Nominee of Hotrod of the Year has ties to local area
Wed, 01/04/2017 - 10:38am
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Richard Myrum restored his Grandpa Oscar Qualley’s 1935 pick-up which has been nominated by the Minnesota Street Rod Association for the Hotrod of the Year to be announced on January 28, 2017. It had its debut on April 9, 2016 at the Gopher State Timing Association Car Show.
Richard Myrum attended Oklee High School until 1967 when his parents, Bernell and Evelyn Myrum (Qualley) moved to Pengilly, Minnesota where he still resides. Bernell passed away in 1987 and Evelyn in 2007, at which time he decided it was to restore Grandpa’s pick-up.
He purchased the 1935 pick-up in 1975, for $35 from Grandpa Qualley, who resided near Gully, Minnesota. Grandpa purchased it in the early 1950’s. However, it had been parked in the woods and had deteriorated to the point that there was no paint left, except some red on the firewall.
This project took 8 years of commitment to complete restoration. The parts were all sandblasted and primed. Then a wood kit was ordered from Dave Entler Restorations in Pennsylvania. This model had a substantial amount of wood framing in the cab and doors which were destroyed by the elements as Grandpa had it parked outside in the woods for 20 years. The pick-up box was completely replaced because of its poor condition. Grandpa Qualley had used it for a trailer.
A 1979 Chevy rear end from Bob and Don Olson’s Salvage was put in the truck. Richard used his 350 rebuilt Chevy engine that he had from his 1962 Corvette and 1957 Chevy. The engine is equipped with an Edelbrock carburetor, manifold and stainless steel headers. The larger engine required that the frame be boxed to accommodate its size. When parts were not available, they had to be custom made.
Other features were added, such as heating and air-conditioning, independent front suspension, rack and pinion steering, stainless steel A frames, stainless steel bumpers, wire wheels, disc brakes and coil covers.
The vehicle stayed 15 months at Unique Auto Body in Blaine, MN for its custom painting. During that time, it was sent to Premier Upholstery in Rogers, MN for a custom black leather interior. He painted it Millie Miglia red.
Richard Myrum has also restored a 1962 Corvette and a 1957 Chevy Bellaire. He is presently restoring a 1935 Chevy Convertible Roadster, which is one of only 535 that were manufactured.