry's grandfather, Bill Poulsen, Jerry and I went and picked up the car running, even though it had been sitting in a cornfield for at least 2 years. We drove it home despite the fact that it only had one wheel cylinder working on left front. It was quite a ride and a exciting stop.
We began work on the car immediately, first replacing all the brake lines, wheel cylinders, drums, shoes, bearings, seals and all along, Jerry was right there, wrenching on the car the whole way. We tuned the engine, rebuilt the carb, and after a lot of scrubbing, cleaning and waxing, we got the car tagged and began taking it to local shows.
Jerry won a trophy last year, 2010, for best work in progress, he was so proud. He began to get ideas for the build that he wanted on the car. He was researching options and making drawings (in addition to his love of cars, he was a talented artist) of how he would like it to look in the end. It was his dream to take this car to his senior prom. So, we started the rebuild. We purchased a junk Camaro and pulled the motor, trans and some other parts then started working on the rear. We pulled the 350 out of the Camaro, Jerry was very excited; high fives flying as he pulled his first motor.
On July 2, 2011, we got the radio working for the first time. We sat in the car in the driveway listening to the radio for an hour. Cars and guitars were my son's great loves.
On July 3, 2011, Jerry was killed in an automobile accident.
Jerry had been accepted into the Automotive program at CAT Brandywine, the vo-tech at his school. You would have thought he had been accepted at Harvard. He never got the chance to start off the school year wrenching on cars, but his Nova is being worked on by what would have been his fellow classmates in his honor. Thanks to the generosity of the people at CAT Brandywine, we are looking forward to seeing his dreams of the car made reality.
We'd like to thank all of you at Chevy 2 Only, for all of your help and technical support. Ordering and receiving parts is a very personable experience with your company - everyone we have had the pleasure of dealing with has been very helpful. Junior's tips have been extremely beneficial and the ladies at the order desk are very sweet. It's just a great experience every time I've dealt with you, and wanted you to know.
We have bought the following from Chevy 2 Only:
- Body parts,
- Trim,
- Interior Kit,
- And Everything from bumper bolts to headliners.
All of it is top quality, and the information and tech support is second to none. We look forward to continuing our relationship with you for the life of the car. We also look forward to showing the car in Jerry's honor and in support of the scholarship fund set up in his name to support the musical arts in the Coatesville Area School District. If any readers would like to see more of Jerry, feel free to check out a memorial video on youtube for him. He was a beautiful person and is sadly missed by his Mom, Dad, and everyone who was blessed enough to meet him. We will keep you updated with progress on the Nova. Thank you for your kindness and support.
- Jerry August Warfel's Family