Ron Blaufeder: Builder

It's my privilege to be a member of Team Kopper Kart. I met Mark Wojcik in 1996. My brother, who restores Triumph and Harley Davidson motorcyles, shared a garage next to Mark. I have a Chevy Impala convertible and I wanted to restore it, so my brother introduced me to Mark. I was not knowledgeable about cars, but I thought my Impala was worth fixing up. Mark offered me the opportunity to work on the car under his supervision. Agreeing to this was the smartest choice I made.

I did not do any of the skilled work; I disassembled, cleaned, sandblasted, spray painted and reassembled (and paid all the bills). But I can honestly say that I held every part of my car in my dirty, greasy hands. I also learned a lot of the basics of the beasts of burden that we all rely upon for everyday living.

A lot of people came and went through the doors of Customs by Flash. One of whom was Vic Collins, who I learned not only worked on real cars but was skilled in creating custom models and making resin pieces. Vic has a 51 Ford which I would get to know well as it was the first car I helped Mark chop.

After my car was done I spent a year or so driving and enjoying it. It's a very mild custom, but since it is a red convertible it draws much more attention than I ever imagined. I soon realized that while I was happy to have a great car to drive, I missed working on a project. I didn't have the room or real need for another car of my own, so I called Mark to see if he wouldn't mind if I came down to his shop and helped out with any of the projects. That was fine with him.

Over the last few years Vic and I have been regular fixtures assisting Mark in all phases of the restoration and customization work he does. The more time spent there, the more my skills increased as well as my understanding of the various assemblies and systems in cars. There is an extensive collection of books and magazines in the shop concerning metal work, painting, upholstery, chassis components and electrical wiring. I often borrow them to read during the week.

Vic is very knowledgeable on the subject of Barris customs. He had the idea of creating a reproduction of a long lost vehicle, the Kopper Kart. He started on this project with his brother. Soon it came into Mark's shop, and given the extensive customizing it would need, it looked like a fun and challenging build. There have been stops and starts on the way, but we have been working hard, expanding our skills and indeed having fun with this project.

I am definitely not the '50's custom fan that Mark and Vic are. I enjoy the older classics, especially coach-built versions, such as Duesenberg (the only American supercar, in my opinion) Cadillacs and Packards. I am also interested in European marques like Delahaye, Delage, Talbot Lago and Hispano-Suiza. These cars featured almost exclusively coach-built bodies. I believe the reason I can enjoy the work we do in Mark's shop is that the same skills and tools necessary to chop a top or french headlights or section a body are those used in coachbuilding.

The work on the Kopper Kart has been challenging. It is my hope that when people view the finished product they will enjoy what they see as much as we enjoyed creating it.