High gas prices didn't deter the Nevada Rides Tour, filled to its limit, that cruised 1,000 miles across the state this spring and over to MosesLudel.com, LLC, a classic car restoration shop near Yerington.
There, about 150 auto enthusiasts learned about Dynaflow transmissions and vintage steering mechanisms.
Owners of classic vehicles such as those that fill Reno during Hot August Nights - typically spare no expense in caring for their dream machines.
"Attendance at the local car shows appears unaffected," says Moses Ludel, owner of the Yerington restoration business. "My guess is that
Hot August Nights will be as big as ever. However, owners of these cars budget their event participation and have become more selective."
Collectors rank cars as investments alongside real estate and mutual funds.
"These cars, trucks and tractors are still a stable, appreciating market," says Ludel. "At the high end, collector-level cars make a better investment than real estate. "
Hot August Nights is a vacation for attendees but a showcase for vendors.
And the event's three-day swap meet is a networking venue for Ludel, who sets up meetings with potential customers far in advance. The first day, before the selection gets picked over, is also a shop fest for hard-to-find parts, tools and manuals.
While gas prices put the brakes on some parts of the economy, Ludel says, "We're doing well because our niche work is vital to a broad demographic, ranging from hobbyist and enthusiasts to collectors and investors.
"We should do well in this market by targeting cars of value and specializing in vintage manual and automatic transmissions, manual and power steering gears and the repair of damaged and obsolete gears, shafts and castings."
And while the bread and butter of the business is vintage steering and transmissions, the shop is expanding into gear shafts for a broader market: Tractors.
No longer relegated to rust in the field, tractors of a certain vintage have lumbered up alongside muscle cars as the latest classic collectable, says Ludel.
Another new niche to the restoration business is original castings of obsolete parts beyond repair. "I search North America and Canada and if I can't find the part, I tell the client I'm willing to take it to the next level," he says.
Auto owners ship parts to Yerington. Restoration work can take up to 60 hours, with an engine assembly costing $7,500 to $18,000. The restoration of a vintage Dynaflow, the automatic transmission in a 1953 Buick, can cost upwards of $7,000. But collectors pay, because at auction, that restored classic can bring $160,000.
Moses Ludel employs a background that's both manual and academic.
As a teen, he serviced the showy Buick Skylarks of the era at a Gardnerville gas station. A career as a mechanic led to transmission specialist. After earning a degree in pre-law with a focus on professional writing at University of Oregon, he wrote for a number of automotive magazines.
He's taught and written curriculum for automotive, welding and diesel mechanics courses, served as instructor and then director of vocational training at Right of Passage.
Now "special-needs transmissions" continue to hold his attention.
"I like highly technical machinery, involved mechanically complex," he says. "These vintage automatic transmissions nobody knows how to work on."
