Classic outside, custom inside

~ New Jackson business provides restoration with a twist.

When Terry Meadows was 9 years old, he remembers working on a 1930 Model-A Coupe with his grandfather, attempting to help restore the old-fashioned classic car to near pristine condition.

Or as close as they could get it.

"I loved old cars, but mainly I loved to work on things as much as anything," Meadows said. "Cars became just a natural part of that."

He's worked doing that ever since, spending his evenings and weekends with old automobiles that are long past their prime. Now, he's making a career out of it.

Meadows had the plan 15 years ago, but only opened Zydeco Auto Restification in Jackson last week. He sees the business that he runs with his wife, Cindy, and his brother-in-law, Tim Beard, as a place where car enthusiasts can bring their classic old cars and have them restored to near-mint condition.

With a twist.

At Zydeco, Meadows said they can sit down and help customers design a custom-made car that has the look and feel of a classic car with all the comforts of the modern age.

In other words, it could be a 1976 Firebird Trans-Am on the outside, but it could have heated seats, air conditioning and remote-start capabilities. It could be a 1960 Thunderbird, but it could have a late-model drive train and a fuel-injection system.

"It's a retro look with all the comforts of the modern cars," Meadows said. "It's a custom-made vehicle."

It all starts with someone usually having and old junker towed into the lot at 1320 Old Cape Road. A special blaster using small plastic beads takes off the paint. That system is better for the environment than sandblasting, Meadows said, and it doesn't leave a large mess to be disposed of. The plastic beads are recycled until they disintegrate, he said. A system like it costs about $70,000.

"We can strip the paint off a car in about half a day," he said. "If we were still hand sanding, it would take 40 hours of labor."

Depending on the vehicle, the process costs $18,000 to $35,000, though the average is about $30,000, Meadows said.

Beard said that there is a renewed interest in classic cars. For example, Beard said his other sister had always wanted a Mustang because she loved the one Mary Tyler Moore's character drove on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show."

When they get up and running, Meadows said they should be doing four to five cars per month. He also sees the business as a one-stop shop for customers who normally need several businesses to do all of this type of work.

"It's a headache for them," he said. "They can just tow their car in here and come back when it's done and drive it off."

smoyers@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137