Photo Credit: Nicholas Draney / Standard-Examiner

A 1969 Corvette is providing a chance for a father and son to come closer together as they work side by side to restore the classic Chevrolet.

Jason Tueller, 21, and his 53-year-old dad, Shayne Tueller, say the restoration project is also providing them a chance to heal after the unexpected death last year of Jason’s sister, Jessica Tueller, 25.

?It was a nice deviation from everything and a time of healing from her death, with lots of nights spent with our arms covered in grease,? Shayne says. ?But more importantly, it brought Jason and me a lot closer.?
Jason says he now sees his dad as a friend, instead of an authority figure, ‘someone I can hang out with and do things with.?

As anyone who has restored a classic car can attest, though, the project hasn’t always gone smoothly. Shayne can point to freezing in the winter, having oil dumped on his face, and worrying about new parts that don’t fit.

But it’s definitely been worth the ride so far, and they have no plans to give up now, even though Jason did almost throw in the towel when he was sweating furiously in the non-air conditioned car this summer. But then he saw nine people pointing at his car and decided he would just rev up the motor and continue his journey.

The two men say the highs have outweighed the lows, including the smile on their faces when they cranked the car for the first time after they had saved the $1,500 labor costs of installing a new engine and done the work themselves.

?Sometimes you have to work hard for things, and the harder you work for it, the sweeter the satisfaction and more you appreciate it,? Shayne points out. ?It would have been fun to have it run from day one, but Jason wouldn’t have learned this much or appreciated the educational lessons of sticking with it.?

Of course, the car has turned into the proverbial money pit, Jason admits.

?It’s like the project that never ends with time and money,? Jason said. ?It’s going to be really weird when it’s all done.?

But as Shayne has reminded his son, the happiness is in the journey, not the destination.

Photo Credit: Nicholas Draney / Standard-Examiner