Friday night sights: Classic cars at the Juke Box in Annandale
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| 1953 Chevy. |
Every Friday evening during the warm months, the Juke Box Diner parking lot (at the John Marr Drive and Columbia Pike intersection in Annandale) turns into a showcase for classic cars—many with the giant
fins and powerful engines of decades past.
fins and powerful engines of decades past.
You might find a tomato red 1967 Dodge Charger or 1966 lime
green Mercury Cougar lovingly restored by Mike Cumberland of Arlington, for
example, or Lawson Cook of Falls Church showing off his baby blue
and white 1967 Thunderbird or black 1953 Chevy.
green Mercury Cougar lovingly restored by Mike Cumberland of Arlington, for
example, or Lawson Cook of Falls Church showing off his baby blue
and white 1967 Thunderbird or black 1953 Chevy.
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| Mike Cumberland with his 1957 Charger. |
Cumberland has been
working on his Charger on weekends since he bought it in 2000 for $4,000. The engine’s
been overhauled, the interior has been restored, and he just installed new
breaks. “It will never be done,” he says. It gets just 15 miles per gallon, and
Cumberland mainly just drives it around to car shows in Northern Virginia.
Don’t be fooled by that 1953 Chevy, though. Cook totally
replaced just about everything inside. The only originally pieces left are the
frame and body and he’s driven it as far as Myrtle Beach, S.C.
replaced just about everything inside. The only originally pieces left are the
frame and body and he’s driven it as far as Myrtle Beach, S.C.
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| A Corvette Stingray. |
“I’ve been fooling around with these cars for 40 years,” Cook
says. There are people who restore old cars and sell them for a profit, but
Cook says, “You have to really like fooling around with this. It’s a miracle
if you can sell it for what you paid.”
says. There are people who restore old cars and sell them for a profit, but
Cook says, “You have to really like fooling around with this. It’s a miracle
if you can sell it for what you paid.”
While most of the car enthusiasts come to the Juke Box to
show off their dream machines and reconnect with other car hobbyists, sometimes
there is some buying and selling going on. [No one was interested in my 1995 Camry
though.]
show off their dream machines and reconnect with other car hobbyists, sometimes
there is some buying and selling going on. [No one was interested in my 1995 Camry
though.]
Restoring old cars has to be fun, Cook says, noting that he
doesn’t get too upset when his young grandson accidentally scratches one of his
cars.“You can’t let it drive you crazy. If you start worrying about everything,
it isn’t fun anymore.”
doesn’t get too upset when his young grandson accidentally scratches one of his
cars.“You can’t let it drive you crazy. If you start worrying about everything,
it isn’t fun anymore.”
