Rewinding the Clock by Jim Dillenschneider

May-June 2025

Bonnie Prudden, an American physical fitness pioneer, once said: “You can’t turn back the clock, but you can wind it up again.”

This saying applies to CVA members Duane Barnett and Jim Dillenschneider’s current projects—Duane’s 1957 Ford Ranchero and Jim’s 1955 Ford Victoria.

This story can begin with a chance comment that was made during breakfast at a CVA lower Midwest regional meeting in Springfield, Missouri. Duane was talking about a 1957 Ford Ranchero he had recently rescued by removing it from a field, where it had been resting for years. Duane thought that even though the car’s condition had suffered from its long rest inan open field, it was still worthy of being brought back to running condition. Duane wanted to take advantage of the cars’ natural patina and give it an admirable “Rat Rod” status. As Duane was describing what he was planning on doing to the Ranchero, he mentioned that there wasn’t an engine currently in the car, but he was in possession of a freshly rebuilt Y-block, refreshed by Ted Eaton. He was thinking about installing it in the Ranchero.

Here’s a little history on Jim’s Victoria: the current engine in the Victoria’s bay started good, sounded good, and ran good, but after many miles, the engine was tired. As luck would have it, Jim had acquired another Y-block years ago, and even though it didn’t have a fresh rebuild, it still was in fantastic condition. Jim had planned at some point to swap out the “tired” engine with it.

As Duane continued to describe his plans for the Ranchero, Jim expressed the idea of offering his Y-block that was in fantastic condition in an equitable exchange for Duane’s Ted Eaton-rebuilt Y-block, thinking that said exchange would be of mutual benefit to each of them. The comment of the  engine exchange was something of a random thought that was not expected to be taken seriously by Jim or Duane. After all, each of them already had plans in mind for what they were going to do with their cars.

However, after some time, the comment during that breakfast at the CVA event began to make a lot of sense to both men. Duane contacted Jim, and they began discussing the logistics of exchanging these engines. It could be said that “great minds think alike,” as the saying goes. After all, both Jim and Duane had the good sense to become members of the CVA.

So, an arrangement was agreed upon, and plans were made to complete the project. Duane had the necessary resources to undertake this type of endeavor, and he had already been working on the Ranchero at his shop. So, it was decided to bring Jim’s Victoria to Duane’s shop, as well as the Y-block that would ultimately be placed in the Ranchero, to simplify the project and combine their respective mechanical acumen. As any antique-car tinkerers know—an engine swap isn’t something that can be completed in an afternoon.

Some other CVA members associated with this endeavor that should be mentioned are Fred and Teri Gardner of Lee’s Summit, Missouri; Lyle & Annabelle Hutchens of Salem, Missouri; and Don and Ronna Robertson of Manhattan, Kansas. Fred “Freddy” Gardner was responsible for finding the engine that would ultimately find itself in the bay of the Ranchero. He read about it in the Parts for Sale section in an issue of The FoMoCo Times, and alerted Jim Dillenschneider of its availability. Jim purchased it with the intention of one day swapping out his “tired” Y-block with it, before the Ted Eaton engine presented itself. Interestingly enough, Lyle Hutchens sold Duane the Y-block that ultimately received the Ted Eaton treatment courtesy of Duane. It originally came out Lyle’s 56 Ford that he’d purchased brand new. Lyle still owns that vehicle to this day. Don and Ronna Robertson, CVA Regional Directors, were responsible for organizing and orchestrating the Lower Midwest Regional meeting in Springfield, Missouri, where the breakfast meeting took place, thereby setting this whole thing in motion. As an aside—Don and Ronna have made each and every Lower Midwest Regional meeting they have been responsible for an outstanding and memorable gathering for all who have been fortunate enough to attend.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention two other significant people involved in this adventure: Mrs. Terry Barnett and Mrs. Martha Dillenschneider. They may only be mildly interested in the things that involve working with wrenches, but they truly enjoy cruising with the windows and/or the convertible top down during the pleasurable summer evenings those of us who own a classic ride can experience.

I’ll bring this to a close by circling back to the Bonnie Prudden quote with which I opened this article. Bonnie was a pioneer in American physical fitness, and she lived to be 97 years of age, providing a living example of a fitness regimen that is helpful if followed. Two of her many accomplishments: she was responsible for the creation of the President’s Council on Youth Fitness. She also appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine. Now, I’m guessing that some of you reading this are, like many of us, “seasoned,” and realize that the roads we have traveled in our past are far lengthier than the roads we will travel in our future. Age affects one’s level of aches and pains, causes the loss of strength, and diminishes one’s ability to do things we once did easily—but age is a mindset. You’re as young as you think you are. The phrase “I may not be as good as I once was, but I’m as good once as I always was” can potentially apply to all of us, regardless of our age.

During the time it took to pen this writing, Jim and Duane were successful in getting both of their cars running and back on the road. A great sense of accomplishment was their reward. They did it! They pulled it off! New life was given to two classic rides. Metaphorically speaking, and to quote Bonnie Pruddent again, they found out that “you can’t turn back the clock, but you can wind it up again.” I wager that those reading will find this statement to be true.