Jim's Family Collection

 

Jim prefers

 

Jim prefers
tankless hot water

Jims59.com

60th anniversary

JUN09

For his work on the Indiana CLC Region web site, Jim wins the prestigious Web Site Excellence Award at the Cadillac and LaSalle Club Grand National Convention in Las Vegas

OCT08

The Collectors Weekly interviews Jim about automobile and Schwinn collecting.

JUN08

The LAFAYETTE JOURNAL AND COURIER features a story about Jim's search for the identity and history of a photo in his Schwinn bicycle collection. Click here to see the image on Jim's Schwinn page.

JUN08

Jims59.com releases the 1978 DATSUN B210 page. Jim adds another vintage Japanese car to his collection. Thanks to all those around the world that have submitted photos and words of encouragement. The Collector Car hobby truly crosses all boundaries of nationality and culture.

OCT07

Jim launches his YouTube channel! Due to the increasing worldwide popularity of Jims59.com and classic vehicles in general, we now have pages showcasing Rat-Rods & Barn-Finds, the Newport Indiana Antique Auto Hill-Climb, Vintage Trucks, 1960 Chevrolets, and Fords, Chryslers & Imports. Jim's family collection increases with the addition of a 1969 Chevrolet BelAir, which has been in Jim's family since new.

FEB07

Jims59.com Releases its brand new website design.

JAN07

As a boy in the 1960s, Jim was mesmerized by the unique styling of a 1959 Chevrolet that lived down the street in his West Lafayette Indiana neighborhood. As he matured, his love of this unusual design grew stronger. Jim drove a 1959 El Camino when he attended Lafayette Jefferson High School in the 1970s. Over the years, Jim has had a few 1959 Chevrolets. In 1982, Jim sold his last 1959 El Camino. As time went by, he often found himself longing for another one. In this same period, he began to notice that these cars were rapidly becoming an American cultural icon. As the collector value of these autos skyrocketed, Jim began to realize that his dreams of owning another 1959 Chevrolet were becoming somewhat unrealistic. By the turn of the century, the two door hardtops and convertibles had reached a point where they were simply too valuable to drive, and to buy one and restore it would cost more than the price of a nice home.

Then in October 2001, Jim found an affordable and superb example of a 1959 Impala sedan. This car was parked in 1965, and slept peacefully in a heated garage, unused, and unseen for 36 years. Jim purchased it and began the process of forming a plan to restore this car to original condition. In the spring of 2005, the car was finished and this original beauty has now been restored to her former glory. Now kept in climate control and driven only on sunny days, and to car shows, she finds herself a trophy winning show car.

This web site began in 2005 as a step-by-step documentary of Jim's three-year-long restoration of this 1959 Impala. Jim wanted to provide other 1959 Chevrolet enthusiasts with a complete overview of the restoration process. To this day, this site has the most complete photo database of any 1959 Impala restoration anywhere on earth and has evolved into one of the most popular 1959 Chevrolet web sites on the internet. Consistently topping the GOOGLE and MSN search engine lists. As the site grows, it evolves. Now there is a tribute page focusing on the growing popularity of the more affordable and readily available four door collector cars, as well as a page with photos of outstanding and unusual vintage cars and trucks. New pages devoted to two well known American cultural icons, The 1955-56-57 Chevys, and Vintage Schwinn bicycles. To see more of Jim's work, see the link to Jim's Projects Past and Present for more photos of his restorations.